Trying to achieve bit perfection, and it looks like I am succeeding

[four_strings_good]

Hello everyone, I have attached a diagram of my ever-evolving audio system. Lately I have been trying to make bit-perfect recordings and I think I have come up with a test method that will confirm bit perfection. I used to subscribe to Tidal and I have a Meridian Explorer2 dongle that lights up when it detects an MQA encoded signal. I have some WAV files that are MQA encoded and my thought is that if I record an MQA encoded file and play the recording back into the Explorer2, that blue LED will tell me that it's a bit-perfect recording. These are my steps:

1. I open the encoded file in Logic Pro X on my MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012, running Monterey 12.6.5).
2. I go into the audio settings in Logic and select the Revolution 2x2 as the output device.
3. I select the D4 input on my Benchmark DAC. The DAC is configured to output incoming signals through the D5 coaxial connector, which is connected to the S/PDIF input on the MOTU Audio Express.
4. I open Audacity on the MacBook Pro and set it to use the Audio Express as the recording device. Audacity and Audio MIDI Setup on the computer are all set for 24-bit / 48.0kHz.
5. I hit the record button in Audacity and then hit the play button in Logic. When the recording is done, I save it as a 24/48 WAV file.
6. I open the new WAV file in Audacity, set the Explorer2 as the playback device in Audacity, and press the play button.

MacBook Pro <USB> Revolution 2x2 <S/PDIF> Benchmark DAC <S/PDIF> Audio Express <Firewire> MacBook Pro

All of the lights on the Explorer2 turn on, including the blue one that indicates MQA encoding.

So, audio scientists, do you think this is a valid test for bit perfection? Any thoughts or ideas of other ways to test? Thanks for looking at this and have a great weekend all!

 

[little-endian]

With the "MQA workaround" you have to know and trust that encoding scheme and depending on this where neither all bits may be used, for example in the case of DTS them being only the 14 most significant ones, you cannot be entirely ensure that the whole data stream has not been altered. The ultimate way in my opinion thus is to wrap the data in some archive container which provides embedded CRC checks using all bits and see of that can be unpacked without errors.

I for instance tested an external sound card and its 192 kHz / 24 bit recording and playback capabilities with a RAR archive. Charme of the RAR-container also is that it isn't bothered too much with a bit of silence in front of the RAR! header.