I still think if MQA's proprietary filtering results in significant sonic improvement, then other designers and engineers will find a way to at least replicate it and probably even improve on it, without requiring something like a patented, licensed hardware/firmware interface. And the file size reduction will likely be irrelevant within a few years at most, if it matters even now (FLAC anyone?)
MQA Discussion
- Thread starter still-one
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It would be interesting to A/B the following combinations with all else being equal(system, room, usb/ethernet connection) :-
1. MQA dac playing MQA vs. PCM/DSD version of same file - Meridian 808v6 for PCM, Meridian Ultradac for PCM/DSD, Mytek Manhattan
2. MQA dac(Meridian 808v6/Ultradac, Mytek Manhattan) playing MQA file vs. PCM/DSD version of same file with equivalent quality dac from Berkeley, dCS, Nagra, Playback Designs, Nagra, MSB, etc.
1. MQA dac playing MQA vs. PCM/DSD version of same file - Meridian 808v6 for PCM, Meridian Ultradac for PCM/DSD, Mytek Manhattan
2. MQA dac(Meridian 808v6/Ultradac, Mytek Manhattan) playing MQA file vs. PCM/DSD version of same file with equivalent quality dac from Berkeley, dCS, Nagra, Playback Designs, Nagra, MSB, etc.
Lest the world thinks it is over for MQA, here comes another article :-
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/08/mqa-a-non-hostile-takeover/
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/08/mqa-a-non-hostile-takeover/
still-one
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- #525
Downloaded both the 24/96 and MQA version's of Ilonka's " To Be Loved" album from HiResAudio. No night and day differences but it is easy to hear that the MQA version is the better of the two. The tone of the cymbals are clearer and the drums a bit more impactful Her voice has less "noise" around it. I will compare more tracks as I get time.
Perhaps true today; will it still be true in a year or two? MQA's D to A conversion is pretty much immutable, unlike traditional PCM and DSD D to A which can and does benefit from improved conversion technologies and implementations, significantly so in the past few years with evolving FPGA, delta-sigma and R2R convertors
Kripton HQM store to offer MQA MQA music will be available on HQM’s Japan-based hi-res download music service from the beginning of October 2016. Labels offering MQA-encoded recordings on the service for the first time will include Camerata, Shinkomusic Entertainment and Berkeley Square Music. HQM joins Onkyo Music in selling MQA music to the Japanese market – the second largest in the world for recorded music. HQM’s hi-res music download store is available in Germany and the UK as well as in Japan.
Peter SculthorpeECM & Sono Luminus
now in MQA
HIGHRESAUDIO has added two prestigious labels to its selection of MQA recordings. Award-winning label Sono Luminus, renowned for their natural sound and ambient acoustics, and the accolade-laden ECM label have both released a select number of diverse recordings in MQA. Try Peter Sculthorpe’s Complete String Quartets with Didjeridu, or Rumi's Songs, the latest release from jazz saxophonist and composer Trygve Seim.
Sea of Names New from 2L
The latest 2L release with MQA encoding, Lasse Thoresen’s Sea of Names, delivers chamber music with crystal clear flute and piano.
Peter SculthorpeECM & Sono Luminus
now in MQA
HIGHRESAUDIO has added two prestigious labels to its selection of MQA recordings. Award-winning label Sono Luminus, renowned for their natural sound and ambient acoustics, and the accolade-laden ECM label have both released a select number of diverse recordings in MQA. Try Peter Sculthorpe’s Complete String Quartets with Didjeridu, or Rumi's Songs, the latest release from jazz saxophonist and composer Trygve Seim.
Sea of Names New from 2L
The latest 2L release with MQA encoding, Lasse Thoresen’s Sea of Names, delivers chamber music with crystal clear flute and piano.
still-one
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- #529
Your response seems to open a can of worms where any answer is dependent on what individuals are looking for in this hobby. Way to much to worry about.
-If in fact the "responsible individual" has signed off on a MQA title which indicates that is what they heard and want you to hear, then if a future DAC changes (improves per your description) that sound, is that true to the recording?
-There are already differences in the same recordings between PCM, DSD, MP3 and MQA..... versions. We can readily find proponents for each. Should we just retain one digital version and hope that conversion technology improves for that type?
-I assume that MQA capable DAC's will continue to improve just like the PCM and DSD DAC's you noted. The evolution is not just in the "conversion technology" rather IMO the DAC as a whole. An example would be the SQ difference in MQA via a Explorer2 and a 808v6 or 818v3.
From reading the patent description I think this is not possible. The specifics of the D>A conversion and subsequent filtering appear to be an integral part of the MQA process. It's unlikely they can be changed and still be compatible with earlier MQA-encoded files (read the DAR article linked above for a simplified discussion). This might be the biggest reason DAC designers such as Ted Smith are against widespread adoption of MQA. It is true that the purely analog sections of MQA DAC's may evolve, but not the digital.
+1.
There are things that can be changed (e.g. DAC chip) and there are things that likely cannot be changed (e.g. digital processing, filtering). Ultimately it's up to MQA company to decide what is compliant and what is not.
If the digital processing and filtering cannot be changed, then all MQA dacs playing MQA files would have an MQA house sound?
Not sure if everyone wants this.
http://soundstagehifi.com/index.php...d?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=
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http://www.soundstageglobal.com/ind...-newport-2016-i-finally-got-a-decent-mqa-demo
"I could hear a difference between the MQA and original files, but it was subtle. To me, it sounded like there was a slight reduction in apparent treble energy with the MQA files. I gained this impression largely through the more trebly AKG K702s; through Audeze LCD-2s, the difference was barely, if at all, discernible.
Does this mean the MQA files were softened, or less hashy?"
This is similar to my personal experience that an MQA file played via the Meridian 808v6 sounds less extended, airy and more blunted in the transients compared to the PCM/DSD version of the same file played via the Esoteric N-05 dac.
This difference is probably more easily discerned via the 808v6 than via the Explorer 2.
"I could hear a difference between the MQA and original files, but it was subtle. To me, it sounded like there was a slight reduction in apparent treble energy with the MQA files. I gained this impression largely through the more trebly AKG K702s; through Audeze LCD-2s, the difference was barely, if at all, discernible.
Does this mean the MQA files were softened, or less hashy?"
This is similar to my personal experience that an MQA file played via the Meridian 808v6 sounds less extended, airy and more blunted in the transients compared to the PCM/DSD version of the same file played via the Esoteric N-05 dac.
This difference is probably more easily discerned via the 808v6 than via the Explorer 2.
Kuoppis
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This sounds pretty similar to what we have discussed here on the forum: a) differences between MQA and other formats appear to be rather minor, b) lack of proper A/B tests kills MQA credibility.
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http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/mytek-brooklyn-mqa-compatible-dac/?page=1
"Anyone who doesn’t understand how digital recording functions may have problems comprehending why MQA works, but even if you don’t get the tech, if you critically listen you will hear the audible superiority of an MQA-encoded file when compared with the PCM or DSD original."
"Anyone who doesn’t understand how digital recording functions may have problems comprehending why MQA works, but even if you don’t get the tech, if you critically listen you will hear the audible superiority of an MQA-encoded file when compared with the PCM or DSD original."
Has anyone ever wondered why to date, no-one from the audio press has felt the urge to A/B an MQA dac (Meridian 808v6/Ultradac/Mytek) playing an MQA file vs the PCM/DSD version of the same file via a non-MQA dac(Berkeley, Totaldac, MSB, Nagra, Playback Designs, Chord, Esoteric, etc)?
Certainly, with an MQA dac like the 808v6, the superiority of an MQA file over a non-MQA file is indeed noticeable.
Certainly, with an MQA dac like the 808v6, the superiority of an MQA file over a non-MQA file is indeed noticeable.