My DAC / Headphone setup DragonFly MQA

[Ricardo_Garcia_Maino (Ricardo Garcia Mainou)]

Hi.

I have a very simple setup. Have ROON installed in my MacMini M1. I have a Dragonfly Red DAC on a USB port and AKG K371 headphones connected to the DAC.
I am aware there are more complex better solutions, but this is what I have and can afford atm.

I have a couple of questions regarding my setup.
When I listen directly on TIDAL I get a very decent sound quality. The DAC gets a green light on HiFi streams and Magenta on Masters. All ok.
When I listen on ROON, the sound quality is a little bit inferior. I tried different DSP setups: Using an Audeze preset gave good results on some music, but it was inconsistent. I followed someone’s suggestion and downloaded a Convolution filter for AKG371 but the sound quality dropped horribly, almost like listening underwater.
So I deactivated all Filters.
On ROON the MQA files light the Dragonfly Red instead of Magenta (The device setup is the default: Exclusive mode, MQA Renderer Only, Volume Control: Device).

Any suggestions on how to fix my current setup? I don’t mean suggestions like buying a better DAC or Headphones (I have a ton of notes on that), but on how to setup my current audio gear to extract the maximum quality possible.

Thanks

[Jim_F (Minimalist)]

Do you have Roon MQA core decoding turned on in Device Setup under Show Advanced?

[Ricardo_Garcia_Maino (Ricardo Garcia Mainou)]

The option “Enable MQA core decoder” (is this what you mean?) is on.

[Carl]

Hi @Ricardo_Garcia_Maino,

Yes, that’s what Jim wanted you to check.

Can you take a screenshot of Roon’s Signal Path when playing a MQA file to the Dragonfly.

This will enable us to see what’s happening and advise.

[Mike_O_Neill]

A Roon Core update a few builds back set it off by default, if I remember rightly.

Set up properly, the Audioquest colours are as advertised.

I’ll plug mine and do a screenshot

[Carl]

@Mike_O_Neill

A Roon Core update a few builds back set it off by default, if I remember rightly.

Yep, …

• Roon 1.8 Build 987 Changed the default behavior for Roon’s MQA decoder
• Roon 1.8 Build 1021 Resolved an issue where MQA Core Decoder setting will auto-disable on app restart under certain conditions

Though @Ricardo_Garcia_Maino, has confirmed it is enabled, so shouldn’t be the issue, and the rest of setting that were mentioned seem ok. Hopefully we’ll know more once he posts a signal path shot.

[Mike_O_Neill]

I got it (eventually) this shows MQA as Purple …

So it’s the Red as “Decoder and Renderer” and “Enable MQA core” to NO

Now this passes the encoded MQA signal to the DAC for it to do the work …

Advanced Settings

I assume this is right I always struggle as well !!

[Carl]

@Mike_O_Neill

I assume this is right I always struggle as well !!

I believe the Dragonfly Red can not decode MQA, see this post below.

Dragonfly Red, MQA and color readout

DragonFly is a MQA renderer instead of a MQA full decoder. It needs a MQA core decoder for MQA to be decoded. Roon does not yet provide MQA core decoding right now (unlike Tidal desktop app), but will do in a future update. So you need to wait. DragonFly color code is here: You may also read

Thus the zone properties in Roon should be set to “MQA Renderer Only” (which is how the OP has it).

[Mike_O_Neill]

I rarely use the Red these days …

Just checked the manual, you are quite correct, in that case I can’t get the Red to show up Purple (MQA) plugged into my NUC/ROCK with the Enable Core Decoder switched on. All you get is up to 96 k , Magenta is 96k

ie the limit for the DAC. Allowing the signal through with the core off it does

Now I am confused

Is that what @Ricardo_Garcia_Maino is getting

[wklie (Peter Lie)]

@Ricardo_Garcia_Maino

On ROON the MQA files light the Dragonfly Red instead of Magenta (The device setup is the default: Exclusive mode, MQA Renderer Only, Volume Control: Device).

@Ricardo_Garcia_Maino

“Enable MQA core decoder” (is this what you mean?) is on.

1. Post a signal path screenshot.
2. Try volume 100 - see if it turns purple
3. If 2 succeeds, try this:
   Dragonfly Cobalt only recognizing MQA at full volume and low max volume output - #23 by noris

[Jim_F (Minimalist)]

[Jim_F (Minimalist)]

Here is my DragonFly Cobalt plugged into RPi4.

[Ricardo_Garcia_Maino (Ricardo Garcia Mainou)]

Hi Peter
Here are the screenshots

This text will be hidden

About the suggestions: Yes, it turned purple at volume 100. I tried your suggestion fix and that did help. This is the path afterwards:

Should I leave al the filters empty or try some parametric EQ, Convolution preset etc?

Thanks!

[Ricardo_Garcia_Maino (Ricardo Garcia Mainou)]

Yes, I got the purple too this way.

[wklie (Peter Lie)]

@Ricardo_Garcia_Maino

Yes, it turned purple at volume 100. I tried your suggestion fix and that did help.

Great.

@Ricardo_Garcia_Maino

Should I leave al the filters empty or try some parametric EQ, Convolution preset etc?

If you got a working configuration, I don’t suggest you change it.

I edited the title so that other DragonFly users can find this solution.