It would really be great if people who don’t like or use MQA would stay out of this thread.
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MQA most definitely does not deliver the authentic file undamaged by the delivery process. The MQA process is a lossy compression, so the original file is not, can not and never will be delivered. MQA argue that what they deliver is audibly identical to the original, but they would say that wouldn’t they.
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It’s perfectly fine to like MQA as that is a personal choice. But to believe that every MQA is approved by the artist and comes from the original master is a fallacy. Very few artist have any say in this process, the label who owns the masters for most artists makes all the decisions. Many masters are lost (do a search on the universal music archive fire…) and many artist are dead. Having said this if MQA was marketed honestly as a high quality format (albeit lossy) that uses less bandwidth it would have the benefit of being true and having useful utility. Tesla has chosen Tidal to integrate into their cars due to less bandwidth usage (not because of best quality) as an example of the real utility of MQA. But unfortunately MQA is not marketed honestly and that is unfortunate.
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No audible information is lost in MQA and having just enjoyed this album twice in 24/48 MQA Studio I’d like someone to show me what is missing. It’s an incredible performance beautifully mastered and delivered.
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Or in FLAC, either. Considering that the “A” in MQA is more-or-less hogwash, and that the labels can stamp MQA on whatever they want, what is the advantage of using a proprietary format requiring proprietary hardware engineering over an open non-proprietary format which has the same advantages? That’s the question people are really asking.
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MQA look for the authentic first generation file to work with. Or as close as they can get/exists. That’s authenticated, which all the traditional high res in the world is not. That’s the A
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Read this chain if you really think A means an unmodified file…
And this says nothing about the fact that you have no idea who actually blessed the file (which is likely not the artist) and have no idea if it is anything like the master in the first place.
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We have been through all this before, it’s a waste of time doing it again. Both sides of the argument are presented and future readers can make up their own minds preferably with their ears…
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Perfectly happy to have ears be the judge. That is the only thing that matters. Just wish we’d stop repeating the disproven marketing hype about aspects of MQA that have been disproven over and over again.
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Well since that album is available in the original unmolested un-MQAd 24/48 on Qobuz, why would a rational person want any lossy MQA processing? It is just an unnecessary process. You can have the real thing.
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Please do yourself a favor and stay as far away from AS and its MQA conspiracy theories as possible. Relying on code hackers who have major axes to grind, and who have nothing close to an understanding of the signal processing involved in MQA, is, in my view, a bit mad. I used to read AS threads but found so many errors along with so much vitriol that I stopped.
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Because the MQA versions frequently sound better.
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For some regions we can’t have “the real thing”. Here in Australialand our options are basically very lossy and nasty Amazon Music (no HD), Apple Music, Spotify or Tidal. Qobuz isn’t here and no idea if it ever will be. Given a choice of MQA from Tidal or the others available… I know which sounds better. Heck, even buying high res audio isn’t that easy, most sites will not sell to Australia. Take Yello’s most recent album Point, can’t buy it on CD in the stores as its not been released here, can’t buy it in hires audio from anywhere due to licensing issues, so the options left are streaming based. Yello on Spotify sounds horribly flat, on Tidal it sparkles. I’d love to have the option to choose between hi res platforms and processes.
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I came across this quote ref the recent flood of 44k MQA releases and think it is pertinent
Bob Stuart, MQA Founder, explained: “By paying great attention to the nature of sound and the way we hear, MQA opens a clear window and delivers all the detail and nuance of the original song. The music industry’s catalogue contains millions of significant performances from the early days of CD where, sometimes, the recording was created in 44.1kHz 16bit and where no alternative existed. We are delighted that Warner Music Group is bringing this content to TIDAL.”
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So which paid plan in Tidal do you need to access those? I know we can with the “Masters” plan, but what about the lower plan, whatever it’s called?
And it is “pertinent” because Bob Stuart is speaking words while actually saying nothing?
AJ
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And what you are saying is in fact something or pertinent?
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I am asking a question. Is continually parroting vacuous marketing speak “pertinent”?
AJ
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Do I have to help you with reading then…? It says these file only exist as 16/44 recordings. Take the meaning from that as you will.
Hence the 16/44vMQA releases… Doh!
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You think this has actual “meaning”?
All of those 16 bit 44.1 kHz recordings already were on Tidal in their “original” form.
AJ
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