(12-Jan-2017, 19:27)Markpd Wrote: [ -> ] (12-Jan-2017, 14:35)AaronG Wrote: [ -> ]I own a Meridian Explorer2 as well and I just assumed the disparity was due to the fact that it's not a world class DAC -- far from it. It's an ok portable DAC but I assume it doesn't reclock etc. Also you will be hearing a lot more USB based rubbish on that DAC unless you've taken care to avoid it.
(12-Jan-2017, 14:00)Markpd Wrote: [ -> ]When I first heard MQA at a Bluesound demo last year in Dublin I loved the natural "LP" like feel to the sound. The imaging was fantastic even though the timbre of instruments changed little. Rhythm was good too.
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The improvement is big enough that I think sooner rather than later Devialet will be obliged to include MQA decoding notwithstanding their "Not invented here" stance heretofore.
Bob Stuart is right - MQA is an important step towards perfecting "digital" sound.
What I found encouraging was how much the sound improved on the explorer2 when fed MQA versus even hi-res 24/192 PCM - the output quality jumped up to a much higher level. This suggests to me that lower cost DACs will see an even greater benefit with MQA than the high end stuff.
When you think about it; MQA 'fixes' the smearing that comes with any particular DAC. So it could be that a bad DAC with more smearing will end up sounding just as good as a good DAC with less smearing. And so, by Meridian adding MQA to their cheapest offering (more smearing) it will show the greatest improvement as apposed to standard / high res FLAC.
Looks like there's some clever marketing going on here.
And if that's the case, Devialet will be able to get away with not implementing MQA by just telling us all that their DAC has so little smearing, it doesn't need MQA. Problem solved
I definitely agree.
What I found encouraging was how much the sound improved on the explorer2 when fed MQA versus even hi-res 24/192 PCM - the output quality jumped up to a much higher level. This suggests to me that lower cost DACs will see an even greater benefit with MQA than the high end stuff.
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So software could herald the end of high end audio .....:-)
Tongue in cheek, but it is a possibility.
Independent of MQA, the 48/24 files streaming on Roon with no decoding sound terrific. Just listening to Waylon, never sounded better. Same can be said for Curtis Mayfield, the MJQ, Coltrane, and most everything else I've listened to.
Intresting to read about dCS saying they had an only software solution ready but perhaps need to use both software and hardware decoding. I wonder if Meridian really knows them self how others are suppose to handle MQA.....
http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/support/are-you-...pport-mqa/
(14-Jan-2017, 13:00)octaviars Wrote: [ -> ]Intresting to read about dCS saying they had an only software solution ready but perhaps need to use both software and hardware decoding. I wonder if Meridian really knows them self how others are suppose to handle MQA.....
http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/support/are-you-...pport-mqa/
Not very encouraging is it? To quote from the link; "This is scheduled for 2016 and we expect to announce more details in the Summer". So either their website needs updating or it's not going very well.
This MQA is certainly creating a bit of a stir. I look on other forums quite a lot and there is thread after thread raving about it.
Even I would be interested to hear it to see what all the fuss is about. When I trailed Tidal I was very underwhelmed and the SQ was nowhere near as good as my FLAC files from my Melco.
(14-Jan-2017, 13:40)Confused Wrote: [ -> ] (14-Jan-2017, 13:00)octaviars Wrote: [ -> ]Intresting to read about dCS saying they had an only software solution ready but perhaps need to use both software and hardware decoding. I wonder if Meridian really knows them self how others are suppose to handle MQA.....
http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/support/are-you-...pport-mqa/
Not very encouraging is it? To quote from the link; "This is scheduled for 2016 and we expect to announce more details in the Summer". So either their website needs updating or it's not going very well.
No but then sometimes highend companys is not the fastest to get new things out, perhaps they have so high standards that it is a bit harder for them to get it done right, a dCS Vivaldi DAC is not a 99 dollar Dragon Fly but hey I might be wrong perhaps they are just slow
To me it would be the best if Devialet just came out and told us there will never be Roon or MQA in the Expert amps so one could decide what solution to choose for the streaming. I would like a dedicated computer for my Roon Core perhaps the new Roon Core Kit that runs on Linux but there are two things that is a bit sad that it only runs on NUC as I understand and no internal music storage besides the harddrive for Roon.
but I think that it has taken them some time to get Roon Ready for example from the first time they anonced that they was on the Roon train but then again they got Roon. 