MQA Dac Required with Audirvana Plus and Tidal?

[a.dent]

If you have your computer connected straight to your Mcintosh DAC you can get the first MQA unfold from the Tidal App or Audirvana. This gives you up to a 24/96 stream. To get the full MQA experience you need an MQA DAC, the cheapest of which ATM is the Meridian Explorer2. Personally I would think the McIntosh DAC playing a partially unfolded file should sound better than the cheap Explorer2 fully unfolding the MQA file. You would need to step up to something like the Mytek Brooklyn DAC to get the full unfold and compete with the McIntosh.

 

As for the Bluesound, it is primarily a streaming option. If you connect your Mcintosh DAC to it you won't get the full unfold. If you are using it in a second system streaming from your computer then the internal DAC will (apparently) provide full unfolding. But as you say it is cheap DAC. Reports are though that it sounds pretty good.

 

And lastly we could get into the argument about whether MQA really offers any improvement over PCM and whether it is a rort or not. 

[a.dent]

My guess is Audirvana is upsampling after the initial unfolding. Check your settings. No files are recorded at 32bit so that bit at least is incorrect because MQA will present the fully unfolded file at it's original resolution. I have a Mytek Brooklyn and I've never seen a 32 bit MQA file yet.

[a.dent]

10 hours ago, bobbmd said:

@a.dent far from being 'cheap' the INEXPENSIVE ME2 is an excellent DAC it sounds better at times than my non MQA 800$ pre multibit Schiit Gungnir plus it totally 'unfolds' TIDAL 'MASTERS" MQA material. I have done a/b/c comparisons of my Gungnir/FULLA/ME2 with MQA/nonMQA via ROON/A+3/Qobuz hifi WEB player and desktop app/TIDAL desktop app/ and even SPOTIFY-all have different SQ/spaciousness/separation etc depending on quality of original source recording to my 70yo ears but MQA really sounds better overall with the ME2.

 

I haven't heard an Explorer2 but I do have a Mytek Brooklyn. I must say I prefer the MQA versions of most albums when compared through the Mytek.

I also have a Vitus DAC and I prefer the partially unfolded file played through the Vitus over the fully unfolded file played through the Mytek. Unfortunately I have to use a MacBook/Tidal app as source here rather than my SOtM sMS200 so I'm hoping that when Roon includes MQA software unfolding I will get another step up in SQ.