What happened to you sucks. Is Tidal as of now still won't stream MQA content to Auralic?ALAC - maybe, FCAC - no. Because it’s an open standard, controlled by an open community protecting its (our interests). We can argue till cows come home, but honestly I am, tired, bored, and lost interest.
And it’s a funny argument: I am telling you it _has_ happened to me - Tidal says It works on Auralc’s. And Tidal says Pay us and we get you MQA... But when I tell you I am one unhappy customer - because despite all that Tidal stopped sending me MQAs, the MQA service they promised was not delivered, and I lost tons of time and nerves… all you’re telling me is to be happy with MQA [as it’s not their fault]”. Heck, no! I do not give two schiits about whose fault it is, I am just an unsatisfied Tidal and MQA customer here - as all my troubles were gone the moment I switched to Qobuz with their hi-res.
Now, hear me again. The above it’s just one single ‘personal experience’ argument. (Though those tend to be the strongest ones)…. Earlier I/we gave you another - “MQA gets in the way of equalizing”. You response was something like “But it does not bother me, Amir, with my Roon, so I, Amir, can‘s see why everyone else is unhappy?!”
To the next argument “of needing proprietary SW [for core unfold]”, your answer is “but there is Tidal and Roon, that I, Amir, consider ‘mainstream’ and happen to own, so why ain’t you all happy too!?” And “Who owns MQA files anyway, all MQA come from Tidal!” … (Well, see the the previous paragraph.)
To the “need for custom MQA HW (an MQA DAC)“ , your reply is - “Yah, those are coming. Fo free, believe me…”
…And to the most fundamental question of “At the end, what is the SQ benefit of MQA?”, there is anything but a single answer…
And so on. I am honestly not interested in rehashing the 200+ pages of arguments, but there are many more…
Bottom line: It is your right liking MQA, or be as you call it “impartial”. But it would take significantly stronger and significantly more scientific and consistent arguments than have been offered so far, for me to see MQAs benefits. And in the absence of those, you only alternative is to catch and lobotomize me….
You also had bad luck at picking a streaming ecosystem that picked a bad fight with Tidal.
The easiest thing is to just move to Qobuz/ Amazon/Apple.
Good luck.