MQA and DSP together in 1.5

I have just received an e-mail with information that it’s now possible to use EQ features while still taking advantage of the rendering capabilities of your MQA DAC.

But enabling EQ in DSP (all beside EQ is disabled in DSP) turns off MQA idicator in my Pro-ject PreBox ???

After disabling EQ - MQA indicator is back ON…

You need to set the DAC for Renderer only in device settings. Roon will reinsert the MQA “headers” after applying DSP.

Um, the Pro-ject PreBox is a full Decoder and Renderer, no?

@Lonek When the first MQA decode occurs in Roon, the MQA Authentication takes place there too. If the light on the PreBox represents Authentication, then I would expect it to go out. Is there any other text on the PreBox? Elsewhere it has been posted that the PreBox shows “MQB” when receiving a decoded and renderable MQA stream. If so, then it’s rendering.

Yes, but the OP wants DSP, so it seems that the best way is to decode in Roon, apply DSP, and then let the S2 do the render.

Hi @Martin_Webster,

Yes. However, Roon can still do that even with the device’s capabilities set to “Decoder and Renderer”.

There’s logic in Roon to know whether it should decode or nor depending on whether Roon’s DSP is engaged or not.

Of course if one always wants Roon to decode rather than in the DAC, then overriding the DAC’s actual MQA capabilities is the way to do it.

No no. If the device’s MQA Capabilities are set to “Decoder and Renderer”, Roon will do the “right thing”, including the MQA first decode (preserving the signalling information for rendering) if the user has chosen to apply DSP in Roon.

Very slick. :sunglasses:

Okay, thanks for the clarification. And @Carl too. But, that still means the OP has an issue with the MQA indicator.

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Not if it’s an Authentication indicator. :slight_smile:

Need the OP to let us know if he’s seeing “MQB” on the PreBox.

MQA on PreBox and no unfold on roon

Doesn’t work

Please explain. Thanks.

I did several posts above.

So Roon still authenticates even if the DAC is set to Decode and Render?

Martin, the MQA Capabilities setting is exactly that: it specifies the capabilities of the downstream MQA device (DAC or bridge); it doesn’t directly turn decode on or off.

With “Decoder and Renderer”:

  • When the user has configured DSP in Roon, Roon will authenticate and decode, and then pass a renderable signal to the downstream MQA device, which will (should) render it.

  • When the user has not configured DSP in Roon, Roon will pass the MQA stream bit-perfectly to the downstream MQA device, which will authenticate and decode.

The important thing to note is that the authentication cannot happen in the downstream MQA device if Roon has already performed the first MQA decode.

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That you, @joel. I understand now.

By the way - unfold in roon and Rendering on DAC generates catastrofic harsh!!!

Hello @Lonek,

Make sure your device firmware is updated to the latest available version from Pro-Ject, I know they’ve fixed a few MQA related issues in the last update.

http://www.box-designs.com/main.php?prod=preboxs2digital&cat=s2-line&lang=en

-John

Thank you all - it’s clear now; unfold in Roon must be set to ON

Thanks - you are right.