Originally Posted by Altus
Originally Posted by OldDogCan
The TIDAL app decode sounds flattened and cluttered by comparison.
There are too many components and digital conversions going on in those two chains to draw any meaningful conclusions about the efficacy of the TIDAL decoding. Is it not possible, for example, that the Explorer 2 DAC is simply better than the Musical Fidelity DAC? Why not make the direct comparison between the Explorer 2 DAC with TIDAL decoding against internal MQA decoding within the DAC?
Altus - Agree that this is not apples-to-apples, but how can I use the same chain of TIDAL > Explorer² while switching the Meridian DAC on and off? It seems to be always enabled whether Passthrough is selected or not.

In the meantime, it sounds good. Of course I would prefer to keep everything in the digital domain with a new hardware decoder that could sit between the TIDAL app and my C61R's "all MHR" coax inputs. And I'd set this device for optimum performance using my "smiley" speakers!

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