Originally Posted by Parky43007
... if the core will be able to decode MQA why would a hardware upgrade be necessary i.e 818v3, 808v6, 861v9?
A bit of a guess -

The new file format needs to be recognised by the Core and then sent to the endpoints (a software update). At some point this is going to be converted from digital to analogue. The new formats may need more powerful hardware to complete the conversion (a hardware update).

Cheers
Tom

Main: G61SL, 218, HD621, 2*7200SE, 7200HCSE, M6s, DSW, Apple TV 4K, NUC (Roon server)
Secondary: Wiim Pro, 3200, Audio Core 200
F80