MQA Labs has launched Qrono dsd and Qrono d2a, a set of technologies that the group claims will improve the audio output of any digital-to-analog converter (DAC). They’re the first new products created by the MQA team since it was acquired by Lenbrook in 2023.
While both Qrono dsd and d2a are signal processors, they serve different functions. Qrono dsd converts DSD audio into a pulse-code modulation (PCM) signal — a critical step when you want to play DSD tracks via a DAC that isn’t capable of decoding DSD natively. “DSD conversion is handled with the lightest possible touch to preserve all the crucial time details in the recording,” said Al Wood, MQA Labs’ director of engineering.
Meanwhile, Qrono d2a is an attempt to improve the way DACs perform the task of turning digital audio into the analog audio that ultimately gets fed to our speakers or headphones. It does this by compensating for the blurring of the time domain, something that MQA Labs says is inherent in the way all DACs work.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because deblurring of the time domain was one of the key technical promises of the original MQA format developed by Bob Stuart.
MQA Labs says that new research into how humans hear points to the importance of correcting errors in the timing of audio. “One of the most surprising recent discoveries in neuroscience has been the precision of our hearing when discriminating sounds with fine time detail,” according to an MQA Labs white paper on Qrono d2a. “We can perceive distinct auditory signals as close together as 7 microseconds.”
The white paper goes into greater detail, with charts that purport to show the differences between DAC-processed signals and those that have been adjusted by Qrono d2a.
When Qrono d2a is used to process a hi-res, 24-bit/192kHz file, MQA Labs says it can exceed the time performance of the best analog systems. “The audible improvement, while subtle, is immediate. Removing the time smear reveals textures previously obscured. Micro dynamics are improved, and instruments are clearly delineated, enhancing the stereo soundstage and image. Music flows naturally, adding realism and reducing listener fatigue.”
Both Qrono d2a and dsd will make their debut this year in Bluesound’s new flagship network music streamer, the Node Icon. Qrono dsd will kick in any time a user begins playback of a DSD source, while Qrono d2a will be used on all digital audio.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to toggle d2a on and off to hear the difference. According to a spokesperson, “extensive listening tests were performed before the decision was taken to implement QRONO d2a as a standard process for the Node Icon.”
When the MQA format first appeared on the scene, it was criticized by many in the audiophile community. Observers felt that MQA didn’t deliver on its promise of being both hi-res and lossless, and there was concern around the licensing model; music labels were to be paid to encode using MQA, streaming services were to be paid to distribute MQA, and listeners had to buy special MQA-capable hardware if they want to hear the format at its highest level of quality.
Qrono dsd and d2a might be in for a similarly bumpy ride. Still, Wood is sounding a positive note, saying: “We are delighted by the audio results from the Qrono integration in Bluesound’s Node Icon and believe owners of the Icon will find the audio performance to be next level.”
