I ordered the Topping E30 DAC as PENG introduced me to HDTracks. In the process of testing out the DAC, I was looking for a good method to AB test various HiRes files against CDs and the same recordings from Tidal and Qobuz. The tool I found to make this easier was Audirvana 3.5 software.
The beauty of Audirvana is you can access local music files plus all the music from Tidal and Qobuz in a single application. It also automatically adjusts the "Audio MIDI Setup" configuration on the Mac to match the format of the file while displaying it for each song. The convenience of this setup is pretty amazing.
Not only can the Mac stream all these services and local files to your sound system in a single app - but you can also use an iPhone or an iPad as a remote control for the Mac playing the music playlists or looking at what's new on Tidal or Qobuz. Connect the Mac/PC to your sound system via a streaming USB DAC like the Topping E30 and access a huge respiratory of musical content in Hi Res audio formats. Ripping my CD's on the Mac in AIFF format provides a bit for bit copy of the CD which also sounds fantastic thru Audirvana.
My original mission was to test whether Hi Res 192, 96 or 88kHz files would offer enhanced sound quality on the Canton Vento Reference 9.2 DC bookshelves with the Hegel H90 integrated amp. What I discovered was when AB matching the CD version against any of the Hi Res copies from Tidal, Qobuz or HDTracks there was minimal difference. To my ear it was very difficult to tell any difference at all. In most cases, I preferred the CD version but even when I did not the difference was so slight that I would be happy listening from any of the downloaded HDTracks versions, the CD or Tidal/Qobuz. What that meant for me is other factors will likely decide which format I select.
Instead of claiming Qobuz was better than Tidal or HDTracks was better, it came down to which was more cost effective and had the best interface and largest selection. From the music selection criteria, I found Tidal had songs that were not on Qobuz. Qobuz has some songs with higher formats, but to be honest I really couldn't tell much difference in actual playback sound quality on my system. So for me, it came down to two main differences between Tidal and Qobuz. In my opinion, Tidal has a superior looking/functional interface and more of the songs I am looking for. Qobuz is $5 less a month and also lets you download Hi Res files. I don't see a need for buying HDTracks files as I find the CD version is fine for my use if I want a personal copy.
What I Learned:
The real winner in these tests was Audirvana. It prioritizes Music playback over other system loads and provides a single app to control all streaming services and local content. It's a little rough around the edges but it offers a great way to access all music in a single app and control it remotely (if desired) with an iPhone or iPad.
