Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems DSP3200 DAC & MQA

Hi

I am no expert on MQA, I appreciate I may not have the best system to fully do it justice but I was thinking that the DAC in my 3200’s are not MQA capable but my 218 Streamer is a MQA Full Decoder? So what am I actually getting in terms of the MQA experience?


Regards
Danny

In an analog system your 218 is a decoder and renderer, in a DSP setup with 5200.2, 7200.2 running the latest fw you would have decoding and rendering giving the OF (original format) display on the speakers.

The 3200’s have not had the fw update the 5200.2and 7200.2’s received so I believe they will just get the first decode to either 88.2 or 96k.

Correct.

So that will explain why I am not hearing much of a difference betweeen say upscaled 44.1/16 and MQA😏

If I plug in say a modest headphone amp to my 218, can I get full MQA?

To be honest, I think that a master has to be pretty good to start with for MQA to really shine. And frankly, like most things in life, few are.

Perhaps you're doing your speakers a bit of an 'injustice'?

You could have a look at some of the 2L recording that were first used to promote MQA _ they were based on pretty well mastered original material.

I'd also mention that while you get 'full' MQA at the analogue outputs of the 218, the quality of the downstream components (interconnects, headphone amp and headphones) will start to undo all of the things that the MQA encode did for the original recording.

Brian

Hi Danny

I have the same setup as you. 3200”s and 218 and am able to hear a difference between MQA and non MQA on most albums.

If you have Tidal try this album: Australian Chamber Orchestra - Jonny Greenwood Water Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Night Music (Live)

Listen to the start of track 2 (Allegro) on the MQA version then swap to the start of track 2 on non MQA version. With MQA the instruments are finer and more elastic. You can hear the vibration of the strings and can hear they are playing in a live hall as you sense the faintest echo of instruments With non MQA it sounds like they are playing in a sound proof recording studio. The instruments sound wooden and lifeless.

I’m curious to know what you think... or anyone else for that matter. Especially someone with a pair of SE speakers.

This is a mute argument. You wouldn’t connect a 218 and 3200’s via analogue.

The 218 decodes and renders MQA up to 24/192 - and then passes the signal to 3200’s.

Otherwise, there is no point in the 218 having an integral MQA decoder/renderer.

If you are talking an all-digital connection between 218 and 3200s, the 218 does not render; it only decodes the MQA to 2x rate MQA Core. And that's the best you can get with 3200s.

On my 210, with Roon playing a Tidal FLAC 48kHz 24 bit file at MQA 192kHz - what’s happening there, then?

You'd need to show me the Roon signal path. Sounds like "MQA 192kHz" is Roon authenticating the MQA and the original sample rate of the master.