The problem is that people streaming Qobuz only (avoiding mqa) are paying for that license as well.
So then it’s not MQA getting a wage but more like MQA getting an unemployment benefit.
Roon do not pay anything if you don’t use Roon decoding. That’s how it is, life is thought sometimes, but then there are people out there with nothing to eat… Go figure
Why anyone would pay for an inferior codec is beyond me.
Edit: “Why anyone would WANT TO pay” is what I meant 
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From a moral standpoint one should probably unsubscribe from Roon then…
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But if you bought a lifetime license, you cannot.
You can stop using it, but that will not solve anything, even not ethical questions.
Dirk
Yes, Roon is not paying if you don’t use MQA decoding.
But the end user IS even those not using MQA decoding.
That’s why I don’t want to subscribe to Roon.
If my neighbour pours fuel in his car,
I’m not expecting to pay for it.
Because tidal gives you no choice on many albums.
I think that would be exceptionally ethical.
I do too, but nobody would notice.
Hypothetical, if Roon would act like Tidal and would force MQA, which they never will, I would stop using Roon in a second.
Dirk
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Doing the right thing when no-one is looking then…
I think the best thing might be to make noise about MQA. It’s working, they’ve withdrawn their baseless claims of losslessness. It is no longer lossless, but somehow better than lossless. Now, if we can only get them to say what it is the codec actually does…
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That just tough luck, I have many devices with facilities I do not use. I do not use Room correction in Roon but I am happy to pay for it as others enjoy it and it’s great for Roon. I suppose I am just a touch more generous in my attitude to things, a rising tide raises all ships.
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While we’re back to motoring analogies then…
Maybe we should view mqa in the same light as unleaded petrol. There was a lot of fuss about whether it would damage your valve seats, or ruin your fuel consumption. And lots of people wanting to keep leaded fuel. But would anyone want to go back now?
Edit - do I need to add 
?
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In one context, Roon kind of does force MQA, in the sense that Roon Radio doesn’t seem to draw from local content and since so much of Tidal is MQA, Roon draws MQA even when you have a local non-MQA version.
Roon says it’s because Valence cannot draw track equivalence across albums, but I’ve seen many specific instances where this is quite hard to believe - I have the same 9-track Led Zeppelin album locally that Roon is streaming from Tidal during Roon Radio, and if you click “versions” they are both listed. So Roon CAN see the albums are equivalent and that a local version is the primary, yet somehow still streams from Tidal.
This is not to encourage anyone to quit Roon. Just to point out that there is this kind of Roon Radio machine that generates MQA decodes for patent royalties.
And very self-aware!
I do not use Tidal and never will, even if it would be my only streaming choice.
Dirk
Can’t really understand why the discussion is not simply about how it sounds.
If we were to get hung up on marketing claims, we’d not use anything. How about Apple’s ‘it just works’, when that is precisely what it doesn’t do, with anything very well, outside of the Apple ecosystem?
Not to pick on them specifically, of course, most every product sold has some form of marketing claim that is not strictly true. I have yet to find one track that I can’t get non MQA. So I have choice based on what sounds better to me. For some tracks the MQA version sounds better - others not.
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I’m happy to pay for options that improve sound. Mqa however deteriorates sound on my 3000$ dac. So why should i have to pay for that crap?
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No one is asking or forcing you.
It’s your choice.
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The underlying remark is that EVERYONE is paying mqa when using Roon, also those not wanting it, and even those - like me - that know it’s a poisonous DRM worm - slash - snake oil format and for that reason avoid it like the black death.
I don’t care for MQA but this may be very misleading fake news.
I’m sure you’ve seen @danny’s comment about it?
Are you suggesting you don’t believe his comment?
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