Teaser

Mike said:
My understanding is that the final stage requires licensing, hardware change, etc.
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Exactly. Which is why when I read Peter's comment "highest possible sound quality", I was confused. I assumed "highest possible" meant monkeying around with hardware.
 
Mike said:
http://www.audiostream.com/content/mqa-decoding-explained#R27ybvzlWDBHq8Sz.97

Lots of other information. The question is: is the only difference between stage 2 and stage 3 the difference between 24/96 and 24/192 or are there other filters, etc. applied?
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I couldn't find the stage designation in the article, so I assume that Stage 1 = No Decode; Stage 2 = Decode to MQA Core at 88.2/96kHz; Stage 3 = Full Decode.

Actually the most important difference between MQA Core signal at 88.2/96kHz and the full decoding (includes rendering) is this: the DAC-specific optimizations and whatever filters MQA apply in the rendering. I believe the final sample rate does not matter as much since 3rd party tests show that there's not much musical information above 60kHz.

By the way, people always ask for a software solution to do the full decoding without buying new hardware, that's just not possible because the rendering is tuned for individual DAC hardware. If a DAC manufacturer does not ship a DAC to MQA Ltd. for certification, there's no tuning data for the software to exist. If a DAC manufacturer ships a DAC for certification, then it gains the MQA decoding or rendering functionality, so there is no longer a need for the software to do full decoding.
 
soundqcar said:
Most who have heard MQA in all its "glory", have taken note that the final "deblurring" stage is the key element to full enjoyment. As Mike is alluding to, is this capability even possible with just a software change/update?
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It depends on the technical characteristics of a DAC - some will be able to do Full Decoding without hardware change; some will be able to only perform Rendering without hardware change, some will not do any decoding or rendering without hardware change. Lumin happens to have a design that allows for MQA Full Decoding without hardware change.
 
wklie said:
It depends on the technical characteristics of a DAC - some will be able to do that without hardware change; some will not. Lumin happens to have a design that allows for MQA full decoding without hardware change.
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WOW! :yahoo1:

Will we see Lumin as a certified MQA Hardware Partner or are you doing this rogue?
 
wklie said:
It depends on the technical characteristics of a DAC - some will be able to do that without hardware change; some will not. Lumin happens to have a design that allows for MQA full decoding without hardware change.
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That's great news, Peter. Fantastic!
 
Incredible App + Roon + MQA + DSD + high res PCM. Lumin will be the complete digital streaming solution.
 
Fantastic.
Then once the complete MQA decoding is performed on a Lumin A1, can it be sent by SPDIF to an external DAC? Or Wolfson DACs are part of the decoding process.
 
Peter, can I ask something a little off topic?

I was a Linn DS owner in the past before I switched to my Lumin A1. The Lumin sounded superior to me.

One thing I admired about Linn was the product was not rendered obsolete when a new DAC implementation was presented. We were offered a board upgrade, for a fair price.

I have two questions. 1. Will Lumin be offering the same type of upgrade path in the future? 2. Is anything in the works for the near future?

Thanks!
 
nonesup said:
Fantastic.
Then once the complete MQA decoding is performed on a Lumin A1, can it be sent by SPDIF to an external DAC? Or Wolfson DACs are part of the decoding process.
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The current plan is that there will be a setting for MQA to operate in analog output mode or digital output mode.

Analog output mode does Full Decoding. SPDIF is off. Case D.

Digital output mode does MQA Core decoding (like Tidal desktop app / Audirvana Plus 3) to any digital output port like SPDIF. Analog outputs are off. Case B or C in this article:
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/748-mqa-civilians/
 
MDP said:
I have two questions. 1. Will Lumin be offering the same type of upgrade path in the future? 2. Is anything in the works for the near future?
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1. I'm not involved in this kind of business decision of offering hardware upgrade. Presently, there is no upgrade option from a lower-priced Lumin to a higher-priced model. However, in the future, if enough dealers and customers ask for it, perhaps decision makers may think about it again. I don't know.

2. I'm not working on new Lumin product right now.
 
Peter

I think Mark is asking about the possibility of upgrading the DAC boards for a particular unit like like Schitt does. In some cases it is user replaceable and in others unit is sent back to factory like the recent Berkeley Ref. upgrade. W4S is in the middle of this process now with the new generation ESS DAC chips. All at a fixed cost to end user.
 
If/when there is a new product in the future, I think the business decision of offering a hardware upgrade to existing products need to be made by decision makers first. Only after that decision is made, can the implementation details of replacement of DAC board only / all circuit boards, method of DIY / ship to dealer / ship to factory, be ironed out.
 
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