Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion MQA - Related technology, products and music Multichannel MQA

My thinking are that MQA is a kind of Direct extreme...
If you add any DSP processing then it will change the bit information.
I hope they allow us to use Trifield with MQA sources and still keep the resolution even if its not MQA anymore.

Also hope that will be true for Legacy systems, you should at least be able to extract 24/96 and pass it over MHR to the speakers.

That's already possible. My 818v3 feeds, among other things, my 861v4 and a 5-channel system; MRC is critical, but I do always listen in Direct...

So what you're saying is that if lets say C15 can extract MQA to 24/96 it will pass this on to 861 as a MHR stream?

From what I've understood so far, in a Sooloos system, the MQA-decoded stream has to end up at a Meridian DAC, because this is the only type of DAC that a Meridian MQA decoder can "profile" for.

This means that the digital path must either be MHR-encrypted all the way, or there needs to be a mechanism in the Sooloos streaming protocol which tells the 861 that it cannot output unencrypted digital (because this could then be used with a non-Meridian DAC for which the decoded MQA was not profiled...).

It's possible that the C15 might do a software decode and send the resulting 96/24 or 88/24 decoded MQA to an ID40 or ID41 (with the proviso that the 861 keeps it encrypted). In a legacy system, this is better than un-decoded MQA, but not optimal, because, with the ID40 and ID41 cards limited to 96/24, the (usually 192k-capable) Meridian DACs won't be driven optimally. However, that's exactly what I believe is happening in my situation: my 818v3 decodes the MQA and outputs 2x rate MHR to my 861v4, which can then process it and pass it on to my DSP loudspeakers as 2x rate MHR.

To the best of my knowledge, the C15 will not do MHR over SpeakerLink or coax, nor could the C15 stream to an MS200 or MS600, because neither (again, to the best of my knowledge) can do MHR on the digital output; the digital outputs of the C15 and MSx00 are unencrypted.

Still lots of unknowns; hopefully they will soon become clear.

VK

I thought that the 818v3 would only provide undecoded MQA (upsampled x 2) to your 6ks? You seem to be saying that even with non SE speakers the first degree unfolding is taking place? (the 861 being a neutral intermediate step).

Correct. I was assured by John Buchanan that the 818v3 does the very best it can for all downstream devices. Plus architecturally, I believe that this has to be the case: the MQA decoder is on the digital input card and the 818v3 will produce output for the analogue, coax, and SpeakerLink outputs simultaneously. I cannot see that it's potentially "triple processing" for different capabilities on different outputs!

Important edit: I believe that the 818v3 *is* triple processing at the output stage, but not at the input stage! In other words, the 818v3 gets the very best it possibly can from the input, then does what it can on the outputs.

The new 2L Trondheimsolistene REFLECTIONS album was recorded in discrete 12.1 ch DXD. Would be awesome to hear in Multichannel MQA on the next 861v9!

Hi,

In the May 2017 issue of Stereophile, Kal (in his "Music in the Round" item) has a play with multi channel MQA playback.

Brian

In a letter from Bob Stuart commenting on multichannel MQA, there is this unequivocal statement about our near future:Very promising and it sets expectations for Meridian, both two and multi channel.

Interesting, thanks!

Both Kal having a play with MCH MQA and the DSP part of an A/V processor/DSP loudspeaker.

Where was this 'letter' from Bob, Jim?

Hi,

Letter from Bob was in the 'Manufacturers (feedback) Comments' in the same issue.

Brian