My thoughts about MQA listening last evening.
I am focused on vinyl and have been since the early 70s. I never fully converted to CDs as my software source, though I did have a Lector cdt7 in my system for many years. The Lector left a few years ago and I decided to slowly burn my CDs to a hard drive and temporally use a Logitech Touch to stream. Last year MQA began looking interesting and since I needed a temporary DAC I decided the Meridian Explorer2 would be a fun experiment. I have used it to receive the upgraded digital output, up to 192/24, from the Touch which included being able to stream Tidal. Then I patiently waited, and waited, and waited, for the actual MQA Tidal release...
I was disappointed that initially they only are offering it through their own desktop application. This required me to bring my laptop into the system and relegate the Logitech to the sidelines. This also took away my control app on my iPad, but my curiosity prevailed. Tidal software and the required PC drivers for the Explorer2 were downloaded and installed. I spent the next .... few hours comparing the true MQA "blue led" Tidal playback to 44/16 FLAC files, a few 192/24 high res files, and to vinyl. For reference all the digital was streamed through the small Meridian DAC.
My system is adequate, but not ultimate high end. What I experienced using the MQA through my lap top was slightly different than my own burned CDs or Hi res files. The upper frequencies in the high res files were a little "crisper" than the MQA, but the MQA was just as detailed but more enjoyable and to me more musical. The lower frequencies were also perceived to be as articulated as the hi res files, but again just a little more "right" in my perception of the music. There was a definite improvement over the 44/16 files on clarity and smoothness. I was able to configure Tidal to not pass the MQA signal to the DAC and it output a 96/24 signal. This sounded fine, but not near the level of enjoyment as with the Explorer2 doing the MQA processing provided previously in my system.
After spending a good amount of time in the above comparisons I decided to spin a few sides of vinyl. The reality is in my system the vinyl was still superior. There is a liquidity that MQA presents that I truly enjoyed (for a few hours more than I had planed) over my other basic digital sources. That liquidity, smoothness, and ability to create the environment that surrounds the music is superior to my ear with vinyl playback in my system.
Employing a simple low level Meridian Explorer2, a non-optimized laptop PC, and Tidal MQA set to pass through to the Explorer2, I was truly thrilled by the musical presentation. I was engaged in a way that surprised me and already has me wondering how it will sound with a better DAC that also includes the hardware MQA capability.
Rick
So this "work around" of having to go to the desktop and select your fav and then go and go and use it on the Ipad/Aurender app, I think is just that, a "work around", until they provide an interface on the main page of the Aurender, such as a Masters filter ie, the DSD filter. This saving the favs won't be any different once they get the app updated, than it is now.....other than you will probably be able to save Masters Fav's and Non-Masters Fav's. 
