Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming Sooloos Tidal

Same here. I noticed it the other day when I was searching for albums and the majority came up empty. I have a pretty small CD collection so I relied heavily on Tidal. It's a small disappointment, but technology moves on and Meridian wasn't making a dime from me with their updates. I may give in and try Roon just to not lose the investment I have in Sooloos endpoints, though I will miss the simple standard interface that the Sooloos system has.

I've been running Roon on Nucleus+, all my Meridian endpoints still work. Roon is not without bugs, but the latest update cleaned up most of the issues.

Roon's user interface is good and has the same functions for all platforms (OSX, iOS and iPadOS), works kind of like a web browser. I do like the simplicity of the Meridian Sooloos iOS App for casual listening. I'm mainly using Roon with the Devialet D250 PRO for 2Ch, the Roon Ready integration works great with the Devialet; and Meridian Sooloos for whole house audio & background music. I may end up using the Meridian less and less since I can no longer add new titles from Tidal.

Personally I think it's a huge strategic mistake for Meridian to abandon Sooloos and not being able to monetize the IP & keep the talents that left started Roon. If I were to build my music server/streamer system today, I'd have no reason to buy any Meridian products with Roon.

I believe many Sooloos lovers are angry with Meridian's choice to abandon Sooloos. Meridian did not take into consideration that we owners of their system spent much money to buy it. I believe that a famous brand like Meridian cannot leave its customers on the street. I would propose to launch a petition urging Meridian to provide support for their end-of-life products. What do you think about it?

Such a petition is highly unlikely to have any effect on Meridian.

I imagine that the Sooloos intellectual property rights reside with Roon.

What follows is a quote, gathered 2 minutes ago, from Tidal's support part of their website:

"Meridian
TIDAL support is available in Sooloos systems running system versions greater than 435. Versions of the Core Control iPad app greater than 2.104 are recommended for use with TIDAL. Sooloos systems that are connected to the internet automatically download the latest available version of the system firmware and will display a message saying that an update is available.

You can check whether you are running a compatible firmware version as follows via Control Fifteen, Control Ten or Control One:

Touch the home icon in the top right hand corner of the screen. A menu will appear showing the following options: Touch the Information entry in the window obtained in step 1. A new window will appear showing system information:The version number is shown under System Statistics as highlighted in the screenshot above.
Open Control:PC or Control Mac and select the Settings tab. Select Information in the Other Settings section of the Settings tab and a pop-up window will appear showing system information.

Using Control:Web:

Open a browser using the IP address of the system core. The browser will show the Control:Web interface:
Select the Settings tab, then Information in the Other Settings section of the Settings tab. A pop-up will appear showing information about the system.

To set up TIDAL from a Control Fifteen, Control Ten or Control One, check that your Sooloos is running a compatible system version using the steps given in ‘How to obtain support for TIDAL in Sooloos’. Touch the home icon in the top right hand corner of the screen, select System Settings, click the Accounts tab on the System Settings window opened and select + Add Account.

Choose + Add Account, then TIDAL Account. Enter the Username and Password using the keyboard displayed. Click on the red cross on the keyboard window when done.Click Save on the Account Setup window when both the username and password have been entered.

Touch the check mark above OK to acknowledge the message and return to the main Sooloos window.
Touch Explore on the main window. The Explore Music window will open showing TIDAL in the left hand Explore column. Touching TIDAL in the Explore column will show a TIDAL column that should contain My Library at the bottom once login has been successful.

To set up TIDAL from Control:PC or Control Mac, open Control:PC or Control Mac, select the Settings tab, then Accounts in the Other Settings section.

A pop-up will appear showing the list of accounts, select Add TIDAL Account in on the pop-up and enter your TIDAL username and password.

Close the Accounts pop-up and select the Play tab. The Explorer will be shown with an entry for TIDAL in the left hand Explore column. Selecting TIDAL in the Explore column will show a TIDAL column that should contain My Library at the bottom once login has been successful:
To set up TIDAL from WebClient, open a browser using the IP address of the system core and select Accounts in the Other Settings section of the Settings tab. select Add TIDAL Account in on the pop-up and enter your TIDAL username and password.
If you are unable to log in with your TIDAL username and password please check that the system has correctly recorded your username and password in the Accounts windows or that the Sooloos system is connected to a network that has access to the internet for http and https through ports 80 and 443."

Given all the problems some people have been having with Sooloos and Tidal, which has driven many to Roon, I find the above current advice fascinating.

I hear you and definitely share your frustration. However, I don't think a petition will get you very far. Many of us have already moved on - a lot probably onto Roon, I've moved to Audirvana, maybe others moved onto something else.

Unfortunately, it seems that ship has sailed, and not sure Meridian will do anything about it. It is a pity and very disappointing.

Just plugged in my MC200 for 1st time in 2 year and it's not working. No software update coming through. Fixed this 2 years ago and then not used.

Is it not possible to login to Tidal anymore for MQA access?
Was Meridian being be charged money for software access?

If I moved to Roon could the same happen there?

Hi,

If you read back through this thread, you’ll see that due to some changes in Tidal, the access via Sooloos was lost. You should still have access to what you have stored on the MC200. There were some issues with ripping material onto Sooloos as well but that seems to be available again.

Brian

When Tidal changed the login / access method (to tighten it security), Sooloos was stuck in stone and is effectively locked out now, however, Roon evolved.
Roon being primarily a subscription service needs to stay current in order to retain its income stream.
On the other hand with Meridian the fees where all paid up front (purchase of the unit) ... so not much incentive to maintain the software properly in the long term.

Of course past performance in no indication of future... but I think you will be "safer" with Roon.

Regards,
Carl

Are people still worried about buying lifetime Roon membership and then roon being bought out and all lifetime membership cancelled?

I certainly am. That is the trouble with much modern technology. I have 2 iPad Minis, both in perfect condition cosmetically (and I have the original packing etc) and working perfectly electronically, but they are originals from 2012. Because Apple have chosen to make them obsolescent (I can't even download now many of the apps that used to work with their now dated architecture) they are of little value now. In contrast, I have reel to reel tape recorders (a hobby of mine) that I have kept in perfect working order from over 50 years ago (and they still sound good too) and I continue to be able to do so because the technology is simple enough for me to understand and I own everything needed to make them work - unlike software based things where the software is impenetrable (at least for me).

There are enthusiasts for Roon on this forum (I do have Roon by the way) but quite a few were beta testers or got in early and did not pay anything like the current price for lifetime membership. There is even a senior member of this forum who is also a senior member of the Roon forum. They would be unusual people if they did not have a more comfortable view of Roon than a newcomer or someone who has not yet committed to it.

Been there, seen it, done it.

Like many others here I was forced to walk the Sooloos plank, after paying many times for Meridian Sooloos hardware, however I was not long between between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Roon lifetime subscription plus Tidal hi-res subscription is all I need. Cost is immaterial! Concentrate on value.

I have access to all the music, also MQA releases, that I could ever need, whatever the frequency and bit depth advertised. Let your ears and brain tell the truth.

Hector