I’ve reproduced this problem with that track in four different configurations.
- Roon + Pre-Box S2
- Roon + Brooklyn
- TIDAL app + Pre-Box S2 in MQA Passthrough mode
- TIDAL app + Brooklyn in MQA Passthrough mode
(It’s important when comparing the apps to enable MQA Passthrough mode in TIDAL0-- otherwise you’re not comparing apples to apples since the DAC is operating in a totally different mode)
I could not reproduce this problem at all with the Explorer2 and either app. I saw it in the other 4 configurations well within 10mins of looping the track, but not at all with the Explorer2. To an extent, only positive results are conclusive in this sort of test, so this is interesting as a clue but not proof of anything.
I feel pretty secure concluding that this is not a Roon issue given that it also reproduces with the TIDAL app when the DAC is in the same mode.
I’m not the right person to tell you whether this is a source material problem, or a bug with those 2 DACs. There is definitely an opportunity for that sort of bug since both companies would have received the same materials
If it reproduced on the Explorer2, I’d have been pretty conclusively in the source material camp. Ultimately, someone at MQA should be making that distinction, since they would have certified all of the devices + provided resources to the studio doing the production work.