I don't want to join either side of the MQA argument yet, as I haven't had enough exposure to it, especially as I've had none in my reference system (Avalon Eidolon, Spectral DMA 250, Bel Canto DAC3.5VB MK II, Bel Canto REFStream, Bel Canto Phono 3, Thorens TD 2015, SME 309, Ortofon MM Bronze [soon to be replaced by Lyra Kleos], Niagara 5000, mostly MIT cables w/some Audioquest & Straight Wire).
Larry5729As you can see from my system above, I highly recommend Bel Canto. While I haven't heard the e.One Stream, based on past experience with many Bel Canto products, I have found them to be very detailed
as well as
highly musical
and emotionally communicative. The e.One stream should also sound that way, but you should of course try it out in your system to make sure it is your cup of tea.
Regarding MQA, I will tell you my 2 experiences. At RMAF 2018, I compared in the Bel Canto room the MQA version vs. the non-MQA file of a track from Steel Dan's Gaucho album. The MQA file sounded different, but not better. At RMAF 2019, I went to the MQA demo in the B&W/Simaudio room. I had visited the room the day before and only spent 5 minutes there because the system did not impress me, despite the top of the line equipment. I asked Ken Forsythe of MQA if he could compare an MQA and non-MQA file for me. He gave what I thought was a valid answer: He couldn't do this because he could not guarantee that the non-MQA file came from the same master as the MQA file. This makes sense. For example a recording whose source was a 1st generation analog tape would sound different from one whose source was an nth generation copy of a digital safety recording from the same recording session. MQA has their recording company partners (or the artist, recording engineer or producer of the recording) certify that their file comes from the earliest generation master in existence and that if there were time domain & other errors in the equipment that made the recording, that these errors have been corrected in the MQA process (what MQA calls de-blurring is part of this process).
He then put on a Sinatra plus big band (don't remember the track or album) track from a 1st generation analog master. It was a revelatory experience, a real epiphany for me. The sound system completely disappeared and there was just very live sounding music playing before me. He then played a track from the Ella & Louis album: same result. I own this album in a superb Analogue Productions 45 RPM 2-LP set and the MQA file was at least the equal of it, as I have heard on my equipment. What was most extraordinary is that this was happening on a system that I didn't much care for the day before. Will all MQA files sound this good? While it doesn't seem likely, I won't know without trying many of them in my own system.
I haven't made up my mind about buying a DAC that can fully unfold MQA because as others have said here, the DAC whose sound you love best in your system may not have MQA capability. I am leaning towards the Ayon CD 35 (CD/SACD player/DAC/preamp/server & streamer in one box), which doesn't have MQA, because it was part of the Ayon/Lumenwhite room at RMAF 2017 & 2018 that I though had the best sound of the entire show. The sound in that room was also revelatory for me and in all the tracks played, including the 16/44 FLAC file of the same Ella & Louis album. So as many have said above, there is more than one way to get your musical thrills.
