MQA Again

Pierre, you asked me what software decoder I am using with MQA, well it's the decoder built into the Tidal client.. which then produces 88.2/24 or 96/24 SPDIF or USB streams, depending on MQA source file, which I then connect to a DAC

Simon

SongStream posted:

...
I am sure it sounds much better if I connect up my i-phone and supplied ear...plugs?  Buds?  What are those things?

Pretty awful actually!

It seems that my Dragonfly Black supports MQA since a couple of weeks.

I just saw this message on AudioQuests website:

'Please note: Due to unprecedented demand, there are delays in shipping both DragonFlys Black and Red. Please be irritated with AudioQuest rather than with your dealer as we work to fill backorders as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience.'

That is a statement from a company I want to buy from. Totally transparent.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Pierre, you asked me what software decoder I am using with MQA, well it's the decoder built into the Tidal client.. which then produces 88.2/24 or 96/24 SPDIF or USB streams, depending on MQA source file, which I then connect to a DAC

Simon

ok simon, so you have not tested an mqa dac yet? am i right?

Ardbeg10y posted:

It seems that my Dragonfly Black supports MQA since a couple of weeks.

I just saw this message on AudioQuests website:

'Please note: Due to unprecedented demand, there are delays in shipping both DragonFlys Black and Red. Please be irritated with AudioQuest rather than with your dealer as we work to fill backorders as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience.'

 

That is a statement from a company I want to buy from. Totally transparent.

you will tell us how are your impressions on mqa/vs 16/44 streaming, if you want...

I see HDTracks are going to offer a streaming service, using MQA and hosted by 7digital. Presumably starting in the US.

Gary Shaw posted:

I see HDTracks are going to offer a streaming service, using MQA and hosted by 7digital. Presumably starting in the US.

good thing for us. But in Europe we can't buy the majority of high rez files on hd tracks, just some....it will be probably the same for streaming....

Noted today on the new FAQ on the Uniti Atom page on the Naim website. Unity Atom page, support tab, last Q on the FAQ section.

"Will MQA be supported on the new Uniti range?

1. MQA is not supported on the new Uniti range."

It doesn't say never, but... 

French Rooster posted:

Emre posted:

It would be nice to stream mqa trough my 272 using tidal for the same price, i am using at work with explorer2 dac at work, it is nice..

Other than that still i dont get it...

Isnt it just a double layer compression file that can be unfolded by dac ör player?

Same file mqa vs 24/196 How does it compare? In theory they should sound same right? With a mqa dac, without a mqa dac the mqa  version will be 16/44...

Am i missing something?

 

you can't stream 24/192 on tidal. So , with an mqa dac, you can only compare 16/44 vs mqa streaming on tidal.  But streaming high rez files from nas is still better than streaming mqa with tidal, from what i understood in the different reviews i read.

You can indeed stream 24/192 with Tidal and MQA. I am doing so with an Explorer2. MQA files are available at different resolutions up to 24/192

My usual preferred source is LP12/Ekos/Dynavector 17D3/Prefix/Hicap/Cirkus/Trampolin2/Lingo 3.

Until now I have been a complete digital luddite and find the technology totally alien.

Out of curiosity I decided to take out a free trial of Tidal "HiFi" and bought a Meridian Explorer2.

I have been listening to MQA almost exclusively and my usually very active LP12 has remained silent for the last month. Nuff said.

I have read a lot of paranoia on here about MQA's business model and licencing requirements. I dont remember there being much outcry about Dolby Labs back in the day which seemed to be a similar licencing arrangement?

At the Birmingham show at the weekend, Bluesound were doing a demo of MQA, from a Bluenode (2 I think) into B&W 700 series floorstanders. 

The demo was various pieces of music, each played 3 times, 320k MP3, lossless PCM (CD they called it) and MQA. Consistently the MP3 was noticeably poor, the "CD" and MQA were different. To me, the MQA offered a warmer voice range and fuller bass, but I was worried on almost every track that that seemed to be at the expense of balance with the midrange seeming recessed. It was on fairly simple vocal popular music, so it wasn't possible for me to be sure.  I asked for a piece of complex orchestral music as I thought that would make it easy to tell what was happening, they didn't have any sadly. They tried a piece of solo piano where to be honest I couldn't tell them apart.

For me that wasn't a compelling demonstration, the MQA certainly sounded different, for me it wasn't better. Maybe it's more accurate and I haven't adjusted to the correct sound, but I'm not convinced. 

I was impressed by the little Bluenode, at £500 it gave a very good account of itself, driving the floorstanders surprisingly well and giving an engaging and lively presentation from the uncompressed samples.

The upcoming LG V30 phone will have MQA support and a 32-bit Sabre dac. It will be interesting to read about the first reviews on how it sound. Could it be the ultimate vfm source?

Of what significance is the ESS Sabre DAC?

Huge posted:

Of what significance is the ESS Sabre DAC?

It only mean that with a lowly phone you can now record and play high definition music that hold on a micro SD card. The make of the dac is irrevelant but miniaturization is mind blowing if you compare this to the size taken by separate components.

Huge posted:

Of what significance is the ESS Sabre DAC?

I depends a bit which ESS Sabre Dac chip is used, but they are also in the quite good and successful Dragonfly Black and Red Dacs. The Dragonfly Red has a very good digital volume control which is implemented natively on the Dac chip.

The importance of the implementation remains - of course.