Excuse my ignorance but does anyone know IF it matters that a streamer does not have native [MQA support] for Tidal Masters if one has ROON?
@Michael_Wasserman, I have moved your post to a new thread.
A music streamer is a network device that usually receives a PCM stream over the network and hands this to a DAC using another interface, e.g., USB, S/PDIF (coaxial), and I2S (typically for DAC “hats”.)
Since the streaming is passing a stream, it doesn’t have knowledge of the format, since this is handled by the DAC.
In some cases, the streamer also includes a DAC, and these need to be MQA-aware if you intend to listen to MQA masters, i.e., decode and render the MQA content.
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Thus the Cambridge Audio MXN 10 would not be compatible with MQA Masters played directly or via Roon? Is that correct? Thanks for the help.
That device does not have the software to decode or render MQA. It can receive a decoded but not rendered stream from Roon, or, you can not use it’s DAC and just pass the stream off to another DAC that can do MQA decoding/rendering.
In the manual, it it pretty clear that this device will never decode/render MQA by itself.
Thank you; that is what I thought. Given that, it seems as though it may not make a whole lot of sense to upgrade to the Cambridge Audio device from my Sonos Connect device. Would you concur? As I am not willing to spend a ton on an upgrade in that room in my house, is there something else someone might suggest? In another room with MUCH higher end gear, I have a Meridian 218 Zone Controller. Thanks again.
Isn’t the future of MQA somewhat questionable at this point?
There’s a good chance that Cambridge would sound better than anything Sonos, but whether it is worth upgrading is your call.
I must confess to knowing little about this and yield to those with much greater knowledge. TY
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FYI: MQA uses a two step process called unfolding.
First decoding, then rendering.
Roon or the Tidal app can do the first step: Decoding.
The 2nd step, rendering, requires a device with this capability.
So without an MQA enabled device, if using Roon or Tidal app, one can listen to MQA masters but you’ll only get the first unfold: Usually 48kHz to 96khz.
Or if it’s a 44khz Master you’ll get that.
Thus, if you don’t care about resolution above 96khz it’s not necessary to have an MQA enabled device.
Note that as mentioned MQA is currently in Administration ie. Bankruptcy so its future is uncertain.
Now is probably not a good time to be investing in MQA equipment.
Thanks. So, in your view, is it worth the $ to upgrade to the Cambridge Audio device from Sonos Connect?
It might be, but it seems the consensus is that you shouldn’t base your decision on whether or not MQA is supported. I’d recommend you consider how it will fit with your system: do you need any other equipment to use it? Next, consider its user interface and whether you would find it intuitive and comfortable. If you’re still interested, then get one with a return policy and have a listen at home. I personally think you’ll like it based on my previous experience with Cambridge, but you should try it at home before you commit.
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A good DAC is a good DAC regardless of if it is MQA certified.
A streamer does not need to be certified. It simply needs to be able to pass a file bit perfect.
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