After a little desert journey with some playback gaps I am really happy with Roon and my music
I use to say I listen to my music and not my stereo equipment but I can be quite exhaust to achieve best results available
Before start my question I can promise I have done no changes and also I have searched previous threats but no results.
As per signal path on Roon I am listening to a MQA file (from my local hard drive or from Tidal) but there is no indication about MQA on screen, as it was appearing until yesterday
I have found a simillar issue and the solution provided… I have tryed to set fixed volume but not working
And also I am sure no changes done on my settings. Pro-Ject S2 has been always loaded with the default values provided by Roon
It’s been a while since I’ve tested the Pre Box S2 Digital. Have you tried with “Volume control” set to “Fixed volume”?
If you have Roon’s MQA core decoder enabled (under “Advanced”), you’ll see “MQB” on the display of the DAC if there is any DSP in the signal path. Otherwise, you should see “MQA.” when playing an MQA stream.
It would be helpful if you could share a screenshot of your signal path…especially if switching to “Fixed volume” does not help.
Thanks for sharing the signal path. I see volume leveling, so Roon is doing the first unfold and sending the results, with MQA signaling preserved, down to the endpoint. As long as the Stream Box S2 Ultra is passing a bit-perfect stream to the DAC, you should see “MQB” on the DAC’s display. If not, the S2 Ultra must be doing some unwanted processing.
I’ve read of other people having problems with the S2 Ultra failing to pass a bit-perfect stream with certain firmware versions. You could try updating firmware or removing the S2 Utra from the signal path to see if the issue goes away.
Yes. “MQA” and “MQB” (or “OFS” / “ORFS”) provide an equivalent MQA experience. I actually think “MQB” may be slightly preferable since you have a nice division of labor between Roon Core and XMOS processing in the DAC.
MQA Core Decoding is processor-intensive, so it’s best to let the more powerful CPU in Roon Core handle that work. Less work done by the DAC may mean less demand on the DAC’s power supply, etc. On a well-designed DAC, this extra work won’t compromise sound quality, but there’s no downside to having Roon Core do part of the work, so why not?
Don’t get hung up on having the “MQA logo” showing up on the DAC’s display. In the case of Roon, you may be better off without it!
