You can, but then you can’t use DSP. Set the DAC (or transport) to Decoder and Renderer. The advantage of using Roon is that DSP may be applied after decoding (the first unfold) with the MQA data reinserted afterwards so the DAC can complete the second unfold, i.e. the rendering stage.
2 Likes
“Roon is about the music not the files”
Really? Roon is about the files and how they are managed, I’m about the music I chose…maybe a mission check is in order by the Roon team
Bring back the previous version of versions please
I find the new iteration of versions just fine.
3 Likes
It’s magical. I just love it!
Ok so just to understand this completely: If I play the Tidal version of R.E.M.: Leaving New York (listed as MQA 44.1) on Meridian Explorer 2 with Roon doing the decoding, it plays a 88.2 stream (the leds on the E2 indicates 88.2).
And if I play the same song with the Meridian Explorer 2 doing the decoding it is still playing a 88.2 stream even if I cant see it anywhere in the signal path and the leds on the E2 indicates 41.1)?
Try it with the S2 as just a renderer. You’ll be surprised, I definitely prefer it.
Here are a few desired features I’d like to see (beyond what I’ve already seen is coming, my apologies if I missed these):
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That EQ changes could be made with no audible “blanking” interval. Every time I change the EQ (which I often do), the sound cuts out for a fraction of a second. This makes it difficult to change EQ when listening with others (they always are annoyed by these “dropouts”. Technically, I understand why Roon chose to do this as the “purist” option, but I’d vote for a smooth transition where the new EQ settings can phase in. This might involve some slight audible degradation for a fraction of a second, but it would allow for changes without the discontinuity.
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iOS iPhone app to include full functionality (currently the iPhone app does not allow for DSP changes or various other features like favorites, overview, etc. that are available in the iPad and OSX version of the app, and I could very much use these. Also, perhaps a unified iOS (same for iPhone and iPad and that also allowed for vertical orientation rather than the iPad’s current only horizontal layout
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That DSP changes could be made in some sort of window that stayed permanently open even while starting and stopping (or changing) the tracks. Currently, I have to go back and forth and fully reopen the DSP window. Current UI is better than it was, but having an always open DSP window would be great
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Allowing the equivalent of the current “Genres” (which I use a lot) to be started via any given tag. Currently, it seems I have to go to an album that has a given tag and then click on that tag to start a “shuffle” play session based on that tag. This latter method works, but it would be much easier to just have this feature folded into the “Genres” section/function as an option.
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It’s very quick and easy to “Add To Library” a Tidal track. But it would be nice to have a “Remove from Library” in this same location (rather than having to search and find it and eliminate it differently.
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Wishful thinking request 1: some sort of enhanced HRTF like what’s in Smyth Research and the coming Creative SuperXFi Headphone holography https://us.creative.com/sxfi/. I’d definitely pay extra for that. Your current Crossfeed is nice, but the industry is moving beyond that…
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Wishful thinking request 2: I’ve always wanted a “draw your desired EQ curve” feature. Currently I like the EQ features you now have but sometimes I just want to make a given thing happen but don’t want to have to figure out several different bands to make that happen. Also, a simple “loudness contour” feature would be nice to add to the current EQ section. The reference level could be user adjustable.
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Wishful thinking request 3: Roon capable of running fully from an iOS device as the server. This would be great.
Thanks again for all you do, I love Roon!!
4 Likes
I didn’t think much about the update to 1.5 but oh boy when I put on some music today it sounded beautiful. Really Roon is the most wonderful music tool I have found in 40 years in this hobby. I just couldn’t believe it when I saw my NAD M51 screen read 96k as I put on a Tidal Master of some Beethoven Chamber music. The sound seems to me to be pretty much the holy grail…you guys are great ,Thank you.
7 Likes
Great update… but shouldn’t the signal path have a blue dot for MQA instead of purple?
1 Like
Best update ever. Love the MQA integration. Finally my McIntosh headphone amp is applying the right bitrate for MQA content (had some problems with the actual Tidal desktop app). thank you, thank you Roon!
– WW
I may even subscribe to Tidal to see what all the fuss is about. I feel left out. 
Thanks to Roon my investment in legacy dsp speakers is reaping rewards!
Please can someone advise if individual tracks can be identified in Roon as MQA along with bit rate, as is the case with albums, if the tracks form part of a playlist? Does the album the track is from need to be opened for this information to become available or is there a way to display track file type without having to do this?
Many thanks.
1 Like
In my case, a reboot of my core and remote laptops resolved this issue.
Nothing much for me here (and in fact a regression in one case IMO) but hats off to team Roon for MQA. Im sure it’s great for those that want it, and I remember lots of discussions a while back about whether it was possible to do extra DSP on top of MQA - the block diagram implied it, but noone seemed to know how it would work - I had a sneaky suspicion I knew who’d nail this!
I hope for two things now:
- That MQA discussions will die right down on the forums.
and… - That the next versions will see lots of energy put into tidying up the details and inconsistencies of the GUI and filling in the functionality gaps, especially between iPad and iPhone.
- And for the love of all things let me have whatever icons I want!
- and RAAT on Devialet but I know Roon can’t do any more than they already are on that one.
(Ok that’s four things, and actually my list is pretty big but you get the idea)
FWIW I did play a few Tidal MQA albums and waited for the ‘magic’, which never came. I have an Explorer 2 in a box which I’ll dig out at some point and try again now I can experiment in Roon.
10 Likes
Many thanks to Roon for another great update. Having fun with MQA!
At the end I found it. I have 2 albums (duplicate) and the primary one was set wrongly by me on hidden. So I think that with the new version Roon automatically set on hidden also the other “not primary”. So both were hidden. I made visibile the primary…issue fixed.
1 Like