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Old 03-21-2019, 09:14 PM
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wklie wklie is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Hong Kong
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MQA Core decoder can exist in software or hardware form. Software: Roon, Tidal desktop app, Audirvana. Hardware: Lumin product line with digital output, Esoteric N-03T, Aurender with the optional MQA Core paid upgrade, and some other MQA transport products as well.

With the MQA Core decoder (in hardware or software) it allows non-MQA DAC to get better SQ (96/88.2kHz) from MQA music than no MQA decoding. MQA Core decoder is also required for the use of MQA renderer (Berkeley, iFi, Dragonfly).

Any transports that send bit perfect audio can do MQA passthrough to allow a MQA Full Decoder DAC (i.e. Core decoder + Renderer) to do its job. The Lumin MQA passthrough has one additional feature: Lumin will authenticate the MQA (show on the front panel and app) if configured to do MQA passthrough instead of (full or core) decoding by itself.

Last edited by wklie; 03-21-2019 at 10:16 PM.
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