MQA Sounds Really Good!

[BDWoody]

That's the truth,you need to read his comment (Tidal is the only streamer currently offering MQA, and if you know anything about the owner Jay Z, they kind of fit together.)woof woof

I agree they fit together. I hope they both fail miserably.
That has nothing to do with race, by the way.

 

[DonH56]

Here's a Gizmodo article about Tidal from a Couple of years ago when a lot of stuff was coming out. The company started overseas so the stories were often bigger over there. One of the responses to the question "why not more on this in the USA?" was "because you'd be called racist". Jay Z's problem is not his race; it's his business sense (or lack of) and arrogance/ego. There have been many comments on that and his attitude towards investors and employees, many of whom are of the same race.

https://gizmodo.com/how-tidal-got-so-fucked-1826870560

 

[gikigill]

Gizmodo is not really what qualifies as Journalism. They have never liked Tidal and you can see articles from the last 5 years from their website that show the same.

Wonder what might be the reason they don't like Tidal.

I am a subscriber to Tidal and would love to see the source of the quote you attributed to Jay-Z.

 

[DonH56]

Gizmodo is not really what qualifies as Journalism. They have never liked Tidal and you can see articles from the last 5 years from their website that show the same.

Wonder what might be the reason they don't like Tidal.

I am a subscriber to Tidal and would love to see the source of the quote you attributed to Jay-Z.

I cannot remember the last time I looked at Gizmodo; probably clicked a link accidentally a year or two ago. No argument that the article is not a news article per se, just something I grabbed after a quick search. I have been hearing about Jay Z and Tidal shennanigans for several years and personally never considered his race; a couple of years ago when stories first broke I didn't know it, nor that he was a rapper (just not my thing). I did not quote him in my post. I was just trying to point out that we're not all racists here on ASR, but IME arguments like this are pointless because once the charge is made it sticks no matter what.

Not sure what any of this has to do with MQA, but I've not been following MQA, either.

 

[KozmoNaut]

Tidal is a crap streaming service, using a crap proprietary encoding, and owned by a crap businessman. It's bleeding money, badly.

That's really the essence of it.

 

[gikigill]

I cannot remember the last time I looked at Gizmodo; probably clicked a link accidentally a year or two ago. No argument that the article is not a news article per se, just something I grabbed after a quick search. I have been hearing about Jay Z and Tidal shennanigans for several years and personally never considered his race; a couple of years ago when stories first broke I didn't know it, nor that he was a rapper (just not my thing). I did not quote him in my post. I was just trying to point out that we're not all racists here on ASR, but IME arguments like this are pointless because once the charge is made it sticks no matter what.

Not sure what any of this has to do with MQA, but I've not been following MQA, either.

Ever considered the "kind" of the majority of the snake oil peddlers in audio who would give Jay-Z a run for his money? Guess what kind the owner of MQA is? Guess what kind the owner of the biggest snake oil peddlers like Audioquest, Norne Audio etc are?

If you're wondering why the younger generation is not engaging in hifi, the attitudes might be a big reason.

BTW none of us knows the commercial or business reason behind Tidal supporting MQA streaming but here we are. Probably done by the wrong kind I'm guessing.

 

[gikigill]

Tidal is a crap streaming service, using a crap proprietary encoding, and owned by a crap businessman. It's bleeding money, badly.

That's really the essence of it.

What a well substantiated argument.

Can you name a replacement for Tidal please?

BTW Tidal doesn't stream MQA all the time, only on select recordings so your crap about encoding is 100% incorrect. They use FLAC for all recordings in HIFI except Masters.

Jay-Z is worth a billion dollars despite Tidal so rest assured you don't need to worry about him going insolvent any time.

The irony of this all is, I don't even own MQA equipment or care about MQA or listen to Jay-Z.

Out of 8 DACs I have, only 1 supports MQA and was not purchased based on the fact. It's the brilliant ifi Black Label Micro.

 

[dmac6419]

What a well substantiated argument.

Can you name a replacement for Tidal please?

BTW Tidal doesn't stream MQA all the time, only on select recordings so your crap about encoding is 100% incorrect. They use FLAC for all recordings in HIFI except Masters.

Jay-Z is worth a billion dollars despite Tidal so rest assured you don't need to worry about him going insolvent any time.

The irony of this all is, I don't even own MQA equipment or care about MQA or listen to Jay-Z.

Out of 8 DACs I have, only 1 supports MQA and was not purchased based on the fact. It's the brilliant ifi Black Label Micro.

I'm still trying to figure out how MQA is being forced on someone if they don't subscribe to it ,have yet to see a MQA CD in the record store,your music your choice.

 

[Sal1950]

I'm still trying to figure out how MQA is being forced on someone if they don't subscribe to it .

When MQA encoded files are released, more and more the non-encoded files aren't. So then you don't have a choice, the pure wave or flacs are gone. And don't by into the BS that a non-decoded MQA file is the equal to a 16/44.1 redbook file. They even try to claim they are better sounding cause they've been de-blurred. Balony
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwio5_qtjqXnAhVOwlkKHdKcAi4QFjACegQICxAH&url=https://www.stereophile.com/content/mqa-encoded-cds-yes&usg=AOvVaw2FqqDeGTvEbXcFvYei63NR

,have yet to see a MQA CD in the record store,your music your choice.

Your not looking hard enough, they've been out there for 3 years now along with dedicated players
https://www.amazon.com/MQA-Sampler-Various-VARIOUS-ARTISTS/dp/B07BZB8SP9

 

[Ron Party]

I think I have only a few. Camille Thurman, Inside The Moment RBCD, comes to mind:

 

[KozmoNaut]

MQA is a scam. The only reason it still has relatively low penetration is because we have successfully pulled away the curtain and shown how worthless it is.

What a well substantiated argument.

Thank you

Can you name a replacement for Tidal please?

Literally every other major streaming service.

Or better yet, downloads, CDs and LPs. Don't be beholden to the shifting moods of streaming services and major labels. Own the music you listen to, and let no one take it away from you for nonsense licensing and copyright reasons.

If you really care about music, you don't want to just accept being told to listen to something else, because the label decided that your favorite album is no longer available. Hell no.

 

[Piotr]

Conversely to what have been written here I am in the opinion that MQA is a king. In the era of streaming where the old dinosaurs are left behind , the vinyls next to tape cassette and CD are just dust keepers used for ritual more than for actually listening - it's a great alternative.

Sure its resolution isn't a bat spectrum and not lossless but it's superseding CD. This is a level where audibility capabilities of human ear is becoming blurred. Mind I am talking about >1100kbps and not ~320kbps (watching at you spotify).

That said, I see benefit, added value and most importantly more joy when listening to MQA in compare to what Spotify or Google Music offer. Nope, I am not going into flac / cassette / cd path and waste my computer or living space with such archaism and inconveniences - definitely prefer streaming and exploring the musing every day.

Turntables? OK, but not for the sake of improving the sound quality. For fanciness and hipster-ism, sure. It looks nicem, I have to admit. It creates a special, more relaxed atmosphere where the music can be listened to more thoroughly.

 

[gikigill]

MQA is a scam. The only reason it still has relatively low penetration is because we have successfully pulled away the curtain and shown how worthless it is.



Thank you



Literally every other major streaming service.

Or better yet, downloads, CDs and LPs. Don't be beholden to the shifting moods of streaming services and major labels. Own the music you listen to, and let no one take it away from you for nonsense licensing and copyright reasons.

If you really care about music, you don't want to just accept being told to listen to something else, because the label decided that your favorite album is no longer available. Hell no.

Can you name another lossless service that has a catalog as broad as Tidal and offers full service in Australia unlike Amazon Music HD?

I don't believe MQA will go anywhere as it just doesn't seem to be gaining traction and dropping Tidal because they offer 10% of their catalog in MQA is simply illogical. Getting customers to buy a DAC because of MQA just seems to be a non-sequiter.

My ifi Black Label iMicro supports MQA after an upgrade but I bought it for the power and its swiss knife capabilities. Amp, DAC, USB, 4W RMS, good battery and XBass are why the ifi stays with me.

Coming back to physical media, I have a HDD full of 10000 plus FLAC/WAV. Streaming is for convenience and playing music around the entire house. Heck my phone has 1500 plus FLAC at about 200GB on it at this very moment and Tidal is the cherry on top.

 

[gikigill]

Conversely to what have been written here I am in the opinion that MQA is a king. In the era of streaming where the old dinosaurs are left behind , the vinyls next to tape cassette and CD are just dust keepers used for ritual more than for actually listening - it's a great alternative.

Sure its resolution isn't a bat spectrum and not lossless but it's superseding CD. This is a level where audibility capabilities of human ear is becoming blurred. Mind I am talking about >1100kbps and not ~320kbps (watching at you spotify).

That said, I see benefit, added value and most importantly more joy when listening to MQA in compare to what Spotify or Google Music offer. Nope, I am not going into flac / cassette / cd path and waste my computer or living space with such archaism and inconveniences - definitely prefer streaming and exploring the musing every day.

Turntables? OK, but not for the sake of improving the sound quality. For fanciness and hipster-ism, sure. It looks nicem, I have to admit. It creates a special, more relaxed atmosphere where the music can be listened to more thoroughly.

Coming back to my old queston, what does MQA offer over FLAC?

I can send a 24/192 5Mbps FLAC file that demolishes MQA. This one to be precise.

https://www.discogs.com/Hans-Zimmer...al-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/release/10707131

 

[KozmoNaut]

Conversely to what have been written here I am in the opinion that MQA is a king. In the era of streaming where the old dinosaurs are left behind , the vinyls next to tape cassette and CD are just dust keepers used for ritual more than for actually listening - it's a great alternative.

Only if you wish to turn over the full control of your favorite music to the vagaries of the streaming services and labels, and their contracts. It's their dream come true, they can license music to you instead of selling it to you once, and they can take it away exactly when and if they please.

Sure its resolution isn't a bat spectrum and not lossless but it's superseding CD. This is a level where audibility capabilities of human ear is becoming blurred. Mind I am talking about >1100kbps and not ~320kbps (watching at you spotify).

Do you listen with your eyes? Do you listen to the numbers on an arbitrary bitrate read-out? Why are you comparing lossless codec bitrates to lossy codec bitrates, when they imply very different things?

High-bitrate lossy is indistinguishable from CD quality (and so-called "hi-res"), and 320kbps Ogg Vorbis (as on Spotify) is absolutely unequivocally completely audibly transparent.

That said, I see benefit, added value and most importantly more joy when listening to MQA in compare to what Spotify or Google Music offer. Nope, I am not going into flac / cassette / cd path and waste my computer or living space with such archaism and inconveniences - definitely prefer streaming and exploring the musing every day.

If your "added value" and "joy" is tied up to a little blue light on a DAC, I pity you. Listen to the music, not the format.

What you call "archaism" and "inconvenience", I call control over the music I love and unfettered access to it, including being able to sort, arrange and curate it myself. It's a matter of quality over quantity.

 

[KozmoNaut]

Can you name another lossless service that has a catalog as broad as Tidal and offers full service in Australia unlike Amazon Music HD?

Lossless streaming is a pointless waste of bandwidth. High-bitrate lossy encoding is audibly transparent and indistinguishable from CD quality or "hi-res".

No streaming service gets my recommendation, I refuse to turn over curation and control over my music to some corporation.

 

[Eirikur]

No streaming service gets my recommendation, I refuse to turn over curation and control over my music to some corporation.

These services are great for some casual listening and discovering new music, an area once covered by radio shows. Once you know what you like it's still best to own it. In this context MQA is actually inconsequential, unless it prohibits you acquiring the best version of an album in a decent format like FLAC.

 

[gikigill]

Lossless streaming is a pointless waste of bandwidth. High-bitrate lossy encoding is audibly transparent and indistinguishable from CD quality or "hi-res".

No streaming service gets my recommendation, I refuse to turn over curation and control over my music to some corporation.

Music has been controlled by corporations for a while now, starting from the 50s if you haven't been paying attention.

Bandwidth is the last of my worries as I run an almost 400GB 4G mobile plan and Unlimited 100mbps Fibre Optic at home. Modem logs tell me I consume between 700-1100GB per month.

Lossy is just that, lossy. It will not substitute a proper lossless format and defeats the point of having such high quality DACs and other equipment not to mention its great for archiving.

 

[Sal1950]

These services are great for some casual listening and discovering new music, an area once covered by radio shows. Once you know what you like it's still best to own it.

+1

In this context MQA is actually inconsequential, unless it prohibits you acquiring the best version of an album in a decent format like FLAC.

Which is what it is doing little by little

 

[bluefuzz]

I just got a mail a couple of days ago from 'Hifi-Klubben' – one of the last remaining high-street shops here in Denmark that, at least on paper, still deal with serious hifi.

They are ominously advertising a 'MQA live streaming concert from London' whatever that is ...