I’ve got a K50. Historically I used Roon for most of my playback, with most of my library consisting of ripped disks. Lately I have found the Tidal interface much more engaging and would prefer to use it rather than accessing my Tidal playlists via Roon.
Is there a way to go “directly” from Tidal on an iPad to my K50?
Hi there, the short answer is NO, currently there is no option for Tidal Connect on Antipodes music servers.
However, we hope to have Tidal Connect among others in the future as we are fully aware of the benefits of connect-type interfaces.
Out of curiosity, have to tried using the Squeeze server as playback for your ripped library? Many of us find that Squeeze delivers better SQ. At the same time, you could consider a free trial of Qobuz, which is supported quite well by Antipodes. Of course, that said no streaming service will sound as good as identical content on your local drive. Using Squeeze, you will be able to actually see the bit streaming rate in real time expressed in a way that Roon does not offer. You can compare identical files if you have a downloaded Hi-Rez album and then stream the identical file from Qobuz, you will see that the file on your local drive is always exactly what it should be whereas streaming via Qobuz will be 10 to 20% less. In short, files on the local drive, always sound better, apples to apples.
Maybe another option to try:
MPD + MinimServer + BubbleUPnP or JPlay iPad
Run MPD as your player on the K50.
Use MinimServer as a music library server (for local files).
Use JPlay for iPad or BubbleUPnP to control TIDAL streaming to MPD.
Pros:
Good sound quality.
Works with MPD-based setups.
JPlay is minimalist and elegant (free trial)
Cons:
Still not true TIDAL Connect.
Some configuration required to make TIDAL visible in these apps.
I have to admit I was once firmly in the “local SSD sounds better” camp, but over time—and through a lot of listening—I’ve come to realize it’s not always that black and white. In fact, myself and quite a few others have found that streaming can sound just as good, and in some cases even better (did I just write that?), depending on the files & setup.
It really comes down to what you’re comparing:
Also worth noting: just because it’s local doesn’t guarantee it’s better.
So in the end, it’s not just where your music is coming from—but how it’s being delivered to your DAC (and possible optimal resolution) that really counts.
Where to begin? Well, of COURSE it matters his music is delivered to the DAC. That goes without saying. But in reply to the substance of your argument that it “depends,” sure, it depends, but if you follow my argument here, I take an empirical “apples to apples” approach - the only way to analyze one’s experience. Can it be subjective? Not really, IMHO.
So to expand I would say first, that when I share an opinion or a comparison on a forum like this, I presume (perhaps incorrectly) that the member understands that given the cost of an Antipodes K41 server that the user is using the “gold standard” relating to a solid-state drive. I clearly am and I’m using what the main man himself recommended, so to that extent I am using “best of breed” for my SSD drive - the one recommended by @MarkCole himself.
So I guess that’s all I have to say. Am I recalcitrant and dug in? Yes but in my opinion, I believe I am correct here, and that anyone who suggests this is open for interpretation is just trying to convince himself that he can perhaps save some money by not purchasing files. That’s just my opinion and I could be wrong of course, but I rest my case on the data. 
I wish it was this simple, but I don’t think it is. In the real world there are no perfect systems.
More specifically, the conversion from optical to copper can introduce noise. In addition, harm can be introduced by the upstream FMC/SFP for reasons I cannot explain.
I don’t have what is now said to be the “best” SSD because it was said to be the best after I purchased my drives and I haven’t felt the inclination to spend the money to make a change. I’m sure there are other folks who might have similar stories.
Though I opted to rip all my CDs to AIFF and choose AIFF when I purchase downloads, I will go to my grave happy that I didn’t spend much time obsessing over this one. Same, I guess with the SSD choice or streaming vs local playback. While everything matters in this hobby, some things matter much more than others, so I try to limit obsessiveness to such things. But that’s just me. I can’t fault another for more or less obsessiveness on particular aspects of this hobby. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts as it’s always interesting to hear what others focus on and why.
Well, Kenny, with respect to solid state drives honestly I don’t believe there is a significant difference. I think it relates more to speed and there’s a point at which speed matters little. After all, when the speed limit is 75 mph and or is rigorously enforced there’s a little purpose in having a vehicle that can go as fast as 150 miles an hour. We all know there is a point of diminishing returns in this hobby like any other hobby right?
I think I recall your position or concerns relating to optical, and I totally respect various view points relating to optical versus copper. I will be the first to admit that as a relates to this discussion, I am no expert, but rather instead rely on my ears and I’ve heard it both ways so for me personally, my fiber optical network sounds appreciably better than it sounded with copper ethernet. That said I totally respect there are others who insist that their experience is different. God bless. Different strokes for different folks and at the end of the day, I’m totally happy with my set up as it is. But I will always believe that apples to apples, a local file will always sound better than anything streamed over the Internet. I could be wrong, but that’s simply my belief as well as most other serious audiophiles I know. That doesn’t make me or them right but just sayin…
Just a quick note before diving deeper—I want to circle back to the original poster @Brucemck2 , who asked about streaming TIDAL via the K50. Hopefully this discussion is still helpful to you! The main takeaway I’d offer: while some of us are deep into the local-vs-streaming debate, rest assured that streaming from TIDAL on a well-set-up K50 can sound excellent, especially when paired with the right player app (e.g., Squeeze, MPD, or HQPlayer) and good system synergy. So you’re not inherently missing out by not using local files—it’s more nuanced than that.
Now, back to the broader discussion:
I fully respect @DesertRat66’s experience and his clearly optimized setup—including the K41, high-quality SSD, and full optical network. That’s no doubt a reference-level chain, and in those conditions, it makes sense that local playback sounds best.
That said, in my own system, which currently includes a clean powered dedicated 4G audio router, fiber break, and careful isolation at every point (PSUs, cables, grounding), I’ve come to a slightly different conclusion:
So I’ve stopped treating it as a rule, and instead approach it album by album.
Also, from experience, I’d caution anyone thinking that fiber is a silver bullet. Yes, it blocks electrical noise, but the quality of the optical converters, transceivers, power supplies, and DC cables feeding them still matters a lot. So while fiber adds a valuable layer of isolation, it doesn’t eliminate the need for care elsewhere in the chain.
And finally, big thumbs up to Qobuz for showing file properties—makes true A/B comparisons easier.
All this to say: I believe there’s no single truth. It depends on the setup, the files, the system synergy—and sometimes, even the mood or listening context. 
Paul; I think we can agree that ultimately , each person must listen and compare for himself. Variables like copper ethernet versus fiber optical networks are and should be very much subjective. I agree with @kennyb123 on this point. For me personally, I have heard both with the only variance being the removal of my optical switches and cables. And to my ears, everything sounds better with fiber optics. Other people might hear it differently and that’s the way this hobby goes. There for sure isn’t a one size fits all.
My only point with respect to what I’ve quoted here, Paul, is that I am always careful, if not fanatical about comparing an apple to an apple. So when you speak of matters like (paraphrasing here) “depending on the source or the rip or the download quality or the mastering,” all I am saying is that I’m convinced that a local file that is mastered with the same bit rate and depth as the same master streamed by either title or Qobuz is always going to sound better when it doesn’t have to pass through the Internet. So I agree, 100% that there clearly are different masters and up-sampled versions of the same recording, but my point is that when you compare the same exact file, that file will on most people‘s system always sound better when played locally versus over the Internet. As Ringo would say,
Finally, I suppose I would only add that it is way cool that Squeeze/Qobuz gives us the real truth - unlike Roon which simply LISTS AND PROVIDES the file size and type, but never really discloses in real time how we are actually experiencing it. Undoubtedly a local file is captured the same way as it is with Squeeze player. But I would bet dollars to donuts that a file streamed from Tidal or Qobuz is not what it is marketed to be. Squeeze reveals the truth.
Peace and love 
Hey Bob,
I totally get the apples-to-apples point—and what a great choice of albums to compare, both are fantastic! Don’t they sound wonderful no matter the source?
Yeah, sure! Agnes ALWAYS sounds great, though this is not my favorite album of hers. I used this particular screenshot as an example only because it is the only album of hers that I have both on my local drive AND stream via Qobuz. My two favorite albums are Citizen of Glass and Aventine. I also like her latest release Myopia.
A quick aside on Agus oval only because it’s a cool story. I was kind of late to the party and only discovered her about two years ago. Last year I was talking with one of my best friends the famous producer, Don Was, who also happens to be president of Blue Records. He asked me, “Bob, so who are you digging these days? Who are you listening to?” I told him that I was listening to this female artist I presume he’d never heard of because I thought her to be relatively obscure. He said get the F out of here! I absolutely LOVE Agnes! She’s at the greatest. In fact, I just signed her to my label. If you check out Myopia, it’s on blue records. Don has won something like six Grammys by now so he’s got a few feathers under his cap aside from having produced the likes of Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones.
I’m guessing it’s more the result of lower power draw or lower noise. If SFPs can be found to sound different then I would suspect that SSDs would too.
I have a fiber span as well as I preferred it over the copper Ethernet cables I had tried up to that point. My quibble was actually with the “noise is moot” comment. My ears tell me that’s most certainly not true. Common mode noise is eliminated by fiber as I understand it, but there are other kinds of noise that fiber is happy to pass on.
Fair point, Kenny; at the end of the day it is our ears that matters most. I am the first to acknowledge that your knowledge of digital audio technology is likely considerably beyond what I know. I do not know what other sorts of noise can be introduced by fiber, but sometimes the less some of us know, the better off some of us are…like me!
