It’s interesting to read reviews that are polar opposite from what one would expect of MQA given the long development of MQA by some of the best brains in the industry and the subsequent adoption by Warner Music and other smaller specialist labels, as well as many major hardware manufacturers.
Thoughts, Chris
Are you using the improved Tidal desktop through the Explorer2 or ROON via favorites through the Explorere2?
Hi Martin, how many albums are you basing your comparison on. Types of music? Personally, I thought the MQA sound was pretty darn good. I agree with You that everyone should listen and decide on their own. Robert
I think you are overinterpreting my impressions. The MQA brings a big improvement on the Explorer2 so I think my impression is inline with what other people have also reported. Using my old Explorer1 using software decoding or non-decoded under Tidal also seems to sound better than non MQA. Then the Mojo sounds much better than the Explorers with non MQA and does not seem to be improved rather the opposite with MQA. Maybe because of the radically different approch to filter design than MQA seem to dictate. To my ears the Mojo approch sounds clearly better even after the gain from MQA on the Explorers, if that is due to a short comming in the Explorer or in MQA is impossible to say.
The direct comparision at home was done using Roon, then I have listened a lot to MQA through Tidal because I use the Explorer2 when working, maybe 60 albums (?). The initial impression has been reinforced.
During the direct comparision I used the Roberta Flack album for a blind listening test on my dear wife (I didn’t push her patiens by suggestion more albums). (Mostly to check if I was biased)
If you have an Explorer2 try the Roberta album, try listening to the lyrics in the Choir and the triangles … do the sound “pure” in the intial attack and the following “tone”.
I don’t think there is any real controversy, we are comparing an explorer2 with what may be in some cases very exotic DACs. Those are still going to be the preferred option in the vast majority of cases. There is no equivalence so while I hear what MQA does in many cases, I still use and prefer my DAC.
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The problem I believe is the SQ of ROON I’ve tried the improved (by Meridian) Tidal desktop and the Explorer 2 it sounds way better than the same config. with ROON. Please try your Explorer 2 wth the new improved SQ of the Tidal desktop I think you will be impressed. I only hope that Roon 1.3 will have improved SQ to take advantage of MQA in its many forms.
Hi Richard
Did you get the blue light coming on when you played through both configs. It is possible in Roon to play back the non MQA album if the album was already in your collection.
Cheers
Tom
The best brains in many industry’s have spent years developing things that became adopted by major players and that were meant to enhance our life in some major way, yet failed to deliver for X number of reasons. Clever people doing things doesn’t mean anything in my book.
But that’s somewhat irrelevant, all I can do is say honestly what I hear, and that has been completely underwhelming where MQA’s concerned. If there’s a difference, it’s passing me by. Others may hear differently of course, but I know that MQA is a non-event for me personally, certainly on the one device I’ve tried it on. Glad others are enjoying it though, perhaps on other kit in the future I’ll get the same impression… who knows…
Tom.
Same setup as far as I can tell, same Tidal file. Tidal desktop file transfered to ROON via favorites. Blue light on Explorer 2 in both setups unfortunatly to my ears the Tidal setup sounds better. For now we hope.
This is why its impossible to win an argument about SQ. TBH I don’t lose sleep over it once you have to try and spot the differences. After the recent Tidal update, my Explorer settings had changed. I was listening to some of the tracks that I hadn’t heard before and I thought they sounded great… and them I spotted that “the” blue light wasn’t on… the shame.
What would be interesting (in a sadistic kind of way) is to analyse what people’s thoughts about MQA were pre and post Tidal releases to see if many had changed their view.
Cheers
Tom
It’s strange because I think the blue light can only go on if the stream is identical. (but I may be wrong). One thing I noticed when playing MQA on Tidal was that the tracks seemed louder than non MQA tracks. Could it be a volume issue?
Cheers
Tom
Tom,
I don’t know. At this time I’m comitted to ROON. Just read on the DAR website that 1.3 is “just days away” I’m wondering if things are held up by Meridian and SQ problems with ROON? Who knows. Twice before I tried ROON and was not satisfied with the SQ and went back to Amarra. Because ROON offers so much I came back and I’m looking forward to better SQ and I know MQA can help that both in software and hardware. All my local files are HD and to this day I do not consider 44.1/16 to be HD. Tidal like other streamers are convenient that is all untill MQA.lets hope it works.
January 31 and the state of MQA streaming is limited to the TIDAL app. No DragonFly update. No BlueSound Roon Ready (to my knowledge) and no Roon software decoding. Looks like MQA continues to not be ready for prime time.
The BluOS update was released this morning, and I’ve installed it. In the audio setup panel my BlueSound Node 2 is listed as RoonReady, but also Uncertified.
Well, that’s good news. I am hearing that BlueSound needs an MQA software decoder a la Dragonfly, is this true?
I’m becoming a little disenchanted with the MQA rollout, especially today when I found out that the Auralic Altair I purchased partly due to the upcoming MQA capability is no longer going to provide that. A bulletin from Auralic was forwarded to me today by their Support team.
Bulletin:
Will MQA support comes to AURALiC device?
Xuanqian Wang Today at 4:04 PM
MQA is still in pending status for AURALiC due to technical conflict with Lightning streaming platform.
AURALiC has done a live demo during CES 2016 for MQA on ARIES and ARIES MINI. It is however after MQA realized that ARIES does not have any DAC built-in and ARIES MINI has a digital output in parallel connection of its DAC I2S signal, they pulled it back immediately. They believe the MQA process is end to end and the DAC has to be optimized for MQA playback, so any digital output of fully decoded signal is unacceptable.
MQA may recently updated their specification which allows limited content to be delivered from digital output (Bluesound implement) but some signal process is still not allowed through MQA signal chain such as:
Customize and upgradeable DAC filter
DSD upsampling
Room correction
Cross fader
Mix down of various of input signal
Since the above features are exactly what AURALiC working on or have done, to imply MQA means AURALiC has to drop the unique features of Lightning streaming. After carefully consideration, the team has decided not to imply MQA into existing streaming product at right moment.
I spent some of my afternoon listening to tidal MQA tracks via the BlueSound app. The app tells me that it is doing the hardware decode. It sounds good, but I haven’t done any measurements.
I have one MQA album downloaded, and sending it through Roon, I see no indication through Roon, that it is MQA. On the other hand, it does sound good as well.
I agree with Auralic, it’s some of those features why I enjoy their products.
Hi, I am new to Roon…downloaded its this morning. I am using a NAD M50 music that uses BluOS and is MQA compliant. MQA albums I have in my collection play as MQA with the blue light and MQA symbol showing at rates from 44khz to 196khz. I have also been playing MQA albums from Tidal through the BluOS iPad app and these play at rates up to 96. However, when trying to se same Tidal sourced albums through Roon, the Signal path shows the correct rate but the NAD M50 DAC only shows 44khz. It appears that Roon is not sending an MQA file to the server.
Have I not set a correct setting in Roon? Any thoughts or ideas appreciated by this novice on Roon.
I came from Sooloos to Roon and never noticed any difference in SQ. The thought never occurred to me. I am using Meridian end points. Music just sounds great. Thoughts Chris