[Left Channel]

Could be. I bought a $200 dragonfly red. I did have to subscribe to Tidal. Would like to know if MQA are available elsewhere.

MQA shows up in odd places. I've seen it an option for downloads from the Bruce Springsteen website, and in Odin Records' re-release of Radka Toneff's Fairytale as well as all recent releases from 2L records. But like that MQA CD from Odin, most are also available on Tidal.

I think most of the MQA bashing is from people without MQA hardware or based on (justified) loathing of DRM or objection to other technical aspects. That does not change the fact MQA sounds great

Not all MQA is great. That depends on the original source, and sometimes they've been too indiscriminate. For example, the Getz/Gilberto "Expanded Edition" was more remixed than remastered, with increased loudness and bass. It sounds horrible to most of us, and not at all "as the artists intended". That one never should have been released in MQA. Sometimes it's hard for a consumer to know which version is best, and seeing the MQA logo will be misleading.

 

[Aegwyn11]

I listen to a fair amount of Tidal. Some stuff j listen to is available as MQA, some not. I have a Chord Mojo. Considering a Poly to go with it so I can listen without needing to have my phone tethered to it. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, is there a different/better option that would give me portable MQA decoding without having to have a phone tethered?

 

[AlanU]

I listen to a fair amount of Tidal. Some stuff j listen to is available as MQA, some not. I have a Chord Mojo. Considering a Poly to go with it so I can listen without needing to have my phone tethered to it. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, is there a different/better option that would give me portable MQA decoding without having to have a phone tethered?

If you're going to the trouble of daisy chain the mojo and Poly I'd rather buy the Astell and Kern Kann cube. It's capable of MQA tidal stream iirc.

It'll eliminate the mojo and potential Poly purchase. The Kann Cube is large but I really did enjoy the Sound quality for a so called portable unit. I'm in no rush and hoping to see a smaller form factor with similar excellent sound quality.

I have no interest in MQA since Deezer hifi and Tidal hifi (non MQA) is more than enough to please my ears. Hyper detail isn't my main priority in seeking musical enjoyment.

 

[Aegwyn11]

If you're going to the trouble of daisy chain the mojo and Poly I'd rather buy the Astell and Kern Kann cube.

What do you mean by trouble to daisy chain? You plug them together and end up with effectively a single functional unit, don't you?

Clarification - two things are a concern for me. Size/portability and price. The Poly is already pretty expensive for me. Spending over double that on the A&K is out of the cards for sure.

Size-wise, Mojo+Poly is pushing it hard. One use case is while I'm at the gym...in that case, the whole thing needs to fit in my waist belt holder thing and not be too obtrusive. For that case I'm using my Sensaphonics 2-MAX IEMs. There, MQA is less important, but I want one solution for both use cases since I don't want to break the bank.

The other use case is when I'm at my desk working or otherwise just enjoying listening...there I'm using Shure KSE-1200's, so size is a little less important but I'd like full MQA unfolding capability.

 

[AlanU]

What do you mean by trouble to daisy chain? You plug them together and end up with effectively a single functional unit, don't you?

Clarification - two things are a concern for me. Size/portability and price. The Poly is already pretty expensive for me. Spending over double that on the A&K is out of the cards for sure.

Size-wise, Mojo+Poly is pushing it hard. One use case is while I'm at the gym...in that case, the whole thing needs to fit in my waist belt holder thing and not be too obtrusive. For that case I'm using my Sensaphonics 2-MAX IEMs. There, MQA is less important, but I want one solution for both use cases since I don't want to break the bank.

The other use case is when I'm at my desk working or otherwise just enjoying listening...there I'm using Shure KSE-1200's, so size is a little less important but I'd like full MQA unfolding capability.

Perhaps "daisychain" was the wrong choice of words. Putting two units together creating additional bulk is increasing size yet lacks a screen to view. If you're at the gym you'd require your Chord combo in addition to also lugging your phone. At the gym I'd suggest simplicity and buy wireless IEM's and use your phone for the duration of the workout. The Mojo/Poly combo can be used more for critical listening or when you're less distracted by cardio/weight training and dealing with perspiration.

My Tiny Astell & Kern Norma SR15 is MQA supported. I do prefer the refined smooth sound signature of the A&K DAP to other DAP's out there. This is based on super tiny form factor with sufficient 5.5+ battery life. This is good enough for my application for my use. If I need to charge my SR15 I have a 12,000 mah Pocket juice battery pack in my back pack (or use smaller alternatives) The SR15 has an excellent balanced output for producing incredible SQ. My ears have preference to A&K SQ vs Chord's but mainly due to convenience for portability.

 

[musickid]

Edit

 

[audiomonkey777]

I think there are some MQA CDs and there are like 2 songs on Deezer hifi. MQA is mostly a Tidal thing AFAIK

Mostly on TIDAL. YOu can play MQA through Roon, but that's a whole other can of worms. Todal is the most straightforward.

 

[Aegwyn11]

My Tiny Astell & Kern Norma SR15 is MQA supported. I do prefer the refined smooth sound signature of the A&K DAP to other DAP's out there.

Thanks for the super thoughtful reply. You've successfully sent me down a new rabbit hole....now I'm looking for an A&K player to give a try and it's pretty much a foregone conclusion I'm going to spend a lot more money than I originally planned

 

[AlanU]

Thanks for the super thoughtful reply. You've successfully sent me down a new rabbit hole....now I'm looking for an A&K player to give a try and it's pretty much a foregone conclusion I'm going to spend a lot more money than I originally planned

You should audition as many portable units as possible. My A&K Norma isn't end game whatsoever. I look at audio gear as temporary satisfaction to fill your current demands and needs. There is always a "settle" point but there is always some form of improvement in any hardware/gear.

The SR15 Norma is tiny, lightweight and provides plenty of power to damage your hearing!! The thing about DAP's is "cheaper" or more "expensive" gear will typically please most. We just get accustomed to a sound and enjoy it. I've auditioned the A&K Kann Cube many times and it's like carrying a red building brick in size LOL!!! However the sound quality just sound incredible to my ears compared to my SR15 little brother or many other brands out there. Why do I own the SR15???? It produces really incredible SQ while I run around on transit or when "NOT" doing any really critical listening. Refined sound with no shear highs, plenty of detail and without the equalizer..... sounds fantastic!!

The Kann Cube drives many over ear headphones and I'd prrefer the cube by a far margin over a Mytek Brooklyn +++ for running around I compromise. I'm more of a 2 channel Hifi listener anyways.....

 

[vanhalen26]

I’m looking at getting an LG G7/V30/V40 phone just to use with Tidal and I’ll use it as a music player.

Are these phones full decoders or renderers? Is there much of a perceptible difference?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[vanhalen26]

Got the G7 today and running it into a headphone amp, and wearing my HD800s. I’m blown away - so much better than music on the iPhone, playing Tidal. Not sure I hear a difference between MQA and lossless, but certainly better than MP3 quality to my ears. I think I hear an improvement on MQA, but not 100% sure. Just messing around tonight and having fun. Quite the learning curve, but I think I have all the key settings right. I also bought UAPP and am playing all my testing through that.

 

[Dannemand]

Got the G7 today and running it into a headphone amp, and wearing my HD800s. I’m blown away - so much better than music on the iPhone, playing Tidal. Not sure I hear a difference between MQA and lossless, but certainly better than MP3 quality to my ears. I think I hear an improvement on MQA, but not 100% sure. Just messing around tonight and having fun. Quite the learning curve, but I think I have all the key settings right. I also bought UAPP and am playing all my testing through that.

Congrats on the G7!

Did you try and drive the HD800s directly from the phone? Its OpAmp is fairly powerful, up to 2Vrms in so-called High Impedance Mode (HIM) -- which will trigger when plugging in headphones >50 Ohms. You may still prefer to run it through your headphone amp, but definitely do try it if you haven't already.

In UAPP settings, make sure all HiRes Driver flags are disabled, except MQA enabled. That flag is what triggers the 4x MQA hardware unfolding. (I personally disable the MQA flag when NOT playing MQA, since it locks in the MQA Digital Filter when playing any PCM, even non-MQA; I prefer the Sharp filter.)

Also, note that for MQA, the Tidal app works just as well as UAPP and supports offline mode. However, for Redbook 16/44, you want to use UAPP.

 

[vanhalen26]

Congrats on the G7!

Did you try and drive the HD800s directly from the phone? Its OpAmp is fairly powerful, up to 2Vrms in so-called High Impedance Mode (HIM) -- which will trigger when plugging in headphones >50 Ohms. You may still prefer to run it through your headphone amp, but definitely do try it if you haven't already.

In UAPP settings, make sure all HiRes Driver flags are disabled, except MQA enabled. That flag is what triggers the 4x MQA hardware unfolding. (I personally disable the MQA flag when NOT playing MQA, since it locks in the MQA Digital Filter when playing any PCM, even non-MQA; I prefer the Sharp filter.)

Also, note that for MQA, the Tidal app works just as well as UAPP and supports offline mode. However, for Redbook 16/44, you want to use UAPP.

Thanks. I did try the HD800 from the phone. It was OK, but AMP had more body / sounded fuller. Thanks for the flags advice, it looks like I've setup correctly. Its incredibly enjoyable. Eventually Apple and Google will likely jump on board, at least up to lossless I think.

 

[noobandroid]

Congrats on the G7!

Did you try and drive the HD800s directly from the phone? Its OpAmp is fairly powerful, up to 2Vrms in so-called High Impedance Mode (HIM) -- which will trigger when plugging in headphones >50 Ohms. You may still prefer to run it through your headphone amp, but definitely do try it if you haven't already.

In UAPP settings, make sure all HiRes Driver flags are disabled, except MQA enabled. That flag is what triggers the 4x MQA hardware unfolding. (I personally disable the MQA flag when NOT playing MQA, since it locks in the MQA Digital Filter when playing any PCM, even non-MQA; I prefer the Sharp filter.)

Also, note that for MQA, the Tidal app works just as well as UAPP and supports offline mode. However, for Redbook 16/44, you want to use UAPP.

the tidal app is still interfered by the android native SRC, unless a dedicated SRC bypass DAP, so UAPP is still the "de facto" but it consumes a whole lot of streaming data thats insane and easy to hit like 70-80 GB per month

give and take, i just use the tidal native and offline them tracks and albums, the SQ difference isnt THAT significant, it is but not heaven and earth level

 

[Dannemand]

the tidal app is still interfered by the android native SRC, unless a dedicated SRC bypass DAP, so UAPP is still the "de facto" but it consumes a whole lot of streaming data thats insane and easy to hit like 70-80 GB per month

give and take, i just use the tidal native and offline them tracks and albums, the SQ difference isnt THAT significant, it is but not heaven and earth level

Yes, the Tidal app sends 16/44 through the Android Mixer (SRC). But for MQA it plays exactly the same as UAPP: Direct route, 24/44 or 24/48 (depending on the track), with Offloadable flag and the MQA effect flag. I have had to prove this several times around here (such as this post) since the myth that Tidal app plays everything wrong persists. So let me repeat myself from that post you quoted, since it is a fact:

For MQA, the Tidal app works just as well as UAPP and supports offline mode. However, for Redbook 16/44, you want to use UAPP.

This takes nothing away from our devotion to UAPP: It is still our de facto player because we all need to play 16/44 as well. But there is no reason to forgo the offline feature of the Tidal app as long as one is playing MQA.

Edit: Oh, I am specifically referring to LG Quad DAC phones, like the G7 used by @vanhalen26, to whom I was replying. Tidal included special support for MQA on the LG phones. I am sure it would be different on other devices, including external USB DACs.