AudioQuest adds MQA Support to Dragonflies via firmware

[rickca]

7 minutes ago, tomster said:

 But it still says "No MQA device detected". 

I suppose it's because Audioquest has yet to deliver firmware that enables MQA renderer on the Dragonfly. 

[tomster]

Thanks ShawnC and Rickca.  I misunderstood and thought the DF rendering was already working.

[stuck limo]

Still waiting no update.

[Hank Denters]

My guess is that Audioquest are waiting for TIDAL to enable MQA Master Quality on mobile devices. This service untill now is reserved for its desktop application.

[DarwinOSX]

1 hour ago, Hank Denters said:

My guess is that Audioquest are waiting for TIDAL to enable MQA Master Quality on mobile devices. This service untill now is reserved for its desktop application.

 

Why would that be necessary?

The Meridian Explorer 2 works fine on its own although it is a more powerful device and bigger.

The Dragonfly is also used for laptops etc.

[GUTB]

47 minutes ago, DarwinOSX said:

 

Why would that be necessary?

The Meridian Explorer 2 works fine on its own although it is a more powerful device and bigger.

The Dragonfly is also used for laptops etc.

 

I believe it's because the Explorer 2 either has a decoder chip built into it, or it's controller is powerful enough to run the software decoder without the need of the application to unfold it first. The Red has a very low-power, low-performance controller that will need to work with the software to unfold the stream first. The Red does NOT have the space for the decoder chip.

 

But, also, I don't believe the Explorer 2 can be used with a mobile? I know for sure it won't work with iPhones/iPads (I tried it).

[jhwalker]

2 minutes ago, GUTB said:

 

I believe it's because the Explorer 2 either has a decoder chip built into it, or it's controller is powerful enough to run the software decoder without the need of the application to unfold it first. The Red has a very low-power, low-performance controller that will need to work with the software to unfold the stream first. The Red does NOT have the space for the decoder chip.

 

But, also, I don't believe the Explorer 2 can be used with a mobile? I know for sure it won't work with iPhones/iPads (I tried it).

 

The Explorer will work with mobile devices *if* you use the Apple USB3 camera connection device *and* you have the Lightning connection plugged in providing power.  Chris posted an article about this sometime back, and I use it this way both at home and on flights long enough to need a little audio distraction.

[GUTB]

1 minute ago, jhwalker said:

 

The Explorer will work with mobile devices *if* you use the Apple USB3 camera connection device *and* you have the Lightning connection plugged in providing power.  Chris posted an article about this sometime back, and I use it this way both at home and on flights long enough to need a little audio distraction.

 

Are you sure? I tried exactly that configuration, and it won't work. I may have gotten it to partially work once I think but never properly. As I recall, if you plug in power it detected the Explorer, but still said there was insufficient power. Or it would not say anything at all, nor detect the device.  I used with with an iPad Pro if that makes any difference.

[DarwinOSX]

2 hours ago, GUTB said:

I believe it's because the Explorer 2 either has a decoder chip built into it, or it's controller is powerful enough to run the software decoder without the need of the application to unfold it first. The Red has a very low-power, low-performance controller that will need to work with the software to unfold the stream first. The Red does NOT have the space for the decoder chip.

But, also, I don't believe the Explorer 2 can be used with a mobile? I know for sure it won't work with iPhones/iPads (I tried it).

I don't think anything has a special MQA decoder chip even the Meridian 2 but that they work with whatever processing power and software they have.

I've read various things about how much of an unfold the Red will do.  Some say the full unfold, others not, but maybe someone here knows for sure.  Or we won't know for sure until Audioquest releases it.  It does seem like they jumped the gun on pre-announcing it.

Plenty of people use the black and the red for laptops too so not sure mobile is a limiting factor.

 

[jhwalker]

3 hours ago, GUTB said:

 

Are you sure? I tried exactly that configuration, and it won't work. I may have gotten it to partially work once I think but never properly. As I recall, if you plug in power it detected the Explorer, but still said there was insufficient power. Or it would not say anything at all, nor detect the device.  I used with with an iPad Pro if that makes any difference.

 

Yes, I'm sure - I use it every day, with both my iPhone 7 Plus and my iPad Pro.

 

If you haven't tried it in an while, you might try again - I seem to recall being prompted for an iOS software update the first time I plugged it in, and it's worked ever since.

[jhwalker]

45 minutes ago, DarwinOSX said:

I don't think anything has a special MQA decoder chip even the Meridian 2 but that they work with whatever processing power and software they have.

I've read various things about how much of an unfold the Red will do.  Some say the full unfold, others not, but maybe someone here knows for sure.  Or we won't know for sure until Audioquest releases it.  It does seem like they jumped the gun on pre-announcing it.

Plenty of people use the black and the red for laptops too so not sure mobile is a limiting factor.

 

 

Audioquest have stated that the Dragonflies will be "MQA renderers", which means they require an external software / player (like the Tidal desktop software or - soon, please - Roon) to perform the first "unfold", after which they will perform the internal DAC "fine tuning".  That is, unless there is an external MQA player / decoder, the Dragonflies will not be MQA capable at all - unlike the Meridian Explorer, which will do all the necessary processing with or without an external player.

[DarwinOSX]

4 minutes ago, jhwalker said:

 

Yes, I'm sure - I use it every day, with both my iPhone 7 Plus and my iPad Pro.

 

If you haven't tried it in an while, you might try again - I seem to recall being prompted for an iOS software update the first time I plugged it in, and it's worked ever since.

 

I didn't know the Meridian Explorer 2 could connect to an iPhone or iPad.  I'll have to try that.  But the mobile app won't pass through MQA to it from an iPhone or iPad right?  When I use it with the desktop app I tell it to use the Explorer exclusively but since the mobile app doesn't do MQA at all yet I assume i can't get MQA out of it to the Meridian.?

 

[DarwinOSX]

3 minutes ago, jhwalker said:

 

Audioquest have stated that the Dragonflies will be "MQA renderers", which means they require an external software / player (like the Tidal desktop software or - soon, please - Roon) to perform the first "unfold", after which they will perform the internal DAC "fine tuning".  That is, unless there is an external MQA player / decoder, the Dragonflies will not be MQA capable at all - unlike the Meridian Explorer, which will do all the necessary processing with or without an external player.

 

This tells me to get another Meridian 2 instead of a Dragonfly Red then.  I want one for work and one for home.

[new_media]

1 hour ago, DarwinOSX said:

 

This tells me to get another Meridian 2 instead of a Dragonfly Red then.  I want one for work and one for home.

Audio Advisor is having a clearance sale on them right now.

 

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MEEXPLO2

[new_media]

1 hour ago, jhwalker said:

 

Yes, I'm sure - I use it every day, with both my iPhone 7 Plus and my iPad Pro.

 

If you haven't tried it in an while, you might try again - I seem to recall being prompted for an iOS software update the first time I plugged it in, and it's worked ever since.

I am not able to get this to work. Just tried with both iPhone 7 and iPad Pro, both with newly upgraded iOS. I get the "insufficient power" message whenever I connect the ME2, even using the USB Camera Adapter attached to an external power supply.

 

Edit: Correction, I am able to get it to work with an external power source, but as soon as I unplug, the ME2 disconnects. Not a great portable solution.

[jhwalker]

16 minutes ago, new_media said:

I am not able to get this to work. Just tried with both iPhone 7 and iPad Pro, both with newly upgraded iOS. I get the "insufficient power" message whenever I connect the ME2, even using the USB Camera Adapter attached to an external power supply.

 

Edit: Correction, I am able to get it to work with an external power source, but as soon as I unplug, the ME2 disconnects. Not a great portable solution.

 

Right, you *must* have power.  

 

Works great on an airplane (for instance) with the power cord plugged into the USB charger port, or in your car if you have  USB port, etc.  The Dragonflies work without external power - but only up to 24/96 PCM, and no MQA without an external decoder

 

Choices, choices.

[tomster]

1 hour ago, new_media said:

Audio Advisor is having a clearance sale on them right now.

 

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MEEXPLO2

[This exchange refers to the Meridian 2]  Thanks.  I have the DFR, but wanted a second unit and might as well try one that is already working!  Amazon has the same price of $200 instead of the list of $300.

[DarwinOSX]

2 minutes ago, tomster said:

Thanks.  Have the DFR, but wanted a second unit and might as well try one that is already working!  Amazon has the same price of $200 instead of the list of $300.

 

The list is now $199 and has been for awhile.  I got mine from Crutchfield.  Free shipping and no tax.

[DarwinOSX]

50 minutes ago, jhwalker said:

 

Right, you *must* have power.  

 

Works great on an airplane (for instance) with the power cord plugged into the USB charger port, or in your car if you have  USB port, etc.  The Dragonflies work without external power - but only up to 24/96 PCM, and no MQA without an external decoder

 

Choices, choices.

 

What do you use as a power source?

 

[GUTB]

Okay, the adapter firmware update may be the key -- I tried out the Explorer 2 before that update was released.

[mrvco]

23 hours ago, DarwinOSX said:

 

The list is now $199 and has been for awhile.  I got mine from Crutchfield.  Free shipping and no tax.

 

I got tired of waiting for the AQ update and ordered an E2 for work to use with headphones a couple of days ago (curiosity killed the cat), but I didn't realize they ever actually sold for $299.

[mrvco]

I got the E2 yesterday afternoon.  I've been comparing the HiFi and Master versions of some songs that I listen to regularly.  My modest desktop setup includes a MacBook Air and Sennheiser Momentum headphones.  I have not heard a demonstrable difference yet between the HiFi and MQA versions.

 

I haven't found a single "MQA" (green light) stream yet, everything regardless of vintage shows up as "MQA Studio" (blue light).  Apparently there are MQA Studio streams that are 'only' 24/48 (blue light only), which I thought was the source stream (fully compressed w/ no MQA decoder).

 

I haven't a/b'd the E2 with my Schiit Fulla yet, but I'm definitely missing the external analog volume control.

 

I'll try the E2's line-out with my 2ch rig this weekend and see how that sounds.  I up-convert Tidal streams to DxD or DSD128 using HQP, but the E2 doesn't support DxD or DSD, so unfortunately that won't be an apples to apples comparison.

[DarwinOSX]

On 1/12/2017 at 5:38 AM, blownsi said:

Two questions:

 

1) Since we now know that the DF does not do the full decoding without Tidal's help, is the Explorer 2 the same? Or can the Exp2 playback an MQA file without help?

 

2) Has anyone directly compared the DF Red to the Exp2? They are both $199 and I'm willing to spend that to see how much of a difference it makes vs my "legacy" DAC. In theory one of these should better a more expensive DAC easily since the files are being decoded at a higher bit rate.

 

The Meridian Explorer 2 does the full decode without Tidal help.

You select Passthrough MQA  which disables software decoding of MQA.

 

[DarwinOSX]

1 hour ago, mrvco said:

I got the E2 yesterday afternoon.  I've been comparing the HiFi and Master versions of some songs that I listen to regularly.  My modest desktop setup includes a MacBook Air and Sennheiser Momentum headphones.  I have not heard a demonstrable difference yet between the HiFi and MQA versions.

 

I haven't found a single "MQA" (green light) stream yet, everything regardless of vintage shows up as "MQA Studio" (blue light).  Apparently there are MQA Studio streams that are 'only' 24/48 (blue light only), which I thought was the source stream (fully compressed w/ no MQA decoder).

 

I haven't a/b'd the E2 with my Schiit Fulla yet, but I'm definitely missing the external analog volume control.

 

I'll try the E2's line-out with my 2ch rig this weekend and see how that sounds.  I up-convert Tidal streams to DxD or DSD128 using HQP, but the E2 doesn't support DxD or DSD, so unfortunately that won't be an apples to apples comparison.

 

 

I suppose everyones ears are different but I can easily hear the difference.

[mrvco]

1 hour ago, DarwinOSX said:

 

The Meridian Explorer 2 does the full decode without Tidal help.

You select Passthrough MQA  which disables software decoding of MQA.

 

 

Where is that setting in the Tidal desktop app?  I thought I remembered seeing it in the past, but when I looked last night, I couldn't find it.

 

edit: Whoops, never mind.  I wasn't hovering my mouse pointer over the appropraite blank space for the little gear icon to appear next to the device.