Tidal - offering MQA

ahendler,
I think you are correct, that you need an MQA-compatible DAC to decode the MQA streaming from Tidal and enjoy the benefits of MQA.
I believe that a non-MQA-compatible DAC will decode the stream, as they are PCM (I think Tidal uses the FLAC file format), but that you won't enjoy the benefits of MQA, as a standard DAC would not do the "origami unfolding" to bring out the higher res content in the stream.

Grannyring,
I just fired up my Windows10Pro machine and see that you can access the Master recordings only on the installed Tidal app.  From what I've read, it's currently only available that way.  I presume they will be getting to that content via a browser in the near future.  Being an IT guy, I suspect that Roon makes the sort of calls to Tidal that would be required of the browser version of the Tidal app, so I'd be patient.
In the mean time you can access this content if you download and install the desktop app.
I called my local dealer and will be snagging an Explorer2 DAC, just to see what MQA has to offer, I figure $199 + the cost of the necessary cables is a small price to pay to see if all the buzz about MQA is worth it.  I am very happy with my PS Audio DirectStream DAC, which now doesn't decode MQA.  Not sure I'd ditch that excellent piece of equipment.

I was "introduced" to MQA by the May/June 2016 issue of The Absolute Sound (TAS 263) and it really peaked my interest...so I browsed the web and read everything I could on the format, very interesting approach to digital audio. I was somewhat concerned that it might go the way of SACD/DSD or some of the other hi-res formats, which never gained wide acceptance in the marketplace. When I read that Warner & Tidal had signed up to create/distribute MQA content, I was really excited, but not excited enough to ditch my really excellent DAC.

MQA is delivered in a FLAC (PCM) "wrapper". The source files of the music we’ve enjoyed in the past are remastered, with MQA being applied in the process. The MQA digital files contain the standard 48kHz/16bit FLAC format (so your non-MQA-compatible DAC can decode that portion of the digital content), and it also has content above 48kHz and "folds" it under the noise floor of the file that most any DAC can decode, as much of the music only uses about 10 bits of the 16-24 bits in the file format. If you have a non-MQA-compatible DAC, it will play that standard FLAC format, but not be able to decode the content "folded" under the noise floor, so you should be able to listen to an MQA file, but would not enjoy the additional benefits MQA offers (higher sample rate and reduction in digital "blur").

I spent a little time last night doing some comparisons on Tidal, the regular FLAC files vs. one’s on the "master" list, using my non-MQA-compatible DAC, and I don’t think I heard a difference, except that the volume level of the MQA files seemed to be a little lower and I’m not sure, but I also thought the extreme highs were not as bright with the MQA version (but that may actually have been the volume difference).

Just for grins I ordered a Meridian Explorer2 DAC (only $199 on Amazon), when it arrives (tomorrow), I hope to hear what all the excitement is with MQA!

I’ll post an update!

BTW, there are a few Youtubes on MQA:

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5o6XHVK2HA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLq4LpdzWsI

and excellent video from the creator of MQA, on the "origami" process:

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

My "very preliminary" review of MQA:

I read that Tidal was streaming MQA last week. I have a PS Audio DirectStream DAC (with "Torrey’s", the latest firmware), which does not decode MQA. Since MQA is delivered in a "FLAC wrapper", the last few days I played some MQA cuts using the DirectStream DAC and they sounded OK, but "muted". Streaming non-MQA, playing CDs and playback of my AIFF files (all 44.1/16 files) thru the DirectStream definitely sounded better than MQA, using this DAC.

So, just for grins I ordered a Meridian Explorer2 DAC ($199 on Amazon), it arrived yesterday, got it installed last night and spent a few hours getting used to it, streaming MQA. Though I was really skeptical about all the wild claims, I must say MQA seems to have more/better bass, the highs seem to have more timbre and voices just sound smooth and "analog" to me, and it seems to offer better dynamics; I can’t explain it well, but the overall sound of MQA to me sounds more "natural". This was somewhat true of content remastered from the originals in the 1970’s & 80’s, but much more so with more recently-created music.

Am I itching to run out and get an MQA-capable DAC?  No I wouldn’t say that, but I suspect, if MQA gets enough market penetration that more and more DAC manufacturers will offer those sorts of DACs, hopefully PS Audio would be among that group. Only time will tell, how the market responds.

dbtom2,
Maybe you and I should run out and get a bunch of tatoos, pierce those ears and then do another listening test!

Interesting article on MQA: http://www.audiostream.com/content/mqa-decoding-explained#8MqB6FGmyeiCt5Uq.97

I wonder if too few DAC manufacturers go with MQA in their hardware, whether the MQA company will promote "unfolding and deblurring" in software.
One posting I found somewhere on the web said that, if that were done in the software that, the software could offer a selection of commonly-available DACs to chose from and that somehow it could optimize the output to the DAC to that particular model.
I'm not an engineer, to those who know more about it, does that sound like it could do the "deblurring"?  I thought that was "hardware specific"?

Thank you Erik, great postings here, thanks for all the great technical info you present in a meaningful and understandable way!

When you say:
"The one limitation is that the de-blurring relies on minimum phase filtering. It won't work correctly otherwise, and there's no way to guarantee the filter setting is correct from a browser."

Some people have posted that Tidal or Roon could add the MQA decoding and that it might account for the de-blurring by having some sort of adjustment for the popular DACs built into their software decoder (I guess selectable in some sort of "drop down" on their software tool), which somehow would account for the differences in the DAC.

It doesn't sound like that would actually work, sounds like the DAC needs to have its filters set in a certain way, to get the most from MQA?