D90 mqa vs M400, which one should I use?

[restorer-john]

The sound engineers that I know who have won Grammys have no problem with it.

And that means, exactly, precisely, nothing.

 

[BDWoody]

Every sound engineer who I know that has done the listening tests agrees that MQA is something special.

Uh huh...special is the right word.

 

[Veri]

Uh huh...special is the right word.

They told me I'm special, ma!

 

[misterdog]

MQA is another royalty fee for the musicians and producers, obviously many will say, I'll have some of that, it's human nature.

I spoke to one of the biggest Meridian dealers in the UK (you might think he would be a fan) . He said MQA made every recording sound like it had come from the same studio.
I know plenty of hi-end audio fans none of whom use MQA.

I've just done a search on Ebay for MQA recordings.

0 results for MQA recordings

 

[misterdog]

Back on topic I have an SMSL M400 and find the user experience and sound quality faultless.The best DAC I have heard - so far..

Though I only use XLR out.
The talk of the RCA being rolled off at HF was obviously an engineering choice.
My Quad ESL's also roll off after 16 Khz this does not stop them being regarded as one of the best loudspeakers in the world.

 

[dmac6419]

And that means, exactly, precisely, nothing.

So you say

 

[dmac6419]

the best-in-the-world sound engineers I know, who have won several Grammys each, disagree

So you say as well,It's another codec and there will be others,why are y'all so mad over a codec,some become mainstream and some don't,don't like that format don't use it,no need to bash it,VHS beat beta max and some say beta was better,MQA is a streaming codec everyone don't have unlimited bandwidth,Spotify want to stay with 320 bandwidth cost money no problem with that.But here's the real kicker all you doing is listening to music but you want to tell the people who recording the music how to record it,you know nothing about recording do you or how music is made.

 

[Sukie]

It's popularity is growing.. MQA is here to stay.

For me, this is the problem. You create a proprietary format, you market it, it becomes popular and manufacturers want a slice of the pie. Of course Topping (and others) are going to offer MQA products. Amongst other things they are in the business of making money.

I don't think it's a con or a rip-off, but I do think it ties you in to something that isn't necessary and restricts choices. I say all of this has someone who can't hear a difference between MQA and CD resolution. I use Qobuz and do listen to Hi-Res audio. To be honest, I can't tell the difference between that and CD resolution though. The only reason that I set my device to stream at full resolution is that I was born in the county of Yorkshire in England and we are known for our "financial minimalism". If I've paid for service I'm damn well gonna use it, whether it does me any good or not!!!

 

[Pluto]

https://www.linn.co.uk/blog/mqa-is-bad-for-music

Despite my general dislike of Linn and what they stand for, this is one of the best pieces I have ever read explaining why MQA is, quite simply, not good for you, me, anybody other than “big music”.

 

[Pluto]

The sound engineers that I know who have won Grammys have no problem with it [MQA]

I can understand why Grammy-winning-anyone would be in favour of MQA. It's a great system to support the wants of “Big Music” while simultaneously shafting everybody else.

 

[robertozappala]

L'unico motivo per cui ho impostato il mio dispositivo per lo streaming a piena risoluzione è che sono nato nella contea dello Yorkshire in Inghilterra e siamo conosciuti per il nostro "minimalismo finanziario". Se ho pagato per il servizio, lo userò dannatamente bene, che mi faccia bene o no !!!

LOL

 

[Sukie]

LOL

Seeing my comment translated into Italian with the word "Yorkshire" in the middle of it - wonderful!

 

[misterdog]

The only reason that I set my device to stream at full resolution is that I was born in the county of Yorkshire in England and we are known for our "financial minimalism". If I've paid for service I'm damn well gonna use it, whether it does me any good or not!!!

LOL. from Sheffield.

 

[misterdog]

VHS beat beta max and some say beta was better,

Betamax had better picture quality, the lack of pre recorded porn for the format caused it's downfall.

Video 2000 from Phillips and Grundig beat them both in terms of quality and useability.

The M400 shows how much Red Book audio shines.

 

[Nybto]

The streaming generation can’t seem to get their heads around what all this fuss is about MQA, they don’t really see any downsides.

 

[Doodski]

The streaming generation can’t seem to get their heads around what all this fuss is about MQA, they don’t really see any downsides.

It appears MQA will have their hand deep in our pockets wherever we turn... as compared to today's open source formats and no subscription fee for us.

 

[Nybto]

I spoke to one of the biggest Meridian dealers in the UK (you might think he would be a fan) . He said MQA made every recording sound like it had come from the same studio.

Interesting point, why is that? (Because they do all come from the same studio?)

 

[Charles0322]

the best-in-the-world sound engineers I know, who have won several Grammys each, disagree

drop some names.. the industry I know is excited about mqa.. list your sources

 

[ClicketEKlack]

drop some names.. the industry I know is excited about mqa.. list your sources

Man, this is one high-stakes game of name-drop MQA poker. Maybe one or both of you are bluffing... Maybe one or both of you have a pair of Grammy-winners up your sleeves. Time to raise or call... Pharrell??? Rick Rubin????? Read 'em and weep!!!

 

[Taddpole]

drop some names.. the industry I know is excited about mqa.. list your sources

Do they have money in it?