Roon core decode 16 bit MQA to what?

[john (John Iburg)]

Hello @R1200CL,

If Roon detects that the device does not have MQA Core Decoding capabilities, it will engage its built-in MQA Core Decoder to do the “first unfold”.

Here’s MQA’s explanation of what’s happening during the “first unfold”:

• MQA Core : The first unfold of the Origami recovers all the direct music-related information and makes it available for either analogue or digital output at 88.2 or 96 kHz.
  Sound quality is higher than from ‘No’ or ‘Authenticating’ decoders but lower than a ‘Full’ decoder. Products containing an MQA decoder may provide a digital output of either the undecoded stream or the Core output – providing they are passed with bit accuracy. The MQA Core signal is also preconditioned for generic DACs.

The MQA Core Decoder always outputs either 24bit/88.2kHz or 24bit/96kHz, regardless of the original bit-rate or sample rate of the content.

-John