MQA didn't gain enough of a foothold for me to miss. I have never heard MQA in action, so I am not qualified to comment on its sound. I do not stream music from websites other than music from my own collection, most of which is not hi-rez. From what I figure, the guy who mentioned copyright protection on page one probably nailed it. The industry wants an uncopyable format for streaming, and this may be it...until someone figures out a way around it.
just saw that audio quest dragon fly models were updated to support it. typically, enthusiasts are the first ones to adopt such new tech. but even with a lukewarm response from hobbyists, vendors seem adament on supporting it. i can see not wanting to be 'left behind', but i appreciate the few who are refusing to include support on principle alone. i imagine most artists are cool with it given the DRM bits. and that fits with tidal's culture of putting control back in the artist's hands. ironic that this will affect those who paying. personally, i haven't heard the tech yet. but I remember reading 'lossy' and being concerned right there. i primarily listen to a flac library ripped from media that i've purchased...both new and used. most of it is redbook, although i do have some hires mixed in (talking heads, flaming lips, floyd immersion sets, neil young, fleetwood mac, etc). streaming-wise, i usually subscribe to at least one streaming service for music discovery and auditions prior to purchase (recently switched from spotify to deezer in protest of the farmer's deprecation of squeezebox support). i usually carry and listen to my lossless library via my nw-zx2 walkman. but i've been considering simplifying by moving to my android phone in combination with an audio quest dragon fly red. if I do go that route, i'd at least audition MQA via a tidal masters trial so i could at least comment on the sound....but is it available via the mobile app yet? last i heard, it was only available on the desktop version.
It's only available from the desktop app-a different subject but I don't really trust streaming unless your system is rock solid-I don't think it sounds as good as a disc. On MQA I have tried a few using the good lady's Mac Book Pro into my Bryston BDA-3 Dac. I think it's a bit of a mixed bag and you have the difficulty of not knowing what the source material is-so are you comparing the same source material?
I haven't heard it yet as I don't have a capable device, but I don't think it's going away anytime soon.
You should go on the Facebook page. There's enough gushing going on over it, somebody'll need to ring for a plumber...
Thanks for the confirmation. Verification of source has actually been my problem with hires downloads. I've seen post where differences are noted between offerings of the same material on different sites. At least with CDs and vinyl, we have catalog numbers to track the different masterings/releases. So I just continue to rip from my own hires discs be it dvd or blu ray.
If you aren't using an MQA enabled/licensed DAC, you are not getting the full benefits of MQA. Disclaimer: I have no dog in this fight, I have only heard a limited number of MQA files with the 'limited' MQA origami unfolding (software app only) and can't make an informed opinion either way.
Hmm, no comment on your particular overall reading background...but perhaps you should step up to Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening".
Anyone know what players will play the MQA layer of the recently issued 5 inch discs from Japan? Aja [Hi-Res CD (MQA x UHQCD)] [Limited Release] Steely Dan CD Album
Recently I got the chance to try out MQA. The Tidal MQA stream of Donald Fagan's The Nightfly vs my copy of the M0-Fi One-Step. The MQA wasn't bad, but not even close to the vinyl!
There are none, as far as I know, except for the multi-thousand-dollar Meridian monster. What you need is an external, MQA-enabled DAC. Feed the output of your existing CD player to the MQA-enabled external DAC to get the full MQA ‘experience’ whatever that actually is (or isn’t).
Good point - I forgot about Oppo. The Oppo 205 is supposed to be able to play MQA files from USB stick and CD-R. But it’s not clear that the 205 will play commercial CDs that contain MQA-processed/encoded files. Then again, @Flaming Torch may be asking about a solution that is easier to find and implement than the now-discontinued Oppo 205. Have you tried playing MQA files through an Oppo 205? If so, what was the result?
No, I still have a 105D. I would love to hear from somebody who has the 205 MQA enabled and an MQA CD.
As I suggested, it may be easier for anyone, including @Flaming Torch, interested in commercial MQA CDs to use their existing CD player to feed an external MQA DAC. Plenty of MQA DACs available now.
Yes, the UDP-205 can play MQA-CD's (as discussed here). Also there is currently a beta firmware to allow decoding from the USB DAC (USB-B port) so you can stream Tidal off the computer/streamer to the device (as discussed here). Still a bit buggy for those using XLR output! As far as I know the UDP-205 is the only player that can do MQA-CD spinning, USB-A MQA file decoding, and as a typical USB DAC all in one...
Why are there MQA CD's when we've been told MQA is just for mobile listening over streaming services?
If protracted confusion, a hairball of difficulty in actually auditioning the format, and discussion of a defunct manufacturer (Oppo) being a prime way to hear it equals dead, then MQA is dead. Chris C., the proprietor at Computer Audiophile, said about six weeks ago that some kind of big, breakthrough MQA licensing deal is rumored to be in the offing, but nothing has been announced since then.
Stories like this are my favorite part of the MQA saga. The belief that the music industry can sign a contract that makes customers interested in a product. Our favorite MQA spokesman would sort of gleefully declare it didn't matter if we didn't want it because we'd get it anyway.
I never had that impression, and others raised the issue of commercial MQA CDs in a much earlier thread. Where did you hear that MQA was just for mobile listening? In fact, none of the listening testing I’ve conducted and posted about has used any mobile devices of any kind. It’s all been standalone MQA-enabled DACs connected to home systems of various configurations.
