Whats your opinion on MQA

[Randy Myers]

I have read quite a bit on MQA. The TAS article I personally feel is a bit unfair and over the top. I mean that system is at least a 1/4 million dollar system.
I have also read that Meridian's low end DAC sounds very so so on anything but MQA.

I have had more than a few discussions with David Elias. David is a very early on supporter of MQA. He is all about promoting better quality music... period.

His big point seems to be, to me anyway, the advantage of streaming in that sound quality improvements without the file size. Therefore excellent for streaming. He has also said to me on multiple occasions that DSD is the most analog sounding of all digital formats. He has several albums which were recorded in DSD.

I also refer back to Benchmark, one of the foremost companies in digital sound. They are one of the leaders in Analog to Digital used in professional environments, recording studios, etc. They also make excellent DACs, including some of the first to hit the market with the new ESS 9028 PRO chips. They have white papers on their website completely discrediting MQA, and supporting their view that it is a non-starter.

It is very hard to know what to think at this point in time.

I was actually looking at the Mytec, but decided that it did not have a good enough analog section for me; only one input and fairly low level at that. Then I found out that they were using the mobile version of the ESS 9018 chip... The Benchmark made more sense to me.

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by Randy Myers

His big point seems to be, to me anyway, the advantage of streaming in that sound quality improvements without the file size. Therefore excellent for streaming.

I am preparing to do a review of some MQA equipment (which I will not name now) and Bob Stuart agreed to send me MQA files of some hi-res files of which I have the originals. FWIW, here are the size differences for two examples:
936 MB for the MQA
5.96 GB for the FLAC

1.47GB for the MQA
9.66GB for the WAV

Numbers aside, the differences were obvious during the download!

[Randy Myers]

Exactly... if streaming is the primary source... the advantages are obvious... if streaming is not important than DSD is probably better sounding... this statement comes from reading and communicating with pioneer MQA advocates, but not from personal listening. Since I have no interest in streaming sound quality is most important.

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by Randy Myers

Exactly... if streaming is the primary source... the advantages are obvious... if streaming is not important than DSD is probably better sounding... this statement comes from reading and communicating with pioneer MQA advocates, but not from personal listening. Since I have no interest in streaming sound quality is most important.

Eh. Streaming efficiency also applies to playing the files off my NAS to my DAC, so it counts. Also, while I am a big fan of DSD, I have PCM files which are easily equal, so I prefer to choose my sources based on content and recording engineer.

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Randy Myers

Exactly... if streaming is the primary source... the advantages are obvious... if streaming is not important than DSD is probably better sounding... this statement comes from reading and communicating with pioneer MQA advocates, but not from personal listening. Since I have no interest in streaming sound quality is most important.

Randy, first going back to your earlier post just who thinks Benchmark is one of the premier DAC companies out there? They wouldn't make the top ten list! Second DSD is not the de facto benchmark (small b) and always better sounding than either PCM or MQA. Too many variables.

What's odd is the only group pooh poohing MQA are the companies suffering from Not Invented Here syndrome.

[Randy Myers]

Not sure what you mean by "Not Invented Here syndrome", but I did not say that MQA does not have any validity... however not a lot of people who enjoy quality music can afford top end Meridian equipment. Sorry but it is true.

Benchmark is very highly regarded in the professional ADC / DAC world... maybe not so much so in the world where you don't rate unless you charge $20k for a DAC, but the real world they are highly regarded... just ask people like Abbey Road studios, who use Benchmark equipment. Many highly regarded recording studios do...

And, I never said that DSD is always better... of course there are variables.... in fact I did quote statements made to me in personal conversations with an artist who is one of the first true advocates of MQA.... he is the one who made the statement that DSD is the best sounding digital format, but also is a true advocate of MQA because it pushes forward streaming capabilities...

I very clearly stated that I have never heard MQA so any thing I wrote, as I clearly stated, was from readings and conversations with others....

Time will tell, but it appears, from everything I read and hear that it will be a very long road for MQA to become a viable format, let alone take over the industry. I am not a betting man, but if I were I would not put a whole lot of stock into MQA becoming very popular....

In my opinion, streaming from a local NAS is probably not going to cause a big band width issue where whatever format being listened to was an issue. When talking about streaming services such as Tidal is what is the major concern....

There are many who have raved about Benchmark products, including our own Kal Rubinson....

So about top ten list.... hmmmmmm... there are many, but how about.... The Absolute Sound 2016 Editor's Choice Award:
"Another Perfect Benchmark DAC?

While I would never be so brash as to even suggest that further improvements in DACs, USB interfaces, and analog circuitry aren’t possible or won’t result in better sound quality, the Benchmark DAC2 does make a strong case that the current- generation digital-to-analog interfaces are no longer the weakest link in the reproduction chain, if indeed they were in the past. For me the bottom line on the Benchmark DAC2 HGC is that is it not only good enough to live with long-term, it’s good enough to use for any mastering or recording projects that might come up. The DAC2 HGC is easy to listen through, highly revealing, and with well-recorded material astonishingly three-dimensional."

How about Positive Feedback...:
"THE BENCHMARK AHB2 IS A VERY GOOD AMP, AND THE DAC2 IS A VERY GOOD DAC—IT'S NO WONDER THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SLATHERED IN NEAR-UNIVERSAL PRAISE."

Or Everything Audio Network, 2015 Product of the Year award....:
"Take the ultra accurate PCM/DSD DAC2 converter add AES/EBU and dual buss output and you now have the ideal studio or hi-fi DAC for headphone or speaker listening — the $1,995 DAC2-DX. And no DAC measures any better."

Or even more impressive, Stereophile 2016 best DAC list.... here are the ones rated as A+, some pretty big names in there... :
"2016 Recommended Components Digital Processors

A+

Antelope Audio Zodiac Platinum: $5500
From the makers of the Class A–rated Zodiac Gold comes the Zodiac Platinum, which bundles a D/A processor, headphone amp, and preamp into a small but chunky (6.5" W by 4.4" H by 7.6" D) enclosure. (The similarly chunky Voltikus power supply is slightly less wide.) Like the Gold, the Zodiac Platinum offers PCM performance through 384kHz, but adds DSD64 and 128 via USB (DoP), which it upsamples to DSD256, Antelope Audio claiming direct DSD-to-analog conversion. Technical highlights include FPGA processing for some functions and "Oven-Controlled Clocking," in which jitter is kept low through thermal stabilization of the word clock's crystal oscillator. User controls appear on both the front panel and the remote handset, the former distinguished by a hefty, nice-feeling volume knob—although JI noted that it "produced a bit of a raggedy zipper sound" through his system when he adjusted the volume. With some musical selections JI noted the Platinum's "slightly thicker bottom end" compared with another premium processor, and with other tracks a thicker sound overall, adding that "both [processors] excelled at creating a transparent path to my power amps." As for the Zodiac's headphone amp, "I'd never heard better sound from my Grado HP1s," JI declared. JA wrapped up: "Overall, the very good measurements of Antelope Audio's Zodiac Platinum indicate excellent digital and analog engineering." (Vol.37 Nos.9 & 10 WWW)

Auralic Vega: $3499
The elegant-looking Vega D/A processor is housed in a slim, brushed-aluminum enclosure and has a front panel dominated by a wide, rectangular, yellow-on-black OLED display. The rear panel offers single-ended and balanced outputs, and five digital inputs: transformer-coupled AES/EBU on an XLR, two transformer-coupled coaxial S/PDIFs on RCAs, one optical S/PDIF on TosLink, and a high-speed USB2.0 port. The AES/EBU and S/PDIF inputs handle 16- and 24-bit data with sample rates up to 192kHz; the USB port also operates with sample rates of 352.8 and 384kHz, and will accept DSD64 and DSD128 data. A Sanctuary audio processor upsamples PCM input data to approximately 1.5MHz and 32-bit depth, and implements four reconstruction filters for PCM data and two choices of low-pass filter for DSD data. Though it required several hours from cold before sounding its best, the Vega combined outstanding low-end weight and high-frequency extension with an exceptional sense of space, said JA, who also noted measured performance that was beyond reproach. "It's DSD and digital done right!" he exclaimed. (Vol.37 No.2, Vol.38 No.11 WWW)

Ayre Acoustics QA-9: $4750 ★
Housed in the same compact chassis as Ayre's QB-9 USB DAC, the QA-9 is a solid-state A/D converter intended to allow audiophiles to make high-quality rips of their LPs. It uses an Arda Laboratories AT1201 two-channel A/D converter chip and operates at sample rates up to 192kHz, outputting 24-bit data via either a USB 2.0 or AES/EBU connection. Setup was simple and, aside from the tedious task of eliminating LP surface noise, use was straightforward. The Ayre offered smooth highs, a clean midrange, and an excellent sense of space. JA summed up: "When recordings you love have never been issued on a good-sounding CD, it makes sense to rip them with Ayre's QA-9—it's the closest thing to a truly transparent audio component I have encountered." He bought the review sample. Now includes DSD and Word Clock outputs on transformer-coupled BNC jacks and outputs DSD via USB. (Vol.35 No.11, Vol.36 No.4 WWW)

Ayre Acoustics QB-9 DSD: $3450 ★
The QB-9 is an asynchronous transfer mode, USB-input DAC with Ayre's minimum-phase digital reconstruction filter implemented in Field-Programmable Gate Array. It uses a Texas Instruments TAS1020B chip, supporting sample rates up to 96kHz and word lengths up to 24 bits. High-resolution digital files "popped with life" and were marked by a natural flow and physical impact that allowed WP to form a deeper emotional connection with the music. JA: "Ayre's QB-9 is well engineered, offering excellent performance in both the analog and digital domains, and is not compromised by its having just a USB data input." JI felt the QB-9 exceeded the YBA WD202 and Benchmark DAC1 USB in terms of spatial detail, depth, and width, while adding a touch of seductive clarity. "Wow!" The latest version of the QB-9 uses an XMOS XS-1 microprocessor chip and supports sampling rates via USB2.0 up to 192kHz. Earlier QB-9s can be upgraded for $250. Compared with the Resolution Audio Cantata, the Ayre tended to exaggerate sibilants on some recordings but provided a warmer, fleshier midrange, felt JI. Compared to the NAD M51, the Ayre had slightly greater punch and better dynamic edges. Compared to the much more expensive MSB Diamond DAC IV, the QB-9 had a very slightly more aggressive midrange, but otherwise held its own, said JI. Current production as of mid-2013, auditioned by AD in connection with his AX-5 review in Vol.36 No.7, uses an ESS Sabre DAC chip, offers improvements to the USB chip power supply, and will decode DSD data. Stereophile's "Joint Digital Source" and "Overall Component" of 2009. (Vol.32 No.10, Vol.33 No.6, Vol.34 Nos.7 & 11, Vol.35 Nos.7 & 10, Vol.38 No.11 WWW)

Benchmark Media Systems DAC2 HGC: $1995 $$$
Although similar in appearance to previous Benchmark models, with a front-panel volume control and two 1/4" headphone jacks, the new DAC2 HGC uses four 32-bit ESS Sabre DACs, run in balanced configuration, for a significantly lower noise floor; has a new Hybrid Gain Control (HGC) for volume attenuation, which combines active analog gain control and passive low-impedance attenuators in the analog realm with a 32-bit digital DSP gain control for digital signals; and provides front-panel displays for both sample rate and word length. Though it lacks a balanced AES/EBU input, the DAC2 HGC offers two analog inputs and five digital inputs: two optical, two RCA coaxial, and one asynchronous USB that handles resolutions up to 192kHz as well as DSD64. It had a pleasantly forward sound, with smooth highs, a solid bottom end, and excellent image separation, said EL. Compared to the Auralic Vega, the Benchmark had a similarly smooth top end, but lacked the Vega's sweet midrange and outstanding portrayal of space, said JA. JI noted the DAC2's good scale and sense of ambient space, but found it lacked focus compared to the considerably more expensive MSB Analog DAC. (Vol.37 No.2, Vol.38 No.11 WWW)

Bricasti Design M1 DAC: $8595 ★
With first-class fit'n'finish and uncluttered exterior design, the dual-mono M1 DAC measures a rack-friendly 17" W by 2" H by 12" D and weighs 12 lbs. It offers four digital inputs (S/PDIF, AES/EBU, BNC, optical), accepts sampling rates up to 192kHz, and, as of 2013, adds a USB input, volume control, remote control, and DSD decoding. The Bricasti's fast, detailed, powerful sound made the much less expensive Musical Fidelity M1DAC seem veiled, muffled, and slow, said JM. "The best digital playback I have heard," he concluded. Compared with the Weiss DAC202, the Bricasti was less forgiving of poorly recorded material, but had bigger, deeper, better-defined low frequencies; compared with the dCS Debussy, the Bricasti sounded very slightly warmer and was very slightly more transparent, said JA, who also praised the M1's state-of-the-art measured behavior. A firmware update (free to registered owners) adds minimum-phase digital filter options, digital phase inversion, and a digital volume control. Compared to its previous filter set, the Bricasti's minimum-phase sound was much richer, with more body, more coherence, and less grain, said JM. Used as a line source in place of Parasound's Halo JC 2 preamp, the Bricasti produced a more coherent sound, with deeper, tighter, more powerful bass. "My personal best just got better," JM concluded. Now ships with asynchronous USB input (not yet auditioned), and will decode DSD data. Production in 2013 replaces the switch-mode power supply of the M1's digital-routing section with a linear supply based on a custom-wound transformer. With the new power supply in place, JM heard improved bass extension and greater overall clarity. Owners of original M1s (made prior to March 2013) can have their units updated for $200. In 2014, Bricasti offered to M1 owners even more additional refinements: a remote-control kit, involving a separate infrared receiver that plugs into the rear panel ($500 for M1s presently in service; included in the price of new units); a changeover, performed at the factory, from multiple glass-and-wire fuses to a master circuit breaker ($150); and an upgrade, also done at the factory, to DXD and DSD64/DSD128 capabilities ($400). As impressed as he was by the last, JM remained philosophical: "the fact that Bricasti's M1 can now play DSD and DXD files is less important than the fact that its playback of plain old ?Red Book' 16-bit/44.1kHz audio is so compelling that I, for one, don't feel shortchanged when a good recording is not ?high-resolution.'" He observed that, yet again, his personal best in digital playback just got better. (Vol.34 No.8; Vol.35 Nos. 2, 3 & 9; Vol.36 No.7; Vol.37 No.12 WWW)

dCS Debussy: $11,999 ★ "The slim, sleek Debussy D/A processor has a digital volume control, offers a full range of digital inputs including a true asynchronous USB port, and uses the latest version of dCS's Ring DAC. The USB input was upgraded in the summer of 2011 to handle 176.4 and 192kHz data and in the summer of 2012 to handle DSD data. Though it lacked the sophistication of dCS's more expensive Scarlatti system, the Debussy had a fast and delicate sound, with powerful bass, dramatically solid, three-dimensional images, sensational rhythmic drive, and outstanding dynamics, said MF: "A very easy and enthusiastic recommendation." JA agreed: "It was a pleasure to test such a superbly engineered product." Compared with the Weiss DAC202, the Debussy offered greater resolution, transient snap, and low-bass weight, but lacked midrange warmth and overall body, said EL. Compared with the Bricasti M1, the Debussy was slightly less transparent, said JA; compared to the Classé CP-800, the Debussy offered more ambience and propulsive drive but lacked some lower-midrange energy. Compared to the MSB Diamond DAC IV, the Debussy sounded refined and very polite but lacked image precision and spatial depth, said JI. (Vol.34 Nos.1 & 12; Vol.35 Nos.2, 9, & 10 WWW)

exaSound e28 Mk.2 multichannel DAC: $3299
See "Music Surround-Sound Components" (Vol.36 No.11 WWW)

Grace m905: $3495
From the pro-audio world comes the Grace Designs m905 Monitor Controller: a combination line stage, D/A converter, and headphone amplifier designed as a control center for music playback in a recording studio. As befits its provenance, the m905 is rack-mountable, with most of its controls built into an umbilical-connected, iPad Mini–sized remote that, according to JM, exuded an "Authentic German Engineering" level of quality, even though Grace Designs is based in Colorado. The m905 is built around the Burr-Brown PCM1798 DAC chip, plus an XMOS USB receiver, and it offers, via the DoP standard, DSD streaming: the first product from Grace Designs to do so. Already a fan of the "ever-so-slightly euphonic" Grace m903—which was Stereophile's Headphone Product of the Year for 2012—JM was "taken aback at how much better the m905 sounded," and quantified the depth of his delight at the new model's DSD capabilities with two words: "Woober Joobers!" He said that, all in all, the m905 is "among the most impressive pieces of audio gear" he has ever evaluated. (Vol.37 No.4 WWW)

Luxman DA-06: $4990
Among the earliest and most notable products to emerge from the burgeoning world of DSD streaming, the Luxman DA-06 is a full-size D/A processor built around a Burr-Brown PCM 1792A 32-bit converter chip. The DA-06 supports 2.8224 and 5.6448MHz DSD files and, via its USB input, PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz. Front-panel controls include the ability to select among three different PCM filters and between two sets of DSD rolloff characteristics, as well as to invert absolute signal polarity on the fly. AD, who acknowledges "DSD's prowess at communicating the subtleties of musical flow," observed that the Luxman sounded "generously explicit, [with] musical and sonic details in abundance and . . . a soundfield notable for its openness and general lack of murk. Still, the DA-06 had good substance, with a tonal character that was slightly—almost imperceptibly—warm and round." In his measurements, JA noted that the Luxman's low levels of harmonic and intermodulation distortion are offset somewhat by marginally poorer-than-expected jitter and noise-floor numbers—yet he declared that, overall, "the DA-06's measured performance is simply superb." AD's conclusion: "a damn fine-sounding D/A converter with virtually all music." (Vol.37 No.7, Vol.38 No.11 WWW)

MSB Analog DAC: $6995
The MSB Analog DAC combines a high-tech chassis machined from a solid billet of aluminum—it stands less than 1" tall yet weighs nearly 30 lbs!—with a circuit architecture that allows the buyer to select among five digital-input options, two power supply options, a WiFi option, and more—combinations of which can bring the price to just under $12,000. (For $6995, you get one digital input and the stock power supply.) The Analog DAC supports PCM and DSD up to 384kHz, employs a custom-designed, linear-phase apodizing digital filter, and offers single-ended and balanced analog outputs. JI was impressed with the MSB's "thereness," observing that, "With a DAC like the MSB, you get a sense of someone hitting Play on a big reel of wide-track analog tape, after being fed by live mikes in a room." Notwithstanding a couple of performance glitches, both solved by in-the-field firmware updates, JI found it difficult to part with his review sample: "It notched my system up to a place where almost all digital sources had an organic, natural presence without sacrificing the accuracy and detail present in the best recordings." JA noted that high-level signals produced some low-level distortion products, but otherwise found the MSB rare in being "so well thought out and so well engineered." Optional Volume Control: $995. Optional Analog Power Base: $2995. UMT Plus: $5995. Optional Dual Signature Power Base: $4995. (Vol.37 No.4 WWW)

NAD M51 Direct Digital: $1999 $$$ ★
The M51 is an attractive, full-width D/A converter with a digital volume control and useful front-panel vacuum-fluorescent display that indicates input, volume status, and sampling rate. It offers AES/EBU, coaxial, optical, USB, and two HDMI inputs, as well as analog (one pair each single-ended and balanced) and digital (HDMI) outputs. While all of the NAD's inputs can handle PCM audio data of resolutions up to 24-bit/192kHz, the M51 converts everything it receives to a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) signal at a sampling rate of 844kHz, controlled by a clock running at 108MHz. The NAD had a "wonderfully detailed and revealing sound," said JI. JA noted measured performance that was "almost beyond reproach." Compared to the Auralic Vega, the NAD produced a cleaner, leaner, airier, less forgiving sound, said JA, though he still highly recommends the M51 as a great value for the price. Readers have reported—and JA has now confirmed—that the M51's earlier v.1.39 firmware offers a better, "fatter" sound than the later v.1.41, probably die to a 1dB higher output; later versions of the M51 can be easily "rolled back." to v.1.39. (Vol.35 No.7; Vol.37 Nos.2 & 5 WWW)

PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream: $5999
Instead of an off-the-shelf chipset, PS Audio's first DSD processor uses original code written by hand into a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)—the result being a system that converts all incoming data to double-rate DSD. In addition to asynchronous USB, digital inputs include RCA, TosLink, and HDMI, and both single-ended and true balanced analog outputs are provided. The DirectStream is built on a cast-alloy chassis with a glossy MDF top—and a touchscreen from which all user controls can be worked. (A remote handset is included.) Firmware is user-updatable, as AD discovered while reviewing the DirectStream—during which time he noted its "excellent pacing, flow, correctness of pitch relationships, and the like, as well as a consistently smooth and slightly laid-back sound." With some files, AD found the DirectStream just a little too laid-back—a condition mitigated in part by that firmware update—but found its musicality beyond reproach. JA observed that the DirectStream "measures superbly well" in many ways, but was troubled by its poor linearity at low frequencies and its "ultimate lack of resolution" with hi-rez files. But he admits that its sound quality is still very satisfying. In his Follow-Up, RD—whose listening is centered more around discs than downloads—tried the DirectStream DAC with PS Audio's PerfectWave Memory Player transport ($3995), and observed, "listening to familiar recordings . . . I heard more musical detail from them than I previously had. This detail was not a matter of exaggerated treble, which can give an impression of increased detail, but was genuinely higher resolution manifested by greater differentiation among the sounds of instruments and rhythmic patterns." Subsequent to that audition, RD received and installed in the DirectStream DAC a new firmware upgrade that brought his unit to v.1.2.1. His verdict: "The latest firmware represented a major improvement over the one that I and Art Dudley and Michael Lavorgna had. Soundstages were now deeper and wider, and well outside the speakers' positions with some recordings; and images on those stages were now more 'rounded,' more three-dimensional. The bass was cleaner, with better-defined transients." Following the firmware update to v.1.2.1, JA retested the DirectStream DAC and found a lower noise floor, increased low-level linearity, and a dramatic reduction in low-frequency distortion. Said JA: "Kudos to PS Audio for designing a product so that its performance can so easily be upgraded by its customers." Four months after the upgrade to v.1.2.1, PS Audio updated the DirectStream DAC's operating system to a version referred to as Pike's Peak—which, in RD's estimation, "seemed to transform the . . . sound: more dynamic, better bass, more extended treble, even better soundstaging." Writing in a subsequent Follow-Up, RD reported on PS Audio's more recent Yale software upgrade, said to include more accurate filters and to represent a different approach to jitter reduction. He said that, in comparison with Pike's Peak, Yale offered slightly softer trebles and was "more subtly detailed"; he concluded that Yale is the superior operating system. (Vol.37 No.9, Vol.38 Nos. 2, 3, 5, 11 WWW)

TotalDAC d1-tube-mk2: €9100
In a design field where cats are skinned in any number of ways, Vincent Brient of the French company TotalDAC takes a distinctive approach: for his D/A converters, he uses a discrete R2R ladder comprising some 200 hand-selected, very-high-quality discrete resistors per channel. The nonoversampling d1-tube-mk2 supplements this circuitry with an FPGA for various digital chores, an XMOS USB receiver (S/PDIF, TosLink, and AES/EBU digital inputs are also provided), and a tubed output stage. DSD (DoP) compatibility is a €320 option. All inputs support 24-bit/192kHz resolution except TosLink, which maxes out at 24/96. In the experience of ML, to whom digital recorded sound manifests itself as a sheet of glass between himself and the performers, "listening to music through the TotalDAC d1-tube-mk2, there was no glass; I could listen to my music as deeply as I wanted to go." Which pretty much says it all. (Vol.39 No.1 WWW)"


There are so many more.... but I will leave it at that....

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by Randy Myers

Not sure what you mean by "Not Invented Here syndrome", but I did not say that MQA does not have any validity...

MQA is PCM-based and, so far as I know, not compatible with DSD. It is easy to carp at something that excludes your preferred format (and vice versa). I would have used the phrase "Dog in the manger."

I very clearly stated that I have never heard MQA so any thing I wrote, as I clearly stated, was from readings and conversations with others....

Then why are you so argumentative about all this? Why not wait until you can speak from more than hear-say?

There are many who have raved about Benchmark products, including our own Kal Rubinson....

Mostly about the amp but Benchmark's status is irrelevant. FWIW, they have been highly outspoken about a lot of things than expected and not all of their arguments are convincing. Bottom line: they, like everyone else, have a personal perspective.

[Randy Myers]

Kal I pretty much agree with everything you wrote ... and I am not 100% writing off MQA.

Yes, David actually explained MQA to me and it is PCM based and more of a delivery system then an actual format. I guess I got my dander up a bit when I see people using reviews of 1/4 million dollar system as justification for a product, especially when the "affordable" versions have some real issues in my view, such as Meridian's own Explorer or the Mytec Brooklyn (probably best lower price alternative but did not give me what I needed).

BTW, I read TAS article more than once and still came away confused by what MQA actually was. They did not make it clear that it is in fact a delivery system, but instead made it sound like an entirely new digital format that was going to take the audio world by a storm and revolutionize the entire industry. What keep going through my mind as I read the article multiple times was, hmmm, would not almost anything played on this expensive of system sound fairly amazing and how are they going to promote any kind of market penetration when they are showing it off on a system that very few people can actually afford. Some times trickle down methodology makes sense, other times it inhibits product adaptation. In my view the later is very much the case here.

And yes I admit I got my haunches up when someone used to listening to said $20k + DAC dismisses and writes off a product for the normal man that is universally praised. Again I agree that some of Benchmark's "papers" do take a personal perspective, but I have also not encountered many other companies that give very extensive reasoning for their opinions, including why they are not huge DSD supporters...

I have not completely wrote off MQA, and will take a wait and see approach, however the one artist who has created MQA versions of his entire catalog and expounds about it's virtues at every opportunity has also told me personally that he believes DSD is the ultimate sound quality digital format, but MQA makes a lot of sense for streaming and getting sound quality in portable use where file size is a serious consideration.

[Audioraven]

Randy (or anyone else for that matter), you might find this page of interest for comparing various formats, including MQA.

www.2l.no/hires/

Samples are free for download and of very high quality.

[Randy Myers]

Without purchasing a MQA authorized DAC how can you compare the sample MQA file? I also know that I have several David Elias albums in their original DSD format. If I had a DAC that was authorized for MQA I am fairly certain I could get samples from David to compare against the original DSD versions.

I have done a ton of comparing of different formats with the various DACs that I have had. These include McIntosh (BurrBrown no DSD), Teac UD-501 (BurrBrown), Denon (BurrBrown), Ayres Pono (same mobile ESS 9018 chip that Mytec uses), Wyred 4 Sound (ESS 9018), NuPrime DAC-10H (ESS 9018), Marantz SA8005(Cirrus Logic), Benchmark DAC2 (ESS 9018), and Benchmark DAC3 (new ESS 9028 PRO).

The one thing I hear very little difference with is higher level DSD. I have 12 DSD download albums that are DSD 128. I also have two that are DSD 256. I was able to download both the DSD 256 and DSD 128 of these albums.

With previous DACs I did a ton of comparing and really could not hear much of a difference between DSD 64, DSD 128 and DSD 256. It was so close that it was not a huge deal to me that Benchmark decided to only support DSD 64, although if I had my dithers I would want DSD 128 support.

Their engineers have said they may eventually offer DSD 128 support with firmware updates. Obviously we know that the ESS chips have this support, but Benchmark chose not to at this time.

However, in almost every case that I have compared PCM in various resolutions against the same file in DSD I could hear what was to me a fairly big improvement.

I understand that my system is not as elaborate as many members on the forum, however I still strive to get the best sound I can from what I have.