We are seeing more manufacturers coming out with MQA technology built in their integrated amps (& preamps). While I LOVE MQA and know these folks are well meaning, I still recommend you get MQA in a la carte components. Why?
The entire world of streaming music services and the signals they provide is dynamic. The decoding of these signals is also a moving target. It is entirely possible that even if you buy an extremely expensive integrated solution today, it won’t be forward compatible- shortly down the road.
If you follow my advice and buy an NAD Bluesound Node 2, you’re only out $500. It streams your music with full MQA decoding today. Please be aware that some companies advertise MQA but just offer renderers, they don’t unfold via the entire MQA capability.
The DAC inside the Node 2 can’t be state of the art at $500. It’s very good. But you might want better. What is the price tag to improve on the DAC in a Node 2? It’s $1000. Just run N2 digital out to:
The Mytek Liberty DAC runs $1000. It has a full MQA decoder built in. It supports BALANCED and single ended performance. It sounds GREAT! Further, Mytek has already proven it can catch a knuckleball. We’ve already seen a few wrinkles in technology that would have left a less crafty company standing on the outside looking in- when such changes occurred.
If you follow my sage advice above, you’ve only spent $1500. You’ll have a N2 and Liberty. Both are solid pieces now, and have proven they can trace the moving targets shown them thus far.
Their work is very impressive!
But let’s not be naive. Technology does change and at some point, you may want to update one, or both products. At the above price points, which deliver performance at edge of the art quality, you’re not stuck with a pricey integrated amp whose DAC section is worthless!
If you buy somebody’s $5-20k streamer/server today because of nice reviews, you’re risking mucho dinero. It may sound very good, I have no argument with that. My debate is with money not well spent. If you’re moneybags and don’t care- sure, go nuts. Buy anything and live with tossing it in the dumpster- when it can’t keep up in a year/2/5?
If you’re like most of us who work for a living, it makes more sense to spend $1500 and have your streamer and DAC be separate products! One can be upgraded instead of the other. One can be updated instead of both. AND you don’t have expensive technology that will be obsolete,
buried within a pricey integrated or preamp.
You see, the DAY that moving target gets just out of range for your expensive integrated, or DAC/Streamer… it’s worth nuthin. Ask the guy who paid fancy bucks for a Dolby Pro Logic pre-pro.
Bluesound Node 2
Mytek Liberty DAC