I’ve evaluated DSD files, FLAC, ALAC, uncompressed PCM 16/96 files, PCM 24/192 and now also MQA files using Audirvana Plus.
Audirvana Plus also played a significant role when I used to test the quality of purely digital files. I started doing that when I tested the conversion of my own CDs to FLAC files using the open source converter XLD and have continued doing so with converters such as Myriad. Audirvana’s high-quality rendering of audio is the reason why I often use it to evaluate the quality of sample audio. In short, my converted CD listening experience with Audirvana Plus on a silent iMac has never been any worse than listening to that same (SuperAudio) CD with a 2000€ costing Denon SuperAudio CD player and a Musical Fidelity headphones amplifier. I couldn’t hear any difference, except for a slight difference in “colour”.
I’ve compared playing music on the Mac via the Duet (serving as 192kHz max DAC) to playing the same CDs on a Denon DCD-2500NE SuperAudio CD player. The quality of Audirvana’s output, especially with all macOS services disabled, has always been the best I could ask for. I’ve played CDs converted to 44.1kHz AIFF and digital files in a broad range of formats, including DSD 256, FLAC and now also MQA-encoded FLAC. I’ve listened to music on anything from a pair of AudioEngine speakers to the Eclipse I had on loan, as well as a pair of Sennheiser HD650 headphones. I have been using previous versions of Audirvana Plus in combination with an Apogee Duet iPad/Mac and other DACs for a couple of years now. Automatic volume levelling, with ReplayGain and Loudness Dynamic Range analysis using the EBU R128 standard, and the DR rating.
SysOptimizer disabling the macOS background services potentially interfering with sound quality.Multichannel playback on multichannel devices.
Audirvana Plus 3 is the newest version of this audiophile software and it is the first to include the ability to play MQA encoded files. Many, myself included, would say it is the best - period. One of the best audiophile players for the Mac is Audirvana Plus. Review: If you are after the highest quality audio playback you can possible muster, the latest version of Audirvana could be right up your street.