Cheap soundcard,dac that supports 24 bit 192khz and MQA

[gasolin75]

Im look at an amp and it could be with a built in dac or not

I started with the amp im using atm with a 16 bit dac and then my asus xonar se analog out to get 24 bit and up to 192khz

It just don't support MGA and with latest tidal you get max sound quality no matter what subscription you choose(max, MQA as long as the songs,record support that)

So why not get that, to hear music at highest quality including MQA (regardless of what people think of MQA)

Audiophonics has a huge selection of hifi including dac, som even the cheap dacs can support more tahn one unit så my pc and dac i should be able to use with only one
in in my current and new amp, in case i don't have to much inputs, if i buy one of the compact class d amp that has become ver popular and can be has for as little as 100 euros


FX-AUDIO FX03 one input 33 euros (does it support MQA, i don't think so ? plug and play no power button)

SMSL PS100 33 euros (more than one input,bluetooth, does it support MQA, i don't think so)

FIIO KA1, IFI Audio GO LINK and Ecersolo H1 for 55-63 euros does support MQA but are all dongle but only one unit

What else i the low budget category supports 24 bit 192khz and MQA ?

 

[staticV3]

The least expensive desktop DAC with MQA support seems to be the SMSL SU-1 and iFi Uno.

 

[gasolin75]

The least expensive desktop DAC with MQA support seems to be the SMSL SU-1 and iFi Uno.

One on audiophincs say the SMSL SU-1 is harsh and has some fattigue

A iFi Audio Go Link also supports MQA and is a little cheaper than the SMSL SU-1 and iFi Uno

Found a cheap used Audioquest dragonfly black that supposrt MQA but only up to 24 bit and 96khz

Forgot to aske what settings (bit and samplerate) i should use for MQA/ tidal when it also has to be used for youtube,facebook and movies like netflix

 

[Vincent Kars]

Your best bet is to set the sample rate to what is common for audio = 44.1 kHz.
Bit depth is the arithmetic precision of the data path between media player and DAC so set it to the max.

Even better imho is to bypass the Win audio completely as this allows for automatic sample rater switching. This requires an app supporting WASAPI/Exclusive. I believe Tidal supports this but do check yourself.

In april 2023 MQA went bankrupt. As a consequence, Tidal started to replace MQA by the unadulterated version. Makes me wonder if MQA support is a relevant criterium today.

 

[gasolin75]

44.1 khz ??

Highest quality is up to 24 bit and 192khz

 

[staticV3]

44.1 khz ??

Highest quality is up to 24 bit and 192khz

You cannot hear tones above 22kHz, therefore >44.1kHz sample rate is mostly useless.

 

[Vincent Kars]

i should use for MQA/ tidal when it also has to be used for youtube,facebook and movies like netflix

As I said, Tidal can probably bypass the Win audio settings so be it 44.1 or XYZ is totally irrelevant.
Other sources, not able to bypass Win like the ones you mentioned, most likely play audio at 44.1 or in case of video 48.

 

[gasolin75]

If i use exclusive mode i can only hear tidal i can't hear 2 sources like tidal and twitch

 

[antcollinet]

44.1 khz ??

Highest quality is up to 24 bit and 192khz

You are wasting your money if you spend one single penny on getting better that 24/48. Any increases in sample rate or bit depth above that is 100% inaudible.

Even (as pointed out by @gasolin75) you won't hear any improvement above redbook/cd at 16/44.1 in real world listening.

 

[gasolin75]

Do we know how many songs,records that are on tidal in MQA vs how many that isn't ?

 

[Veri]

Off topic but isn't Tidal itself also moving away from MQA and to actual higher res masters, no funky encoding schemes?

I wouldn't worry about MQA tbh.