MQA Discussion

j2020 said:
Thanks for the link which is an interesting read.
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Actually, in the same thread there's something even more interesting - the developer of HQPlayer trying to (dis)prove the qualities of MQA. So, another expert in the industry is critical of MQA, in addition to Charles Hansen.

j2020 said:
With Meridian's proprietary algorithm in the folding and unfolding process, the resulting sound from an MQA file may actually be better than the original despite data loss.
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The sound improvement comes from the end-to-end processing done at the recording stage and the playback stage. The folding only serves to create a small file for streaming.
 
wklie said:
Actually, in the same thread there's something even more interesting - the developer of HQPlayer trying to (dis)prove the qualities of MQA. So, another expert in the industry is critical of MQA, in addition to Charles Hansen.



The sound improvement comes from the end-to-end processing done at the recording stage and the playback stage. The folding only serves to create a small file for streaming.
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Wrong. You need to reread the marketing data as well as the info printed in SP and TAS.
 
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lallygagger said:
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[TD="width: 490, align: left"]It's now been widely reported that Warner Music Group has entered into a long-term licensing deal with MQA, becoming the first major record company to do so. The agreement paves the way for recordings from WMG’s diverse roster of acclaimed artists and its world-renowned catalogue to be made available in studio master quality through MQA distributors.

Craig Kallman, Chairman & CEO of WMG’s Atlantic Records division, noted: “WMG is thrilled to be partnering with MQA to take the next step in bringing high-resolution music to consumers across the globe.”

For more on this story, see Music Business Worldwide.



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What I posted above is from an email which was sent to me by [email protected]. There was more to it but mainly it was about how High Res Audio's and 2L's and Eudora's participation. It said that the initial MQA offering from High Res Audio was 30 albums with many more to come in the next few weeks.
High Res Audio is pretty big in Europe so it might help make the difference here over here... where DSD never did get a good foothold.
I am finding it harder to question the long term viability of MQA.
 
rbbert said:
MP3 can sound great, or at least close, compared to a 16/44.1 original. The point is that it's hard to argue that a lossy file will sound as good as the orginal lossless file from which it is derived, although it may be close.
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There are a lot of people claiming that it sounds better... and not by a small margin. I have read articles by some who have been super impressed even when the DAC used was the Explorer 2. Others, however, are not impressed no matter the DAC used.

I wonder what makes the difference? What causes such disparity?
 
lallygagger said:
There are a lot of people claiming that it sounds better... and not by a small margin. I have read articles by some who have been super impressed even when the DAC used was the Explorer 2. Others, however, are not impressed no matter the DAC used.

I wonder what makes the difference? What causes such disparity?
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Tightly controlled demos with material not available to the public yet?
 
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/699-high-end-munich-2016-words/

More praises of the Nyquist DAC by Brinkmann.

"Possibly the best sound I heard all show was the MQA / Brinkmann / Vandersteen / AudioQuest demonstration. Brinkmann introduced its new NyquistDAC, the company's first DAC since it produced one in 1986. The Nyqvist has been designed over the last three years. In that time digital audio has changed quite a bit. Thus, being a company known for longevity, Brinkmann made the DAC module field replaceable by removing two small screws. When new interfaces and formats are made available, that require new hardware, it should be fairly easy to swap out only the digital module and keep the rest (most expensive part) of the DAC. One interesting note Brinkmann learned over the course of designing the Nyquist was that the power supply to the USBreceiver chip in the DAC is one of the most critical components to the final sound quality. The Nyquist will support PCM up through 32/384 and DSD64/128 via DoP. Higher rates are possible but still in testing at Brinkmann. The Ethernet interface will enable the Nyquist to be a RoonReady endpoint. Brinkmann is considering other endpoint options and may even make them available in different modules customers can select. if you look closely at the photos you can see the vacuum tube holes on the side of the chassis. The company selected tubes because of the instantaneous response to voltage changes.
Listening to Eric Clapton & B.B. King sing Three O'Clock Blues was one of my sonic highlights of the show. The vocals and guitars sounded so natural and focussed, this system put other rooms to shame. I thought I heard good sound in some other rooms, but after hearing this I had to hit the virtual reset button to reset the audio bar."
 
mep said:
Wrong. You need to reread the marketing data as well as the info printed in SP and TAS.
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I have re-read TAS and some other materials. I'll change my statement to: The sound improvement comes from eliminating temporal blur at the recording/mastering stage and the playback stage. The folding only serves to create a small file for streaming, and to be compatible with legacy non-MQA playback devices.

If it's still wrong, please let me know.
 
To paraphrase :-

Recent posts are more like ads for MP3, 8-track, Florence train station, etc. than anything related to the topic of this thread.
If you guys want to send love notes, you should just PM each other rather than post off topic and advertise for that sort of stuff.

Did you guys have anything to say that is germane to MQA per se?

Ke ke ke.
 
Jon

Maybe it boils down to something as simple as that many of us "old guys" have seen this Meridian "next big thing" before and saw how it ended. They need to just prove their claims in open demonstrations against other formats with gear other than their own using selective source material. It is also kind of telling that these same types of threads are ongoing across multiple forums with many of the same proponents on the Meridian and MQA bandwagon. If you chose to believe the hype then good for you, but I want them to prove it in open demonstrations and quit just talking.
 
We are all waiting for Mike to do the honours. Poor guy, all that pressure must be getting to him.

Mike, when you are good and ready for the shootout, let us know. I'll have to park on your rooftop helipad though. Hope that won't be too much trouble. :)
 
j2020 said:
We are all waiting for Mike to do the honours. Poor guy, all that pressure must be getting to him.

Mike, when you are good and ready for the shootout, let us know. I'll have to park on your rooftop helipad though. Hope that won't be too much trouble. :)
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If you pony up the money for the equipment and music I'm sure Mike could get right to it. :D, as you well know there is little equipment and music out there to make any really solid comparisons at the moment for MQA
 
CPP said:
If you pony up the money for the equipment and music I'm sure Mike could get right to it. :D, as you well know there is little equipment and music out there to make any really solid comparisons at the moment for MQA
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+1, about limited equipment and music. :(

I can bring a sorted-out stable 808v6 to the shootout party since Mike doesn't carry the Meridian line.
But need to check on the chopper license first. :)
 
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