chauphuong
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2016
- Posts
- 50
- Likes
- 15
MQA keeps dropping out. Read around to find this is a long time unsolved problem. Shame to you, Pro-ject. My 1st and the last Pro-ject's product.
Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital Impression Thread
- Thread starter onsionsi
- Start date
Left Channel
1000+ Head-Fier
The S2D is known to be more sensitive to imperfections in MQA streams. Other DACs are more robust, but may have achieved that only at the expense of other specifications. When this happens on the S2D, one solution is to enable software decoding on your PC. The S2D will sense that it's supposed to be a renderer then, and will display "MQB" instead of "MQA". I really can't hear a difference between MQA and MQB, and look forward to reading your report if you try this.
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2013
- Posts
- 267
- Likes
- 92
I am reluctant to say this because I do not know if this actually fixed my MQA dropouts but I upgraded my USB cable to an AudioQuest Forest A to B cable. It is not an expensive one but well made. I also have 1 gigabit fiber to my house, which does not hurt. Someday there might be a firmware update, but...
Left Channel
1000+ Head-Fier
The problems are usually on Tidal's end not yours. The 2.12 update improved this somewhat, but in general it seems the design intent of the S2D simply leaves it more sensitive to these problems.
radekhulan
New Head-Fier
Using MQB does help with stutters, and I cannot distinguit it (sonically) from MQA.
Ie. letting Tidal do the first unfold, while S2 does second.
Rock solid, no stutter. Jitterbug and/or better USB cable does not help at all.
Last edited:
I own both Accu Box S2 USB power supply and Pre Box S2 Digital. I was expecting for the 5V input via Micro USB coming from the Accu Box S2 USB to disable the power taken from the USB TypeB port connected to my computer (the music source is Tidal), but this doesn't happen due to HW implementation.
Does any of you knows how to make the Pre Box S2 Digital to be powered on exclusively from the POWER button instead of having it permanently ON and powered through the USB TypeB connector coming via my computer? Is there any way to have a data-only USB TypeB cable? Note that such fixes don't work, I tried them on Mac and the Pre Box S2 Digital is not detected any longer.
The POWER button of the Accu Box S2 USB is useless, as it doesn't turn off my Pre Box S2 Digital while I have the USB TypeB port connected to my computer, as my computer is always on.
And by the way, avoid under any circumstance keeping on all the time your Pre Box S2 Digital, as you will destroy the OLED display and you will have to replace/fix the product under warranty, like it has happened to my Pre Box S2 Digital. The OLED display died in less than one year due to this, experiencing discolouration, yellow spots and change of colours in the spots where it was always on.
Does any of you knows how to make the Pre Box S2 Digital to be powered on exclusively from the POWER button instead of having it permanently ON and powered through the USB TypeB connector coming via my computer? Is there any way to have a data-only USB TypeB cable? Note that such fixes don't work, I tried them on Mac and the Pre Box S2 Digital is not detected any longer.
The POWER button of the Accu Box S2 USB is useless, as it doesn't turn off my Pre Box S2 Digital while I have the USB TypeB port connected to my computer, as my computer is always on.
And by the way, avoid under any circumstance keeping on all the time your Pre Box S2 Digital, as you will destroy the OLED display and you will have to replace/fix the product under warranty, like it has happened to my Pre Box S2 Digital. The OLED display died in less than one year due to this, experiencing discolouration, yellow spots and change of colours in the spots where it was always on.
Last edited:
Left Channel
1000+ Head-Fier
@mandrei83 the only solution I can think of is to unplug the USB cable from the PC when you're not using the S2D, because it switches to the PC for power when the Accu Box is switched off, and a data-only cable does not work because the S2D will not be detected by the computer.
It seems the S2D was originally only planned to use external power when connected via coax or optical. The auto-switching from USB power to the external PSU is nice (and switching back not so nice), but feels like a last-minute change that isn't even mentioned in the manual.
It seems the S2D was originally only planned to use external power when connected via coax or optical. The auto-switching from USB power to the external PSU is nice (and switching back not so nice), but feels like a last-minute change that isn't even mentioned in the manual.
chauphuong
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2016
- Posts
- 50
- Likes
- 15
In fact when I play Tidal MQA through Roon, stutters rarely happen. I have also checked the "MQB" way and it is also fine. However, I don't like Roon as it does not offer folder view.
As a side note, playing offline MQA files is ok, no stutters at all. So may be S2D has something wrong with Tidal when it comes to MQA. The fact that the designer has left seems to implicate there will never be a solution.
Last edited:
Left Channel
1000+ Head-Fier
Yes it's the Tidal app; don't know why. The S2D is also unable to handle less-than-perfect MQA via the Qobuz app. (Qobuz had no intention to stream MQA, but 2L and Odin are apparently now issuing new albums as MQA CDs only.) The S2D has no problem playing the same albums via the LMS Qobuz plugin, so it's something about the offical apps and the S2D.
I don't know for sure if John has parted with Pro-Ject or if he's been handed new work like the Acc Box and must stay quiet online as a condition of his contract. He did once state they were parting company, but when I chatted with a Pro-Ject distributor many months later he seemed to think John was still associated with them somehow.
I don't care enough to pursue the truth of this, but I would like to see John's promised final update and optional upgrade, as those would improve the resale value of my S2D.
To what kind of optional upgrade you are referring to? Is it a thread reply/post that you can point us at?
Left Channel
1000+ Head-Fier
Yes, this was the developer's last post on the subject as far as I know: https://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum...ox-s2-digital-dac.201691/page-45#post-3414590
How is the sound quality? I would like to know your recommendations, I do not use MQA, so this may be for me ...
Left Channel
1000+ Head-Fier
Crisp and resolving. A good use of ESS design guidelines. (Personally I prefer AKM-based designs for a warmer sound.)
Do you think the Pro-Ject Head Box S2 is also good as the Pre Box S2 in sound quality? Both carry the same Dac, but I think the Pre Box S2 dual analog converter ... is my doubt
Users who are viewing this thread
