Alpine (Alps Alpine North America) announced it is the first aftermarket car audio company to be fully compatible with the TIDAL music streaming service.
Through a free software update, many Alpine radios will fully integrate with TIDAL, including the Alpine Halo11 iLX-F511, Alpine Halo9 iLX-F509, iLX-507, and Jeep-specific radios i509-WRA-JK and i509-WRA-JL.
Alpine’s new Status and AlpineF#1Status radios are centered around Hi-Res Audio and that technology has trickled down to Alpine’s standard radios, said the company. To get the full benefit, a Hi-Res music source is required, such as the TIDAL streaming service.
With the new software update, starting Thursday, Alpine users can control TIDAL directly from the head unit with Play/Pause, Repeat, Shuffle, Playing List, and Search (to browse through artists, genres, “moods,” and more). The radio also provides access to My Mix, a personalized playlist based on the user’s listening history.
Hi-Res Audio “captures and reproduces the details that are lost in lower-quality, compressed file formats. These details, like the breath of the artist or subtle interactions with the instruments, contribute to a listening experience that was once previously exclusive to the ‘master’ studio recordings…” said Alpine.
To access TIDAL, the deck must be tethered to a mobile or smartphone hotspot (data rates apply).
TIDAL’s catalog includes over 90 million songs. TIDAL HiFi and HiFi Plus Members get lossless audio and high-fidelity music options, and they can discover new artists through TIDAL Rising.
The software update is a free download at the Alpine Knowledge Center (https://kb.alpine-usa.com). The TIDAL app is available on the App Store or Google Play. A TIDAL subscription is required.
Alpine’s new High-Res Audio system, the AlpineF#1Status, can reproduce audio up to 384kHz/64Bit, and the Alpine Status System, up to 192kHz/24Bit. Other new Alpine radios can produce music up to 96kHz/24Bit.
