#111
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Roon 1.3 will properly support MQA but not sure on the release date yet. MSB also supports it with their upgraded quad rate USB interface but you need to send in your standard quad rate USB interface to them to upgrade it to MQA status, at a cost of $1000.00 USD plus shipping.
I am going to sit back a bit and see how MQA pans out, besides I have 700 new LP's to listen to so its not like I am starving of new material |
#112
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When I first read about MQA, it all sounded like the usual "hype".
Then I read Robert Harley's article in The Absolute Sound, he doesn't impress me as one who "panders" to individual manufacturers who advertise in his magazine, so I thought that maybe he's on to something. When Tidal and Warner Music made their announcements, my "hopeful meter" elevated, thinking of how few SACDs were made available, hoping MQA would be at least as "mainstream" as DSD. When Tidal announced it added "Masters" to their streaming service, I ordered a Meridian Explorer2 DAC ($199 on Amazon), just to see what all the fuss was. Not that I expected a $199 DAC to sound as good as my $5999 DAC. I am really pleasantly surprised at the sound of the MQA albums I've auditioned from Tidal. And the last time I checked, there were over 500 Tidal "Masters" available. Hopefully Warner will continue to add enough albums to this library that more and more DAC manufacturers will decide it's in their best financial interests to incorporate MQA into their new designs. Yes, the music industry likes to sell you the same content over and over again, but with streaming becoming more dominant, having MQA (IMO) is a real plus for us audio nuts!
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McIntosh C2500 pre amp, MC452 power amp, Autonomic MMS-5A server, PS Audio P15 power plant, DirectStream DAC, DirectStream CD transport, Focal Sopra No2 speakers, JL Audio F113V2 sub woofers (2), Sennheiser HD800 headphones, Dell laptop iTunes/Tidal/Roon, Wireworld cabling |
#113
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You need to read Robert Harley's reviews more closely. He is big on 'this is the best (fill in the blank) I have ever heard in my system.' A few months later, he is saying that he has found the new 'best' component for his system. I take everything that Harley and Valin say with much skepticism.
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#114
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I have added about 50 MQA albums from Tidal into my Roon library. I do not have a MQA decoder but when I listen to the regular album version and compare it to the MQA version, I like the MQA version better. My only explanation is that the MQA version has been remastered. That means that I may not be comparing apples to apples. So even without having the ability to unfold the MQA file, I think of the MQA file as a remastered version which I prefer to the older file. And it is not costing me extra.
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#115
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Quote:
I am sure you are aware that Tidal software is performing the initial MQA unfold and something as nefarious as a remaster might not be required to improve the SQ you are getting. |
#116
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Quote:
I should have clarified that I am playing Tidal through Roon, which does NOT do the initial unfold. So basically I am listening to CD quality as opposed to higher resolution. My observation is that at CD quality resolution, I prefer the "MQA" version of the album to the regular version. However, there is no way of telling if I am listening to the same recording. |
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