[Crgreen]

I'll be interested to see how many manufacturers offer it as a retrofit rather than a "you'll just have to buy our new DAC" campaign. If it does take off, no doubt it will become a standard feature, though not in Chord products I suspect.

 

[romaz]

I'll be interested to see how many manufacturers offer it as a retrofit rather than a "you'll just have to buy our new DAC" campaign. If it does take off, no doubt it will become a standard feature, though not in Chord products I suspect.

I suspect for most cases, companies will try to sell you a new DAC and so it will be used as a marketing ploy to replace what you have now.  For many DACs, MQA will likely serve as an improvement.  As a DAVE owner, I still see benefits.  If Tidal starts streaming hi-res via MQA which is the plan, that seems like a good thing.

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

Crgreen
This is not a format war. MQA is a mastering and packaging protocol. Dave is not a format or protocol. Any Dac can be adjusted to recognise and process tha MQA protocol if the manufacturer desires it. The question is if the company perceive there to be sufficient benefit in performance and commercially. I do not doubt that some will see a benefit and some won't.

Regarding upgrades, some manufacturers are already upgrading 'at their own cost' which would suggest the upgrade is hardly earth shattering in its complexity. So it seems MQA does not require another Dac if the manufacturer is happy to upgrade.

Romaz
See above. If Chord do not wish to implement it, that is not because it cannot be done. It's down to Chord to make a decision as to whether it is desirable to back the protocol. If they don't then that is their commercial decision but it seems some highly respected industry professionals ranging from reviewers to manufacturers to studio producers to content service providers and music companies are running with it and recommending others do. Whether it will get sufficient backing to change the industry is another story. As you pointed out with VHS and Betamax, politics and available content will have a big say. This is not just a performance decision manufacturers, it has potential commercial implications also. I think these are exciting times for digital users. There is some great work going down right now.

 

[Crgreen]

Not a format war between MQA and Dave (which isn't a format) but with non-MQA files.

Regarding upgrades, the issue will be, can you send your existing DAC back for the upgrade, at a small cost, or will you have to buy a new, upgraded version?

 

[paulchiu]

Pardon my lack of understanding for MQA, but isn't this another compressed delivery structure for streaming?
Why would this matter to core users of uber DACs like DAVE?
With DAVE and other DACs, are we not looking for the best sources to play?  Like CDs, Blu-ray, master tape, etc?  Why are we looking to improve the sound of compressed material?

 

[Mython]

Been listening to the following tracks this evening (Redbook, not youtube) and I'd forgotten how nice they sound. so you lucky DAVE-owners (especially those running DAVE through loudspeakers) might like to give them a whirl (ideally in proper Redbook format):
 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oydj5H9C-no
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pklluASxfA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxZP6f0jpWM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM11OD_umkc   (more 'amped' version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU57QwLIbpE )

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

Thanks for that Mython. I am a big Robben Ford fan and also have that Knopfler album too.

 

[romaz]

  Pardon my lack of understanding for MQA, but isn't this another compressed delivery structure for streaming?
Why would this matter to core users of uber DACs like DAVE?
With DAVE and other DACs, are we not looking for the best sources to play?  Like CDs, Blu-ray, master tape, etc?  Why are we looking to improve the sound of compressed material?

MQA seeks to accomplish 2 things:
 
1.  Correct for ringing artifacts introduced by the ADC that MQA believes have a negative impact on time resolution.
2.  Serve as a file wrapper that results in a smaller file size when encapsulated but then returns the original lossless file when the encapsulation is removed.  The file remains encapsulated during streaming allowing for the delivery of high-resolution files (up to 24/352.8) without requiring large amounts of bandwidth.  The potential benefit is that you now have the ability to stream DXD-sized files (potentially hundreds of MBs in size) through your iPhone with a simple 4G cellular connection.  During playback, however, the file returns to its normal size and so what the DAC ends up seeing is the original lossless file.
 
#2 would be the only potential benefit for users of the DAVE (or your Nagra HD, since this is a DAC that upsamples to DSD).

 

[paulchiu]

  MQA seeks to accomplish 2 things:
 
1.  Correct for ringing artifacts introduced by the ADC that MQA believes have a negative impact on time resolution.
2.  Serve as a file wrapper that results in a smaller file size when encapsulated but then returns the original lossless file when the encapsulation is removed.  The file remains encapsulated during streaming allowing for the delivery of high-resolution files (up to 24/352.8) without requiring large amounts of bandwidth.  The potential benefit is that you now have the ability to stream DXD-sized files (potentially hundreds of MBs in size) through your iPhone with a simple 4G cellular connection.  During playback, however, the file returns to its normal size and so what the DAC ends up seeing is the original lossless file.
 
#2 would be the only potential benefit for users of the DAVE (or your Nagra HD, since this is a DAC that upsamples to DSD).

 
Thanks Roy.

 

[romaz]

Sonore microRendu + iFi 9V power supply + SonicTransporter arrived today.  The Sonicorbiter SE is next to the microRendu for reference:
 

 
Not wishing to go too far off topic on the DAVE thread, I posted my early impressions here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/787020/review-comparison-of-5-high-end-digital-music-servers-aurender-n10-cad-cat-server-totaldac-d1-server-auralic-aries-audiophile-vortex-box/315#post_12575069

 

[Samuel Snoopy]

I found this interesting article by John Siau on MQA:

http://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/163302855-is-mqa-doa

 

[paulchiu]

DAVE with legs!
 

 

[romaz]

  DAVE with legs!
 

Very nice, Paul.  And you gave it a space right next to your Nagra HD.  How do you decide which DAC to listen to?

 

[paulchiu]

  Very nice, Paul.  And you gave it a space right next to your Nagra HD.  How do you decide which DAC to listen to?

 
I need them close so I can A/B with them over the next month.
 
Tonight, I listen to 1980's J-pop.  Some 明菜から… by Akina Nakamori.  Her strong deep voice sings through the DAVE making me remember how my LPs sounded on my Technics turntable back in college.  Of course with the DAVE, I am hearing far more details than those small Spica speakers I had then.  Scary details like the singer licking her lips and sometimes the breathing gets outta hand.
 
I cannot seem to get toslink to work with Audirvana or Media Center.

 

[shuttlepod]

  Sonore microRendu + iFi 9V power supply + SonicTransporter arrived today.  The Sonicorbiter SE is next to the microRendu for reference:
 

 
Not wishing to go too far off topic on the DAVE thread, I posted my early impressions here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/787020/review-comparison-of-5-high-end-digital-music-servers-aurender-n10-cad-cat-server-totaldac-d1-server-auralic-aries-audiophile-vortex-box/315#post_12575069

Well, Roy, even with less than ten hours on the microRendu, it seems you have answered, to your satisfaction, the question of whether DAVE is sensitive to various source/server components. Thanks for sharing your impressions and comparisons. And for $640, the mR would appear to be a no-brainer purchase, with extra $ going to a nice power supply. At some point during the next month, I'll get to listen to a friend's mR in my system and will share any insights. Assuming I like what I hear, I'll probably wait until John Swensen's "mystery" power supply comes out later this summer before taking the plunge.