MQA now on Tidal

Re: MQA on Tidal

Rhapsody said:
I am using non MQA 24/96 Dacs and streaming the MQA files through an Aurender N10 and there is a substantial increase in SQ vs. the same albums that are non MQA.....in my system it is not subtle and I am totally surprised and appreciative of this new path that seems to have opened up....quite something in my opinion and this is without an MQA DAC at the moment.

Previously I have been VERY skeptical of MQA, but after experiencing what I have experienced with these first set of titles available on Tidal in my system I am now "a believer".
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Bob,

thanks. this is great feedback. help me to understand the actual source files you are using. in each comparative case, did you acquire the files from the same source, or are you comparing existing files you had with new MQA files you personally acquired? and all these files are on your own hard drive?
 
Re: MQA on Tidal

Mike Lavigne said:
Bob,

thanks. this is great feedback. help me to understand the actual source files you are using. in each comparative case, did you acquire the files from the same source, or are you comparing existing files you had with new MQA files you personally acquired? and all these files are on your own hard drive?
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Hi Mike,

I'm sort of shell shocked. I just did this last night and this morning, but it is undeniable and not hard to hear the difference.

I logged into Tidal on my pc. Found the 100ish some new MQA listed titles and favorited them. Then went to the Aurender app, closed the app and opened it up again, which updates all of the favorites selected in Tidal.

Played these new files and compared them to the same albums that I had selected as favorites prior to selecting these new files. I only did this with one or two tracks as it's not a subtle thing where you have to listen closely to hear the difference. Any track that is selected from the new MQA titles playing back through my 24/96 Goldmund DACs or the MSB Select II DAC instantly sounds different than the digital has sounded before.

I have to say it sounds "different" to me vs native DSD files. I could not yet explain the differences but the MQA files are VERY holographic and there is a LOT of high frequency information that seems to have quadrupled. I don't have a good handle on it yet, but it is different and is definitely preferable.

Btw, I had heard a few MQA demos at the shows and I thought the demos were laughable. I didn't get anything out of them and thought the whole MQA things was just a bunch of nonsense.....I was dead wrong.
 
It's been two years since I first heard MQA. Glad to see first impressions are positive for others as they were for me. You will likely find some albums are incredible, and others are just "ok". But overall, it's a positive step.

Now the question: will it survive and thrive? Given that it's a technology Meridian intended for the masses, let's sure hope so. Anything is better than MP3 the masses are listening to today.
 
I have asked John Paul at Aurender but have not yet completely connected on our conversation at this moment. What I do not currently see in the Aurender app is a MQA designation on the Tidal MQA files. Does anyone see how the MQA files are noticed in the Aurender app?

I have logged in to Tidal on my pc, upgraded the version of Tidal that I had, which includes the Master designation and the some 100 albums that they have listed as "Masters". I favorited them in the Tidal PC version, which then updates your fav's to the Aurender version of Tidal. When you play them, through the 24/96 DAC's there definitely is a sonic difference but I do not see any MQA or Masters designation of the file in the Aurender app other than I know that it is my last set of saved favorites and it sure does sound different.

Maybe I am missing something with the Masters designation in the Aurender app, if so, please enlighten me....thx
 
Mike said:
It's been two years since I first heard MQA. Glad to see first impressions are positive for others as they were for me. You will likely find some albums are incredible, and others are just "ok". But overall, it's a positive step.

Now the question: will it survive and thrive? Given that it's a technology Meridian intended for the masses, let's sure hope so. Anything is better than MP3 the masses are listening to today.
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Mike, I heard MQA 2 years ago at the shows as well, but it did NOTHING like what I am experiencing in my systems via Tidal and the Aurender. When I heard the Meridian demos at the shows they were not using either Tidal or Aurender. I think I heard 3 demos dating back 2 years at different shows.
 
Rhapsody said:
Mike, I heard MQA 2 years ago at the shows as well, but it did NOTHING like what I am experiencing in my systems via Tidal and the Aurender. When I heard the Meridian demos at the shows they were not using either Tidal or Aurender. I think I heard 3 demos dating back 2 years at different shows.
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They had a beta Tidal version running a year ago at CES. Check out my MQA videos on YouTube. There was MQA in multiple rooms if you knew where to find it. But there is nothing like having it in your own system to really test things out.
 
Mike said:
They had a beta Tidal version running a year ago at CES. Check out my MQA videos on YouTube. There was MQA in multiple rooms if you knew where to find it. But there is nothing like having it in your own system to really test things out.
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Yes, I heard all those rooms at CES and Chicago and Newport Beach, but I could never hear a difference when they did the demos. All I remember about those demos is that all they did was talk about how good MQA was, then put on a track or two and they sounded mediocre at best. A lot had to do with the systems they were using.
 
Here's the puzzling thing. When I played with the Beta Tidal a year ago at CES, there were about 160 MQA titles. A year later, today, there are, well, about 160 MQA titles.

Hmmmm....

If MQA is going to thrive and survive, content will be king.

Will labels sign on? Will artists sign on? Regardless, it's going to be fun to watch.
 
Re: MQA on Tidal

Rhapsody said:
Hi Mike,

I'm sort of shell shocked. I just did this last night and this morning, but it is undeniable and not hard to hear the difference.

I logged into Tidal on my pc. Found the 100ish some new MQA listed titles and favorited them. Then went to the Aurender app, closed the app and opened it up again, which updates all of the favorites selected in Tidal.

Played these new files and compared them to the same albums that I had selected as favorites prior to selecting these new files. I only did this with one or two tracks as it's not a subtle thing where you have to listen closely to hear the difference. Any track that is selected from the new MQA titles playing back through my 24/96 Goldmund DACs or the MSB Select II DAC instantly sounds different than the digital has sounded before.

I have to say it sounds "different" to me vs native DSD files. I could not yet explain the differences but the MQA files are VERY holographic and there is a LOT of high frequency information that seems to have quadrupled. I don't have a good handle on it yet, but it is different and is definitely preferable.

Btw, I had heard a few MQA demos at the shows and I thought the demos were laughable. I didn't get anything out of them and thought the whole MQA things was just a bunch of nonsense.....I was dead wrong.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the heads up. Just did this with my A10. Just as you described. Unfortunately the wife works from home and was able to get in the first minute of Zeppelin " Babe I am going to leave you" definitely different for the good. Sounds like you have a connect at Aurender and will be watching this thread intently.
 
Mike said:
Here's the puzzling thing. When I played with the Beta Tidal a year ago at CES, there were about 160 MQA titles. A year later, today, there are, well, about 160 MQA titles.

Hmmmm....

If MQA is going to thrive and survive, content will be king.

Will labels sign on? Will artists sign on? Regardless, it's going to be fun to watch.
Click to expand...

What I don't understand in several press releases and in that article from Computer Audiophile they say the "Today was full of surprises at CES 2017. Tidal announced 30,000 tracks available immediately in what it calls master quality (MQA)", but like you say Mike there are only 130 listed in the Masters section. If they do what this article says and have 30,000 available now, although they are saying tracks and what I see are 130 albums with say 12 tracks per album, still doesn't equal 30K. Should be interesting....but for me it appears to be a big breath of fresh new air.
 
Re: MQA on Tidal

russellbobby said:
Thank you for the heads up. Just did this with my A10. Just as you described. Unfortunately the wife works from home and was able to get in the first minute of Zeppelin " Babe I am going to leave you" definitely different for the good. Sounds like you have a connect at Aurender and will be watching this thread intently.
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I am an Aurender dealer and should know all about this, but it is moving quickly and it will all be clear probably in a few days.
 
I know that the guys at Bel Canto Design are big fans of the MQA sound quality. It is only implemented on one of their pieces now, the Bel Canto Black ACI600 integrated amplifier. But, with their implementation of it on this piece, they absolutely are impressed by MQA. I installed one of these integrated amps lately and it is an absolutely superb piece, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to try MQA on it for lack of content. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to try it with another one I'm installing later this month.
 
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Everest Audio said:
I know that the guys at Bel Canto Design are big fans of the MQA sound quality. It is only implemented on one of their pieces now, the Bel Canto Black ACI600 integrated amplifier. But, with their implementation of it on this piece, they absolutely are impressed by MQA. I installed one of these integrated amps lately and it is an absolutely superb piece, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to try MQA on it for lack of content. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to try it with another one I'm installing later this month.

Unfortunately, it looks like we're not getting MQA Master quality here in Canada right away as I don't see the option here as shown in the press releases and CES information. Hopefully it is coming soon!
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When you say you are not getting Master in Canada, do you mean on the Tidal app? I had to delete the old version of the Tidal app and download the latest version and then the Master showed up but half way down the page next to New - Recommended - top 20 - Masters
 
Everest Audio said:
I know that the guys at Bel Canto Design are big fans of the MQA sound quality. It is only implemented on one of their pieces now, the Bel Canto Black ACI600 integrated amplifier. But, with their implementation of it on this piece, they absolutely are impressed by MQA. I installed one of these integrated amps lately and it is an absolutely superb piece, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to try MQA on it for lack of content. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to try it with another one I'm installing later this month.

Unfortunately, it looks like we're not getting MQA Master quality here in Canada right away as I don't see the option here as shown in the press releases and CES information. Hopefully it is coming soon!
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To see the Masters you must be using the Tidal Desktop app and not your web browser. You can get it here:

http://tidal.com/gb/download
 
I wonder what those companies who poo-pooed MQA for the past two years think now? Remember the rants from Schiit and others?

Now with the big labels getting on board, like Sony, it looks like some may be caught with their proverbial pants down.
 
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