Ultimate HQCD (UHQCD) - new CD format, King Crimson on UHQCD and more

I'll be very interested in hearing how that Wishbone Ash contest turns out.

 

To my ears, most CDs with higher DR sound better than a lower DR counterpart. I checked the DRs of the other two CDs of TRS I have and they're single digit. The only "magic" in this CD is probably the non squashed mastering. I would be interested in seeing the DR numbers on these other MQA CDs.

 

If you can pick up the original US CD (mastered by Roger Nicholls) you'll find that also has a DR of 14. They make an interesting comparison.

 

Have you done the comparison? If you have, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

You'll find them post#695 of this monster thread.

 

If you're looking for some DR play Help Me Ronda from Endless Summer on a 205. I got a little scared and almost turned it down.. but I didn't.

 

Quick question, please: besides the OPPO 205, is there a more economical way to add MQA playback capability to my somewhat modest system, which includes a Sony BDP-S790 blu-ray/SACD player with an NAD C315BEE integrated amp, as well as Advent 1 speakers?

Thank you very much for any help.

 

@toilet_doctor has elaborated on this. Search for his answers should help you get to the bottom of that.

 

MQA | Our partners

 

Thank you for your question, which (in the end) can affect the whole Project.

Start with the MQA-enabled Hardware List (Post #654; Page 27) provided by Universal. And go further:
Read more info up to post #660 'How to listen MQA-CD with high resolution' (translated from Universal, Japan site).
Then watch a nice video 'New Hi-Res CDs from Japan' (Post # 717; Page 29) posted by Plan9.

In short:
All inexpensive MQA playback solutions are relate to the computer based systems or portable devises. See latest, the best for the price ($399) MQA/DSD512 DAC (Posts #981-2; Page 40). Using them with a good result in a standalone stereo system is very questionable.

The best result was achieved using Hi-End MQA components starting at 5K.

With regard to mid-grade system, the entry level of the MQA DAC, such as Mytek Brooklyn is the best solution in a mean time:



This is a little guy:



(from the latest March 2018 review):
"The Brooklyn DAC+ takes its place in the panorama of mid level DACs and will help Mytek keep a dominant position on the market. I cannot think of another device as capable as this one, with a complete set of functions including a headphone amplifier, pre-amp and configurable phono stage on top of an already good DAC." (Panagiotis Karavitis)

Review: Mytek puts the + on the Brooklyn DAC | Part-Time Audiophile

The main problem with MQA is their filters' incompatibility with many existing gear.
MQA people now work with ESS Technology (the most popular Sabre DAC chip maker) on a new chip with integral MQA rendering to solve this problem, simplify the MQA components and reduce cost.

Please read important posts #1032-33 (page 42) to know what to expect in the near future.

 

Can someone please enlighten me on what speakers are in that picture? They remind me of mine before the dome mid-range was replaced.

 

The speakers are SCM 100SL by ATC (Acoustic Transducer Company) - British speaker manufacturer famous from 70's for their active speaker systems and very capable driver units, woofers and mid-range. "SL" stands for Super Linear driver reduced third harmonic distortion by 10-15dB between 100Hz and 3kHz, counted as a big achievement by the industry standards. Sony, Warner, Abby Road and Telarc are among their users.
They are available in 7 different finishes (priced $20K + depending on finish), and in active or passive forms.
I always prefer passive version, which you can see on the bottom picture.



SCM100 | ATC Loudspeakers

 

One of my friends is a big fan of ATC speakers. He's never bought them though; I think the price tag was a bit too much for him.

 

Price tag and too boxy look - I would not buy them because of this look alone, even I had such a money.

 

I will take the boxy look every time if it means a larger driver/three-way, ported design.

 

Not to derail but IMHO these are the finest sounding speakers ever made. Electro-Voice Interface D google it.

 

Excuse me if this is already common knowledge, but OPPO customer service said it is looking into reports from some UDP-205 owners that they are only able to output 1/44.1 from the UHQCD hi-res layer of Universal Music discs.

Anyone here have a similar experience?

 

Back on Earth, guys.
You mean: they are only able to output 16/44.1 from decoded MQA UHQCD.

 

You mean just those people who failed to update the firmware to the current version? Does the HDMI monitor show "MQA STUDIO" while the machine is outputting 16/44.1 ?

 

Supposedly this is with the updated firmware, per the OPPO rep. And yeah, I meant 16/44.1, naturally!

BTW thanks toilet _doctor for post #1060, which helped explain a few things. Now help me figure how what may be wrong with the 205 before my opportnity to buy it expires. Thanks!

 

Your question may be more important than you think. I still wanted to talk.
Now I'm working on some comparison tests that will be ready soon. Then we'll talk about 205 and beyond.

P.S.
In a mean time, I would have studied 205 more in terms of SACD performance against Sony SACD players. I read some comparisons 105 vs. Sony in the thread, called something like the Oppo Club a long time ago.
Now there should be more information about 205 there or in other threads or forums.

 

How did these people determine that their 205 was not decoding MQA?

 

I have the answer, thanks to an inquiry I made on avsforums.com. Even though the disc type reads 16/44.1, you have to select “i” for info on the remote to get the following specs:

Bit Dept 24, Bit Rate 1.4 Mbps, OFS 352.8kHz, Disc Format CDDA(MQA)

I’ve also passed the info on to OPPO.

 

Is the 2016 Andy Pearce Remaster of Free Fire and Water the Best Digital Version?


"I've had the October 2001 Remaster and the 2008 Deluxe Ed. 2CD Reissues for years now – both of which rock – but this
new September 2016 single-disc version is an entirely different aural beast. There's suddenly staggering "naturality" and
presence to the whole LP. Pearce and Wortham let things breathe (it's a trademark of their work) – and this notoriously lo-fi
recording which was apparently rejected by Island's Chris Blackwell on first hearing – has always been a brute to get right.
In a recent interview with Andy Pearce on the old dog and bone – I've learned than he and Wortham (both huge fans of the band)
spent more hours with “Fire And Water” than any of the others and are proud of the outcome (even if Universal forgot to credit
Wortham in the booklet... The results are powerful to say the least. Their version is muscular and meaty. This is not loudness for
loudness sake – not shrill so to speak – just in your face – huge power and presence - like an original tape should be.
In short this CD sounds fabulous."
(Mark Barry)



Free Fire and Water 2018 Flat Transfer Japan MQA UHQCD vs. 2016 Andy Pearce Remaster UK Reg. CD
(non-decoded MQA experience)

I like Andy Pierce remastering of the first 5 albums of Uriah Heep, which he did last year. (2CD Digipak Ed. is worth buying it, although some bonus discs were not remastered at all - there is a dedicated thread about it). So far they are the best digital versions.

This Free Fire and Water 2016 Andy Pearce/Matt Wortham remaster is even better.
The sound is smooth, airy and transparent. Bass is well present, and trebles have no brightness at all.
The dynamics are very good, except for the last track "All Right Now", resulting a loss of clarity in this track when the volume is increased.
In general, it can easily be placed on top of the "Very Good" category for the first time in 48 years.
Nice work, Mr. Pierce, thank you again.

So, how about the 2018 flat transfer MQA UHQCD from UK OMT by Richard Whittaker at FX Mastering, London?

Speaking ahead, it is even better: the bass is faster and has more punch, especially it's obvious at the beginning of the songs, where bass drums kick in (tracks #3 'Remember' and #5 "Mr. Big' come to mind). Better separation between the instruments; they sound more natural. Guitars and piano in my favorite "Heavy Loads" (track #4).

2018 handles heavy loads (sorry for the pun) with ease. A distorted guitar, which always was a problem in the sound reproduction, in the title track (at 1:35) was finally easy on the ear.
I often listen to my favorite rock albums, only guessing how this or that moment should sound... not here.
Overall sound has more clarity and vitality throughout. Don't ask me why, but two different mastering with two different approaches goes kind of in parallel, having both the lower dynamics in track #7 'All Right Now'- I just go for the fact.

And the fact is:
2018 flat transfer MQA UHQCD - it is not just the best digital version to date, but also a great sounding one.
It entered the "Best" category, right before my eyes...

Free Fire and Water (non-decoded MQA UHQCD) - Best

Additional Comparison

I was going A/B/A track by track, comparing the two discs. When I reached track #5 'Mr. Big', I took a double disc 'Rock Sampler' MQA UHQCD/Reg. CD. I pulled out only a regular CD with the same 2018 flat transfer (track #1 'Mr. Big') and compared it with 2016 Andy Pearce master. And this song on both CDs, despite the different mastering sounded so close that I had to compare them step by step, within 30 seconds for each step.

In the first 30 seconds Rodgers went like "Uuummm...". That sound was much better presented in 2018 regular disc.
And though regular 2018 disc has lost in the separation between the instruments against MQA UHQCD version, bass and overall sound was clearer, comparing to 2016 anyway. Especially it was noticeable in the rough moment, in the sound of slightly distorted guitar and bass interplay (from 3:30 to 5:00).

Then I put on the MQA UHQCD version in that rough moment, I already mentioned - it was not rough anymore, but rather smooth and nice.

Conclusion:
The new 2018 transfer outperformed 2016 remaster even without the benefits of the MQA UHQCD.
MQA UHQCD version, however, elevated the sound to next level.
Finally, Free 'Fire and Water' was awarded with the sound treatment that it deserved - first from Andy Pearce and Matt Wortham fabulous remastering in 2016 and now from Richard Whittaker's phenomenal transfer.

I don't know how he achieved such a result, but...
I hope that Richard Whittaker will do more of his magic for us if the Project moves on...

Thank you all.

System used:
Player: Cary Audio 360 Pro SACD
Power amp: Coda Technologies 'KiloWatt Monoblocks'
Preamp: Coda Technologies
Speakers: B&W Nautilus 802 (500W)
Interconnects: Acoustic Zen Absolute Silver
Speaker Cables: Acoustic Zen Absolute Silver Shotgun

 

So, OPPO didn't know you could press the I button and get this info? I hadn't thought of it myself either but just now checked it on one of my disks.