MQA: A Review of controversies, concerns, and cautions

[Thunder240]

@firedog , I agree with all of that. (I don't buy albums anymore, but I understand why you'd get value from sublime). Your point about getting the content in the format it was recorded/produced in is an example of why someone would want get the 96k/24 stream that they paid for from Amazon and have the freedom to transport it to their streamer using a technology other than airplay, which downsamples to 44.1k/16.

 

[Frank Dernie]

No, not really. You are so dismissive you can't see the forest for the trees.
I pay for Qobuz sublime+ because it gives me about 50% discount on albums I want to buy for download. I still buy music, and the subscription pretty much pays for itself if I buy 2 albums a month.
And anyway, if something was recorded and/or mastered in 24 bits or 96k (most classical music is, for instance) why not get the format it was recorded/produced in? I'm making no claims the hi-res sounds better, but what's wrong with having it?

I have just "downgraded" my Qobuz account from sublime because, following some rigorous comparisons, I am sufficiently content that I can't hear any difference between 24/96 and 16/44 (and a disappointingly large number of Qobuz "hires" downloads are actually 24/44 so quite ridiculously pointless).
I also stopped buying hires downloads for the same reason, so sublime was no longer a benefit.
I have gone back to buying the CD rather than a download, then I can play it and rip it for my portable.
The change saved me about £100 this year.

 

[Thunder240]

@Frank Dernie
Whether or not we humans can perceive hi-res information, I am fairly confident that the remastering that goes into quite a few hi-res releases is audible, and is often an improvement over the original masters.

Your experience begs the question, does Qobuz stream the same tracks to all subscribers regardless of tier and downsample with dithering those hi-res tracks that aren’t in a user’s tier? Or do they exclude hi-res tracks if you aren’t paying for them? I had assumed it was the latter, but perhaps it is the former!

 

[Soniclife]

This thread is live again. And I have some more insights.
According to unpublished data, MQA is underperforming against "CD quality" having standing tones in the high frequency around 16KHz.
MQA is indeed audibly differentiable from CD quality format because it is inferior to CD quality instead of arguably better, after all.

Interesting, is that before or after the 1st unfold?

 

[Frank Dernie]

@Frank Dernie
Whether or not we humans can perceive hi-res information, I am fairly confident that the remastering that goes into quite a few hi-res releases is audible, and is often an improvement over the original masters.

Your experience begs the question, does Qobuz stream the same tracks to all subscribers regardless of tier and downsample with dithering those hi-res tracks that aren’t in a user’s tier? Or do they exclude hi-res tracks if you aren’t paying for them? I had assumed it was the latter, but perhaps it is the former!

I see no reason to use a different version for 16/44, except marketing. I could see making the CD and high res layers different on a SACD making marketing sense.
AFAIK they always streamed 16/44 versions of any track you chose unless you had bought it, in which case it is streamed as the file you bought.
Certainly if the 96/24 is a different mix to the 44/16 it will sound as much different as the mix determines.
I have no idea whether they store different versions or not.
I mainly use Qobuz to check whether I want to buy the CD though.

 

[Thomas savage]

I have Amazon HD, I plug my dirty work phone into my DAC and music comes out. There's a crude EQ thing that I have set to compensate for a bit if suck out and too much HF .

The result is I don't play CDs even if I have them. They are heading for the loft .

MQA continues to appear pointless

 

[SIY]

Well, presumably anyone paying for Amazon HD, Qobuz Sublime, or whatever Tidal and Deezer refer to their premium tiers as wants to get the all of the bits they are paying for. And they don’t get all those hi res bits if they have to resort to AirPlay to get their Amazon HD stream to their streamer of choice. That’s the issue.

I do and I do. Since the vast majority of recordings are released in 16/44 and Amazon HD offers them in that format (as opposed to data-compressed formats), I'm getting everything that can be gotten. And so-called Hi Res for the fringe things.

No AirPlay here, I deeply dislike all aspects of the way Apple sets up it's "ecosystem." Amazon HD works perfectly with both my regular PC setup, my phone, and BluOs.

 

[dmac6419]

Amazon HD only makes sense from a cost perspective give if you already have an Amazon-approved streaming device in your signal path. If you don’t, you are going to have to add one, which at a minimum will involve subbing equipment (perhaps sonically inferior) and could necessitate buying new equipment such as a Denon HEOS Link, which drives up cost. Or you could stream it from a device such as a computer/iOS/Android via Airplay, but then you are back to CD quality. Until Amazon opens up their API, I’m sticking with Qobuz.

HUH

 

[dmac6419]

MQA sounds just fine to me,Buy CD's they still make them.

 

[Julf]

MQA sounds just fine to me

But is it better than CD? No. Is it worth paying extra for, and getting locked into a proprietary dead-end format? Probably not.

 

[mansr]

MQA sounds just fine to me,Buy CD's they still make them.

They even make CDs with MQA.

 

[Julf]

They even make CDs with MQA.

Taking pointlessness to a new level... Wasn't the original selling point of MQA to reduce streaming bandwidth?

 

[bennetng]

They even make CDs with MQA.

 

[EchoChamber]

But is it better than CD? No. Is it worth paying extra for, and getting locked into a proprietary dead-end format? Probably not.

I find Tidal MQA tracks played through my D90 MQA to sound different than the same track from a ripped CD. It sounds bigger, with more presence, and a larger, deeper soundstage. Also timbre more “analog like”. I like them better.

 

[Julf]

I find Tidal MQA tracks played through my D90 MQA to sound different than the same track from a ripped CD. It sounds bigger, with more presence, and a larger, deeper soundstage. Also timbre more “analog like”. I like them better.

As in different EQ or even mastering? Some people like the use of tone controls and even added distortion too...

 

[EchoChamber]

As in different EQ or even mastering? Some people like the use of tone controls and even added distortion too...

Subjective impressions by listening to the same track in different formats. Nothing added from my end, every thing else being equal.

 

[Julf]

Subjective impressions by listening to the same track in different formats. Nothing added from my end, every thing else being equal.

Not at your end, no. Did you match levels? The effects you describe could be caused by a simple level difference, not to mention different eq (in the MQA process) or even different master...

 

[dmac6419]

But is it better than CD? No. Is it worth paying extra for, and getting locked into a proprietary dead-end format? Probably not.

To each his own,Amazon sounds good too,Atmos too.I have an extensive physical collections from the 70's to today and all my parent collection as well,I don't limit myself to one format,things change all the time since i been living.I come from the days when TV'S and Stereo systems were furniture.

 

[RichB]

They even make CDs with MQA.

CDs without CD quality. This could generate hundreds of sales.

- Rich

 

[firedog]

I have just "downgraded" my Qobuz account from sublime because, following some rigorous comparisons, I am sufficiently content that I can't hear any difference between 24/96 and 16/44 (and a disappointingly large number of Qobuz "hires" downloads are actually 24/44 so quite ridiculously pointless).
I also stopped buying hires downloads for the same reason, so sublime was no longer a benefit.
I have gone back to buying the CD rather than a download, then I can play it and rip it for my portable.
The change saved me about £100 this year.

Not sure I get that. The price for hi-res downloads with Sublime is often/usually less than the price of a CD. I just checked one new album: $14,99 hi res download from Sublime, 27.50 for triple CD from Amazon, not including shipping. Another was $9.99 for hi-res from Qobuz sublime, $14.99 for CD from Amazon.
Another, available only in Redbook, was $8.99 from Qobuz, $14.00 for CD from Amazon. Maybe you can get the CD's for less, I doubt you can get them for less than the Qobuz prices. I don't have them available to me anywhere locally, and having them shipped seems wasteful - and is more expensive.

Qobuz Studio that includes hi-res is $149 a year. Sublime+ is now $249 a year.

If you are buying albums regularly, Sublime+ is a good deal. You make up that $100 bucks easily.