[QUESTION]: How to get the Highest Quality as Possible

[fndrsm]

Which tool

tidal-gui

Describe your question

Hi new to this app and also about audio quality.

Want to ask, correct me if i did something wrong.

I downloaded many albums with Hi-Fi quality settings, and the file was .flac with 16bit/44.1kHz. I just realized after almost hundred albums downloaded (for personal collection). After realized that, i tried to change the settings to Master quality and downloaded several albums, the format indicator shows as mqa format, but after i open the folder it just .flac with slighty higher which 24bit/48kHz.

I just want to know, are the availability of the file depends on the source? I mean, even it indicates as mqa but the download result just .flac with only 24bit/48kHz? On the tidal app, it shows as MAX with 24bit/96kHz.

Or I did something wrong or I need additional steps? I just want to get the highest quality as possible.

I have little bit knowledge about OS limitation, is this related to Android limitation since the tidal-gui use android auto client?

Track that I used : https://tidal.com/track/313617930

Add screenshots

[duckyz1]

im asking the same question i've been trying to find out why and if it is mqa or not and how do I decode it

Since I'm downloading

when I use the cli it shows codec - mqa

Then the max quality is 48khz for every track I downloaded in
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/49449ad7-e86c-4dce-b601-586e16e82a0a

When it's supposed to be 192khz flac.

[fndrsm]

@duckyz1

Before i made this question, I did ask Google Bard to answer about the MQA format. I asked it "Are the MQA file format shows as .flac too?". It answered, "While MQA files often use the .flac extension, the presence of a .flac file alone doesn't guarantee MQA content. Look for specific MQA indicators or use compatible devices/software to verify and experience MQA audio."

But this is still raised a question for me about the Sample rate, why when we download the HiRes or MQA, it's only get 24bit/48kHz, and not getting 92kHz or 192kHz. Are this is related to OS limitation, since the tidal-gui client uses Android Auto or this is just how it works/what we get.

[sky8282]

You can try the cracked version of roon

[lopes143]

I wrote a while ago on another thread a comment about how MQA works, before even HiRes FLAC was announced.

Only a MQA decoder can read MQA file over 44.1/48 KHz.

MQA is stored using the FLAC container, so it is basically a flac file
MQA 44.1/88.2 KHz audios are stored on a 44.1 KHz FLAC file
MQA 48/96/192 KHz audios are stored on a 48 KHz FLAC file

A non-MQA player will read FLAC file as a normal 44.1/48 KHz file, but a MQA decorer will extract 88.2/96/192

The original file of the music you're asking is HiRes FLAC 24bit 96kHz. As I said about MQA, 96kHz are stored on 48kHz sample rate, so that's why the downloaded files are 24bit-48kHz while the HiRes on your phone is 24bit-96kHz.
You can't download HiRes FLAC on tidal-dl/gui yet (with some other tools you can actually do it, but is harder to do it and involves other software), therefore you're stuck on MQA on tidal-dl/gui for now