Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion MQA - Related technology, products and music MQA listening impressions (with a MQA decoder)

Not much in the way of descriptive prose here, but TONEaudio posted this photo and caption on Facebook. Listening to the Rolling Stones in MQA rendered on DSPs.

I have had an updated 818v3 for around three months, and now have the MQA firmware update. I had the chance this weekend to play MQA titles and thought I would share my experiences.

I loaded two 2L MQA titles, Spes and Divertimenti, into my one terabyte MC200. The MC200 is connected via Ethernet to the ID41 card in my 818v3. I have listened to all my music for over ten years in 7.1 Trifield. Therefore I have an 861v8. I use the analog outputs of the 861v8 to feed all the speakers. I connect the 818v3 to the 861v8 by using SpeakerLink out. At the same time, I used the unbalanced analog outputs of the 818 to connect to the OA04 card of the 861.

Both of the 2L recordings I listened to were mastered as DXD 352. The 818v3 display showed MQA 352 for both. When playing back the 2L recordings, I first listened to the recordings via SpeakerLink. My 861 display showed these recordings as MHR 88k. I also setup an MQA source for the 861 from the analog output of the 818. The 861 re-digitized this and the display showed PCM 96k. Setup note: when playing the analog stream into the 861, you need to turn off up-sampling in the 861 by toggling the HS output to no. The sound is noticeably better that way.

It was simple to change inputs between the same recording using SpeakerLink and analog outputs into my 861. I first listened to the recordings via SpeakerLink to get a reference. The sound quality was equivalent to my really good 24/96 recordings. With the 818v3, this is quite good sound indeed.

Switching to analog output from the 818, everything was immediately better. A soundstage that was even more obvious in its dimensions. All instruments and voices were more clearly heard and existed in their location more obviously. A transparency to source that makes the performance much more in the room with you. De-blurring does indeed describe all this. Most exciting was the heightened emotional involvement in the performance. It really grabs you. Going back to the recording played via SpeakerLink makes you realize just how obvious this is.

To hear this level of improvement from MQA in a re-digitized, 24/96 analog feed into an 861 that is not yet MQA updated was really surprising to me. Just imagine the full monty.

In the meantime, I can wait comfortably listening to what I hear now. What a future ahead!

Thanks for posting.

If possible could you try by passing the 861 and just have the 818 feeding your main front stereo pair.

Regards,
Carl

Thanks Mw,
As a fellow Trifield 7.0 user this is very interesting.
If you play regular redbook or 24/96. Is the analog still better than SL to 861v8 from a 818v3?

I'm just trying to wrap my head around this.

BTW interesting note about HS=Y interfering with analog input which should go in as 24/96 straight. Meridian would be interested in this I wager..

Just posted on Audiostream - 2L MQA Comparisons: Supplementary Listeners’ Notes For The 2L Test Bench: 2L MQA Notes

I listened to all of the 2L free downloads, via Roon, my Explorer², and Etymotic ER•4PT IEMs. Blue light on for everything.

My initial reaction: totally underwhelmed. I commented to another HH: "Listening to 'Ubi Caritas' by Ola Gjeilo. MQA unfolds to 88k. Sounds no better than CD."

This started me thinking about what might be wrong.

• Was it the Explorer²? No, because I'd heard it sounding great at the MQA launch.
• Was it that the 2L recordings simply weren't in the class of the recordings I'd heard in the Meridian R&D listening room, or at Meridian Oxford? No, because the Carl Nielsen freebie sounded very nice via Explorer² and my high-end Stax at home.
• Was it my Etymotics? I'd always felt that they were very good, but doubts were creeping in...

Then I decided to up the volume, and it was a *revelation*. To put this into context, I've been listening at work and I tend not to listen particularly loudly anyway. But in upping the volume, everything came to life - all that MQA realism appeared - and the timbral clarity, accuracy, and richness I'd expected were all there. The dynamics are also superb!

I wonder if, psycho-acoustically, if something is too quiet, your brain recognizes that something is not right. In other words, the impact of everything is reduced; if you are hearing a piano, it needs to be “piano loud” [or should that be piano forte ].

As a footnote, the 'Ubi Caritas', at higher volume, sounds very high res indeed…

Final comment: normally, I would find listening at higher volumes with headphones "uncomfortable", but not with these MQA tracks.

Interesting. A similar experience.
I have been using a Geek Pulse DAC/headphone amp, but since it doesn't do MQA I plugged my Bryston analog headphone amp into the 818, and WOW the Bryston is much much better. But this was a level difference, too. Cranked up the Pulse and it was great too.

Unfortunately, my really long interconnects only just reach the 861, not the 818. I also cannot logistically move the two units between each other. I will just need to wait for the full monty.

Always nice to hear from a fellow Trifield listener, especially 7.0!

I spent the last weekend listening to MQA and comparing it extensively. I will spend some time this weekend seeing what I think of analog out vs SpeakerLink on CD and 24/96 recordings.

I would not have expected upsampling to help in this situation. Toggling high speed on and off is a easy comparison to make for anyone else out there auditioning MQA on Meridian gear.

I am also a fan of the analog input on the 861v8 but I have not tried HS=N. Another fun experiment to come.

mw, can I ask what your speaker setup is?

All speakers are Goldmund, save for the center which is a Wilson and the subwoofers which are Paradigm.

Hi MW

It's probably worth remembering that turning HS to Off does NOT turn off Upsampling / Apodizing in the 861.

All Streams are ALWAYS processed within the 861's DSP Engine at 2x rates [88 or 96k]

The HS option simply allows the User to DownSample the Stream AT OUTPUT to 1x rate, so that it can be used with devices that cannot accept 2x rate material.

Also, the HS option / setting ONLY applies to the Digital out... the Analog out are ALWAYS fed with the Upsampled / Apodzied 2x Rate material, irrespective of the position of the HS option.