[bigshot]

Sounds like a waste of money to me.

 

[iridium7777]

if you're building an "MQA system" from scratch i'd agree, seeking this stuff out is a waste of money -- but then again so is probably everything else in this hobby.

but, if you already get tidal for whatever reason it's included, if you buy any modern dac it may already have MQA decoder built in - so why not?

as i said, i wouldn't actively seek it out, but it just happened that the mediums that i have already support it.

Sounds like a waste of money to me.

 

[hiilari]

Like most, my only source of MQA music is Tidal. And since I mainly use it on Windows desktop app, it seems like the software unfolding is all I need. Good info. So RME it is.

Since RME gives me good EQ capabilities. On speakers, killling those 100 - 400 Hz room modes is by far more important than CD vs. HiRes. And so far I prefer good 'old parametric eq for this over Diracs and other more modern options. For EQ I now use Equalizer APO in Windows which in turn means I cannot use the bit-perfect exclusive mode - so all MQA stuff is gone when using speakers. Of course with headphones no EQ is needed, at least not by me.

 

[sonitus mirus]

Like most, my only source of MQA music is Tidal. And since I mainly use it on Windows desktop app, it seems like the software unfolding is all I need. Good info. So RME it is.

Since RME gives me good EQ capabilities. On speakers, killling those 100 - 400 Hz room modes is by far more important than CD vs. HiRes. And so far I prefer good 'old parametric eq for this over Diracs and other more modern options. For EQ I now use Equalizer APO in Windows which in turn means I cannot use the bit-perfect exclusive mode - so all MQA stuff is gone when using speakers. Of course with headphones no EQ is needed, at least not by me.

I'm using Roon along with both a Tidal HiFi and Qobuz Studio Premier streaming subscriptions with an RME ADI-2 DAC. Roon is sending a lossless signal to my DAC, where I am employing the wonderful parametric EQ to correct for the room, or rather to correct the speakers for my room. It's been fantastic. The RME DAC has so many cool features and it measures as well as anything I've read about or heard. If you stream Tidal, Roon will also perform the software decode of MQA up to 24/96. The dirty not so secret issue with MQA is that anything higher than 96kHz sample rate is not decoded to musical content no matter what DAC anyone is using. This is where the lossy issue of MQA has been uncovered where the high and low bands are split.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...porware/page/491/?tab=comments#comment-938691

 

[hiilari]

I'm using Roon along with both a Tidal HiFi and Qobuz Studio Premier streaming subscriptions with an RME ADI-2 DAC. Roon is sending a lossless signal to my DAC, where I am employing the wonderful parametric EQ to correct for the room, or rather to correct the speakers for my room. It's been fantastic. The RME DAC has so many cool features and it measures as well as anything I've read about or heard. If you stream Tidal, Roon will also perform the software decode of MQA up to 24/96. The dirty not so secret issue with MQA is that anything higher than 96kHz sample rate is not decoded to musical content no matter what DAC anyone is using. This is where the lossy issue of MQA has been uncovered where the high and low bands are split.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...porware/page/491/?tab=comments#comment-938691

Sounds like you've got a really nice setup going

 

[seanjoe]

MQA is like lossy. It's audible transparency, just in a smaller package. The thing is, AAC is audible transparency in an even smaller package, and AAC isn't burdened with proprietary DRM and limited source and playback options. MQA is basically making things harder on yourself for no reason, but that is something audiophiles do all the time.

this explain me a lot.. thanks.

 

[Ieonasj]

there is no 3rd unfold, the subject line of this thread is incorrect.

there are only 2 possible unfolds, one comes from SW and one comes from the HW.

for example, if you have neither SW or HW decoder you'll be playing a track at 24/44 or 24/48.

with 1st unfold by SW (such as the tidal app itself, or audirvana) you'll get 24/88 or 24/96 as an output.

mate that to an MQA capable DAC and you're able to get to 24/176 or 24/192, assuming the resolution is there.

mating something like Dragonfly to Tidal/Audirvana gets you essentially nothing because the DF is capped at 96, so all of the unfolding is already done by SW.

hello. help. i have dac with mqa renderer 32/384khz ,not full MQA decoding.
what im found only one song Tidal masters quality is Louis Armstrong "what a wonderfull world" shows 192khz on my xduoo TA-22 screen,but xduoo audio control app on pc screen shows current sample rate 96000kz. it is first unfold only?

TA-22 is MQA Renderer 32bit/384khz. all other masters songs play 48khz or 44.1khz quality. i need a full decoding MQA dongle connect to PC and then dongle connect to TA-22 amp? or need software for first unfold ? and second unfold will do amp? many wrote Tidal software unfolds first time and second time unfolds my DAC. my why im se 44.1-48khz only?

 

[Steve999]

My reaction is to take some time to learn more about the song and don’t worry at all about the MQA stuff, which is just distracting you away from some pretty interesting history and music.

Otherwise it’s down the rabbit hole for you. . .

 

[Ieonasj]

My reaction is to take some time to learn more about the song and don’t worry at all about the MQA stuff, which is just distracting you away from some pretty interesting history and music.

Otherwise it’s down the rabbit hole for you. . .

how and what to do for tidal unfold first time MQA file? next second unfolds my xduoo ta-22 dac and i get 24/192khz sound?

 

[bigshot]

You're not really getting 24/96 even if that is the light that lights up. Unfolding is just a fancy variety of upscaling. Lossy is lossy.

 

[Ieonasj]

You're not really getting 24/96 even if that is the light that lights up. Unfolding is just a fancy variety of upscaling. Lossy is lossy.

tidal masters is 24bit/48khz or few files with 96khz and thats all?

 

[bigshot]

With MQA.

 

[Ieonasj]

tidal masters is MQA files? or just lossless 24/96? do i feel sound difference using MQA renderer vs MQA full decoding DAC from laptop no software added to decode MQA qore?

 

[bigshot]

I thought we were talking about the different degrees of MQA. Maybe I'm confused. MQA is reduced fidelity, even compared to CD quality sound. There's another thread where a guy did some testing and found that the process introduces noise.

 

[Ieonasj]

I thought we were talking about the different degrees of MQA. Maybe I'm confused. MQA is reduced fidelity, even compared to CD quality sound. There's another thread where a guy did some testing and found that the process introduces noise.

so, mqa is folded file to stream. but fully unfolded 16x you get flac 24/192 quality? 2x or 8x unfolded you get 24/48 quality?