Alma Audio - Wilson Alexia 2 introduction - MQA on MSB Reference DAC!

[microstrip]

(...)
Peter sent some of those files (WAV) to the folks at MQA, and what he got back was stunning. These are recordings that Peter knows intimately,and yet he was floored by how much MORE information was hidden in there.

Thanks - I have listened to the original files during Wilson demos carried by Peter.

Considering that these 24/88.2 files sound better when encoded in MQA and decoded in MQA compatible DACs, perhaps some day we will have DACs that can encode e decode? Why is an alternative file format needed?

 

[asiufy]

Well, that's actually a pretty astute question! Given that DACs today (and their FPGAs) are fairly powerful, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible from a technical standpoint!

But from what I understand of the MQA process, it needs to understand a couple of things about the original recording, like which recorder/ADC was used, for instance... If that can be factored in a real-time conversion process, it'd be beautiful



cheers,
alex

 

[mauidan]

We had a blast last night, with a full house, great sound, and fantastic music!

Thanks for stopping by, Dave! The DAC we used was actually the MSB Reference with one power supply, not the SELECT. So there's even more to be had We'll have the SELECT back in the system soon enough...

People also commented on the performance of the MSB 204 amps. Given Peter's preference for playing loud (that I also share!), a class A amp might not've been the right choice, but THOSE amps were perfect! Loud or quiet, they were unstoppable on the Alexia 2s. They do get warm, though, as you'd expect them to...

Peter's recordings and MQA demos is one of the reasons I'm a believer now. If you dig through the MQA stuff on Tidal, there's plenty of incredible stuff out there, both analog and digital recordings, and with just about every major label backing MQA, I'll have to agree with Dave that it'd be silly to get a DAC today that is not MQA compatible or at least modular enough that it could be upgraded in the future.

I have some pics and commentary here:

https://almaaudio.com/blogs/news/8-22-wilson-audio-alexia-2-launch-event


thanks,
alex

Looks like an AARP meeting.;-)

 

[still-one]

Looks like an AARP meeting.;-)

When do they not?

 

[asiufy]

I can't remember seeing wilsons out into the room as you have. No doubt the wilson folks have them sounding good, just not common to see them as shown. How does the GS150 play in this setup?

Hi Bob!

Yes, the positioning was a leap of faith that Peter McGrath took, based on our weird room and listening preferences for deep soundstages. We've had the Sabrinas in about this position before, and it was mind-blowing, so we figured we'd start right about there and see what happened
It was gorgeous, full (yet precise) bass, and incredible depth and layering.
Expect to see a lot more unconventional stuff now that we're a Wilson dealer We'll be at the Anaheim show with 3 rooms, 2 of them with Wilsons!
As for the GS, haven't had a chance to put them on just yet, just the MSB 204 and the D'Agostino Momentums. Will do soon enough, as I'm curious myself, given how amazing the GS150 are with the YGs!


cheers,
alex

 

[DaveyF]

Looks like an AARP meeting.;-)

Actually those guys are spring chickens compared to us, LOL.

Seriously, as still-one stated, when does it not?? Which is IMHO the biggest problem that high end has -- and possibly one that will ultimately mean the end of the hobby!