Does Nucleus decode MQA files?

[TIN_YAN_LI]

Hi, i’m thinking to buy a Nucleus act as Roon-Core instead of my iMac
but my DAC can’t decode MQA files, therefore i want to know if Nucleus
can decode MQA files and output to my DAC ?

[joel]

The Roon core software can do the first MQA unfold (decoding) regardless of what computer device it is runnning on

Correct.

With regards to MQA, a Nucleus can’t do anything your iMac can’t do

That’s true functionally, but from a performance perspective, the iMac spec needs to be considered. For example, Roon should be installed on an SSD. A Nucleus might not be required, but the iMac might not be good enough. Or it might!

[DJM]

I originally had my Core on my iMac, which happens to have a 250gb SSD. But, my main music store/library was on an ageing Qnap NAS which was on it’s last legs.
So, I decided to hit two birds with one stone. I now have a Nucleus with a 1TB SSD. So this my Core and music store/library. I also bought a Matrix Sabre Pro MQA DAC to play MQA files, but to be fair I don’t have many MQA files. The SQ quality with the Nucleus and the new DAC is sensational, compared to my previous Node 2.