Quote:
Originally Posted by jdandy
Bill.......After having done some reading I think I am catching on. The reason my Aurender N10 handles Tidal MQA files at 24Bit/48KHz and passes them to the K-01X DAC has nothing to do with any hardware or software decoding going on in the N10 or Tidal. The MQA files themselves are stored in a folded fashion on the Tidal servers in 24Bit/48KHz or 24Bit/44.1KHz depending on the fully unfolded resolution when using an MQA DAC. All that is happening is my N10 passes the 24Bit/48KHz MQA file directly to the DAC.
If I was streaming from Tidal’s desktop app, the first unfold would take place even without an MQA DAC, so a 24bit/48kHz MQA file streamed via the Tidal desktop app will arrive at my DAC as a 24bit/96kHz file. This happens whether that DAC is or is not MQA certified. With my Aurender N10 the folded MQA file stored on Tidal's servers is simply being passed right through to the DAC. As I interpret what I have been reading, that is all that is going on with my Aurender N10 music streamer.
|
Dan - I knew your curiosity would get the better of you to understand exactly what was happening and I think you've got it correct! Aurender is currently looking at the possibility of adding MQA Core decoding to their N10 via a firmware update, and if they do that you'll then be providing the higher resolution unfolded data to your DAC. If your DAC can act as an MQA renderer then you'd get fully decoded MQA, but if not you'll still end up benefiting from the first unfold which MQA Core provides. It's all a bit complicated and a whole new world of technical issues to understand, but the bottom line is if it helps us to better enjoy our favorite music that's what it's all about!
