Hi Emilio,
Mac Mini with Tidal into a Benchmark DAC 2? Doesn't sound tech challenged at all, to me!
To your question, I think the dogma goes that independent of "Pass thru MQA" settings, the Tidal software always tries to perform a first core unfold. Thus any stream to DAC will supposedly have this "better than CD" output. The Pass thru MQA option switched off induces a second-level software rendering. But wait! There's More! If you buy the ipsy pipsy NEW DAC whose company has paid to license MQA, the final reveal will be granted to you via a final hardware unfold.
So as you've likely already tested, you still get good sound with either setting, and possibly better with no pass thru MQA. But not necessarily. With the best asynchronous implementation by high end DACs like your Benchmark, it is in some circles debatable that MQA will improve anything.
Enjoy.
Mac Mini with Tidal into a Benchmark DAC 2? Doesn't sound tech challenged at all, to me!
To your question, I think the dogma goes that independent of "Pass thru MQA" settings, the Tidal software always tries to perform a first core unfold. Thus any stream to DAC will supposedly have this "better than CD" output. The Pass thru MQA option switched off induces a second-level software rendering. But wait! There's More! If you buy the ipsy pipsy NEW DAC whose company has paid to license MQA, the final reveal will be granted to you via a final hardware unfold.
So as you've likely already tested, you still get good sound with either setting, and possibly better with no pass thru MQA. But not necessarily. With the best asynchronous implementation by high end DACs like your Benchmark, it is in some circles debatable that MQA will improve anything.
Enjoy.