Nucleus
DrayTek P1092 switch
Naim MuSo 2
Tidal
192k MQA tracks get downsampled by Nucleus to 96k. Why? Naim MuSo second generation should be able to render 192k
Hi @Iain_Buchan1 and welcome to the forum.
Please read Roon x MQA. Roon can decode MQA to 88.2/96 kHz but it’s not a renderer. It is up to your DAC to do the final rendering of the MQA track. Read more about how to setup your audio zones (if Roon should do the decoding or leave it all to your DAC) in:
Note: Roon is not down-sampling here as the transport format is 24-bit/48 kHz. It decodes the stream (first unfold) to 96 kHz. And this is not up-sampling because the information was already stored (folded) into the source stream.
Naim MuSo second generation is my renderer/DAC and optionally decoder.
If I have a 192k MQA Tidal stream the Roon signal path information on playback says that after decoding in Nucleus a 96k signal is being sent to MuSo to render.
However, Naim say that the MuSo can accept a 192k signal.
Do I need to set the MuSo to decode and render in order to get the full resolution encoded in the source?
Please try and understand how MQA works. Naim Muso is not an MQA renderer. Naim do not support MQA at all. What you are seeing is the first part of the MQA process. There is no downscaling as MQA doesnt exist at higher than 48/24 in file form. It goes through two processes to reach the highest sample rate. MQA files are 44.1/24 or 48/24. They have to be unfolded to either 88.2/24 or 96/24 by the first process this is the decoding sstage and you need an MQA decoder for this. Roon has one built in. The next stage to reach the higher sample rates requires a device that supports MQA rendering if you do not have one then 96/24 is all you will get. The rendering stage applies filters and upsampling to the higher sample rates and what you get is determined by the DAC. As said Naim do not support MQA rendering so you get 96/24. Tidal uses MQA for all hires so your not ever going to get more unless you choose a device that supports it. Or use Qobuz instead as that doenst use MQA technology.
You don’t; you have a 48k 24-bit MQA stream which was encoded from a 192k master. Roon can decode it to “MQA Core” which is 2x the rate streamed from TIDAL. MQA renderers --which the MuSo is not-- can do further decoding and/or up-sampling.
The correct settings for your MuSo in Roon are:
With these settings, if you so wish, you may up-sample further using Roon’s DSP engine, but this up-sampling has nothing to do with MQA (and would in fact break the MQA stream for rendering endpoints).
Let me link to this again:
Very clear and helpful. Thanks Joel. Are these the default settings for a MuSo end point? I also have Meridian 818v3 with DSP5200SEs. Seems like it would be worth investigating Qobuz as well as Tidal.
I’m curious why, given you have a made-for-MQA system in the 818 and 5200SE. Unless you believe that 192k PCM from Qobuz will sound better to your MuSo than 88/96k MQA Core.
I am presuming 192k PCM to MuSo will give double the resolution of 192k MQA encoded in 48/24 MQA stream to Nucleus then 96k MQA core to MuSo
If the correct settings for your MuSo in Roon are: {Enable MQA core decoder = yes} & {MQA capabilities = No MQA support} then why is the default setting {MQA capabilities = Renderer only}?
That’s Roon default for most non-MQA devices.
In your case it’s the same as No MQA Support if you don’t use any Roon DSP Engine features.
Comparing Qobuz FLAC with Tidal MQA tracks sampled at the same rates played via Nucleus to MuSo the Qobuz FLAC sounds a much more stable and full image than the MQA equivalents
