So, does the introduction of MQA change/alter your plans going forward?
- Thread starter joeinid
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still-one
Active member
If you look at some other boards many people are using the Tidal ap to output MQA via USB to their audio set-up. Whether you are getting all of MQA's benefits is still to be answered. Nonetheless they are pretty positive in their response.
- Thread Author
- #3
Thanks Jim, that's what I'm doing now. I wasn't getting the full benefit before. I had to check "exclusive mode" to get the highest resolution from the desktop app. All in all, I'm happier with the results and don't feel the same need to get an MQA dac until it has some time to settle down and sink in to the mainstream.
For me personally I won't purchase a DAC without a statement from the vendor on MQA. Yes or No for example. However, after the Tidal announcement and playing back MQA content I'm very pleased as to the potential this has. I would assume a high end DAC like a DCS, EMM Labs with MQA hardware decoding might be even better than the software only.
I was skeptical at first with MQA but, hope the big name Digital Audio players, release some kind of official statement as to their hardware support.
I was skeptical at first with MQA but, hope the big name Digital Audio players, release some kind of official statement as to their hardware support.
Randy Myers
Well-known member
I doubt I would consider a MQA DAC at this point because the ones in the affordable ranges are lower level on standard PCM and DSD, such as the Brooklyn which uses the ESS9018 mobile chip (like my Pono uses). The Meridian, like Jim has is in a different universe for most people.
The word is that Roon will eventually have software decoding. At that time I may check it out.
Or alternatively, if they release a separate inexpensive MQA decoder that can be used in conjunction with existing DACs then I might be interested in trying it out.
The word is that Roon will eventually have software decoding. At that time I may check it out.
Or alternatively, if they release a separate inexpensive MQA decoder that can be used in conjunction with existing DACs then I might be interested in trying it out.
Nikhil
Member
I am highly skeptical of MQA and am amazed at how much traction it continues to get. So to answer the original question - I have no plans to do anything with MQA at all.
- Thread Author
- #7
I have to say that I'm hearing some amazing music with these MQA Masters from Tidal now. I've enjoyed the heck out of the original CD quality streams, but now with just the desktop app and USB straight to my DAC, it's a new ballgame. Am I falling for the "hype"? It's real, not vaporware anymore. I cannot wait for the higher end DACs to fully embrace it, sky's the limit.
Already with just the Tidal app doing the conversion, the stereo image size is huge, not only left to right, but top to bottom and in depth too. The music feels a little more natural with better separation, tremendous air and better defined bass. I'm hooked. My music "collection" just got a whole lot more fun for no extra money. How is that not a win? I'm looking forward to the future even more now. 2017 is turning out to be amazing. Tighten your seatbelts boys, this is getting exciting.
Oh, and I'm not going to buy something with the promise of MQA or some feature not realized in a shipping product. I've been burned before. It has to be included from the beginning.
Already with just the Tidal app doing the conversion, the stereo image size is huge, not only left to right, but top to bottom and in depth too. The music feels a little more natural with better separation, tremendous air and better defined bass. I'm hooked. My music "collection" just got a whole lot more fun for no extra money. How is that not a win? I'm looking forward to the future even more now. 2017 is turning out to be amazing. Tighten your seatbelts boys, this is getting exciting.
Oh, and I'm not going to buy something with the promise of MQA or some feature not realized in a shipping product. I've been burned before. It has to be included from the beginning.
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dCS has said they will offer a software upgrade to their DACs for MQA sometime in the future. The DACS use FPGA's so it doesn't appear any hardware update will be required.
I signed up for the Tidal 60 day trial using the regular Tidal Redbook output via the dCS upsampler app. I have to say I'm not impressed. Someone else on the forum here said all the processing in the world can't make up for a bad recording. I have to agree. Can you sort on Record Labels in Tidal? That might be a help if you can just pull up the albums by the guys who know how to make an audiophile grade recording (Channel Classics, 2L, Opus 3, etc)
Cincy
I signed up for the Tidal 60 day trial using the regular Tidal Redbook output via the dCS upsampler app. I have to say I'm not impressed. Someone else on the forum here said all the processing in the world can't make up for a bad recording. I have to agree. Can you sort on Record Labels in Tidal? That might be a help if you can just pull up the albums by the guys who know how to make an audiophile grade recording (Channel Classics, 2L, Opus 3, etc)
Cincy
Cincy,
You have an amazing system. However, to my knowledge in order to get software MQA decoding from Tidal you must be using their desktop application (Windows/Mac).
Run the USB from the computer straight into your DAC. Using the Tidal App please make sure your DAC is using the "exclusive mode".
Please let us know.
Once your DAC is upgraded, the Aurender will handle MQA. Aurender is on board with MQA. We are hoping the Aurender software which can handle MQA will be released this month. The beta version is rocking and rolling, so now it's just a short wait.
I have to say that comments like this (which are common) keep me very skeptical about MQA. Unless posters are exaggerating tremendously, this doesn't sound to me like something sonically closer to the master recording, it sounds like DSP "improvement", which inevitably means some listeners will like it and others won't. Perhaps more pertinent, it implies that some other engineer's DSP "improvement" might be preferable for any given recording on any given system.
- Thread Author
- #12
Some albums seem to sound better, or respond better (?), than others. I like what MQA does, whether it's closer to the master recording or not, I'll never know. It's a hellofa lot better than MP3's, so color me happy. I still have my hi-res pcm and dsd files, MQA just gives me another option. Contrary to popular belief and even though I've been trough a lot of gear, I am not that picky (so maybe that's why I like MQA) and love the music, no matter how I hear it.
Remaining skeptical is good. It keeps everyone honest. I like MQA, truthful or not, I am embracing it.
Remaining skeptical is good. It keeps everyone honest. I like MQA, truthful or not, I am embracing it.
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- Thread Author
- #13
Randy Myers
Well-known member
Did you compare it to the recently released remastered 96 KHz version. The high res download is fantastic!
Rob, have you personally heard the new MQA/Tidal tracks?
- Thread Author
- #16
I don't currently have Tidal, but I'll probably try it this week just to check out some of the MQA stuff. If I hear the kind of differences you all are describing, I will continue to be skeptical of MQA, for the reason I alrready posted. That wouldn't necessarily stop me from listening to Tidal using MQA, but it would definitely keep me from buying anything MQA encoded.
Rob, it will be interesting to hear what you think after a listen. If it sounded as good as any digital that you ever heard and a LOT like vinyl listening, why would you still be skeptical???
A really good way to test the validity of MQA being "closer to the master" would be to use recordings from something like Blue Coast Records or Soundkeeper (Barry Diament's label), because those companies are specific about 1) giving you exact digital copies of the master recordings, and 2) telling you what equipment they use, thereby allowing the listener to use the exact same model DAC in his/her own system. According to MQA's hype, the MQA file played through almost any MQA-DAC should then sound "identical" to the hi-res file playing through the DAC the record label used. FWIW, I don't see Blue Coast or Soundkeeper having anything to do with MQA, but we'll see.
See above post. If MQA can't pass that "test", you are essentially just getting another remastering of whatever album you choose, using Meridian's choice of remastering tools.