*PLEASE READ CAREFULLY* Be a decent human being: kindly keep your sexist/racist thoughts and conspiracy theories to yourself. External links are also a no-no. Comments that advance the conversation are most welcome.
I like that you spent so much time on the whole Raspberry Pi ecosystem. Attainable quality audio for the hobbyist. I hope you keep following this line.
I just recently discovered your channel and I really want to say thank you. You keep a very open mind about a wide variety of ways to listen to music. I really like how you explained how one man's budget can greatly limit what his max audio options are. Knowing you take that into account reassures this viewer that you are going to bring all the best options to us and let us decided. Thank you again.
Damn, I just really love your videos they feel like they were produced by a channel 5 times your size with 20 times the budget. I love the editing style.
Thanks for the update. I just updated my Volumio. At this time all I have is a drive connected with Flac files of CD. Since I just lost the job at hospital I will hold off on tidal or anything else for time being. Thanks for starting me on this journey.
Thx John for the update on Volumio. I have two Pi based dacs did a update on both and had Tidal connect working within a hour. I’m pleased with the results much better way to stream Tidal on these devices.
John, thank you for your videos about the raspberry pi. I was looking at the bluenode and other streamers, but got the raspberry pi and installed volumio on it. Works great, sounds great... Love it!
Thank you! I purchased a Rsdpberry Pi 4 and a Boss DAC hat, got it up and running and now enjoy using Volumio with my audio system. Really appreciate your exposition of the journey, it’s an exciting time to be part of the audiophile universe now!
@@justonemmett8604 The Boss DAC connects to my Raspberry PI 4 and converts the PI's digital audio to analog output that feeds into my speaker amplifier. The hat term means that the board plugs into the Pi 4 40 pin on board connector for a compact unit. There are USB DAC uniits that John Darko has reviewed so a DAC HAT is not needed for quality convert digital audio conversion from a PI 4.
Using it with my pi4 and get full MQA 384khz on my Topping D90 MQA on usb. Got some pops and klicks, but i changed buffering setting and it got mutch better. Using it with Ifi usb purifier 3 to, sounds just great. Better than my intel Nuc computer i was using before.
Waiting for spotify Hifi, what that will bring, i hope far more than 7%, cd quality will do! Thanks for a again a nice video John. Also for bringing Poligon Window into my room! 👌
I don't think you got the difference between Hi-Fi and the 24Bit MQA... Spotify should be able to have over 95% of their library in simple Hi-Fi, as the competition does...
Love this Raspberry Pi stuff! I've been considering a move to Tidal, but I think I'm going to hold off until Spotify go lossless. Just comfortable with the Spotify app!
Get the Raspbery Pi 4b and usb audio works flawlessly, I use it to output audio on my Cambridge Audio CXA61 via USB async. Issue with RPi3 was that the usb and Lan were sharing the same bus
Excellent. I love a good fiddle with kit too. Glad to see that not everyone is promoting just the mega priced solutions. Not that I wouldn't go for some of those if I had the cash, of course.
Thanks for this kind of videos. After last vid of the rpi4, I bought one last week. Now I'm running it with moode straight with USB into my cxa80. And using bubble upnp for qobuz and tidal streaming. The sound of my system changed and opend up so much in a good way instead of chrome cast that I'm used to use. It's like I have a whole new hifi system.
I have been using Volumio for a couple of years. I am currently running on a pi-zero W with a pimoroni dac shim. I have a hard drive on my network that has a couple of gig's of music I have collected. The FLAC's of live performances sound awesome. My system is only about $250 in total with speakers and amp, pi, etc. It is a little slow to get started (the pi zero is pretty wimpy) but it is something I can take in my pocket and connect anywhere I have wifi or cellular and stream all of my music or pretty much any service that volumio supports. The community on volumio has been great to help me with gotchas over time. I could put a much nicer DAC on it for $100 but for my needs, it is perfectly adequate. Thanks for the great content and for spreading the word that great-sounding audio doesn't have to be expensive.
I like how you're honest. I am just starting to get into HIFI home audio and a DIY'er. I am never satisfied with my equipment lol I feel I can always get better
I got my Allo usbridge signature and connect it to Volumio and Tidal Master, and from the usb on front i add USB IR and use also remote control, just perfect machine and thanks to Volumio, btw John i have it about a month ago but yes it is something new
Great video, and I love how you geek on this stuff. It's not as elegant but I have been streaming Tidal to my Pi using LMS. Just another alternative. 👍
@@Patricia-kk8tr Similar, but what I have is a plugin for LMS, so it uses the LMS/Squeeze interface. Advantage - it integrates seamlessly with my own library of music files on a share. Disadvantage - a bit fussy to set up, and not as elegant looking a UI. You're correct - both stream audio bits straight from Tidal to the device, not through my phone. The phone app is just a controller. Turn the phone off and the music keeps playing.
For me Tidal connect is far more important than MQA. Both are amazing bits of software, one lets me find and listen to music with ease and other makes me go looking for MQA versions of albums.
In your video you said installing the tidal connect is impossible in Volumio but actually tidal connect is included already with the Paid Membership in Volumio , all you hv to do is to pay for the membership thingy and upgrade it, tidal connect is there working perfectly.
I was able to get my Raspberry Pi set up with Volumio, configured, and using Tidal Connect in less than an hour. I already had a Raspberry Pi laying around and a subscription to Tidal so the $35 a year for Volumio wasn't a big deal. In fact, after spending some time using Volumio I think it is a screaming deal. For the money, this is hard to beat, especially when you compare the price to plug and play network streamers on the market. So stoked on this!
I’ve a BOSS i2S DAC, RASP hat in the post, this video has sort of answered all my question, quite excited now. It’s probably not the best DAC out there but a good starting point. Presently use Apple Music so will have to switch to Tidal I think.
Hey John, I noticed you had an Audioquest Jitterbug plugged in. Would you be willing to do a video about it? Interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks, J.
I'll second that. I use Roon at my main place, Nuc (rock) - USBridge (Volumio) - Gustard X16, but don't fancy paying for a second Roon license for my weekend place. Tidal Connect would keep me happy and if would be nice to be able to use a better supported and more modern SBC like the Pi4 whilst keeping a clean USB out.
This is a great solution for getting Tidal Connect up and running. Just completed my setup last night with the dragonfly cobalt and it was fairly simple. One issue regarding MQA on this setup. I notice that the Dragonfly led only lights up blue instead of purple on MQA songs and then green on everything else. Seems a bit odd... But Tidal Connect is the big win here with MQA being an added bonus.
Just recently got my first pair of head phones, the Philps X2HRs I think, really an eyeopener, kinda fell down a rabbit hole and found this channel and I'm loving all the information I'm learning
Hello John - I followed your recommendation from months ago, (Pi-squeeze video) and bought a HiFi Berry Raspberry Pi with a Digi+ HAT - loaded it with the piCorePlayer OS, and using LMS on my PC or, on my android phone, using the Orange Squeeze app, I stream Tidal to my Schiit Modi DAC to my Bottlehead Crack tube headphone amp, or my stereo setup, Cambridge CXA60 amp and B&W 685 s2 speakers. Works perfect! I think I'll stick with this setup, no need to pay for Volumio.
OMG ! Unbelievable ! Thank you so much John. I have just tried it in my Raspberry Pi-4 (w 4gb ram), together with my Denafrips Ares II playing music @384Khz (better SQ in my system) or @768Khz either in its amazing web interface of Volumio or via Roon. My standard system is Aries G2.1 together with Sirius G2.1. Honestly ... I don't know which system Pi4-Volumio or my Auralics is better! There is definitely a potential here. And I mean that comparison of Volumio (together with a Linear Power supply) with expensive high end streamers !
Hey John, I managed to get my RPI-4 via Dietpi connected to Tidal connect with my Iphone. I used Diepi with Allo Boss, then I loaded Google Home on my iphone. After a bit of config in Google home I went back to Tidal Connect opened a screen to pick the endpoint, then pick Airplay & Blue tooth. My screen has a choice for Dietpi. Guess what it works and the best part of this is you can run the volume up and down with the hard buttons on my phone.
I think it's amazing that people can differentiate between 2 good DACS. While telling apart a laptop or android built in DAC from say a Chord Mojo or a Fiio K3 is easy, comparing top tier DACS is no easy feat.
Iphone / RPI with Dietpi OS / and Tidal Connect! This config works via the Iphone via Airplay choice. No need for other 3rd party Software. The only problem is I can't see the same choices in Tidal connect on my PC as I don't have airplay on the pc. Iphone works fine so its kinda ok Maybe Airplay for Windows 11 will do the trick.
with the Raspberry Pi 3B plus you can send the signal directly via the USB port to, for example, the Denon pma-600ne.with volumio you can perfectly stream music such as Nas server, spotify and perhaps also TIDAL payment. the Dac of the Denon is exceptionally great. sounds even better than the hifiberry hat, HiFiBerry DAC RCA+ Pro this is equivalent to the Bluesound node 2i
Excellent topic to do a video about a raspberry pi streamer! This inspired me to build a Pi zero Audio-Streamer which runs volumio and plays the TIDAL Master files. And using the Connect function works nicely. For the size and functionality it is absolutely brilliant. The only technical question that comes up, How does the Connect function work?! I thought you just tell the Streamer to play as an end point, but for me it seems to be an Airplay&Bluetooth Connection. How is the Connect functionality solved in more high-end products like the Bluesound powernode?! Because e.g. when I am sitting on the couch and listen to music via TIDAL Connect I want to watch a UA-cam video (latest darko audio news) and then the sound plays via the Pi zero. Would that be the same on the Bluesound Ecosystem?! Thanks a lot in advance for any experience shared in the comments. Keep on rockin’
Don’t underestimate the power of honest efforts to share the good news! This review started me on four month quest for a Pi Streamer for Tidal connect. It took four months, the purchase of an AV receiver and an IFI DAC (after a HELM BOLT), help from a tech at Volumio, and faith the end result would be there and be worthwhile. Mission accomplished!!!! Streaming as it should be for $300 less. Thanks again and keep em coming. Two requests. Please review some Magnat speakers (503) and a Kinky Studio amp!
My Spotify (and connect) running on volumio and pi, just started streaming 16 44.1 this week (according to volumio app). Everything I've played thus far. Last week just 320kbps. I have a "premium" account and I'm in the US. The advantage is I'm not a my Volumio subscriber. Thanks for your great videos.
Same setup with the audioquest cobalt dac playing what you said, Max Richter sleep in MQA and the light doesn't turn purple to signify mqa, stays blue.
Neubauten... Eisbär.. you certainly make an effort to go full Leberwurst :) I just started Tidal mainly to give Ek the finger he deserves but as you mentioned, the beauty of it all is that my amp speaks Spotify natively, while for Tidal or others I have to go through Heos, and that just isn't nice, at all. So hooray hifi quality, but now I have several new maintenance vectors with a range of responsible parties (or sometimes there won't even be a party assuming responsibility, RasPi foundation won't care if that external hat doesn't work or if the 3rd party OS can't do this thing or that thing): a Pi, a modified OS (updates? ITsec?), additional hardware (USB DAC I might just plug into a 50EUR tablet off local ads and keep near my hifi spot), a _subscription_ to a service that provides the data path to the hifi system, an annual subscription --- I think it's easier and more reliable to put a USB sound card with digital outputs of any band on a pi, add an SSD with all my CDs ripped to in CD quality and have a web interface on top.
Great video and also very nice hardware integration. I'm just a bit disappointed that volumio charges for the TIDAL connect implementation. Using HiFiBerryOS, I managed to implement TIDAL connect without having to subscribe to a subscription model. This might be a solution for those among us with less of a monthly budget to spend on consumerism.
Well I took the bait and bought a rasberry pi 3 B and digi hat. Loaded Volumio and stream Tidal Connect. I’m not tech savvy, but I got to work. It sounds so good that my dear wife commented on how good it sounds. That is a first. For reference, I was using an iFi Zen Blu, which sounded good, but not nearly this good. The rest of the system is: Schiit Bifrost Mutibit DAC, Naim Nait integrated amp driving Focal Aria 906 speakers.
That's so weird. I just within the last two weeks used Volumio and have a Tidal Connect setup. Worked like a charm. Though you do have to fork over a few bucks to Volumio.
Hi, John. I write about tidal, volumio and the denafrips ares 2 you mentioned you're reviewing. I know you're not focused on hi-res streaming or hi-res music in general - and I get where you are coming from. However, please note that there's an easy and ostensibly free option in that volumio allows you to up sample files. I've been using the ares 2 with volumio running on an Allo USBridge Signature for about a year now. I A/B tested all the options, and I now upsample tidal in volumio to 384khz and then in the ares 2 I oversample the upsampled files. This might sound like a lot of trouble. But I do it because to my ears this produces the best sound quality with LS50s paired with a REL T7i sub and driven by a Rogue Sphinx V2 amp. Please note this "hack" doesn't work with tidal connect. You have to use the clunky (but improving) volumio app. Lastly, a big thank you to you and your colleagues for creating such great content for music-first audiophiles. I'm a big fan of your website and your UA-cam channel! Thanks again, and best of wishes, Veli
It works on Volumio as well. They have done the official implementation last week. And you can choose between Tidal connect and Spotify connect. Plus Version 3x is coming soon.
Compare Qobuz and Tidal MQA and decide for yourself. To me there is no contest, MQA is a gimmick and the honest streaming Qobuz offers is superior in terms of sound quality.
Google: Tidal worse than flac reddit Should be the reddit link titled: Testing MQA: Is it worse than FLAC? The test was done by another youtuber. User:goldensound Very interesting read. However, do try it for yourself. This might not even matter to you.
Having just built a prototype 'radiogram' (ask your parents what they look like....), Volumio brings it all together and Tidal saves the need for attached storage of flac files.
Hello John love your videos. I'm rasPI enthusiast too :) About Tidal, I decided to move to Dezeer after all this MQA controversy. Valid video for who still on Tidal, we have limited Tidal player, specially on Linux :/
Deezer is the best option right now. Their HiFi option is the cheapest among all that offer CD quality, and their songs database is one of the best too.
That's actually pretty good news because the Pi2AES uses the the Hifiberry Digi+ Pro Driver , so you could actually use your own outboard DAC. Worth a try at least.
John, anyway to setup a Rasberry Pi that will work with Amazon HD Music (I have seen your Spotify and Tidal videos, all excellent by the way) . . .thanks . . .You can call it Piazon or AmaPi . . .
This. Gone are the days where I don't care about artists getting their fair share. I don't buy CDs anymore so Tidal is the next best thing in terms of convenience and fairness.
It'd be interesting to see what a Pi-streamer could bring to the table in comparison to a laptop when it comes to headphone DACs like the RME ADI etc. I like the idea of improving my source but I'm not sure it is worth the trade-off in convenience factor. If anyone has any experience with this kind of setup feel free to share your thoughts.
I'd have gone for a digi HAT instead of a DAC HAT so you can then still use an external DAC, although obviously via COAX or TOS. Removes the need for the volumio reliance....he says as a Roon user. 😅
I think the hi-res stuff is relevant for newer albums that get released but I get the point overall that its a small part of the library. Keep up the great stuff, John and team! I love the point on streaming convenience though! I've mostly moved to using Spotify Connect as the default option to enjoy music, first and foremost, on my KEF LSX. If only the chips inside had the ability to run Tidal Connect as well.
I have a Pi 3+ plus an allo digi one hat going into a tube Dac. I have subscribed to Tidal hi Res, and going to to try Volumio subscription for a year with Tidal connect. Let you know if I can play the HI res files.
Agree John, I just want to throw tidal onto my Mac from my phone where it plays through dragonfly to my Geneva xxl. Would love to know when that remote tidal connect is coming. Volume control is also interesting for me.
HifiBerryOS now does (un-officially) Tidal Connect too! HifiBerryOS has Docker enabled by default. Thanks to Matt to create the Docker that does the splendid job. Look for 'Tidal Connect - HiFiBerry'.
What I understand so far is that my Rapberry should be capable with Hifiberry OS and my Allo Digione Tidal Connect. Right? From the Allo HAT I can then go to my DAC with COAX. Did I understand that correctly so far? Is Hifiberry OS a standalone program or do I need a Raspberry Pi OS as a base? Thanks
I'm gonna start building my touch screen Raspberry Pi music player/streamer in a few weeks using the Raspberry Pi 4, official touchscreen, smartipi case, HiFi berry digi2 pro, and Volumio. This would use internal memory for my music collection of Redbook flac rips, mp3's, HiRes Flacs, and iTunes ALAC files, and Spotify for streaming. This would also be connected to my own DAC(Modi Multibit for now), and then to powered speakers. I'm excited to start the project. I liked Tidal when I tries the free trial a couple years ago but I'm sorry, I just can't support MQA or anything that uses it.
Been waiting for Tidal connect support on my Innuos Zen for sometime. Looks like their new software update and app will only have full integration with Qobuz at launch, but they're looking to roll out full support for Tidal at a later date. Guess I'll have to hang on a bit longer!
I managed to setup perfectly with Tidal. It's interesting over Bluetooth all my music much more articulated with airy, fresh high and mid range with Pi over a noname usb cable I lose all the above but get punchy low frequencies. Arcam Irdac mk1, Arcam Bluetooth receiver, Arcam A19 & Dali Ikon 6 mk2 😃
Hello John, you talk about the hifiberry software but in the video you click on your phone on volumio in tidal connect? It’s a bit confusing wich software I can use on my raspberry pi with tidal.
Hey John! What do you think about the Yamaha MusicCast WXAD-10? It is almost that what you were trying to do in the first place (streamer with dac and analog outputs) and it is low priced. Unfortunately there are no digital outputs to connect a different dac.
MyVolumio Superstar account allows playback of digital/analogue INPUTS.... Volumio are soon to add multi-room synced playback.... I'm really hoping I will be able to play records (*analogue into dac into volumio) and have it multi-room streamed around my house!! So Volumio is building up to be a real complete audio solution
Hey John, great video. Just getting into audio on the Pi and wanted to check out the heatsink case link. It doesn't seem to go to the right target though. What case are you using in this video?
Good morning, I find the information super good. I am looking to make my own streamer with raspberry, but I wanted to know if anyone had tried a Raspberry streamer where you can connect the ifi zen dac to the streamer via usb? I know that the ifi streamer has that ability but I don't have the budget to spend an additional US$400.00. Or in any case, which streamer would you recommend to have a dac equivalent to ifi zen? Thank you so much, Jorge.R
*PLEASE READ CAREFULLY* Be a decent human being: kindly keep your sexist/racist thoughts and conspiracy theories to yourself. External links are also a no-no. Comments that advance the conversation are most welcome.
I like that you spent so much time on the whole Raspberry Pi ecosystem. Attainable quality audio for the hobbyist. I hope you keep following this line.
I just recently discovered your channel and I really want to say thank you. You keep a very open mind about a wide variety of ways to listen to music. I really like how you explained how one man's budget can greatly limit what his max audio options are. Knowing you take that into account reassures this viewer that you are going to bring all the best options to us and let us decided. Thank you again.
Damn, I just really love your videos they feel like they were produced by a channel 5 times your size with 20 times the budget. I love the editing style.
I’m holding out for Qobuz Connect.
Thanks for the update. I just updated my Volumio. At this time all I have is a drive connected with Flac files of CD. Since I just lost the job at hospital I will hold off on tidal or anything else for time being. Thanks for starting me on this journey.
I hope they extend tidal connect even further like spotify connect. Great video John👌🏼👌🏼
Thanks John. Becoming an audiophile since the beginning of COVID-19 helped me. Bravo to your high quality videos.
Thx John for the update on Volumio. I have two Pi based dacs did a update on both and had Tidal connect working within a hour. I’m pleased with the results much better way to stream Tidal on these devices.
You are a pleasure to watch. Complicated material put very simply. Thank you.😀
John, thank you for your videos about the raspberry pi. I was looking at the bluenode and other streamers, but got the raspberry pi and installed volumio on it. Works great, sounds great... Love it!
Thank you! I purchased a Rsdpberry Pi 4 and a Boss DAC hat, got it up and running and now enjoy using Volumio with my audio system. Really appreciate your exposition of the journey, it’s an exciting time to be part of the audiophile universe now!
If I already have a usb dac, do I need a dac hat? Thanks
@@justonemmett8604 The Boss DAC connects to my Raspberry PI 4 and converts the PI's digital audio to analog output that feeds into my speaker amplifier. The hat term means that the board plugs into the Pi 4 40 pin on board connector for a compact unit. There are USB DAC uniits that John Darko has reviewed so a DAC HAT is not needed for quality convert digital audio conversion from a PI 4.
Using it with my pi4 and get full MQA 384khz on my Topping D90 MQA on usb.
Got some pops and klicks, but i changed buffering setting and it got mutch better.
Using it with Ifi usb purifier 3 to, sounds just great.
Better than my intel Nuc computer i was using before.
Waiting for spotify Hifi, what that will bring, i hope far more than 7%, cd quality will do! Thanks for a again a nice video John. Also for bringing Poligon Window into my room! 👌
I don't think you got the difference between Hi-Fi and the 24Bit MQA...
Spotify should be able to have over 95% of their library in simple Hi-Fi, as the competition does...
Love this Raspberry Pi stuff! I've been considering a move to Tidal, but I think I'm going to hold off until Spotify go lossless. Just comfortable with the Spotify app!
Get the Raspbery Pi 4b and usb audio works flawlessly, I use it to output audio on my Cambridge Audio CXA61 via USB async. Issue with RPi3 was that the usb and Lan were sharing the same bus
Excellent. I love a good fiddle with kit too. Glad to see that not everyone is promoting just the mega priced solutions. Not that I wouldn't go for some of those if I had the cash, of course.
I wasn't aware of HifiBerry OS. Minimal and effective. That's all I was looking for my Raspberry Pi. Thank you for sharing.
Im on roon using ropieee. All thanks to you John. Im not sure i could ever leave roon. Feel like a customer for life
Omg tidal connect finally afforfable ,thanks for bring it to me, I will start the project!
Thanks for this kind of videos. After last vid of the rpi4, I bought one last week. Now I'm running it with moode straight with USB into my cxa80. And using bubble upnp for qobuz and tidal streaming. The sound of my system changed and opend up so much in a good way instead of chrome cast that I'm used to use. It's like I have a whole new hifi system.
Very useful. Like the unintentional pun at then end: 'hats off....'
Hurray!!!!! Been waiting for this breakthrough. Major thanks
I have been using Volumio for a couple of years. I am currently running on a pi-zero W with a pimoroni dac shim. I have a hard drive on my network that has a couple of gig's of music I have collected. The FLAC's of live performances sound awesome. My system is only about $250 in total with speakers and amp, pi, etc. It is a little slow to get started (the pi zero is pretty wimpy) but it is something I can take in my pocket and connect anywhere I have wifi or cellular and stream all of my music or pretty much any service that volumio supports. The community on volumio has been great to help me with gotchas over time. I could put a much nicer DAC on it for $100 but for my needs, it is perfectly adequate. Thanks for the great content and for spreading the word that great-sounding audio doesn't have to be expensive.
Great job John. This is why I love your content. Always trying ways to enjoy music.
Cambridge CXN V2 had a firmware update this week, and I notice Tidal Connect there now
Yup, the update even covers my few years old Stream Magic 6(v2)! Thanks Cambridge Audio! 🙏🏻
@@gwingrider07 there is nothing on the Stream Magic page mentioning Stream 6. Do you get the same update as current models?
Superb. Many thanks for this, its been a long time coming.
I like how you're honest. I am just starting to get into HIFI home audio and a DIY'er. I am never satisfied with my equipment lol I feel I can always get better
I got my Allo usbridge signature and connect it to Volumio and Tidal Master, and from the usb on front i add USB IR and use also remote control, just perfect machine and thanks to Volumio, btw John i have it about a month ago but yes it is something new
Great video, and I love how you geek on this stuff. It's not as elegant but I have been streaming Tidal to my Pi using LMS. Just another alternative. 👍
How does it differ from the Tidal connect? They both stream directly to the Pi I think, unlike a Bluetooth or Airplay connection.
@@Patricia-kk8tr Similar, but what I have is a plugin for LMS, so it uses the LMS/Squeeze interface. Advantage - it integrates seamlessly with my own library of music files on a share. Disadvantage - a bit fussy to set up, and not as elegant looking a UI. You're correct - both stream audio bits straight from Tidal to the device, not through my phone. The phone app is just a controller. Turn the phone off and the music keeps playing.
For me Tidal connect is far more important than MQA. Both are amazing bits of software, one lets me find and listen to music with ease and other makes me go looking for MQA versions of albums.
The latest version of Volumio has Tidal connect, and you don’t have to do anything to set it up. And it works with USB DAC’s and HAT’s.
John if you haven't already you must check out Richter's album Voices, especially the tracks chorale PT. 1-4
The intro music is starting to hollow out it's own space. Great
Brave initiative, John. Am enjoying both Tidal Connect and Qobuz by means of my Bluesound Node 2i.
In your video you said installing the tidal connect is impossible in Volumio but actually tidal connect is included already with the Paid Membership in Volumio , all you hv to do is to pay for the membership thingy and upgrade it, tidal connect is there working perfectly.
I was able to get my Raspberry Pi set up with Volumio, configured, and using Tidal Connect in less than an hour. I already had a Raspberry Pi laying around and a subscription to Tidal so the $35 a year for Volumio wasn't a big deal. In fact, after spending some time using Volumio I think it is a screaming deal. For the money, this is hard to beat, especially when you compare the price to plug and play network streamers on the market. So stoked on this!
I’ve a BOSS i2S DAC, RASP hat in the post, this video has sort of answered all my question, quite excited now. It’s probably not the best DAC out there but a good starting point. Presently use Apple Music so will have to switch to Tidal I think.
Hey John, I noticed you had an Audioquest Jitterbug plugged in. Would you be willing to do a video about it? Interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks, J.
I'll second that. I use Roon at my main place, Nuc (rock) - USBridge (Volumio) - Gustard X16, but don't fancy paying for a second Roon license for my weekend place. Tidal Connect would keep me happy and if would be nice to be able to use a better supported and more modern SBC like the Pi4 whilst keeping a clean USB out.
I’m still waiting for Qobuz Qonnect. 😁
This is a great solution for getting Tidal Connect up and running. Just completed my setup last night with the dragonfly cobalt and it was fairly simple. One issue regarding MQA on this setup. I notice that the Dragonfly led only lights up blue instead of purple on MQA songs and then green on everything else. Seems a bit odd... But Tidal Connect is the big win here with MQA being an added bonus.
Just recently got my first pair of head phones, the Philps X2HRs I think, really an eyeopener, kinda fell down a rabbit hole and found this channel and I'm loving all the information I'm learning
I’ve had mine for a while and I love them, paired em with an Ifi Zen Dac
Hello John - I followed your recommendation from months ago, (Pi-squeeze video) and bought a HiFi Berry Raspberry Pi with a Digi+ HAT - loaded it with the piCorePlayer OS, and using LMS on my PC or, on my android phone, using the Orange Squeeze app, I stream Tidal to my Schiit Modi DAC to my Bottlehead Crack tube headphone amp, or my stereo setup, Cambridge CXA60 amp and B&W 685 s2 speakers. Works perfect! I think I'll stick with this setup, no need to pay for Volumio.
OMG ! Unbelievable ! Thank you so much John. I have just tried it in my Raspberry Pi-4 (w 4gb ram), together with my Denafrips Ares II playing music @384Khz (better SQ in my system) or @768Khz either in its amazing web interface of Volumio or via Roon. My standard system is Aries G2.1 together with Sirius G2.1. Honestly ... I don't know which system Pi4-Volumio or my Auralics is better! There is definitely a potential here. And I mean that comparison of Volumio (together with a Linear Power supply) with expensive high end streamers !
Hey John, I managed to get my RPI-4 via Dietpi connected to Tidal connect with my Iphone. I used Diepi with Allo Boss, then I loaded Google Home on my iphone. After a bit of config in Google home I went back to Tidal Connect opened a screen to pick the endpoint, then pick Airplay & Blue tooth. My screen has a choice for Dietpi. Guess what it works and the best part of this is you can run the volume up and down with the hard buttons on my phone.
I think it's amazing that people can differentiate between 2 good DACS.
While telling apart a laptop or android built in DAC from say a Chord Mojo or a Fiio K3 is easy, comparing top tier DACS is no easy feat.
Iphone / RPI with Dietpi OS / and Tidal Connect! This config works via the Iphone via Airplay choice.
No need for other 3rd party Software.
The only problem is I can't see the same choices in Tidal connect on my PC as I don't have airplay on the pc.
Iphone works fine so its kinda ok
Maybe Airplay for Windows 11 will do the trick.
with the Raspberry Pi 3B plus you can send the signal directly via the USB port to, for example, the Denon pma-600ne.with volumio you can perfectly stream music such as Nas server, spotify and perhaps also TIDAL payment. the Dac of the Denon is exceptionally great. sounds even better than the hifiberry hat, HiFiBerry DAC RCA+ Pro this is equivalent to the Bluesound node 2i
Excellent topic to do a video about a raspberry pi streamer! This inspired me to build a Pi zero Audio-Streamer which runs volumio and plays the TIDAL Master files. And using the Connect function works nicely. For the size and functionality it is absolutely brilliant. The only technical question that comes up, How does the Connect function work?! I thought you just tell the Streamer to play as an end point, but for me it seems to be an Airplay&Bluetooth Connection. How is the Connect functionality solved in more high-end products like the Bluesound powernode?! Because e.g. when I am sitting on the couch and listen to music via TIDAL Connect I want to watch a UA-cam video (latest darko audio news) and then the sound plays via the Pi zero. Would that be the same on the Bluesound Ecosystem?! Thanks a lot in advance for any experience shared in the comments. Keep on rockin’
Don’t underestimate the power of honest efforts to share the good news! This review started me on four month quest for a Pi Streamer for Tidal connect. It took four months, the purchase of an AV receiver and an IFI DAC (after a HELM BOLT), help from a tech at Volumio, and faith the end result would be there and be worthwhile. Mission accomplished!!!! Streaming as it should be for $300 less. Thanks again and keep em coming. Two requests. Please review some Magnat speakers (503) and a Kinky Studio amp!
My Spotify (and connect) running on volumio and pi, just started streaming 16 44.1 this week (according to volumio app). Everything I've played thus far. Last week just 320kbps. I have a "premium" account and I'm in the US. The advantage is I'm not a my Volumio subscriber.
Thanks for your great videos.
Same setup with the audioquest cobalt dac playing what you said, Max Richter sleep in MQA and the light doesn't turn purple to signify mqa, stays blue.
"So if my internet connection has a wobble. Which it often does, because I am in Germany". As a former resident of Germany, I felt that.
Neubauten... Eisbär.. you certainly make an effort to go full Leberwurst :) I just started Tidal mainly to give Ek the finger he deserves but as you mentioned, the beauty of it all is that my amp speaks Spotify natively, while for Tidal or others I have to go through Heos, and that just isn't nice, at all. So hooray hifi quality, but now I have several new maintenance vectors with a range of responsible parties (or sometimes there won't even be a party assuming responsibility, RasPi foundation won't care if that external hat doesn't work or if the 3rd party OS can't do this thing or that thing): a Pi, a modified OS (updates? ITsec?), additional hardware (USB DAC I might just plug into a 50EUR tablet off local ads and keep near my hifi spot), a _subscription_ to a service that provides the data path to the hifi system, an annual subscription --- I think it's easier and more reliable to put a USB sound card with digital outputs of any band on a pi, add an SSD with all my CDs ripped to in CD quality and have a web interface on top.
Great timing! Abandoning my noisy MacBook for a RP with digione signature this week. Tidal connect on Volumio is exciting.
Great video and also very nice hardware integration. I'm just a bit disappointed that volumio charges for the TIDAL connect implementation. Using HiFiBerryOS, I managed to implement TIDAL connect without having to subscribe to a subscription model. This might be a solution for those among us with less of a monthly budget to spend on consumerism.
Can you tell me which workaround you use? I tried many different Github instructions but nothing worked for me.
Well I took the bait and bought a rasberry pi 3 B and digi hat. Loaded Volumio and stream Tidal Connect. I’m not tech savvy, but I got to work. It sounds so good that my dear wife commented on how good it sounds. That is a first. For reference, I was using an iFi Zen Blu, which sounded good, but not nearly this good. The rest of the system is: Schiit Bifrost Mutibit DAC, Naim Nait integrated amp driving Focal Aria 906 speakers.
awsome video, loved that it saved us some time. Although Volumio is yet another cut, its getting better all the time.
That's so weird. I just within the last two weeks used Volumio and have a Tidal Connect setup. Worked like a charm. Though you do have to fork over a few bucks to Volumio.
Hi, John. I write about tidal, volumio and the denafrips ares 2 you mentioned you're reviewing. I know you're not focused on hi-res streaming or hi-res music in general - and I get where you are coming from. However, please note that there's an easy and ostensibly free option in that volumio allows you to up sample files. I've been using the ares 2 with volumio running on an Allo USBridge Signature for about a year now. I A/B tested all the options, and I now upsample tidal in volumio to 384khz and then in the ares 2 I oversample the upsampled files. This might sound like a lot of trouble. But I do it because to my ears this produces the best sound quality with LS50s paired with a REL T7i sub and driven by a Rogue Sphinx V2 amp. Please note this "hack" doesn't work with tidal connect. You have to use the clunky (but improving) volumio app.
Lastly, a big thank you to you and your colleagues for creating such great content for music-first audiophiles. I'm a big fan of your website and your UA-cam channel!
Thanks again, and best of wishes,
Veli
It works on Volumio as well. They have done the official implementation last week. And you can choose between Tidal connect and Spotify connect. Plus Version 3x is coming soon.
🤯
Yes, I'm a moron. Only finished watching the video now. 🤣
Tidal will gain an even more audiophile customers if they develop their own raspberry pi OS or plugin software.
What do you think of MQA, I've read and listened to a lot of complains about it, as if it's all marketing fuff that actually makes sound worse.
Compare Qobuz and Tidal MQA and decide for yourself. To me there is no contest, MQA is a gimmick and the honest streaming Qobuz offers is superior in terms of sound quality.
Google: Tidal worse than flac reddit
Should be the reddit link titled: Testing MQA: Is it worse than FLAC?
The test was done by another youtuber.
User:goldensound
Very interesting read.
However, do try it for yourself. This might not even matter to you.
Sounds great, its a pitty that amazon music hd isnt integrated yet. But its worth a try with tidal then ;)
Having just built a prototype 'radiogram' (ask your parents what they look like....), Volumio brings it all together and Tidal saves the need for attached storage of flac files.
In case someone still owns a BeagleBone Black Tidal Connect is possible with Pavel Pogodin's 'PURE firmware'. I am quite happy with this solution.
Hello John love your videos. I'm rasPI enthusiast too :)
About Tidal, I decided to move to Dezeer after all this MQA controversy. Valid video for who still on Tidal, we have limited Tidal player, specially on Linux :/
Also moved to deezer from tidal. Way better library for my taste.
After watching GoldenSound's video on his thoughts about MQA and the staff behind the format, I kinda want to stay away from Tidal for now...
Deezer is the best option right now. Their HiFi option is the cheapest among all that offer CD quality, and their songs database is one of the best too.
That's actually pretty good news because the Pi2AES uses the the Hifiberry Digi+ Pro Driver , so you could actually use your own outboard DAC. Worth a try at least.
would this work with the Digi2 Pro?
John, anyway to setup a Rasberry Pi that will work with Amazon HD Music (I have seen your Spotify and Tidal videos, all excellent by the way) . . .thanks . . .You can call it Piazon or AmaPi . . .
Some people also choose Tidal because they pay much more to the artists than Spotify does. Just sayin‘.
good to hear - important topic
As do amazon music, qobuz, deezer... etc
I read Napster pays the most
How much more?
This. Gone are the days where I don't care about artists getting their fair share. I don't buy CDs anymore so Tidal is the next best thing in terms of convenience and fairness.
Thanks for your great content! - How good is the DAC compared to a Google Chromecast Audio? Br. LFK
It'd be interesting to see what a Pi-streamer could bring to the table in comparison to a laptop when it comes to headphone DACs like the RME ADI etc. I like the idea of improving my source but I'm not sure it is worth the trade-off in convenience factor. If anyone has any experience with this kind of setup feel free to share your thoughts.
Great video John.
I am using VitOS on my Pi4. Just lovely 😊
But works for use as a Roon Endpoint only?
@@AWEG-qu8bz Yes, for Roon only.
I'd have gone for a digi HAT instead of a DAC HAT so you can then still use an external DAC, although obviously via COAX or TOS. Removes the need for the volumio reliance....he says as a Roon user. 😅
Great info.
Thank you as always👍
John, Volumio has some buffering settings that I adjusted and the Tidal delays/drops went away for me on my PI based Audiophonics streamer/dac.
Which ones did you adjust ?
Just bought an RME ADI-2... hope that Denafrips Ares2 doesn't change your mind about it's relative value xD
I think the hi-res stuff is relevant for newer albums that get released but I get the point overall that its a small part of the library. Keep up the great stuff, John and team! I love the point on streaming convenience though! I've mostly moved to using Spotify Connect as the default option to enjoy music, first and foremost, on my KEF LSX. If only the chips inside had the ability to run Tidal Connect as well.
I have a Pi 3+ plus an allo digi one hat going into a tube Dac. I have subscribed to Tidal hi Res, and going to to try Volumio subscription for a year with Tidal connect. Let you know if I can play the HI res files.
Will the PI output audio over HDMI? I want to be able to pass the digital stream over hdmi to enjoy atmos music. Thanks!
Agree John, I just want to throw tidal onto my Mac from my phone where it plays through dragonfly to my Geneva xxl. Would love to know when that remote tidal connect is coming. Volume control is also interesting for me.
HifiBerryOS now does (un-officially) Tidal Connect too! HifiBerryOS has Docker enabled by default. Thanks to Matt to create the Docker that does the splendid job. Look for 'Tidal Connect - HiFiBerry'.
What I understand so far is
that my Rapberry should be capable with Hifiberry OS and my Allo Digione Tidal Connect. Right?
From the Allo HAT I can then go to my DAC with COAX. Did I understand that correctly so far?
Is Hifiberry OS a standalone program or do I need a Raspberry Pi OS as a base?
Thanks
Love your videos.
I'm afraid Volumio Tidal Connect is very buggy, not connecting, spotty playback.
I'm gonna start building my touch screen Raspberry Pi music player/streamer in a few weeks using the Raspberry Pi 4, official touchscreen, smartipi case, HiFi berry digi2 pro, and Volumio. This would use internal memory for my music collection of Redbook flac rips, mp3's, HiRes Flacs, and iTunes ALAC files, and Spotify for streaming. This would also be connected to my own DAC(Modi Multibit for now), and then to powered speakers. I'm excited to start the project.
I liked Tidal when I tries the free trial a couple years ago but I'm sorry, I just can't support MQA or anything that uses it.
what IS the best dac hat you recommend?
Would this work with the Hifiberry Digi2 Pro instead of a DAC hat?
Been waiting for Tidal connect support on my Innuos Zen for sometime. Looks like their new software update and app will only have full integration with Qobuz at launch, but they're looking to roll out full support for Tidal at a later date. Guess I'll have to hang on a bit longer!
Thanks so much. I've had my eye on an Allo Usbridge, but lack of Tidal Connect support kept me from pulling the trigger. This is great news!
Just ordered my PI 😊
I managed to setup perfectly with Tidal. It's interesting over Bluetooth all my music much more articulated with airy, fresh high and mid range with Pi over a noname usb cable I lose all the above but get punchy low frequencies.
Arcam Irdac mk1, Arcam Bluetooth receiver, Arcam A19 & Dali Ikon 6 mk2
😃
Hello John, you talk about the hifiberry software but in the video you click on your phone on volumio in tidal connect? It’s a bit confusing wich software I can use on my raspberry pi with tidal.
Hey John! What do you think about the Yamaha MusicCast WXAD-10? It is almost that what you were trying to do in the first place (streamer with dac and analog outputs) and it is low priced. Unfortunately there are no digital outputs to connect a different dac.
Volumio going the subscribe route ? I know it's probably not very expensive now, but I am not too optimistic about that...
MyVolumio Superstar account allows playback of digital/analogue INPUTS....
Volumio are soon to add multi-room synced playback....
I'm really hoping I will be able to play records (*analogue into dac into volumio) and have it multi-room streamed around my house!!
So Volumio is building up to be a real complete audio solution
Hi John. Who's the artist that makes the pictures you have in the walls? Thanks
John..have you ever listened to your sound system w your speakers facing you from behind at a 45 degree angle; similar to how you record your blogs?
Hey John, great video. Just getting into audio on the Pi and wanted to check out the heatsink case link. It doesn't seem to go to the right target though. What case are you using in this video?
looking at the name PiDAL thought of some alternative to the volumio paid version, but this is just Volumio with TIDAL connect.
Good morning, I find the information super good. I am looking to make my own streamer with raspberry, but I wanted to know if anyone had tried a Raspberry streamer where you can connect the ifi zen dac to the streamer via usb? I know that the ifi streamer has that ability but I don't have the budget to spend an additional US$400.00. Or in any case, which streamer would you recommend to have a dac equivalent to ifi zen? Thank you so much,
Jorge.R