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MQA

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So far as I've been able to tell the video of the WotHiFi 'interview' (?) is only available if you 'register' with WHF. If they object to YT's data hoovering/sharing, why not simply make it openly available, I wonder? If they think it is good I'd expect them to feel it would attract new subscribers for the mag.
 
https://www.whathifi.show/21/speaker/248492/bob-stuart

"Speaker Details
Full Name - Bob Stuart
Job Title - Founder Company MQA

Speaker Bio
Bob is the creator of MQA, the revolutionary new audio technology. He is a graduate of Birmingham University and Imperial College London, where his studies included Psychoacoustics and Electronic Engineering. Bob is an expert in audio coding and was the brains behind MLP, (the audio technology at the heart of DVD-Audio, and now part of the Blu-ray Disc specification). And he is, crucially, a dedicated lover of music."

Session Details
Start Time - 3:00 PM
Name - Fireside chat with MQA

Description
Join MQA founder Bob Stuart in conversation with tech journalist and TV presenter Lucy Hedges. Learn more about MQA’s ground-breaking audio technology and how it’s transforming your everyday listening experiences.

Bob Stuart - MQA
Lucy Hedges - Metro newspaper

Speaker Bio
Lucy Hedges is a journalist and TV presenter specialising in consumer technology. She is currently technology editor for Metro newspaper and a presenter for BBC Travel Show and has hosted a number of live events, including Fujitsu’s World Tour, AI Everything and Google GSEC. Lucy has a passion for all things tech, but perhaps most importantly, she loves disproving the gender assumption that girls are not as gadget-savvy as the boys."
 
Jim Audiomisc said:
You mean that the streamer that sends out MQA files *also* makes the input to MQA encoding for it available *despite* MQA apparently saying this isn't something they allow? Can you point to where they confirm this is actually available, and that it *is* what got put into the MQA encoder to generate the version they stream?

I've had the 2L files for some time. :)
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Your first paragraph has confused me.

You play LPCM file first through an MQA DAC. Then you play MQA file through the same DAC. Or you can do it in reverse order.
 
Rosewind said:
Edited and finished.
----

Dear Dimitry.

If I am an MQA hater, what then are you?

If you read my post about my LG 7 thinq more carefully you would have seen that it doesn't offer MQA. My own DAC doesn't offer MQA either

Enough of this undignified bear-baiting.

This thread was about the Golden One's findings in his video and ASR article.

MQA answered him - roughly with the same objections that you use in your response. It creates a catch 22 where - according to MQA - you cannot do any experiments unless you do them the MQA way. In order to do the experiments and comparisons the MQA way in order to verify that MQA does what it says on the tin, we need access to all the details about MQA. These salient details MQA refuse to disclose - wirh the same argument that you use - by referring to trade secrets / patent secrecy.

So the claimed methodological mistakes/ flaws made by the Golden One can never truly be falsified/verified in an open test setting. Catch 22.

As for sound quality, you come to a conclusion that runs counter to the conclusion reached by the two Norwegian Stereo+ people. They state - do I need to quote? - that you would probably need to own a highly resolved hifi set-up to hear the better deblurred sound quality that they heard from Qobuz FLAC. So, by implication, if you do not own a highly resolved hifi system, you may not notice any difference.

That most people may not be able to hear the difference between lossy MQA and lossless FLAC because of their less than stellar hifi equipnent, is a poor argument to pose in favour of MQA.

Another thing that Roy from Stereo+ mentioned was the lack of listener's fatigue with Qobuz even after very extended listening. MQA gave him listener's fatigue.

Could the removal of music data from the MQA file during the origami process be responsible?

You claim to own a very good set-up. Why don't you hear the same differences that the two gentlemen from Stereo+ heard? Personal preferences - we all have those? The voicing of your set-up? The kind of music genres you prefer? Different source masters?

- So .. no way to verify MQA.
- So ... some people may prefer MQA over Qobuz. But not all people.
- You say that you prefer hi res MQA in by far most instances. We have no way of knowing why hi res MQA sounds better to you in most cases.

Then there is
- the secrecy and the refusal to discuss the claimed benefits of MQA openly in a controlled setting
- the MQA claims of true athenticated studio masters that are in effect in a lossy equalised format
- the slow migration of MQA to still more formats and all areas of music production and music playback which were it to succeed would again fence in music, again in a lossy format
- the fact that MQA inserts itself as yet another player in the music business. For that they take a cut from the overall music revenue. Who gets richer because of this manoeuvering? The artists, or ... MQA?
- who are MQA in the business for and what are they in the business to achieve?
- MQA offer a closed lossy DRM format that is poised to supplant lossless redbook and hi res FLAC, lossless CDs (?), lossless vinyl remasters (???). Really?

MQA is a lossy format so to have MQA replace lossless formats would be a major step back in all respects that I can see.
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You are a very prolific writer!

I guess I am an MQA part-time lover, as it shares my attention with LPCM! But I also listen to LP, CD, cassettes, 8-tracks, XM Sat, FM and watch concert videos on DVD, Blueray and VHS.

I rather thought my experience aligned with the Norwegian gents - one liked it, the other didn't.

I assure you that I have a high resolution system and my speakers even make square waves :)

MQA "house sound" is identifyable through all four of my DACs, but it doesn't make them sound the same - their inherent character remains.

As for your ability to try MQA - I offered the little Project box to anyone who wanted it for an extended loan.

What is strange to me is the amount of time people are willing to TALK about something without HEARING it. As part of this discussion I became interested in HDCD. I have already bought and returned one HDCD DAC (broke) and have another on the way from Europe. Plus I bought a dozen HDCD discs. All in the time you blokes were chewing the MQA fat.
 
Jim Audiomisc said:
WHF page at: https://www.whathifi.com/tidal/review

Having in the past looked at copies of WHF I can't say that the webpage linked above astonishes me. :) Is there now a YT video of the 'event' that was mentioned upthread now available? IIRC it was using a 'tech journalist' to do an interview. I'd not heard of them so have no idea of their approach but think they mentioned having a degree in 'media and english'. Apparently with items notched up on the BBC 'Click' programme? Which is largely about gosh-wow consumer gadgets TBH whenever I've seen it.

DZ: I assume that you - like myself - don't simply accept as the full and complete truth everthing that gets published in a consumer magazine. Indeed, we don't do that for everything in 'peer reviewed' journals! And TBH having read some copies in the past, WHF isn't exactly a 'go to' magazine for me as it lacks the content I'd want. Others here may have their own views on that.

However to decide for yourself, It might be worth your while to read a few copies if you can to calibrate that. But the bottom line for me is the RS motto "Take no-one's word for it.". i.e. go for the evidence not what people say (or write).

My curiosity is WRT being able to watch a video of that interview if someone can give us the vid string for it.
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I used to buy it in the 90s from the "News of the World" in Harvard Square." I think it was/is a "lighter" publication.
 
Dimitry, you should list some albums you find superior in MQA -- I'm interested to know and have a Tidal sub.
 
Rosewind said:
https://www.whathifi.show/21/speaker/248492/bob-stuart

"Speaker Details
Full Name - Bob Stuart
Job Title - Founder Company MQA

Speaker Bio
Bob is the creator of MQA, the revolutionary new audio technology. He is a graduate of Birmingham University and Imperial College London, where his studies included Psychoacoustics and Electronic Engineering. Bob is an expert in audio coding and was the brains behind MLP, (the audio technology at the heart of DVD-Audio, and now part of the Blu-ray Disc specification). And he is, crucially, a dedicated lover of music."

Session Details
Start Time - 3:00 PM
Name - Fireside chat with MQA

Description
Join MQA founder Bob Stuart in conversation with tech journalist and TV presenter Lucy Hedges. Learn more about MQA’s ground-breaking audio technology and how it’s transforming your everyday listening experiences.

Bob Stuart - MQA
Lucy Hedges - Metro newspaper

Speaker Bio
Lucy Hedges is a journalist and TV presenter specialising in consumer technology. She is currently technology editor for Metro newspaper and a presenter for BBC Travel Show and has hosted a number of live events, including Fujitsu’s World Tour, AI Everything and Google GSEC. Lucy has a passion for all things tech, but perhaps most importantly, she loves disproving the gender assumption that girls are not as gadget-savvy as the boys."
Click to expand...
The Speaker Bio neglects to mention that Lucy is HOT!

lucy-hedges-wiki-married-parents.jpg
 
Pedro83 said:
Dimitry, you should list some albums you find superior in MQA -- I'm interested to know and have a Tidal sub.
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The ones I have completely drowned in for the last few days are Melody Gardot's Sunset in the Blue (deluxe ed) and Currency of Man.

I compared the first one between LP, LPCM, and MQA. I preferred MQA over LP and LPCM. The first was surprising, since I usually prefer LP.... I always just setup the Tidal app to pass the MQA output unmolested to my MQA DACs. M2TECH Young III is a very good one. But Liberty is fine as well - and it doesn't have the dryish Mytech sound. I feed it with a giant LPS.

My analogue setups are many (am I a horder?), but this comparison was made on P9/Trans Phoenix (retipped).

If you have an MQA DAC you should be all set, but I honestly don't know what the Tidal "unfolded" output sounds into a non-MQA hardware.

I do have a little MQA DAC available if someone wants an extended loan. I did buy an MQA usb headphone DAC/Amp dongle recently for very little money.
 
MQA - link directly to post 609.

In case people missed the important bits from the Norwegian Stereo+ article that I translated in post 609 above here are a few excerpts, ...

[Roy from Stereo+]
"A first impression is that the differences are very small and that different masters may often have a far bigger impact on the sound quality than whether it is MQA on Tidal or Qobuz 24/192 that I am listening to. Qobuz seems to have a little more air around the instruments. It has a bit more energy at the top and the sound is a little more well-defined. Perhaps the MQA sound is easier to like because it seems to be a bit softer around the edges than Qobuz, but at the same time the sound from the French streaming service appears to be a little more dynamic and transparent, so that the sound seems a little more controlled and so more pleasant to listen to over long listening sessions. Even though MQA brags that precisely de-blurring and dynamics are their strong suits, it is my experince that Qobuz is even better at exactly these aspects. Therefore it is my belief that played on a well-balanced and transparent stereo Qobuz will prevail with most people ..."

[Håvard from Stereo+]
"While at work, I listened to Qobuz for a whole day using a set of high end headphones, and this actually never happened before. As a rule, listener’s fatigue sets in af a couple of hours with MQA and I sense that I ought to take a break, but with Qobuz it was not just a matter of holding out, but even at the end of the day, I wanted to listen to more music.

In direct comparison the differences are a little less pronounced than I thought that they would be, but nonetheless I think that Qobuz sounds better. The sound seems clearer, the holographic image of the sound is better, it sounds a little more relaxed over time, and on individual tracks there is a bit more energy. Like Roy I think that MQA is a tiny bit softer. It is difficult to say exactly why this is, but regardless of this, it something that can help tone down the treble on a set of bright speakers somewhat, and perhaps help the main impression to be better, and the sound simpler to live with than through Qobuz."

They both prefer Qobuz when it comes to sound quality.
 
Rosewind said:
MQA - link directly to post 609.

In case people missed the important bits from the Norwegian Stereo+ article that I translated in post 609 above here are a few excerpts, ...

[Roy from Stereo+]
"A first impression is that the differences are very small and that different masters may often have a far bigger impact on the sound quality than whether it is MQA on Tidal or Qobuz 24/192 that I am listening to. Qobuz seems to have a little more air around the instruments. It has a bit more energy at the top and the sound is a little more well-defined. Perhaps the MQA sound is easier to like because it seems to be a bit softer around the edges than Qobuz, but at the same time the sound from the French streaming service appears to be a little more dynamic and transparent, so that the sound seems a little more controlled and so more pleasant to listen to over long listening sessions. Even though MQA brags that precisely de-blurring and dynamics are their strong suits, it is my experince that Qobuz is even better at exactly these aspects. Therefore it is my belief that played on a well-balanced and transparent stereo Qobuz will prevail with most people ..."

[Håvard from Stereo+]
"While at work, I listened to Qobuz for a whole day using a set of high end headphones, and this actually never happened before. As a rule, listener’s fatigue sets in af a couple of hours with MQA and I sense that I ought to take a break, but with Qobuz it was not just a matter of holding out, but even at the end of the day, I wanted to listen to more music.

In direct comparison the differences are a little less pronounced than I thought that they would be, but nonetheless I think that Qobuz sounds better. The sound seems clearer, the holographic image of the sound is better, it sounds a little more relaxed over time, and on individual tracks there is a bit more energy. Like Roy I think that MQA is a tiny bit softer. It is difficult to say exactly why this is, but regardless of this, it something that can help tone down the treble on a set of bright speakers somewhat, and perhaps help the main impression to be better, and the sound simpler to live with than through Qobuz."

They both prefer Qobuz when it comes to sound quality.
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Thank you for the correction. At least they were brave enough to try! :)

I have not listened to Qobuz on phones, actually. So maybe it would be my preference as well.

On my system - Eminent Tech 8Bs, dual mono biamped (Emotiva amplification chain), backed up by Two HSU subs - Qobuz can once in a while sound just a bit dry, with a lower midrange that's a bit thin. This sometimes comes through in SACDs as well. In other words, it can sound like an ECM release with an ECM sound turned just above 10 :)

And I love ECM!
 
DimitryZ said:
Yes, Waltham.
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Aah... OK, I was going to ask to borrow your little Project MQA DAC, but I think shipping to and fro to the UK would be too much hassle, besides currently my system is seriously offline... See here:
https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/linn-aktive-crossover-repair.254426/

Perhaps when I'm up and fully running, I'll ask again.

As an aside... Ordered some component from Penn Elcom for the repair and the courier Hermes have delivered to an unspecified neighbour, none of whom say they have it... Looks like £160 up in smoke too... Annoyed atm.
 
DimitryZ said:
Yes, Waltham. When are you coming over? Moody street is now ped only, with open air restaurant seating.
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Would love to pop over for a listen, a drink and a snack outside, you do have some interesting drinking habits along with musical taste. I'm more of a single malt guy these days with an interest in heavy rock and pop. Jazz.... I need to be educated with this, it just doesn't excite me, however I do like some of the dabbling Santana did with the jazz genre a while ago.
 
mansr said:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/tidal’s-new-lossless-tier-says-goodbye-to-mqa-but-does-it-really.22968/post-767685

Summary: the new "non-MQA" tier on Tidal is still MQA.
Click to expand...

nostromo said:
More bad press for MQA and Tidal.

Just shows desperation by Tidal to offer Lossless at a competitive price. And some desperation to ditch MQA quickly. Qobuz will be laughing.
Click to expand...

This is a nightmare come true. We need that MQA flagger now - one that works even when MQAs own signal won't flag it as MQA.
 
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