Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion MQA - Related technology, products and music MQA Firmare Release Date Confirmed

Where/who did you hear this info from?

John Buchanan posted this. The post is currently AWOL somewhere in the forum database.

Thanks, I had read about the further SQ improvements of v3 indeed and appreciate it improves above v2 but my question strictly relates to MQA. I will need to wait untill either M clarifies or to wait for a fw upgrade as per Rick's message.
I am not worried, just very curious and ... patiently enjoying the current SQ of my system.

Cheers!

The reason I posed this request for clarification was to understand whether, and to what extent, MQA goodness can be exploited on pre-SL DSP speakers.

The lack of the increased bandwidth provided by SL interconnects (*) and lack of two-way communications concerning the downstream speaker type (**) suggest that the MQA audio experience through non-SL DSPs would be constrained to "only" the unfolded extra information (up to 24/192 equivalent) and the de-blurring of errors from the original A2D process (handled by the preceding MQA end-point) but would omit the D2A conversion correction. Which suggests that quite a lot of benefit is retained.

I am guessing that MHR is required for some supposed jitter control advantages and, commercially more importantly, for encryption (***)?

Please correct me if this hypothesis is flawed or misinformed.

* Is this fact or supposition? I assume the former and that the bandwidth increases beyond 192k using SL.

** Assuming legacy comms doesn't do that.

*** Were we not told that there was no copy protection inherent in MQA? Also see the Auralic issue which IIUC involved unencrypted wireless digital transmission.

Indeed.

I don't recall Meridian ever saying this; I think this is purely supposition on our part, but I would agree that new firmware is probably needed.

Bob answered a very precisely worded [by me] question in the CES 2015 Q&A which leads me to believe that we're going to get - at least - the equivalent of 192/24 inputs into the legacy DSPs. Specifically, I asked whether a 2x sample rate ENCODED MQA file would sound better DECODED into legacy speakers than not decoded. He said yes. Given that, apparently, unfolding MQA to 2x sample rates gets you most of the benefits, I have a feeling that decoded MQA at 192k will sound remarkable on my 6ks, for instance.
MHR was developed for a specific commercial goal which was, of course, encryption of the digital output from DVD Audio. However, given Meridian's reluctance to state anything beyond "we will be delivering MQA over MHR", the encryption is a very convenient means of protecting their IP (i.e. how they are squeezing 384k audio - or higher - down a 96/24 pipe).

Thanks for that VK - very helpful.

I am just about starting to understand the MQA distributed s/w and h/w architecture - which is essential for planning and prioritising any upgrades from legacy equipment.

It seems that currently an MQA-enabled end-point directly feeding a stereo DSP pair, bypassing any SSPs such as current and legacy G68/861s, is the way to go. Here's hoping that those theoretical MQA end-points will have SPDIF outputs for pre-SL DSPs.

Here's hoping that those theoretical MQA end-points will have MHR-enabled SPDIF outputs for pre-SL DSPs.

I'm not going to hide the fact that I'm planning to get an 818v3 soon. A couple of years ago I was playing with up-sampling filters and had loads of grand designs... and then Meridian dropped the MQA bombshell; at which point I gave up and conceded that I was going to need a contemporary Meridian source for the first time.

One thing which is bothering me at the moment is the apparent requirement for MQA-aware DACs, which looks to have stopped Auralic and others outputting decoded MQA as PCM. Many of us will have previously envisaged a scenario where Sooloos or Roon would decode MQA to 96/24, which could be fed to, say, a G68 or other legacy kit. So I'm wondering what Meridian will do with legacy DACs (whose characteristics are clearly well defined and understood) to make them "MQA acceptable". What role does the MHR-capable MQA decoder have in this, and does the 818v3 add "extra" MQA value when driving legacy DSPs?

So many questions...

I think it may also be worth offering a reminder about what SE speakers added. First, there are the beryllium tweeters with their extended bandwidth. And secondly, they had their processing power doubled over standard speakers to cope with MQA processing. I realise the question here concerns what benefits non-SL DSPs can extract from MQA. But I assume that only SEs will gain the full advantage from MQA, whatever that may be.

VK,

I think that is the biggest question on everyone's mind. So far, it's not looking great. One wonders what the time frame is for the rest of world. The fact there is no Sooloos end point beyond the 818v3 isn't a path to succes for MQA. Nor is the requirement of M DSP's.
I hope we get clarity sooner than later.

That must be likely - it can't make sense to produce one machine for SL speakers and another for non-SL speakers, and we have been told "that no one will be left behind".

I would have thought that the logical MQA compatible replacement for the MS200/MS600 would be something pitched between the two pricewise which offered the following:

1 SL outputs with the ability to toggle between MHR on and off
2 SPDIF outputs with the ability to toggle between MHR on and off
3 analogue outputs based on a 24/192 DAC with some trickle down from the 818v3
4 DSD capable via conversion to PCM
5 a cheaper case than the MS600 more in the style of the MS200 (but larger)
6 headphone capability

Setup options within config

SE speakers (full DAC management via 2 way comms)
SL speakers (DAC management up to 24/96 via 2 way comms)
Non SL 24 bit speakers (generic Meridian DAC assumed as no 2 way comms)
Non Meridian DAC (decoded MQA with no DAC management)

The last option requires the Auralic Aries issue to be resolved but it would make the MS300 (if I could call it that) much more saleable outside the Meridian ecosphere.

[no inside knowledge]

Apart from new Sooloos kit there also needs to be a new, MQA capable sub. But I don't think there has been even a hint of this from Meridian.