MrTriton wrote: Hi,

I am using Tidal. Since HEOS does not really support MQA the quality with HEOS is a bit reduced but it's not like 64 kbit internet radio but still a 320 kbit MP3.

As per the manual, Main+LFE would be double bass which was not recommended.
I will try to investigate further what is the best setting.

Do you have any recommendation for a track with 40-120 Hz so that I can check the bass?

KR

Hi, Chris

It does sound like your Marantz is being fed compressed MP3, vs the better quality you feed through the PSA DAC. That would be a piece of the difference.

Re Tidal's MQA format for lossless, my Bluesound Node 2i which I stream with to the Marantz, lets you specify in it's set-up whether you are feeding a non MQA capable DAC, which is true of most if not all AVR's and pre's, and then the Bluesound unfolds the MQA to a format that the receiving DAC can handle. I don't know what options you have within the HEOS firmware to do something similar.

If you want to try streaming lossless, 16 or 24 bit to the Marantz to give it equivalent quality feeds for a better comparison, you could also get a trial subscription to say Qobuz (usually free for a month or so). Amazon HD and Qobuz both use the FLAC lossless format which all Marantz DAC's can process. I think you'll be amazed at how much more lifelike and dynamic the music is, lossless vs MP3.

Re playing something with a lot of bass content, try something like Lorde's "Royals".

Keep at it! It's worth it to get to where you want to go with the Marantz..

Rick