No, an 818v3 and DSPxx00SE will give full MQA (as long as the speakerlink connection is used) because the speaker has internal MQA-capable DACs which perform the final MQA rendering.
DSP5200SE are full digital, they don't have a DAC but a renderer for MQA. So it seems we get a full digital MQA decoding, in contrast with the need to have a DAC into the decoding process. You can read this into firmware release note:
@Gaf As far as I understand it, the MQA DAC is in the 218.
I don't know if your processor has DSP / Room-correction, but if it doesn't, then (as far as I know) the 218 could make your Auralic entirely redundant, although I might be wrong.
You'd run Roon from a Core & Remotes, connect the core to your home LAN, connect the 218 to your home LAN, tell Roon that the 218 was your Roon endpoint (or one of your many endpoints) and hopefully - with a software update - control the volume & switching through (Roon or) your processor. You connect your speakerlink (output) from your processor to the 218 input, and the output from the 218 into your DSPs.
Does that make sense ? It's the same as I'm going to do for my 861v8 processor - the 218 seems the simplest way to get full-fat MQA into my DSPs....
It makes sense and I think we can use the same connection with the 818v3. I don't know if it works well with 2 channel and multichannel material. I will take one 218 when available to do some test.
When it comes to how MQA MAY [and I will again emphasize MAY] be fully decoded within a full Meridian DSP system... I think it can be instructional to look at what the Explorer 2 does when used with the Tidal app.
If you use the Tidal app with Exclusive mode on... but Pass Thru MQA off... then the Tidal app will perform the 1st stage decoding out to a max of 24/96.
That 24/96 stream is then passed to the Explorer... which in that scenario becomes what MQA call a "Renderer".
The Explorer then performs the 2nd stage unfolding... resulting in up to a 24/192 file being fully decoded.
I think it's possible that the same logic may be followed by a full DSP system... with e.g. the 818v3 doing the 1st stage MQA decoding / unfolding up to 24/96... with that 24/96 stream being passed to the DSP SE speakers to perform the 2nd and 3rd stage unfolding up to 24/352, for the files which offer 8x rates.
It's probably no coincidence that the stream from the 818 to the DSP SE's is STILL the 24/96 stream preferred for many years by Meridian, thus simplifying the whole Player to DSP cabling etc.
We all know how long we've been waiting for the promised 24/192 upgrade from Meridian [never mind a 24/352 one]... so this method of dealing with MQA streaming allows Meridian to use existing Speakerlink cabling... and any requirement for new cabling or connections to deal with a 24/192/352 stream from the 818 to the DSP SE's is avoided.
Please remember that everything written above is my opinion only... with no insider information... and Meridian may well be doing this in an entirely different manner
That's the way I understand it as well Ronnie but my 818 will display everything from 44k to 352k when processing MQA. Does that mean it's decoding to that level? Obviously my legacy DSPs can't handle anything above 96/24 so is the 818 then downsampling too? I was told by Meridian that the SE speakers display what they are receiving before they process/render.
Ken
Main: G68J, 5K2s, 5Ks, HSU subs, Pio 151FD, Dish VP722, Roku, Wadia I70, Anti Mode Dual Core, Oppo 103D Vanity Lite Office: SBT, Berkeley Alpha DAC 2/MQA, Magico S3 Mk II, Boulder 2060, Lumin U1 Mini streamer, Roon.
Tidal doing MQA over USB into an 818v2 into non-MQA DSPs vs. Tidal into 818v3 doing MQA into non-MQA DSPs. No DAC-related rendering is possible in either scenario.
Can MQA and Meridian really claim that the software MQA decoder in Tidal really betters the hardware MQA decoder in the 818v3 (and 218) when the output from both is 24/96, i.e. before the post-rendering stage?
In the spirit of Spinaltap, I would like to confirm that I am not involved in the corrupt theft of a global sport.
I was told by Meridian that the SE speakers display what they are receiving before they process/render.
Hi Ken That has been the case since I first started using Meridian kit more than 20 years ago... it always displayed the incoming stream.
However, 2 things make me wonder:
1) In my Tidal to Explorer scenario above [with MQA Pass thru OFF]... the Explorer displays One Blue light and up to TWO white lights... even though we know it's only receiving a 24/96 PCM stream... which should mean that the Explorer should only display two white lights.
2) And in the case DSP SE displaying 352k MQA from the 2L content, then I recall Meridian's YEARS long argument that anything above 24/96 content would require new cabling and connections, i.e for 24/192... so one can only imagine what one would require for 24/352 PCM content.
Of course, Meridian could be fully decoding to 24/352 PCM within the 818... but then compressing that using MLP... and sending that 24/352 data via MLP over MHR to the DSP SE's.
But IMHO, it may well be simpler... and more in line with how other manufacturers appear to be dealing with MQA... that the 818 does the 1st stage up to 24/96... with the DSP SE's handling the 2nd and 3rd stages.
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