Roon Ready MQA DAC recommendations

Audio Gear Talk MQA
63

I haven’t recived it yet, but I’m hoping for it to arrive each day! :smiley:

64

Any $500 MQA DACs out there worth considering?

65

This is what I got for $1k. It was $2k earlier in the year.

Does a good job, and doubles as a headphone amp. Mini B USB input. No blue light, but a white light that confirms MQA.

https://www.ttvjaudio.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=meridian

@fritzg

66

Well if you own a Berkeley Alpha Ref 2 it only costs $500 to get MQA…

67

Meridian Explorer2 is the cheapest at $200.

My recommendation is a Lumin D1 or T1

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68

I test Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital DAC using it with the squeezebox touch (+EDO). Roon shows the transport being Squeezebox Streaming. But! the MQA logo does not display on the DAC. Seems the unfolded format is played. When I attach the DAC thru Roon bridge/USB directly to the PC and play the same album the MQA logo appears. Question: is Squeezebox protocol able to make “bit perfect” transport? If so why is this DAC not able to recognize MQA files thru SPDIF inputs (I tested both inputs …no one works)? Any idea?

69

SB Touch playback should be bit perfect. I ran a bit-perfect test on it long ago before we released the feature. I don’t remember 100% whether or not the SB Touch’s volume control changes the bits on the S/PDIF or not, but if the volume is at 100%, it should be solid.

I suspect that the Pre Box S2 does not pass the S/PDIF input through the MQA decoder. I don’t know that for sure, but it’s pretty common that the MQA implementation is built into the chip that manages the USB interface and the S/PDIF inputs don’t necessarily take the same path.

I have never tried doing USB output from the SB Touch, but I believe this to be possible with EDO. That might get you around this problem.

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70

Thanks Brian, I unpluged all cables and pluged only USB in… then restarted. EDO audio settings show now the USB Pro-Ject DAC. Works great!

71

does the MQA logo light up on the project?

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72

yes. Logo= MQA(and the blue dot)

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73

Is somebody using the Project with OSX El Capitan/Sierra/High Sierra? They mention on their website that the Project won’t be recognized.

74

I got the S2 as well. I can only get Tidal desktop to “light up” the MQA logo thru USB. Signal pass thru Bluesound node, for some reason cannot get the MQA logo to light up and only send partial unfolds. Even doing all the setting changes required to passthru MQA from the Node2. I could not get Roon, even thru USB, to light up MQA.
Here’s a great thread here with the head engineer of the S2:

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?t=201691&page=11

A firmware update is in Beta stage. However, the engineer thinks the issue is with the Bluesound node not the S2 (just know the Node2 and Mytek, meridian, etc dacs work great with MQA).

For MQA with roon and/or Bluesound Node 2 may not be an option with the s2.

Now as far as the S2 with Qobuz and hi rez files, works great. Even thru Bluesound. The S2 DAC seems to be a very slight improvement over Bluesound Node2 built in dac (analog outs).

75

Have you got the ‘MQA DAC’ setting on the digital output setting of the Node 2 set to ‘Yes’ ? Just thought it worth double checking. Or is the Project not putting the digital input through the MQA decoder correctly maybe?

76

Yes, I did all the correct settings. According to Pro-Ject engineer, there is something the BS Node2 is doing that is causing the S2 to think the signal is NOT Unaltered. I’m not really buying since the Node2 MQA with Roon, Tidal, etc works wonderful with other dacs

77

I tend to agree. We know there is a specific issue with Tidal via Roon into the BS which is due to be dealt with, but apart from that it seems to handle MQA as it should using the BS own Tidal integration.

78

The DAC can’t know if its bit perfect or not, instead it looks for MQA information in the higher frequencies, and once found it switches to MQA. However, most DSP and volume correction recreates the signal and removes the MQA parts (or maybe its MQA rules that they have to be removed?), which is why all DACs require that the signal needs to be bit-perfect for MQA.

79

Not according to the manual, which I quote below -

"Mains power connection
The unit offers 2 possibilties:

  1. USB input is not used: Connect the low voltage plug from the power supply to the micro-USB socket Power 5V DC before connecting the power supply to the mains.
  2. USB input is in use: Unit can be powered directly from computer via USB input. In this case is highly recommended to disconnect Power 5V DC cable from the unit - power disturbances from two power supplies could affect sound performance."

http://www.box-designs.com/inhalt/en/manual/manual_preboxs2digital.pdf

I’ve read similar conflicted statements in other places. Really, which is it?

80

That’s my impression of how it worked, and I’ve always used it with both plugs connected without issue.

I didn’t engineer this product, so appealing to my authority seems misplaced here. :slight_smile:

81

Yeah, I will follow up with appropriate engineer and relay the answer to this thread. I guess on pinkfish is the place to ask. It isn’t an idle question as I fully intend to take the plunge.

I think you are conflating this device with iFi’s USB3 devices. Just an observation.

Anyone else know different?

82

According to John Westlake (the designer of the DAC), if you power the S2 with the micro-USB port it will be used instead of the normal vbus power of the type B USB port. I have tried both, and both seem to work (and with same power I could not tell any difference). You need power on the USB B port though, or the DAC will think it’s not connected to USB.

So a cheap way to upgrade the DAC: buy an 5V iFi iPower for around $50 and plug it into the micro port, and you will have stable and jitterfree power to drive the DAC, which will be used even if you connect USB with power.