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MQA on all iFi devices. AND on ANDROID!


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1 hour ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

Here's a little more insight about our approach. We do not do things by halves. We write our own software code so our customers receive two specialised XMOS firmware versions: 

  • v5.30 – optimised for MQA
  • v5.20 – optimised for music file formats up to DSD512/PCM768 (non-MQA)

Each firmware version squeezes that last ounce of sonic performance to suit each customer's preferences.

 

Just as car enthusiasts load different ‘remaps’ into the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for their preferred driving experience, we let our customers load their preferred ‘file format remap’ for their own music torque curve.

 

Hopefully this is all clear now.

 

Also, micro iDSD BL isn't the same as its nano version. It goes further than formats supported. The bigger one does things its smaller sibling won't, their functionality isn't the same.  
 

 

Hello iFI

 

Can you explain the technical reasons that the MQA firmware (5.3) disabled DoP256 on my iDAC2?  I re-flashed 5.2A, and got DoP256 back.

 

And just a suggestion for your download page(s): You should explicitly tell people that the MQA firmware disables DoP256.  I can't find any mention of it there.

 

Thanks

 

EDIT: PS: You might want to re-think the "file format remap" concept.  Many people (that I know, anyway) don't have any DSD256 files but use HQPlayer to upsample Redbook files to DSD256 and beyond.  I count myself in this group.

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@AMR/iFi audio I think if you call this tune/remap rather than "firmware upgrade", people would be less bothered.

 

I personally have iDAC2 and iDSD BL and I don't plan flashing the BL, while I flashed the iDAC2 immediately. Still comparing the results of MQA/iDAC2 vs HQPlayer@DSD512/iDSD. All via RCA outputs, to minimize the headamp differences.

 

Finally, I am grateful for your efforts and as a software engineer understand why you had to make sacrifices to retroactively implement something to a system it wasn't designed for in the first place.

Sorry it somewhat backfired on you.

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1 hour ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

Hopefully this is all clear now.

As mud. The only rational explanation I can think of is that a firmware including both DSD512 and MQA support wouldn't fit in the XMOS flash memory. If that is the case, why not just say so?

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1 hour ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

 

Also, micro iDSD BL isn't the same as its nano version. It goes further than formats supported. The bigger one does things its smaller sibling won't, their functionality isn't the same.  
 

 

Thanks for your detailed explanation, @AMR/iFi audio !

I know the bigger one does more stuff, but only on the amplification/battery/headphone/filter department, not on the DAC department, which I clearly stated.

Even though I/we appreciate what you've done and that on top of that we all have a choice to go back and forward with these 2 different flavored firmwares, I still can't understand why  a DAC which is more powerful can't do more than one that is less powerful. 

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23 minutes ago, mansr said:

As mud. The only rational explanation I can think of is that a firmware including both DSD512 and MQA support wouldn't fit in the XMOS flash memory. If that is the case, why not just say so?

When I asked iFi for an explanation their dismissive answer was 'because that's what it takes'.  

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/38962-ifi-audio-mqa-all-across-the-board-its-here/?do=findComment&comment=801586

 

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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1 hour ago, luchoh said:

 

I personally have iDAC2 and iDSD BL and I don't plan flashing the BL, while I flashed the iDAC2 immediately. Still comparing the results of MQA/iDAC2 vs HQPlayer@DSD512/iDSD. All via RCA outputs, to minimize the headamp differences.

 

 

When you say "HQPlayer@DSD512/iDSD", what are you feeding HQPlayer to upsample?  MQA, 16/44 PCM, or a mixture?

Hey MQA, if it is not all $voodoo$, show us the math!

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18 minutes ago, lmitche said:

More like shot yourselves in the foot. LOL

 

After considering positive feedback we get (after the release of MQA related firmware and in general), we can't agree with you on this one, sorry ;)

Our PowerStation is here: click me!

 

Check out our Tidal MQA Set-up Guides below. 
Android (Renderer) Mobile
Desktop (Decoder) via USB
Desktop (Decoder) via SPDIF

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1 hour ago, crenca said:

 

When you say "HQPlayer@DSD512/iDSD", what are you feeding HQPlayer to upsample?  MQA, 16/44 PCM, or a mixture?

 

@crenca Mixture mostly, predominantly 16/44 PCM.

 

Unfortunately I'm having an Internet outage, just after I started A/B-ing, so I can't tell yet what sounds better.

 

I need to clarify that the MQA -> iDAC2 is served not via Tidal, but Audirvana. I haven't tested if there is a difference between Tidal and Audirvana yet... so many things to do - so little time.

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From release notes:

Quote

For the micro iDSD BL & micro iDSD: MQA LED is Yellow

 

I have a different situation: I've updated the firmware and setup MQA passthrough in Tidal, the music is playing but I have the regular (red book) green LED not yellow.

I have verified the firmware version (5.30).

Used macOS 10.12.6 (Sierra) to update the firmware.

What software are you using to feed your unit?

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1 hour ago, zubek said:

I have a different situation: I've updated the firmware and setup MQA passthrough in Tidal, the music is playing but I have the regular (red book) green LED not yellow.

The iFi DACs (other than iDSD Pro) provide only MQA renderer support, so you need TIDAL to decode MQA.  MQA passthrough in TIDAL should only be used if you have a DAC like iDSD Pro that does both decode/render.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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9 minutes ago, rickca said:

The iFi DACs (other than iDSD Pro) provide only MQA renderer support, so you need TIDAL to decode MQA.  MQA passthrough in TIDAL should only be used if you have a DAC like iDSD Pro that does both decode/render.

 

Thanks for the reply. After I posted it - I saw the video to leave the passthrough MQA off - still had green LED.

I'll try tomorrow again. Thanks!

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@iFi Audio, many thanks for making this alternative update available on the older gen devices. Most appreciated.

 

First time I was able to sample some Tidal MQA tracks in their native format and, through iDSD silver, they sound really good. 

 

PS. I agree with some other posters that the loss of functionality after the (alternative) update needs to be made clear on the download page.

 

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11 hours ago, rickca said:

The iFi DACs (other than iDSD Pro) provide only MQA renderer support, so you need TIDAL to decode MQA.  MQA passthrough in TIDAL should only be used if you have a DAC like iDSD Pro that does both decode/render.

 

That is correct.

Our PowerStation is here: click me!

 

Check out our Tidal MQA Set-up Guides below. 
Android (Renderer) Mobile
Desktop (Decoder) via USB
Desktop (Decoder) via SPDIF

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11 hours ago, rickca said:

The iFi DACs (other than iDSD Pro) provide only MQA renderer support, so you need TIDAL to decode MQA.  MQA passthrough in TIDAL should only be used if you have a DAC like iDSD Pro that does both decode/render.

 

That is correct.

 

2 hours ago, macuniverse said:

@iFi Audio, many thanks for making this alternative update available on the older gen devices. Most appreciated.

 

First time I was able to sample some Tidal MQA tracks in their native format and, through iDSD silver, they sound really good. 

 

PS. I agree with some other posters that the loss of functionality after the (alternative) update needs to be made clear on the download page.

 

 

First of all, you're welcome. 

 

And secondly, we are very open about each firmware's supported formats, please take a look here:

 

https://ifi-audio.com/audio_blog/mqa-firmware/

Our PowerStation is here: click me!

 

Check out our Tidal MQA Set-up Guides below. 
Android (Renderer) Mobile
Desktop (Decoder) via USB
Desktop (Decoder) via SPDIF

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16 minutes ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

....we are very open about each firmware's supported formats, please take a look here:

 

https://ifi-audio.com/audio_blog/mqa-firmware/

 

Hopefully you will continue to maintain/bug fix/feature add and otherwise support MQA free firmware.  You could show your support for the consumer by doing this.  Keeping concurrent version numbers would also help, for example having a 5.3 and a 5.3DRM  5.3mqa instead of privileging MQA development...

Hey MQA, if it is not all $voodoo$, show us the math!

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17 hours ago, gabeg said:

 

 

Any idea about this?

 

Yup, feel free to take a look at this photo.

 

5ac3f1459099e_MQALEDcoloursforiFimodels.thumb.png.05ae97100cfc9d895fd0a98c8153fe8f.png

 

In case of micro iDSD Black Label, yellow colour indicates MQA playback. Magenta coloured LEDs are mounted since nano iDSD Black Label machines, hence later.

Our PowerStation is here: click me!

 

Check out our Tidal MQA Set-up Guides below. 
Android (Renderer) Mobile
Desktop (Decoder) via USB
Desktop (Decoder) via SPDIF

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iFi will probably announce another $50 gadget just to give you a magenta LED.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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11 hours ago, rickca said:

iFi will probably announce another $50 gadget just to give you a magenta LED.

 

We appreciate your ideas, but that's not how we do things. To give you some additional insight, iONE can be sent to our place for its MCU flash procedure as early as in June to have magenta LED operational. 

Our PowerStation is here: click me!

 

Check out our Tidal MQA Set-up Guides below. 
Android (Renderer) Mobile
Desktop (Decoder) via USB
Desktop (Decoder) via SPDIF

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11 hours ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

We appreciate your ideas, but that's not how we do things.

Umm, it was a joke.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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