This pretty much means we at AURALiC are saying no to MQA. We are no longer interested in their technology. We want to keep everything open but they want to keep it closed. We are not in the same boat. I don’t believe the very High End will benefit from MQA as it only degrades sound quality, not improve it.
We do not use any MQA technology, this is not MQA certificated or MQA licensed. We are up-sampling the file using our algorithm, applying our own in-house developed filter, to optimize sound quality, not just for a particular DAC but all devices.
There is a MQA pass through function which allows you to output an untouched signal to an MQA-certificated DAC. I suggest you compare our decoding and MQA decoding but only after the final firmware release. The current version is only a test version as we are still optimizing its sound quality, especially the resampling plug-in.
Roon Developer and ex-moderator of this Forum I am #25 in the HH1 photo of fame.
The Aries Mini does look like a great option for a Roon endpoint, especially as it allows you to play Soundcloud and other services that are not support in Roon via Airplay etc.
Note: The MQA decoding method integrated by all AURALiC streaming device is solely developed by AURALiC using AURALiC’s proprietary resampling and de-blurring method. This process is not an MQA-created or MQA-licensed process.
From reading about this...and then reading between the lines... and adding in that certain MQA keys will be required to do any Unfolding / Decoding.
I don't believe that the Auralic is actually doing any Decoding or Unfolding of MQA tracks in the way that we think e.g. the Explorer 2 works with MQA material
I believe that what Auralic are doing is what I have highlighted above... i.e. taking the 24/48 MQA Track... Resampling & Upsamling... perhaps applying what they describe as their "proprietary deblurring method"... and then describing all of that as their "MQA Decoding"... which of course is different to the way the Meridian, Mytek, Bluesound and other MQA Decoders work.
Above opinions formed on the basis of reading several very carefully worded interviews and press releases from Auralic... all IMHO, for the moment... time will tell.
EDIT: Above posted before seeing Joel's link to DAR and Auralic's Q&A... all of which seems to confirm what I've written above... i.e. no MQA Unfolding is happening in the way that we've come to understand Unfolding.
Well done Auralic and way to go MQA. This is what happens when you roll out a product at a snails pace, while promoting its virtues and limiting it application and distribution. Now you have gone and forced your initial launch partner, to create their own... You couldn't make this up. The funny part is that Auralic has clearly had access to MQA for some time and can easily benchmark their effort against MQA. So while I am sure people will be quick to dismiss- because they don't get a little blue light- I am excited to hear what Auralic has come up with ..
It finally gets interesting!
Primary: MD600, MS200 (SpeakerLink to AES), Trinnov ST-2, Ayre V6-xe, Salk SS8 3x LRC. Secondary: MC600 (whole house). Zone one: 568.2, G57, MS200, Spatial Hologram M2SE. Zone 2-6 (Awaiting assignment).
And might lead to Meridian, Roon, and others providing room correction/DSP within the boundaries of MQA as suggested long ago in B. Stuart's CA interview diagram.
Roon, Technics SL10 turntable, Meridian 218, Jolida tube DAC, Nuforce STA 200 Amp and passive Swallow Acoustics ALS2 speakers
I think this is logical step for another manufacturer in the circumstances. I have long believed that the main benefit of MQA is already in the undecoded file and that the "unfolding" process is more the icing on the cake in most systems. There is no doubt in my mind that upsampling the undecoded MQA file with the right upsampler gets very very close to the full unfolded version on the DACs I have heard to date.
I have an Auralic Aries bridge and will try to update the firmware to the beta version and will report back on my findings in due course.
Last edited by Altus; 2017-04-1417:55. Reason: Clarification
Streaming: Roon, NUC, QNAP869 NAS 2ch system: dCS Vivaldi, Audionet Stern, Audionet Heisenberg, Magico Q1 Retro system: 101/104/105, Red Rose Spirit
There is no doubt in my mind that upsampling the unfolded MQA file with the right upsampler gets very very close to the full unfolded version on the DACs I have heard to date.
But given Auralic's public statements... What makes you think that the MQA file will be 'Unfolded"?
Im guessing by all this, that the timing hints are simply ignored and all this is is an MQA file being upsampled with some Auralic filter that the user may or may not prefer over an MQA decoder that actually uses these timing hints and uses filtering specific to the DAC - which correct me if Im wrong, Auralic cannot do as (most of) their units do not have a DAC.
Im also guessing that, by the time you get an MQA file properly handled ie the ADC signature is compensated for, that an upsampled file vs a properly unfolded file with DAC correction is, for most people on most systems, going to sound pretty close.
Sounds like, for most, they are going to be able to achieve pretty much all that people will want, except the 'blue' light of authentication, which I suspect, most people won't care about.
Meridian owner since 1992 Prime & PSU, Focal Elear headphones, Roon (ROCK 8Gi5 NUC), Explorer 1 & 2, F80. 200/203, various Sonos (via Roon).
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