2. tech-talk
  3. 151126-123258

How many of you believe in MQA?

I have recently purchased a Bluesound Node 2i.  The dealer suggested I connect the Bluesound by way of digital coax to a Pro-Ject S2 DAC by way of RCA anologue to my ARCAM AVR550.  However, I found out I will not be able to control my Bluesound with an iPhone, iPad or PC notebook.  The only way to hear MQA completely unfolded is to plug in a computer USB.  This would mean I would have to get up from where I am sitting, go to the computer to change songs and albums.  I believe the Pro-Ject RS2 DAC would work, but not sure what the sales price is or if this is a good option.

The dealer asked me why I wanted to even bother listening to MQA completely unfolded when the DAC sounded better than the DAC inside the Bluesound.  He thinks MQA is way over rated and it may not be around a year from now.  If I hook things up with the Pro-Ject S2 DAC I will be able to hear one unfold which would be at 24 bit/88.2 kHz.  If I do this, I will be giving up the opportunity to hear MQA recordings recorded at 24 bit/96 kHz or 24 bit/192 kHz.  

How many of you are enbracing MQA?  
128x128larry5729
big_greg
6,670 posts
 
Bob, technically, you're correct as both phones and tablets are "computers".  I have the desktop app on my PC also and can control the Bluesound from there, but it isn't required.  I almost always use my phone or tablet.  In fact, I just downloaded the PC app yesterday.

The interface for the Bluesound has to be run on some kind of device. 

Larry was talking about having to physically go to his computer, which you don't have to do with a phone or tablet (or laptop).
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,003 posts
 
Kind of on a side note, in the past when these questions came up there were always fanboys, with lots of canned counter points.

They seem to have vanished. Guess they've given up the fight?

Sorry for the being late to the game.  I'm still a fan of MQA.  I've done a ton of listening and research and still find MQA quite enjoyable.

I dropped Qobuz and kept Tidal...
big_greg
6,670 posts
 
Kind of like the "digital vs. vinyl" discussion in another thread, it doesn't have to be either/or.  I have both Tidal and Qobuz (and Spotify and Pandora too).  From a pure sound quality standpoint, I prefer Qobuz.  I also dislike the idea of having to buy specific hardware to get the "best" quality.  Tidal has a bigger selection and there are some things about its interface I like better than Qobuz, like the "My Mix" selections. 

Both Tidal and Qobuz sound really good even at CD quality and both MQA and Hi Res sound great.  MQA content sounds great even with my non-MQA DACs.  

I doubt that I could tell which was which if you were to blindfold me.

It's a lot like my other hobby - photography.  People get caught up in brand wars, debates about file formats (RAW vs. JPG), and more.  At the end of the day, I don't think there's a photographer out there that could look at an image and say what camera it was made with or if it was processed in RAW or as a JPG.
markalarsen's avatar
markalarsen
660 posts
 
I love MQA
austinbob
235 posts
 
I use Tidal through the Roon interface. My DAC doesn’t do the final unfold but i think it sounds great. Chain is Innuos Zenith III to Lyngdorf 3400 to Vandersteen Treos. I auditioned Qobuz and I liked Tidal better my 2 cents. 
More to discover