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Yo Zeos, let me first say you’re a decent funny reviewer. I got some info you’re going to review the Fiio M17 soon, could you do something with a Farad Super 3 on the M17 please fucking please🤩 Love Rob
Have the original dx3pro and never had a single issue once the initial firmware dropped. 400 plus on a dac is far too much. Price/performance just isn't there.
I own this DX3 Pro+ and it's fucking amazing for my tv setup. Connected tv to it through optical and Edifier R1700BT active speakers through RCA. And when I want to listen to Spotify I just connect though Bluetooth. Amazing device and I got it for only $170!
I replaced my DX7s with the SU-9n and couldn't be happier. I really sort of wanted the SU-9 for those sound color options but no way in hell was I going to pay for MQA. The SU-9n's only real differences are it removed MQA and they went from the 16 core down to an 8 core because the 16 core was no longer needed which lowered the price by $50 USD. It sounds a bit better than the SU-9 according to a friend, he said my SU-9n sounds a little fuller and hits harder than his SU-9. Hope that helps anyone wondering about this DAC because like I said the only downgrade is the processor, if you can even call it one considering you only need the 16 core to be able to unfold the allegedly lossy as hell MQA...
I wouldn’t treat the topping as a DAC which happens to have a headphone jack. It’s a fully fledged DAC AMP with a lots of power and probably all you need below 400-500€
I've been enjoying my 9n in a speaker based system for a couple of months. Not a fare comparison, but it is way more dynamic and detailed than my well loved dacmagic. The only issue is pulling myself away from my stereo. time passes very quickly.
400 is a little more than I want to spend on a DAC, but the fact that they didn't bend to including MQA makes me want to buy it - which absolutely counter intuitive because not including MQA should make things cheaper. edit: and then i just noticed the DO200 WITH MQA which is 489. Now that makes the DU-9n look like a good deal.
I'm going to buy one of these if I can at all justify the expense. I've dropped so much on audio gear recently. It will take a bit of time for me to talk myself into it.
Hi! Just found your channel as I was looking through reviews of Electrostatic headphones, a newbie here to audiophiles. Just a question, what Operating System are you using? Your window transparency is extremely high (how do you even feel comfortable looking at it lol), and it doesn't look like any of the Desktop Environment of Linux I have ever seen b4. Anyway Keep up the work!
So wait... Tidal has the reputation of paying musicians the most of all music subscription services. However, if musicians have to pay for MQA licenses...are they actually getting paid less??? I didn't think artists pay those fees, only studios - who i suppose pass the buck to the artist? 🤔
I am using a DX3Pro on my computer audio setup, and it has a weird bug with Mac OSX where the usb connection drops audio. It doesn't drop the connection, mind you.. audio will just randomly stop while it is playing for a couple minutes then start again. Its weird. I can't explain it. HOWEVER, bluetooth is rock solid and I can't tell ANY audio difference in quality between the usb and bluetooth. So that is what I use instead. I've paired with with a Topping PA3, Nobsound EQ, and a xDuoo MT-602 with Q Acoustics 3020i speakers and a RLS Speedwoofer 10S subwoofer. Overkill for desktop computer audio but I love it.
@@michaelcorcoran8768 I am using a 2017 Macbook Pro, yeah. I've never encountered any other kind of USB problem before though. And I tend to think its more the DX3Pro here... in that the USB connection doesn't drop. It stays connected. Its just like the audio mutes itself randomly. The weird part is that the progress bar of audio player will act a little strange when this happens too. Its almost like some sort of data communication mishap. But with bluetooth, its all business as usual. I wonder if this is something I wouldn't encounter with the DX3Pro+.
Nice work, Zeos. As a SU-8 owner I have had my eye on the SU-9 and M400. But I would not buy them because of the MQA rip-off. I will never use it and will never have it in my gear. So It's nice to see that SMSL is listening and offering non-garbage MQA alternatives to their customers. The SU-9n will finally get the attention it deserves. Now if they would just offer a non-MQA version of the VMV D1se I would jump on it. But as long as that MQA garbage is in the device, it will not be in my system. Keep up the great work.
Sound color options on the SU-9 didn't make an audible difference in my experience, nor did the DAC itself compared to much cheaper ones after volume matching.
Great review! I own the DX3 pro + (Amazon gifted to me for an issue I had with the seller!) and it sounds nice! btw are the dekoni pads for Arya suitable to Ananda??
@@yvnv thanks! I do really want to order those pads, I was afraid about colorations they could introduce in the middle range, but okay I trust you. Last thing: have you noticed a light increase of lows (without boomy effect I mean)? I'd like it a lot. thx again
Can you somewhat throw in my direction a pair of those nice speakers you are just stocking up in the background??? It will be highly appreciated for a cheap audiophile like me 🤗🤗
Hey, Im getting the hifiman edition xs and the topping pro plus in the mail. Do you think this is combo is good enough? Is this my first step in audio world, or am I missing something?
I bought a couple of your logo stickers last spring and still haven't found anything worthy of their placement. Thinking about getting a new laptop or tablet, so most likely there.
@@ZReviews I have integrated receivers, seperate pre amps and seperate amps. Think 60's to 90's audio equipment. However I have no limitation to space although to me having a dac makes sense to remove some heft from a desk situation. Otherwise from my perspective and having never played with a dac, I would like to figure out if and how myself can benefit. 🤔 Much appreciated your time to view and respond thank you!
@@SudburyMan DAC stand for digital to analog converter. So if none of your sources are digital like a computer or Bluetooth or CD player you don't have a need for one. These units simply turn any Digital Signal into an analog RCA or XLR
Topping better dac chip, more powerful amp, more analytical. Zen dac v2 is less powerful, has only usb (no bluetooth, coax, optical), more dark sounding, bass boost is cool 😎
I was debating between the DX3 Pro+ and the Zen Dac v2 + Zen can. The Topping dac's tend to be bright and analytical where as the Zen is buttery smooth and warm leaning neutral. I already have a Gustard A20H which is bright, accurate, and punchy, so the Zen stack is a great alternative that's really fun to listen to. I haven't found a need for the 3D function but the bass boost works very well with bass light headphones like my Aeon Closed.
You guys think it's worth selling my jds element 2 for essentially the price of 2 new dx3 pro+. I was thinking I would somewhat "downgrade" to the dx3 pro+ and put some money towards new cans/iems. The Bluetooth will very convenient for me,
I've listened to like 10 different DACs and they all sound the same. And that is kind of their point? They are just converting a signal, not coloring it. Buy based on inputs and outputs that you need and small features like remote or no remote. I don't understand people who spend thousands on these things....
@@johnm3544Yes... I have listened to the Musician Pegasus that a friend owns. DAC tech has progressed beyond R2R at this point... If you want to spend a lot of money for some minute filter, then go for it. My recommendation is still to spend money on a good set of headphones and a good amp that can drive them. A dac is a dac is a dac is a dac...That being said I do own a Jotunheim 2 with the multibit dac chip (an R2R Hybrid) in my collection as I can't justify spending nor would I want to spend more than $200 on a dac.
R2R is literal garbage. The only reason companies even make it is because idiots keep buying it. A delta sigma dac is far superior. All delta sigma dacs will sound exactly the same if theyre sinad is atleast above 100db. R2R will sound different because its worse. Dacs are a done design. Theyve been perfected in the 80s.
@@sergeysmelnik Eh I agree with the overall sentiment but I wouldn't call people idiots for liking something that they like. Sometimes older tech can be cool to have just to see the history of the technology's progression. But if neutrality is the end game of an audiophile, then yea R2R doesn't really make sense any more. There are also much much cheaper ways to filter and eq your signal to your liking by just using software. For example, I've been messing with a few different open source crossfeed filter plugins that work with equalizer APO that have been pretty fun. I find it excited that I don't have to buy a new piece of gear every time I want to change and play around with the characteristics of my signal.
i only use tidal and MQA because... I'm cheap.. spotify is never releasing that hifi version, qobuz has a lot of missing stuff (and no student discount), and amazon makes me feel like an idiot
This is going to be utterly out of context, but would like to see a video, either on this channel or the other, just about anime series that you recommend, maybe a little bit about what each show is about, and maybe how good the audio recordings and animation quality are in each show to tie it into hi-fi. Please make it happen Zeos.
Why is there such a MQA rebellion rant all the time? There’s no Dolby Atmos, No DSD ,No Bluetooth rebellion, no nothing. There’s no other format rebellion other than MQA. Why? Is it because it can sound better than a lot of these overly compressed albums we call music. There’s apparently a huge amount of people that enjoy MQA, but I see you’d rather focus on bashing MQA for clicks. How about discussing real issues like how ALL DACs quickly switched to flat sounding ESS hump chips when AKM was no longer available, raised prices, used less quality electronics, and products sounded worse because. Just stop trashing technologies that are clearly beyond yours and my pay grade. Learn about impulse response filters. Who cares about music coloring EQ settings? True Audiophiles usually don’t use EQ settings. Haven’t you ever heard of straight wire with a gain. Most of your DAC videos only discuss a DAC’s inputs, features, display, and EQ settings. All of which can be found by looking at description. You Never discuss what really matters, the actual sound. You tell the consumer nothing but how much they should hate on MQA . Why manufactures even send you products is beyond me. Is it Because you swear too much? Lastly people that always swear lack the vocabulary to express what they’re trying to convey. I use to have a little respect for your reviews in the beginning because they were simply entertaining. That soon wore off and your videos lack any substance, or benefit anyone but yourself. Rant over👎
I guarantee if Z had to listen to a blind comparison between the top 5 streaming services including MQA he could not pick MQA out of the mix or even a mid level MP3 vs a higher end FLAC file . Tidal pays more to artists than any other service . I use only Apple because it is lossless quality at the lowest cost . But having all the bootlegs Zeos has on his play lists makes his crying for the poor artists slightly ridiculous
"You can't pick out an MP3 from a FLAC" - People with bad ears. I've got tinnitus and I can clearly hear a difference in both the high and low end in MP3s, the only song I can think of that beat me was Tom's Diner and MP3s were literally tested on that song.
I've never agreed to the slogan , "there's no audible difference between a flac and mp3". I don't need an objective comment that is based on a compromise to begin with! I've done at least 5 blind tests... always picked out the flac.. Certain stuff are true though: 1. You don't need flacs unless you have good enough equipment to justify. 2. You don't need flacs to enjoy music. 3. You don't need flacs in Bluetooth 4. You don't need flacs if you lack the ability to differentiate or are adamant about the lack of difference to begin with. 5. You don't need a higher flac than 16 bit for listening purposes. 6. There's no point in upscaling mp3 to flacs just for the tag 'flac'. Everywhere else, flac is justified and necessary. For me...100% necessary. And oh yeah... MQA is horse shite.
MOLDOVA, GET YOUR TRANSNISTIA BACK TO YOURSELF. GEORGIA, RETURN ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA. JAPAN, RETURN KURIL ISLANDS. FINLAND, RETURN KARELIA. CHINA, RETURN SIBERIA. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE MOMENT WHILE HUYLO LEFT HIS ENTIRE ARMY IN UKRAINE
@@giuseppeavallone Sorry, but the info given to you by the above posters is incorrect. MQA is not Digital Rights Management. You can play MQA files on any device. You may not get the full audio advantages of MQA but it does not hinder you. And FLAC is NOT "better" than MQA encoding. Yes, it does compress the file, but its file restoration is perfectly fine and does not damage the sound. To get the full benefit of MQA you do need to use a DAC that is equipped. Streaming software will restore the file to full resolution, but what I think is the biggest advantage of MQA is their process which corrects timing errors, which is only possible with an MQA equipped DAC. This really improves imaging, resolution of space and detail. I suspect that 99% of the MQA detractors have never heard it through an MQA enabled DAC and are just repeating what they have heard or read elsewhere.
@@charlesgrubbs2101 Thank you very much for your exhaustive answer. I’m enjoying my music through an MQA enabled DAC. I think most of the anti MQA tide comes from bias toward Tidal streaming service.
Misinformation from Charles here. Imagine a digital file. It does not matter what it contains. Now compress it. You have two choices, lossless or lossy. Lossy compression achieves part of its compresion by throwing away part of the data that the format algorithm believes will not be missed. Lossless will decompress back to the original file, bit for bit, with no loss of data whatsoever. MP3, mqa and jpeg are examples file formats which throw away data. Flac, Zip, gz, 7z or any encryption algos are example lossless. So, at it's basis, which do you want lossless or lossy? If you want lossless, flac is right there for audio. If you want lossy, any bitrate of MP3 is available. Mqa IS a push to insert another company in the audio supply chain. We have file formats that already cover the two compression options. Mqa cannot possibly be better than flac, since flac is an exact reproduction of the original digital waveform. What went in is what comes out. Mqa produced a format which "kinda works, with degraded sound" on standard hardware, but added their own proprietary tech to get back the full audio. What rubbish. We already had the full sound before it was converted to mqa. What's this about time correction? What? Are you kidding? I'll say it again, we already had the original waveform before it was converted to mqa, nothing needs to be corrected after mastering. Flac gives you back exactly what was stored in it regardless and it is free, requiring no other hardware. And yes mqa is a push for DRM. Wait for the time when mqa has reached a decent market share, and then then non mqa licensed equipment will not longer play it. Since it is their format, they can degrade sound quality trivially in non licensed hardware. Just encode the files to favour their proprietary code path more heavily. Support free formats, or you are just giving money to middle men and allowing lock-in later.
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M
Yo Zeos, let me first say you’re a decent funny reviewer.
I got some info you’re going to review the Fiio M17 soon, could you do something with a Farad Super 3 on the M17 please fucking please🤩
Love Rob
Has to be DX3 Pro+ to be fair, the non + was discontinued and wasn't as good. The + version has had big improvements. And yes fuk MQA
Have the original dx3pro and never had a single issue once the initial firmware dropped.
400 plus on a dac is far too much. Price/performance just isn't there.
Bruh, the dx3 Pro+ doesn't have MQA either my man, and the headphone amp should be pumping hard.. 250+mw at 300ohms.
I own this DX3 Pro+ and it's fucking amazing for my tv setup. Connected tv to it through optical and Edifier R1700BT active speakers through RCA. And when I want to listen to Spotify I just connect though Bluetooth. Amazing device and I got it for only $170!
He don't hear pro+ only pro. Yous is better ;)
I replaced my DX7s with the SU-9n and couldn't be happier.
I really sort of wanted the SU-9 for those sound color options but no way in hell was I going to pay for MQA.
The SU-9n's only real differences are it removed MQA and they went from the 16 core down to an 8 core because the 16 core was no longer needed which lowered the price by $50 USD.
It sounds a bit better than the SU-9 according to a friend, he said my SU-9n sounds a little fuller and hits harder than his SU-9.
Hope that helps anyone wondering about this DAC because like I said the only downgrade is the processor, if you can even call it one considering you only need the 16 core to be able to unfold the allegedly lossy as hell MQA...
Is one of the reasons I love Benchmark. They have awesome stuff and have never done the MQA BS.
I appreciate you Z. I love just turning your videos on and cleaning my place while you rant about weird audio things. Never stop, babyyyyy.
I wouldn’t treat the topping as a DAC which happens to have a headphone jack. It’s a fully fledged DAC AMP with a lots of power and probably all you need below 400-500€
needs to give me a quarter-inch Jack so feels less flimsy
Huh! What man! TOPPING DX3 Pro+ is way different from the non plus model. You have this titled TOPPING DX3 Pro. Totally different.
I am confused as well. Is the one he's reviewing here the Plus one? Because he definitely has reviewed the old one two years ago.
I've been enjoying my 9n in a speaker based system for a couple of months. Not a fare comparison, but it is way more dynamic and detailed than my well loved dacmagic. The only issue is pulling myself away from my stereo. time passes very quickly.
400 is a little more than I want to spend on a DAC, but the fact that they didn't bend to including MQA makes me want to buy it - which absolutely counter intuitive because not including MQA should make things cheaper.
edit: and then i just noticed the DO200 WITH MQA which is 489. Now that makes the DU-9n look like a good deal.
That review is coming in a week so don't jump on the 9n yet
Just for everybody's question, the topping he is reviewing is the plus version as the source color in the screen is not orange but white.
Been using my smsl su 8 for 4 years now I think, thanks for the rec way back when zeos
I'm going to buy one of these if I can at all justify the expense. I've dropped so much on audio gear recently. It will take a bit of time for me to talk myself into it.
Replaced schiit modi 3 with the su-9 about a year ago. No regrets and absolutely worth price imo
Hi! Just found your channel as I was looking through reviews of Electrostatic headphones, a newbie here to audiophiles.
Just a question, what Operating System are you using? Your window transparency is extremely high (how do you even feel comfortable looking at it lol), and it doesn't look like any of the Desktop Environment of Linux I have ever seen b4.
Anyway Keep up the work!
24:30 - "So when I talk, it's not a rant, it's a symphony of ideas, and when you collect that, you say, 'Oh these are these things that connect.'"
Two minutes into a DAC Review i remembered that i actually hated music, but loved Anime. Guess i'll need to watch Carole and Tuesday now
Hope he reviews the DX3 pro+, I’ve heard it’s a lot better than the previous model.
So wait... Tidal has the reputation of paying musicians the most of all music subscription services. However, if musicians have to pay for MQA licenses...are they actually getting paid less??? I didn't think artists pay those fees, only studios - who i suppose pass the buck to the artist? 🤔
I am using a DX3Pro on my computer audio setup, and it has a weird bug with Mac OSX where the usb connection drops audio. It doesn't drop the connection, mind you.. audio will just randomly stop while it is playing for a couple minutes then start again. Its weird. I can't explain it. HOWEVER, bluetooth is rock solid and I can't tell ANY audio difference in quality between the usb and bluetooth. So that is what I use instead.
I've paired with with a Topping PA3, Nobsound EQ, and a xDuoo MT-602 with Q Acoustics 3020i speakers and a RLS Speedwoofer 10S subwoofer. Overkill for desktop computer audio but I love it.
Are you using an Intel Mac?. I've heard they have some USB problems
@@michaelcorcoran8768 I am using a 2017 Macbook Pro, yeah. I've never encountered any other kind of USB problem before though. And I tend to think its more the DX3Pro here... in that the USB connection doesn't drop. It stays connected. Its just like the audio mutes itself randomly. The weird part is that the progress bar of audio player will act a little strange when this happens too. Its almost like some sort of data communication mishap. But with bluetooth, its all business as usual. I wonder if this is something I wouldn't encounter with the DX3Pro+.
@@StariusPrime macs act weird with audio, I'd try the topping with a pc to see if it does the same
Would love to hear more about the ferrum orr, and also a less biased opinion on the hypsos than whats available atm.
I will get on that.
Nice work, Zeos. As a SU-8 owner I have had my eye on the SU-9 and M400. But I would not buy them because of the MQA rip-off. I will never use it and will never have it in my gear. So It's nice to see that SMSL is listening and offering non-garbage MQA alternatives to their customers. The SU-9n will finally get the attention it deserves. Now if they would just offer a non-MQA version of the VMV D1se I would jump on it. But as long as that MQA garbage is in the device, it will not be in my system. Keep up the great work.
A Z review on my Bday..
How does the Topping compare to the Zen dac?
Carole and Tuesday are ok but I much prefer Garfunkel and Oates.
2:40 wise words
Sound color options on the SU-9 didn't make an audible difference in my experience, nor did the DAC itself compared to much cheaper ones after volume matching.
I think you have a complete audio store in your Studio. Did you ever consider going retail? 😉
Great review! I own the DX3 pro + (Amazon gifted to me for an issue I had with the seller!) and it sounds nice! btw are the dekoni pads for Arya suitable to Ananda??
Hi, I have dx3 pro + with Ananda too and yes Arya dekoni fit perfectly and sound really nice imo
@@yvnv thanks! I do really want to order those pads, I was afraid about colorations they could introduce in the middle range, but okay I trust you. Last thing: have you noticed a light increase of lows (without boomy effect I mean)? I'd like it a lot. thx again
@@davidepollak3 To my ears dekoni pads helped a little with low increase but it is not something super noticeable. Although YES it adds a bit of lows
Does the bluetooth work unlike the SU-9? APOS basically told me to F-off when I mentioned it.
Can you somewhat throw in my direction a pair of those nice speakers you are just stocking up in the background??? It will be highly appreciated for a cheap audiophile like me 🤗🤗
I'm toying between DX3pro+ or the FiiO K5 pro. The DX3 is £50 more though, worth it?
Hey, Im getting the hifiman edition xs and the topping pro plus in the mail. Do you think this is combo is good enough? Is this my first step in audio world, or am I missing something?
Not at CanJam NYC??? or is this the magic of scheduled RUclips video while Z is out and about?
Those slanted speakers with the wood sidingon the bottom shelf, number 4 from the center. What are those?
Denafrips Ares II ?
I bought a couple of your logo stickers last spring and still haven't found anything worthy of their placement. Thinking about getting a new laptop or tablet, so most likely there.
I come from using full size receivers.. would a dac be for me?
Do you want a dac for a receiver or do you have a separate amp now too?
@@ZReviews I have integrated receivers, seperate pre amps and seperate amps. Think 60's to 90's audio equipment. However I have no limitation to space although to me having a dac makes sense to remove some heft from a desk situation.
Otherwise from my perspective and having never played with a dac, I would like to figure out if and how myself can benefit. 🤔
Much appreciated your time to view and respond thank you!
Hmmm
@@SudburyMan DAC stand for digital to analog converter. So if none of your sources are digital like a computer or Bluetooth or CD player you don't have a need for one. These units simply turn any Digital Signal into an analog RCA or XLR
What is the stack mentioned at the start?
Zeos, dx3pro+ or zen v2 for all-in-one dac/amp solution?
Topping better dac chip, more powerful amp, more analytical. Zen dac v2 is less powerful, has only usb (no bluetooth, coax, optical), more dark sounding, bass boost is cool 😎
I was debating between the DX3 Pro+ and the Zen Dac v2 + Zen can. The Topping dac's tend to be bright and analytical where as the Zen is buttery smooth and warm leaning neutral. I already have a Gustard A20H which is bright, accurate, and punchy, so the Zen stack is a great alternative that's really fun to listen to. I haven't found a need for the 3D function but the bass boost works very well with bass light headphones like my Aeon Closed.
You guys think it's worth selling my jds element 2 for essentially the price of 2 new dx3 pro+. I was thinking I would somewhat "downgrade" to the dx3 pro+ and put some money towards new cans/iems. The Bluetooth will very convenient for me,
I've listened to like 10 different DACs and they all sound the same. And that is kind of their point? They are just converting a signal, not coloring it. Buy based on inputs and outputs that you need and small features like remote or no remote. I don't understand people who spend thousands on these things....
@@johnm3544Yes... I have listened to the Musician Pegasus that a friend owns. DAC tech has progressed beyond R2R at this point... If you want to spend a lot of money for some minute filter, then go for it. My recommendation is still to spend money on a good set of headphones and a good amp that can drive them. A dac is a dac is a dac is a dac...That being said I do own a Jotunheim 2 with the multibit dac chip (an R2R Hybrid) in my collection as I can't justify spending nor would I want to spend more than $200 on a dac.
R2R is literal garbage. The only reason companies even make it is because idiots keep buying it. A delta sigma dac is far superior. All delta sigma dacs will sound exactly the same if theyre sinad is atleast above 100db. R2R will sound different because its worse. Dacs are a done design. Theyve been perfected in the 80s.
@@sergeysmelnik Eh I agree with the overall sentiment but I wouldn't call people idiots for liking something that they like. Sometimes older tech can be cool to have just to see the history of the technology's progression. But if neutrality is the end game of an audiophile, then yea R2R doesn't really make sense any more. There are also much much cheaper ways to filter and eq your signal to your liking by just using software. For example, I've been messing with a few different open source crossfeed filter plugins that work with equalizer APO that have been pretty fun. I find it excited that I don't have to buy a new piece of gear every time I want to change and play around with the characteristics of my signal.
Soncoz, awesome.
Soncoz is cool, until you find out that their lower unit does not have surge protection.
Can anyone riddle me this... DX3 - Pro or MX 5?
Do you need a speaker amp?
i only use tidal and MQA because... I'm cheap.. spotify is never releasing that hifi version, qobuz has a lot of missing stuff (and no student discount), and amazon makes me feel like an idiot
This is just retail arbitrage with a Garry shandling twist of lime. Byerdynamic thinks their apple
dx3 pro+ or zen dac v2?
Dx3 pro+.
This is going to be utterly out of context, but would like to see a video, either on this channel or the other, just about anime series that you recommend, maybe a little bit about what each show is about, and maybe how good the audio recordings and animation quality are in each show to tie it into hi-fi. Please make it happen Zeos.
hard hard hard pass on that for me.. please put it on your alt alt channel if so.
I wont' buy things with MQA. Just say nay to MQA!
The silver one is pretty.
You have to pay for "others" too!! Just sayin.
👍 for the 👎 to MQA!
Neither have MQA :)
E
IMHO MQA has no reason to exist.
Pecorino Romano hahaha
Why is there such a MQA rebellion rant all the time? There’s no Dolby Atmos, No DSD ,No Bluetooth rebellion, no nothing. There’s no other format rebellion other than MQA. Why? Is it because it can sound better than a lot of these overly compressed albums we call music. There’s apparently a huge amount of people that enjoy MQA, but I see you’d rather focus on bashing MQA for clicks. How about discussing real issues like how ALL DACs quickly switched to flat sounding ESS hump chips when AKM was no longer available, raised prices, used less quality electronics, and products sounded worse because. Just stop trashing technologies that are clearly beyond yours and my pay grade. Learn about impulse response filters. Who cares about music coloring EQ settings? True Audiophiles usually don’t use EQ settings. Haven’t you ever heard of straight wire with a gain. Most of your DAC videos only discuss a DAC’s inputs, features, display, and EQ settings. All of which can be found by looking at description. You Never discuss what really matters, the actual sound. You tell the consumer nothing but how much they should hate on MQA . Why manufactures even send you products is beyond me. Is it Because you swear too much? Lastly people that always swear lack the vocabulary to express what they’re trying to convey. I use to have a little respect for your reviews in the beginning because they were simply entertaining. That soon wore off and your videos lack any substance, or benefit anyone but yourself. Rant over👎
Dave, chek out the GoldenSound video on Tidal and MQA. You can find it in the description. Cheers.
Stop promoting the utter rubbish that is MQA. Shameful.
I guarantee if Z had to listen to a blind comparison between the top 5 streaming services including MQA he could not pick MQA out of the mix or even a mid level MP3 vs a higher end FLAC file .
Tidal pays more to artists than any other service .
I use only Apple because it is lossless quality at the lowest cost .
But having all the bootlegs Zeos has on his play lists makes his crying for the poor artists slightly ridiculous
"You can't pick out an MP3 from a FLAC" - People with bad ears. I've got tinnitus and I can clearly hear a difference in both the high and low end in MP3s, the only song I can think of that beat me was Tom's Diner and MP3s were literally tested on that song.
You can definitely tell the difference between an mp3 and flac
You know amazon music pays more than tidal to artist.
Ad hominem attacks to argue your point make your argument slightly ridiculous.
I've never agreed to the slogan , "there's no audible difference between a flac and mp3".
I don't need an objective comment that is based on a compromise to begin with!
I've done at least 5 blind tests... always picked out the flac..
Certain stuff are true though:
1. You don't need flacs unless you have good enough equipment to justify.
2. You don't need flacs to enjoy music.
3. You don't need flacs in Bluetooth
4. You don't need flacs if you lack the ability to differentiate or are adamant about the lack of difference to begin with.
5. You don't need a higher flac than 16 bit for listening purposes.
6. There's no point in upscaling mp3 to flacs just for the tag 'flac'.
Everywhere else, flac is justified and necessary.
For me...100% necessary.
And oh yeah...
MQA is horse shite.
MOLDOVA, GET YOUR TRANSNISTIA BACK TO YOURSELF. GEORGIA, RETURN ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA. JAPAN, RETURN KURIL ISLANDS. FINLAND, RETURN KARELIA. CHINA, RETURN SIBERIA. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE MOMENT WHILE HUYLO LEFT HIS ENTIRE ARMY IN UKRAINE
Anybody else hear Peter Griffin...
But WHY NOT MQA? Tidal offers it. And Tidal is the most balanced streaming service for what you get for your money.
Mqa is a push for DRM in music formats. Flac is better sonically and free. Don't buy mqa.
Thank you for the information, I’m new to music streaming services.
@@giuseppeavallone Sorry, but the info given to you by the above posters is incorrect. MQA is not Digital Rights Management. You can play MQA files on any device. You may not get the full audio advantages of MQA but it does not hinder you. And FLAC is NOT "better" than MQA encoding. Yes, it does compress the file, but its file restoration is perfectly fine and does not damage the sound. To get the full benefit of MQA you do need to use a DAC that is equipped. Streaming software will restore the file to full resolution, but what I think is the biggest advantage of MQA is their process which corrects timing errors, which is only possible with an MQA equipped DAC. This really improves imaging, resolution of space and detail. I suspect that 99% of the MQA detractors have never heard it through an MQA enabled DAC and are just repeating what they have heard or read elsewhere.
@@charlesgrubbs2101 Thank you very much for your exhaustive answer. I’m enjoying my music through an MQA enabled DAC. I think most of the anti MQA tide comes from bias toward Tidal streaming service.
Misinformation from Charles here.
Imagine a digital file. It does not matter what it contains. Now compress it. You have two choices, lossless or lossy. Lossy compression achieves part of its compresion by throwing away part of the data that the format algorithm believes will not be missed. Lossless will decompress back to the original file, bit for bit, with no loss of data whatsoever.
MP3, mqa and jpeg are examples file formats which throw away data. Flac, Zip, gz, 7z or any encryption algos are example lossless.
So, at it's basis, which do you want lossless or lossy?
If you want lossless, flac is right there for audio.
If you want lossy, any bitrate of MP3 is available.
Mqa IS a push to insert another company in the audio supply chain. We have file formats that already cover the two compression options. Mqa cannot possibly be better than flac, since flac is an exact reproduction of the original digital waveform. What went in is what comes out.
Mqa produced a format which "kinda works, with degraded sound" on standard hardware, but added their own proprietary tech to get back the full audio. What rubbish. We already had the full sound before it was converted to mqa.
What's this about time correction? What? Are you kidding?
I'll say it again, we already had the original waveform before it was converted to mqa, nothing needs to be corrected after mastering. Flac gives you back exactly what was stored in it regardless and it is free, requiring no other hardware.
And yes mqa is a push for DRM. Wait for the time when mqa has reached a decent market share, and then then non mqa licensed equipment will not longer play it. Since it is their format, they can degrade sound quality trivially in non licensed hardware. Just encode the files to favour their proprietary code path more heavily.
Support free formats, or you are just giving money to middle men and allowing lock-in later.