If loving MQA is wrong... I don't want to be right (Roon 1.5 + BDP)

Krutsch · « **on:** 11 May 2018, 09:40 pm »

All I can say is this: yes, I know mastering is what really matters, but I can't stop listening to MQA tracks from Tidal, via Roon into my BDP-1.

Roon 1.5 now "unfolds" to 88.2/96 24-bit (sort of... it's really less bits, butI choose not to care).

If you haven't tried Tidal with your BDP, this is a great time. Let me recommend an album: Gillian Welch's re-issue of sorts for Revival, called "Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg".

Roon unfolds this from Tidal to 88.2/24, sends it to the BDP-1 and I am using USB out to my Bel Canto DAC (and then into a Woo Audio headphone amp).

BDP Roon Ready playback has been rock solid for me - there is a thread on the Roon Community from someone with a BDP-2 that is having issues with playback stopping, but I suspect that person may be having network issues.

After many years of tinkering, trial and error, I am *finally* finished looking for my perfect digital playback chain:

MacBook (iTunes AIFF library + Roon) → Ethernet → Bryston BDP-1 → Curious USB → Bel Canto REFLink + DAC 2.5

TJ-Sully · « **Reply #1 on:** 11 May 2018, 10:03 pm »

hey krutsch

i couldn't agree more.

My setup is similar - Roon>Tidal>Ethernet>BDP1>BDA2>BP20>4BSST2.
I've had no issues at all. This chain has been rock solid ever since Chris and the Bryston boys
made the deal with Roon a few years ago now.

I haven't been paying too much attention to MQA, other than reading all the drama about whether it's lossy or not.

thanks for the tip on Gillian's bootleg. I'm a big fan of Gillian and David Rawlings - and will check out the Boots tonight. looking forward to it!

Cheers
TJ

Mag · « **Reply #2 on:** 11 May 2018, 11:11 pm »

Quote from: Krutsch on 11 May 2018, 09:40 pm

After many years of tinkering, trial and error, I am *finally* finished looking for my perfect digital playback chain:

Nah! You're not done, you haven't heard my remasters played through the BCD-3. IMO it bettered a more expensive stereo. Of coarse that's with my ears, YMMV.

RandyH · « **Reply #3 on:** 11 May 2018, 11:19 pm »

Enjoying MQA here also. This technology sure pushes a lot of people's hot buttons though. Most of the arguments center around what it is rather than what it sounds like. To my ears some MQA files sound better than others so it is no guarantee of superior sound quality but when it is done right (or the mastering is done right) it can sound quite good.

Anonamemouse · « **Reply #4 on:** 12 May 2018, 06:41 am »

And this is posted here... Why?
James made it quite clear the Most Questionable Audioformat is not going to happen at Bryston. Thank your preferred deity for that. Stop being a witchdoctor.

Krutsch · « **Reply #5 on:** 13 May 2018, 02:54 am »

Quote from: Mag on 11 May 2018, 11:11 pm

Nah! You're not done, you haven't heard my remasters played through the BCD-3. IMO it bettered a more expensive stereo. Of coarse that's with my ears, YMMV.

Ha! Well, of course I'm never *done*. The next upgrade step for me is to replace the Bel Canto with a BDA-3 ... if I can ever be finished pouring money into my house.

gbaby · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 May 2018, 06:56 pm »

Quote from: Anonamemouse on 12 May 2018, 06:41 am

And this is posted here... Why?
James made it quite clear the Most Questionable Audioformat is not going to happen at Bryston. Thank your preferred deity for that. Stop being a witchdoctor.

No sense being sarcastic just because of a person has a different audio philosophy than yours.

Hoiman · « **Reply #7 on:** 16 May 2018, 06:12 am »

Quote

No sense being sarcastic just because of a person has a different audio philosophy than yours.

uhhh "yours"?? It's also Bryston philosophy, so "why" here is a question you can except.
I had the same question, maybe he is "the" witchdoctor?

Norton · « **Reply #8 on:** 16 May 2018, 06:19 am »

Quote from: Krutsch on 11 May 2018, 09:40 pm

After many years of tinkering, trial and error, I am *finally* finished looking for my perfect digital playback chain

Pretty much my thoughts too. I’ve been enjoying MQA for some time (guided by my ears rather than forum opinion) but only moved to Roon since 1,5. Very impressed with the Roon/BDP combination - just works, 100% stable and the best sounding digital replay I’ve had in 20 years of tinkering. It’s great that an 8 year old + design can be repurposed so successfully

Anonamemouse · « **Reply #9 on:** 16 May 2018, 01:28 pm »

Quote from: Hoiman on 16 May 2018, 06:12 am

uhhh "yours"?? It's also Bryston philosophy, so "why" here is a question you can except.
I had the same question, maybe he is "the" witchdoctor?

Witchdoctor == Krutsch.
Same use of language, same braindead extremist defense of MQA, same IP.

gdayton · « **Reply #10 on:** 16 May 2018, 02:48 pm »

ya know, all this MQA stuff aside. Gillian Welch is truly a master of craft. She can do no wrong.

RDavidson · « **Reply #11 on:** 16 May 2018, 03:07 pm »

I have no horse directly in the race, but if MQA moves us further away from MP3's (in the right direction), I think that's a good thing. The only problem I have with it is the licensing and $ involved. I'm not sure this aspect is serving the audiophile community (nor the small companies that exist because of the audiophile community). Then again, if Meridian didn't come up with it, someone else would've...so...

DavidS · « **Reply #12 on:** 16 May 2018, 03:09 pm »

not a Bryston guy at all so apologies if I shouldn't be posting here - but checked your thread out and big Gillian fan and had no idea this semi-boot was on Tidal. Nice have it and streaming at 88.2/24 here this morning - great stuff with my morning flat white.

TJ-Sully · « **Reply #13 on:** 16 May 2018, 10:39 pm »

same here. thanks for the tip on Gillian, Krutsch. And i think it's absolutely fine to embrace MQA if you fancy it. Just because someone at Bryston doesn't like it - doesn't mean you can't. Light 'er up!

TJ

skunark · « **Reply #14 on:** 17 May 2018, 04:39 am »

Is Tidal the only MQA game in town? If the reports in the news today (5/16) are true, Tidal will either need some more capital investors, raise rates or fold if it can't sell to another bidder. Maybe we have another betamax war, sure it might be better than VHS, but only the minority will pay more. MP3s, HDCD, SACD, divx, dvd-a, hd-dvd, minidisc, Thunderbolt, RDRAM all have a lot in common with MQA when it comes to licensing costs, either they are overlooked, become free or something faster and with higher bit rate will replace it. The one big problem that MQA has against it is the bit rate... oh i guess there's two, lack of support for existing devices without quality loss... maybe three, key manufactures are against it....i can careless about audioquest. oh maybe four, the MQA library on Tidal is worthless for any rock from the last two decades. The only sustaining force seems to be stereophile and i'm not even sure why they care so much.

RandyH · « **Reply #15 on:** 17 May 2018, 01:17 pm »

The term "MQA" is the equivalent in the audio community to "Niagara Falls" in the classic comedy sketch by Abbot and Costello and Three Stooges. Just mention it in a thread and then "Slowly I turned..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYP1OBZfFK0

I'm neither a proponent nor opponent of MQA but I do enjoy watching the eyes turn red when it is mentioned on this forum....Slowly I turned.

BTW, enjoying the Gillian Welch album here also...listening to the M*A version.

witchdoctor · « **Reply #16 on:** 17 May 2018, 04:56 pm »

Quote from: Hoiman on 16 May 2018, 06:12 am

uhhh "yours"?? It's also Bryston philosophy, so "why" here is a question you can except.
I had the same question, maybe he is "the" witchdoctor?

Yes, I know there are many who wanna be, but there is only one witchdoctor !

MQA rules, don't listen to the haters

Krutsch · « **Reply #17 on:** 17 May 2018, 09:21 pm »

Quote from: Anonamemouse on 16 May 2018, 01:28 pm

Witchdoctor == Krutsch.
Same use of language, same braindead extremist defense of MQA, same IP.

What are you talking about? I haven't really participated in the MQA thread, that I can recall.

I was just making a comment that with the latest version Roon, you can try out MQA on your BDP with NOTHING required from Bryston, via software unfold.

RandyH · « **Reply #18 on:** 17 May 2018, 11:26 pm »

"Slowly he turned..."

James Tanner · « **Reply #19 on:** 30 May 2018, 04:23 pm »

https://audiophilereview.com/cd-dac-digital/mqa-the-facts-versus-the-fiction.html