So, does the introduction of MQA change/alter your plans going forward?

Rob, I could care less if it sounds "like the Master" maybe it does, maybe it doesn't, who cares? What I care about is enjoying listening to music. I happen to love listening to music via vinyl, but even love Tidal and it's selection and ease of use more so. Now with Tidal/MQA that definitely, TO ME, sounds a LOT like vinyl, it's nirvana, again FOR ME, other than now it's the waiting game until there is an abundant supply of music on Tidal that has been MQA'd.

If you want to argue the point of MQA sounding more like the original master, then that's a different argument and I for one have no interest in that debate or discussion, I will be too busy listening to Tidal streaming MQA titles.....that sound like vinyl, again to me.
 
rbbert said:
I don't currently have Tidal, but I'll probably try it this week just to check out some of the MQA stuff. If I hear the kind of differences you all are describing, I will continue to be skeptical of MQA, for the reason I alrready posted. That wouldn't necessarily stop me from listening to Tidal using MQA, but it would definitely keep me from buying anything MQA encoded.
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All of the audio boards are filling up with praise for MQA. The first album people hear and suddenly they are hooked. It must be the digital equivalent of crack cocaine. Maybe Rob is onto something with MQA being some sort of DSP manipulation. Hard to believe another digital format that is lossy is somehow superior to a true hi-rez file. MQA is the Swiss Army Knife of digital. It even has hospital corners on the information that it's tucking in. It fixes the flaws in the original A/D converters used to make the recording, it compresses the file, and it has a light that lights up on the Meridian DACs to let you know your file has been authenticated by the original recording engineers even if they are dead. And, it's making people rant and rave. Must be something to it.
 
mep said:
All of the audio boards are filling up with praise for MQA. The first album people here and suddenly they are hooked. It must be the digital equivalent of crack cocaine. Maybe Rob is onto something with MQA being some sort of DSP manipulation. Hard to believe another digital format that is lossy is somehow superior to a true hi-rez file. MQA is the Swiss Army Knife of digital. It even has hospital corners on the information that it's tucking in. It fixes the flaws in the original A/D converters used to make the recording, it compresses the file, and it has a light that lights up on the Meridian DACs to let you know your file has been authenticated by the original recording engineers even if they are dead. And, it's making people rant and rave. Must be something to it.
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Mark, my suggestion is that you hear it for yourself and see what you think.
 
The more choices we have the better. To borrow a phrase, Enjoy the music!
 
Rhapsody said:
Rob, I could care less if it sounds "like the Master" maybe it does, maybe it doesn't, who cares? What I care about is enjoying listening to music. I happen to love listening to music via vinyl, but even love Tidal and it's selection and ease of use more so. Now with Tidal/MQA that definitely, TO ME, sounds a LOT like vinyl, it's nirvana, again FOR ME, other than now it's the waiting game until there is an abundant supply of music on Tidal that has been MQA'd.

If you want to argue the point of MQA sounding more like the original master, then that's a different argument and I for one have no interest in that debate or discussion, I will be too busy listening to Tidal streaming MQA titles.....that sound like vinyl, again to me.
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Well,thereissomethingweirdabouthowIcanrespondtopostsherethepastfewdays.
Anyway, I'm not interested in buying a DSP processed file that needs a special DAC to play it. Might as well buy a bsg qol to do my own processing in that case, and not be restricted to MQA titles. If I like Tidal and decide to continue paying them (which I might do just to support the idea of high-quality streaming audio), then taking advantage of MQA where it is offered (which doesn't cost me anything) makes sense.
 
Rhapsody said:
Mark, my suggestion is that you hear it for yourself and see what you think.
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Bob-The idea of paying money to an all you can stand to hear digital streaming service goes against my grain, but because of all the wild hype, I just might sign up and hear what all the fuss is about. It's still not clear to me how you can play back an MQA file in all of its glory if you don't have an MQA DAC.
 
Mark,

At least you can hear it in most of its glory, like I do. If it gets better with an MQA DAC, oh boy, I can't wait!
 
mep said:
Bob-The idea of paying money to an all you can stand to hear digital streaming service goes against my grain, but because of all the wild hype, I just might sign up and hear what all the fuss is about. It's still not clear to me how you can play back an MQA file in all of its glory if you don't have an MQA DAC.
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Tidal has integrated software decoding into their desktop app, which you MUST use for playback. TBD if you're going to hear MQA in all of its glory, but it's certainly a step up from the Redbook.
 
audiophil said:
Tidal has integrated software decoding into their desktop app, which you MUST use for playback. TBD if you're going to hear MQA in all of its glory, but it's certainly a step up from the Redbook.
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And that's my point. Color me confused on what you guys are really hearing without having a DAC capable of decoding MQA.
 
mep said:
And that's my point. Color me confused on what you guys are really hearing without having a DAC capable of decoding MQA.
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Software decoding that assumes you are using a generic DAC. Still improves the music but you are not getting all of the potential benefits.
 
I'm suprised how much better the SQ is than CD quality. I wish Tidal had a remote app to control the Desktop App. The Cars album is wonderful.
 
I've been trying out Tidal because of the Masters announcement. 60 days free trial that one can cancel anytime is an easy thing to try. As i do not have an MQA dac, i'm getting 24/192 through USB from my mac to CH C1 dac. Agree with Joe and Bob that it sounds good even without the mqa dac icing on the cake. IMO, for a free trial or even for the $20 monthly fee, it's worth giving it a shot if you have a dac.


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Mogulman said:
I'm suprised how much better the SQ is than CD quality. I wish Tidal had a remote app to control the Desktop App. The Cars album is wonderful.
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Wholeheartedly agree - I really wish there was a remote app, but for now I'm OK getting up every so often to put on a new album. I do it with records...

That gives me an idea - an app to flip your vinyl records :genius:

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I am using a headless Mac Mini as my Roon core/server and a MacBook Pro laptop using screen sharing to remote into the Mac Mini. It's a little cumbersome but works great.
 
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Okey-dokey.....four days in with listening to and thinking about Tidal/MQA.

For the first few days I was amazed at the sound of the MQA files but I felt totally constricted even with 500 albums available on Masters/Tidal to play. LOTS of great albums in those 500 albums but actually not one of the maybe current 50 albums that I regularly listen to. I was in a happy dilemma.

By today I realized that no matter what MQA album I put on, I could just sit and listen to it and enjoy the heck out of it, even if I never would play this album.....it just sounded so engaging.

This is TOTALLY personal and nothing to do with what all this is about, BUT it's become clear to me. DSD and native DSD and High Rez PCM, again for me, made 16/44.1 so much better in most cases. Good SACD the same. They all made digital better.

What I am experiencing with MQA streaming is a completely different situation. As much as high rez made digital better, MQA has gone down a different path. It's doing something different than even the best native dsd or high rez pcm does. Not saying better, although I could say that as well, but definitely a different twist on the equation.

"Whatever" intrinsic quality vinyl has over digital, I know, that is a vast generalization, BUT, whatever this special quality is.....MQA shares this same intrinsic characteristic. It is not better bass, or better soundstaging or more real or dynamic or more holographic. It is a vinyl type listening experience.....also with no vinyl surface noise. Good vinyl delivers a presentation of the music that just seems right to my ears. Honestly I can't put into words what that "special quality" that vinyl has BUT I know that MQA shares this same quality......again, this is just what I am experiencing in my situation and not saying this is the way it would be for someone else in their system/room etc.

Now I don't even care when they add more MQA Tidal albums, I can spend months exploring the 500 albums on the Masters list now. There is a lot of very familiar stuff on their now and a lot of things that I would not normally choose to listen to but I know that I will be able to sort of pick any album, hit play and sit there with a great big grin on my face.

Btw, definitely not saying the MQA is as good as good vinyl, it's probably not. BUT it has that same "feels right" feeling you get from vinyl that allows me to enjoy music and become as involved in the experience as I do from good vinyl. That is a different experience for me than listening to DSD or HRPCM. They're great, this is different.

Off to the Alabama/Clemson game....should be a good one!
 
tunes said:
I've been trying out Tidal because of the Masters announcement. 60 days free trial that one can cancel anytime is an easy thing to try. As i do not have an MQA dac, i'm getting 24/192 through USB from my mac to CH C1 dac. Agree with Joe and Bob that it sounds good even without the mqa dac icing on the cake. IMO, for a free trial or even for the $20 monthly fee, it's worth giving it a shot if you have a dac.


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How does this work?? 24/96 is supposed to be the best you can do without a MQA-capable DAC, and the only free trial I can find is for 30 days?
 
rbbert said:
How does this work?? 24/96 is supposed to be the best you can do without a MQA-capable DAC, and the only free trial I can find is for 30 days?
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Go to Tidal.com
Scroll down to tidal masters, click on "learn more"
Then scroll down and you'll see two options, new users - experience 60 complimentary days of tidal hifi - click on "sign up to tidal" (follow the sign up process) then download the desktop pc/mac app.

On the app's "settings" tab, click on the "streaming" menu and make sure your quality option is set to hifi/master (not normal or high)
And below this, Under sound output, look for your dac and select it.



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rbbert said:
How does this work?? 24/96 is supposed to be the best you can do without a MQA-capable DAC, and the only free trial I can find is for 30 days?
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Rob - Regarding the trial period, if you go to Tidal Masters announcement page they have a link to their 60 day free trial for new users. I'm not certain regarding the maximum sampling rate provided if you don't have an MQA DAC, but you can benefit from some of the MQA improvements if you use the Tidal desktop app set to Exclusive mode feeding another non-MQA USB DAC. Hope this helps!
 
Rob,
Yes, you are correct. I am actually getting 24/96 not 192.



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