Hi guys,
I apreciate all the answers but I think I must find any source of study before I post here. It's embarassing... I'm not a newbie in audio, and I don't consider my system as a entry level one (at least not here in Brazil where everything costs at least the double - in US$ - because of taxes), but when it comes to this digital domain, i confess sometimes is like if I was reading chinese... Do you recomend any source where a "stone age guy" like me can start to try to understand all these things? Any kind of "glossary" w/ enough information that fits this purpose?
For example, I tried, but I couldn't understand most part of Ted's answer above. Not that I'm a complete idiot, but I don't know the meaning of many words or acronyms he wrote there, so that the whole thing makes no sense to me...
I'm a CD age guy. I know exactly what a transport is, what a DAC does, an amp, a pre-amp; analog, XLR, or digital interconnects; power or speaker cables, etc. I can even understand a "box" that is capable of "going" into a NAS (this one I know the meaning!) "get" a file there and "give" it to a DAC (inside or outside the "box"). But in this simply and retarded way to describe this path, you experienced guys are capable of saying dozens of acronyms, nouns, etc that plays a role on it, and then it becomes chinese for me again... When it comes to the dozens of devices (computers, IOS, android, etc) and hundreds of "apps" that "control" this devices in order to make these devices "control" the "box" I described, I simply go crazy! It's impossible for me to understand, without knowing what you mean with all the terms you guys use!
Please, excuse my outflow here, and if anyone can tell me any source for me to study all these things I will appreciate a lot!
Back to Tidal, it is the same to me: I simply don't know what thing plays which role on Tidal streaming. I know that there are Tidal files somewhere in the cloud, and the same "box" is capable of going there, get the files and "give" this file to a DAC, but how it does it, who takes control in this case, and how these files can be affected (in sense of bettering or worsening SQ), before they enter a DAC, is a mistery to me.
Talking about things I can understand a little, the purpose of my question is that I'm about to pull the trigger on a Dartzeel LHC-208 (Streamer, DAC and integrated amp), that can play files from a NAS and play them in a impecable way. But I don't know if there is any "app" that could control it and have Tidal integration. The Brazilian dealer, which is a friend of mine, simply NEVER used Tidal and don't pay any attention to it, thus, he doesn't know how to make the Dart "get" the Tidal files. My doubt is: if I stream Tidal w/ an Aurender N100, or an Oppo 105, or an Oppo 103, would the differences in the hardware between this 3 specific models have any significant impact in Tidal's SQ, taking into account I would use the LHC's wonderful DAC in either case? Dartzeel is going to launch it's own interface in the near (?) future (w/ the promise of the company owner that it will have not only Tidal, but other streaming services integration), but in the case it takes a long time to acomplish that, I wanted to hear Tidal w/ the best SQ possible until there.
FYI I already have an Oppo 103d, an was offered a good deal for upgrading it for the 105D an a very good deal to take an Aurender N100 along w/ the Dart. But I would do any of these 2 moves, only if I'm certain I would have better (significantly) SQ regarding Tidal streaming, otherwise it won't make sense, since NAS streaming will be made by the Dartzeel, and it will have Tidal integration in the future.
Please, once again, excuse me for my extremely low level of "digital" knowledge.
Best regards!