A mystery. MQA on Qobuz

[Tintinabulum]

MQA is dishonest marketing and I will avoid it.

Hating MQA is a bit 1990s isn't it?

 

[Miller-8]

Hating MQA is a bit 1990s isn't it?

No. And why wouldn't you hate something that is a lie?

 

[nomore landings]

Are you TrevC in disguise by any chance? Even he offers better quality trolling over on whathifi forum.
back in the day, I studied civil engineering at Birmingham university. Over in the electronics faculty, Bob Stuart was finishing his and then went to imperial college where he befriended the founder of cambridge audio. He co founded boothroid stuart and produced the Lecson Pre Power amp that still resides in museums in London and USA as a design masterpiece. I saw one at my first hifi show. Drool. They produced the UK‘s first CD player and first 16 bit DAC another first were the dsp active loudspeakers. He invented Meridian Lossless Packaging which is used to this day as the foundation of Dolby digital. He founded MQA in 2014, when limited broadband bandwidth was very much a problem and was designed to make hi res internet audio feasible. I applaud any individual who attempts to increase our enjoyment of quality audio. As previously discussed, tidal and the music studios have not done the format justice, but to dismiss it as a lie is disingenuous at best.
To quote RP website:

”
RP on BluOS

• On BluOS players you’ll find RP on the menu in the BluOS Controller app. Our channels are now available in both lossless FLAC and — exclusive to BluOS — in ultra-high-fidelity MQA. In our opinion, Radio Paradise via MQA is the best-sounding radio stream anywhere in the world.
• Radio Paradise via MQA is available on BluOS devices from Bluesound, NAD Electronics, DALI Loudspeakers, Monitor Audio, and other BluOS partners.
• Here at RP, we love our Bluesound players.

I agree. Reading further the future RP 24/96 stream will again use MQA.

 

[Cable Monkey]

OK. Qobuz officially does not support MQA. However 2L only distributes it’s tracks for streaming as MQA. Because Qobuz does not support MQA it has no obligation to identify and report it as such. But MQA capable hardware and software will still identify and render it correctly. This has upset some of the explicitly anti MQA crowd who dropped Tidal because of its support for the format but it will happen more if others choose to adopt MQA exclusively.

 

[MartinC]

Hating MQA is a bit 1990s isn't it?

What? MQA didn't exist in the '90s.

MQA is an offensive con in my book but if the Tidal music library uniquely appeals to anyone then just enjoy it .

 

[Warszawa]

Personally speaking, I've watched the videos and seen the graphs, so I'm well aware that MQA isn't what it claims to be, and yet, I'm still with Tidal and I still play the stuff.

My streamer does the first "unfold" and the DAC gets up to 96KHz. It sounds fine tbh. If I'm getting a bunch of HF noise, I'm not noticing it. I've never noticed any differences in sound quality between locally stored files and Tidal. If it's something I really like, I'm going to buy the download anyway.

 

[Miller-8]

Are you TrevC in disguise by any chance? Even he offers better quality trolling over on whathifi forum.
back in the day, I studied civil engineering at Birmingham university. Over in the electronics faculty, Bob Stuart was finishing his and then went to imperial college where he befriended the founder of cambridge audio. He co founded boothroid stuart and produced the Lecson Pre Power amp that still resides in museums in London and USA as a design masterpiece. I saw one at my first hifi show. Drool. They produced the UK‘s first CD player and first 16 bit DAC another first were the dsp active loudspeakers. He invented Meridian Lossless Packaging which is used to this day as the foundation of Dolby digital. He founded MQA in 2014, when limited broadband bandwidth was very much a problem and was designed to make hi res internet audio feasible. I applaud any individual who attempts to increase our enjoyment of quality audio. As previously discussed, tidal and the music studios have not done the format justice, but to dismiss it as a lie is disingenuous at best.
To quote RP website:

”
RP on BluOS

• On BluOS players you’ll find RP on the menu in the BluOS Controller app. Our channels are now available in both lossless FLAC and — exclusive to BluOS — in ultra-high-fidelity MQA. In our opinion, Radio Paradise via MQA is the best-sounding radio stream anywhere in the world.
• Radio Paradise via MQA is available on BluOS devices from Bluesound, NAD Electronics, DALI Loudspeakers, Monitor Audio, and other BluOS partners.
• Here at RP, we love our Bluesound players.

I agree. Reading further the future RP 24/96 stream will again use MQA.

Then I guess you are unaware of the MQA lie? Very arrogant and it would seem uninformed reply from you.

 

[mac72]

To be fair as much as I don't like MQA it's quite cleverly done if you look at what information is given in the patent diagram from 2013 , yes it's solution for what is not a problem nowdays but IMO there is not much difference how it sounds compared to an "ordinary" hi-res files . I've used Tidal unfolded with Roon so it was just the firat unfold , Qobuz and Deezer (it does normal Flac only) and few times I compared what I think was the same master with first two being better than the latter , obviously IMO . I stopped subscription of Deezer then Roon and as a consequence I ditched Tidal as my listening is limited to weekends only and most of the time I stick Radio Paradise plus bill for streaming was getting bit too high , left Qobuz as they filled some gaps in their library I was missing on.

 

[rabski]

To be fair as much as I don't like MQA it's quite cleverly done if you look at what information is given in the patent diagram from 2013 , yes it's solution for what is not a problem nowdays but IMO there is not much difference how it sounds compared to an "ordinary" hi-res files . I've used Tidal unfolded with Roon so it was just the firat unfold , Qobuz and Deezer (it does normal Flac only) and few times I compared what I think was the same master with first two being better than the latter , obviously IMO . I stopped subscription of Deezer then Roon and as a consequence I ditched Tidal as my listening is limited to weekends only and most of the time I stick Radio Paradise plus bill for streaming was getting bit too high , left Qobuz as they filled some gaps in their library I was missing on.

Similar to me.

As I've posted elsewhere, even with a system capable of extreme detail and definition, in most cases most people would struggle to hear any difference between unfolded MQA and most his-res above redbook standard. In a lot of cases, redbook can still sound better, depending on the actual music and mastering.

I'm not fond of MQA primarily because I see it as an answer to a problem I don't have.

 

[Nopiano]

Then I guess you are unaware of the MQA lie? Very arrogant and it would seem uninformed reply from you.

I’m afraid that did the rounds here months ago. Along with a rebuttal and a follow up. IIRC that is.

I am no fan of MQA mind, and had hitherto admired all of Bob Stuart’s work. Sadly MQA seemed to be more like a belated attempt to create a pension income from licensing something that nobody needed.

 

[MartinC]

I’m afraid that did the rounds here months ago. Along with a rebuttal and a follow up. IIRC that is.

Whilst not a new video, it and the follow-up (covering off the feeble response to the first one) remain valid. It was posted for the benefit of someone who may not have seen it.

 

[montesquieu]

This is of course the fundamental issue with streaming full stop is that the product is always in a state of flux, and what you get at any particular moment in time is whatever some gimp in marketing (probably a millennial based in the US) thinks you should have.

I would also be conscious that the world of video streaming has already fractured - movies or other content only available on one platform, and if you want a decent spread you have to subscribe to several different providers. Who is to say that the same thing won't happen to music streaming with your favourite artists/labels spread out across multiple platforms, available on one or more but not others?

Having said that I spent £60 on CDs in the last week and more than that on LPs the week before, Qubuz is great for helping decide which physical media to buy but there's no way on earth I'd have it as my only music source.

As for MQA - it's DRM by the back door, it buggers around with the sound, and should be resisted, by cancelling subscriptions if necessary.

 

[Miller-8]

I’m afraid that did the rounds here months ago. Along with a rebuttal and a follow up. IIRC that is.

I am no fan of MQA mind, and had hitherto admired all of Bob Stuart’s work. Sadly MQA seemed to be more like a belated attempt to create a pension income from licensing something that nobody needed.

I've not seen a rebuttal of it, and your feeble response here has done nothing to rebute the video either. I suggest you learn how to respond in an appropriate manner.

 

[Cable Monkey]

People getting their knickers in a twist over an easily avoided music format is kind of sad given what real issues we are dealing with these days. Desist or take a break.

 

[Nopiano]

I've not seen a rebuttal of it, and your feeble response here has done nothing to rebute the video either. I suggest you learn how to respond in an appropriate manner.

Thanks for the insult.

The rebuttal is in post #59 here…

https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/threads/mqa-measurements.101438/

 

[MartinC]

Thanks for the insult.

The rebuttal is in post #59 here…

https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/threads/mqa-measurements.101438/

And here is the response to this supposed rebuttal:

 

[Nopiano]

I suddenly feel like folk think I’m defending MQA when I’ve consistently been critical of it! That’s forums I suppose.

 

[MartinC]

I suddenly feel like folk think I’m defending MQA when I’ve consistently been critical of it! That’s forums I suppose.

I realised you weren't but your choice of words did suggest otherwise at times .

 

[StingRay]

There is a lot of “marketing“ from MQA which I believe is false, such as “This allows subscribers to hear music just as it was recorded in the studio; an audio experience as the artist intended”.

Apparently the reason why L2 MQA album is on Qobuz is becase that’s all that is available.

 

[Cable Monkey]

Apparently the reason why L2 MQA album is on Qobuz is becase that’s all that is available.

As a company that sells various formats of the music on its label, the version they choose to stream is the MQA version.