I think there can be issues applying EQ to MQA as it applies it's own EQ curve;
I’ve received a further response from Meridian, via my PP… The Meridian Prime has been fully tested with the MQA developer’s kits and adheres to the correct specification. It would seem that Roon is not marking the decoded stream as MQA when the parametric EQ feature is turned on. This is...
community.roonlabs.com
JSmith
Sorry for the delayed reply, but I know Roon has an algorithm to process PEQ without corrupting the MQA unfolding process—so I’m more inclined to suspect that Topping either didn’t get or chose not to pursue the onerous licensing process required to integrate MQA in a streamer.
IFi had tons of issues navigating that felonious process with Meridian for their Zen Stream—after a lengthy ordeal they were finally able to negotiate MQA passthrough at first, and then the initial unfold eventually. However, Meridian is so draconian and parsimonious with the financial stronghold they have sieged from the audiophile industry that the feature came and went over a slew of firmware updates as iFi battled to obtain licensing.
Not all folks are aware of this surreptitious scheme Meridian has forged to bilk manufacturers (and ultimately consumers) out of loads of cash—namely the exorbitant licensing fees they charge to put that MQA logo on a component—any and every component that even passes through MQA. Some people think they’re being clever by boycotting manufacturers who build MQA capability into their products, but they’re overlooking the fact that MQA has also connived with myriad record companies to obtain proprietary access to their highest quality masters (the “provenance” Bob Stuart likes to preen about).
So in essence, forgoing MQA also means forgoing some of the best masters available from a significant number of music catalogs. That means that even if the DAC manufacturer has high standards and totally disdains MQA, they’re still pressured to add that MQA XMOS chip to remain competitive—and since some of the top measuring DACs to grace Amir’s list (from Topping, Gustard, SMSL, Matrix Audio, etc) have opted into that cache, eschewing MQA-capable products means a lost opportunity to enjoy some of the best and most affordable DACs available at the present time.
I think it’s interesting that with the exception of this Topping M50, the vast majority of our esteemed Chinese manufactures (except for Denafrips, if you consider them esteemed) are acquiescing to MQA tech. Schiit, RME, Chord, and many other Western outfits (other than iFI) seem to be the ones who are opting out. My observation is only anecdotal, but I wonder what factors are informing which manufacturers seek licensing and which don’t, and how their decision is affecting their bottom line…