How to Play Tidal HiRes on Astell & Kern

Part 1. How to Use Tidal Integration on Astell & Kern Players

Modern Astell & Kern DAPs are built on a modified Android operating system, which allows for native app support for popular streaming services. This makes online playback simple, provided your player has Wi-Fi capability.

Which Astell & Kern Players Support Tidal Streaming?

Most current-generation Astell & Kern DAPs released after 2018, including models like the A&norma SR35, A&ultima SP3000, A&futura SE300, and KANN Ultra, feature the Open App Service or have the Tidal app pre-installed. These models allow for direct, high-fidelity streaming.

How to Play Tidal on Astell and Kern

Step 1. Turn on your Astell & Kern DAP and ensure it is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network.

Step 2. Locate the Tidal app on your player's home screen or through the Open App Service menu. Open the app and log in using your active Tidal Premium account credentials.

Step 3. Browse your library, playlists, or Tidal's discovery pages. You can select any track and press "Play" to begin streaming in high resolution, including HiRes FLAC quality, which is often automatically detected by capable AK players.

Step 4. You can tap the "Download" button next to the content to start the download process. After that, you can turn on "Offline Mode" within the Tidal app's settings and listen to Tidal music offline on the Astell&Kern player.

Part 2. How to Play Tidal on Astell and Kern Player Offline without Subscription

Many high-end Digital Audio Players (DAPs), particularly older or select models from Astell&Kern, may not feature a built-in Tidal app or Wi-Fi connectivity. Besides, if you simply want to ensure permanent, non-expiring offline access to Tidal's audio files, you must first convert and download the music as local files on a computer.

This method works for every Astell & Kern player, regardless of its streaming app capabilities or operating system version. Since Tidal's music is encrypted and tied to the app, you need specialized software to unlock the files and convert them to common, high-quality audio formats that the Astell & Kern player can read. Here, you can use DRmare Streaming Audio Recorder. It can download Tidal content to a local computer and convert it to common audio formats, like FLAC, WAV, and MP3, which are ideal for the audiophile-grade DACs and amps found in Astell&Kern players. After that, you can transfer Tidal downloads to any devices for offline playback, including Astell and Kern, even if you cancel your Tidal subscription.

How to Download Tidal Music for Astell and Kern Player

Step 1Set Up and Configure Tidal Music Output for AK Player

Launch the DRmare Streaming Audio Recorder. Click the "Menu" icon and select "Preferences" > "Conversion" tab. You can choose an output format compatible with your Astell&Kern player. FLAC is often recommended for lossless quality, or MP3 for better file size management. If necessary, you can adjust the Bit Rate and Sample Rate to match the maximum specifications of your Tidal subscription and your AK player's capabilities and click "OK" to save the changes.

Step 2Log In and Select Tidal Tracks to Play on Akstell&Kern

Click the "Tidal" icon on the DRmare interface to open the built-in Tidal web player. You have to log in to your Tidal account within the browser. After that, you can browse the Tidal web player and find the playlists or albums you wish to transfer to your Astell&Kern player. Click the "Add" button to load the tracks, select the songs, and click "Add to List".

Step 3Download Tidal music for Astell and Kern

Navigate to the "Converting" tab, and you can simply click the "Convert" button to start the process. The software will download Tidal tracks at a fast speed, saving them to your computer as the chosen format (e.g., FLAC). Once the conversion is finished, go to the "Converted" tab and click the "folder" icon to open the local output directory on your computer and find converted tracks.

How to Transfer and Play Tidal on Astell and Kern Offline

With the Tidal tracks successfully converted to common audio files on your computer, the next step is to load them onto your Astell&Kern Digital Audio Player (DAP) for offline playback. Here is how to:

Step 1. On your AK Player, go to "Settings" > "Network Settings" > "AK File Drop" and toggle the feature "ON".

Step 2. It will show the detailed guide on how to transfer files. You can read it and tap the "Next" to move to the next step.

Step 3. Connect on your computer (Windows/Mac):

• Windows: Open the File Explorer (This PC), right-click, and select Add a network location. Follow the wizard and enter the FTP Address (including ftp://). Uncheck "Log on anonymously" and use the User Name and Password from your player's screen.
• Mac: Use a dedicated FTP client like FileZilla or the "Connect to Server" option in Finder. Enter the FTP details from your player.

Step 4. Once connected, your Astell & Kern player's storage will appear as a network drive. Open the "Music" folder on the AK player, and drag and drop the converted Tidal FLAC/MP3 files from your computer into the folder.

Part 3. In Conclusion

For maximum convenience on a modern player, you can use the native Tidal app to play music on Astell and Kern. For universal compatibility across all AK models, permanent ownership of files, or listening in areas with zero connectivity, the local file conversion and transfer method is the superior choice.