Found the exclusive mode setting on Tidal which bypasses all your device’s own sound processing software. The light on the DAC dropped from 96khz to 41khz but the detail in the sound jumped up several notches. Seems that the MacBook upsamples the stream but in doing so muddles the sound. Worth having a look at.
I don’t get what the upscaling is for. Is it a compatibility thing? Anyway it’s become clear that stated bitrates on equipment and streams count for very little by the time it gets to your ears.
Found the exclusive mode setting on Tidal which bypasses all your device’s own sound processing software. The light on the DAC dropped from 96khz to 41khz but the detail in the sound jumped up several notches. Seems that the MacBook upsamples the stream but in doing so muddles the sound. Worth having a look at.