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Gustard X16 Balanced MQA DAC Review
- Thread starter amirm
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Veri
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Market follows consumer interest though. Both western and Asian market wants this decoding functionality so unless there's non-MQA and MQA-capable/licensed options available it'll be priced in to accommodate for it
Gradius
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Tidal uses the infamous mqa. So you will have something worse than CD, as it doesn't have all those mqa artifacts with it.
So I haven't seen anything on Tidal so far that goes above MQA 192kHz, that doesn't mean that there aren't any though. An interesting thing I've noticed is that Tidal and Amazon will have the sample rate for the same song, but Amazon does it in Flac while Tidal outputs it in MQA. Interestingly to my ears the MQA sounds cleaner because of missing micro details. My current headphones cannot move the driver fast enough, or accurately enough without making them sound muddy. Is it better to lose detail for a cleaner sound? It might also be that Amazon music doesn't have a true exclusive mode, it still goes through the windows sound processor.
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/ed8350de-a7db-4b02-b17b-edeeeeb98b32
However, you must really like classical music if you want the best MQA quality at 352.8kHz (I like it).
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Thanks for the playlist.
MalinYamato
Senior Member
think my SMSL M500 is kinda end game wrt DACS unless I want something with Bluetooth. Why pay much more?
MalinYamato
Senior Member
great playlist with MQAs! clicked on it and is playing it right now
I love classics and jazz, but I am on Linux and need to get this one on my Strawberry player to get MQA to lit on my DAC -- WOW -- it is indeed an improvement to play those trackls with MQA lit on the DAC instead through the browser with no MQA.
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You don't need another one. Just add a Topping BC3 BT receiver or a FiiO BTA30 and you're done. I have the BTA30 and is a very good product.
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MalinYamato
Senior Member
that seems to be the most optimal, thanks.
You just regurgitating now,why can't you just not listen to MQA,there's no gun to your head.
MalinYamato
Senior Member
Please explain what exactly you think is bad about MQA? What artifacts are you talking about? Where in the folds are they located or how are those generated? Compression, encryptions, decoding, and encoding are part of my job and I've read the MQA spec. Theoretically, It makes sense to me so pls educate me if I am missing something.
These people are on the Tidal rant,when they don't have to subscribe to Tidal,it's just straight foolishness
Gradius
Addicted to Fun and Learning
mqa is a proprietary, closed, and LOSSY format, self-claiming something imposible to archive as "high resolution audio".
But above ALL that... it has DRM ! OMG!
Is worse than CD quality as the source is fully tampered with artifacts of all kinds. Is 17-bit at best, but due to all those artifacts added it only manage to make it bad, really bad.
So educate yourself:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-of-controversies-concerns-and-cautions.2407/
Gradius
Addicted to Fun and Learning
My sympathies to Gustard in this. IMO, this just shows how the folks behind MQA are really only interested in getting in the middle of everyone's business and raking off a share of the revenues. What I've heard so far of MQA is nothing special. I preordered the X16 for its DAC performance, not for its MQA functionality.
A couple people here look like they are gonna do the Node 2i---Coax----Gustard X16. So clooose to clickin buy! I kinda got a newb question 
My bass management has always been done on the Node. I have it connected to an AVR(SR7013) where the THREE RCAs(L/R/Sub) from the Node are going to the 7CH In. It bypasses Marantz DAC. It sounds waaay better than the CD IN because of that. CD IN does bass management but reDACafies my signal
For a Node with Ext DAC, are you guys taking the TWO RCA outputs from the ext. DAC(like the X16) to an integrated amp where it avoids hitting a second DAC, but does base management?
I kinda got a newb question My bass management has always been done on the Node. I have it connected to an AVR(SR7013) where the THREE RCAs(L/R/Sub) from the Node are going to the 7CH In. It bypasses Marantz DAC. It sounds waaay better than the CD IN because of that. CD IN does bass management but reDACafies my signal
For a Node with Ext DAC, are you guys taking the TWO RCA outputs from the ext. DAC(like the X16) to an integrated amp where it avoids hitting a second DAC, but does base management?
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/d648efc0-9819-4fdf-811e-07646083f434
This is great for me.
This is great for me.
thanks for this great playlist if you have anymore pm me them.
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