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    The Computer Audiophile

    CES 2017 - Nice Surprises

    Today was full of surprises at CES 2017. Tidal announced 30,000 tracks available immediately in what it calls master quality (MQA), Napster announced high resolution streaming, Pandora did everything except announce high resolution streaming (look for it soon though), MQA announced software decoding in Audirvana and the Tidal desktop app, Roon communicated it would have full software decoding soon, Chord announced the Hugo 2, Blu mk II, and Poly, Klipsch featured really cool products for reasonable prices, and I heard some great sound.

     

    Now, where to start? I guess I'll cover this is the order I saw / heard it today.

     

    Before leaving the hotel room this morning, I was able to release the good news that, effective immediately, Tidal was streaming 30,000 tracks in MQA, and MQA decoding was now available in software. Both of these are big news. Tidal was ready to go with MQA long ago, but the record labels just didn't have the content to deliver. Once the number of titles hit critical mass, Tidal flipped the switch on Master Quality. MQA is included with HiFi Tidal subscriptions for now, we'll have to see if there is an added cost for Master Quality at a later date.

     

    It would be strange for Tidal to stream MQA without the ability for its customers to decode the content. Thus, the Tidal desktop app can now fully decode MQA. if one guy can do it why can't others? now they can. Audirvana announced it will soon release an updated version of its software supporting software decoding. I received word from Roon that it too will enable software decoding. According to Roon,"Roon is more complex than other audio software products (especially in terms of multi-room, Roon Ready, and other supported streaming protocols) so the MQA team has had to undertake some additional engineering effort to make MQA decoding work in the Roon world. Both teams are working on it and we will ship as soon as technically possible."

     

    Let me take a minute to explain what this is and why it's a big deal. First, MQA must be decoded for listeners to hear the full quality of the file. Think of it as an SACD with a CD layer. People needed an SACD player to decode the SACD layer of the disc, otherwise the regular CD layer would be played. While not exactly the same, the concept is similar.

     

    When MQA launched, we were told publicly that MQA would only be decoded in hardware (unless played on a mobile device). This meant that people would be required to purchase new MQA enabled DACs to get the full benefit of the technology. The announcement of software decoding means that people only need an app that decodes MQA rather than hardware.

     

    I asked a very high end DAC manufacturer what it saw as the differences between hardware decoding in its DACs and software decoding in an app like Roon (before outputting to its DACs). The answer was a refreshing, "there should be no difference."

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I started the day in the Las Vegas Convention Center. The madhouse of all things technology. I had to be there for the Hi-Res press conference at 12 noon, so I thought it would be cool to check out the other items at the main event, and head to the Venetian (home of high end audio) later.

     

    The doors opened at 10:00 AM and shortly after entering, some really neat looking Klipsch speakers caught my eye (The Sixes). I walked over to the Klipsch "booth" to get a closer look. I put the word booth in quotes because it was a really cool retro looking space, and booth doesn't begin to do it justice. Anyway, I was immediately stopped by Steve Jain, Klipsch's VP of Digital, Streaming. and Portable solutions. Steve recognized Computer Audiophile on my badge and said he loved the site and the community. He also said he had some products designed specifically for computer audiophiles and people who want great sound, great looks, great feel, and convenience.

     

    The first product Steve showed me was the Powergate Max. An integrated amplifier with USB DAC, wireless streaming, Hypex 2x180 watt amps, ESS chip, Bluetooth, MM & MC turntable inputs, and much more for $999. The look and feel of this product is very nice. Retro wood and copper finishes are nice touches, but the physical switches on the front panel really set it apart from the crowd.

     

    The next product I saw was The One $249 / The Three $399 (different size, same product category). Great looking finishing touches. The cloth grill is fabulous. The real knobs are so very nice. A full compliment of Klipsch drivers are inside, but of course I lost track of all the internal goodies. I believe this speaker also supports wireless streaming and USB input.

     

    Then I saw The Fifteens. Such a classic Klipsh look, but with engineering and features. All the streaming and inputs of the other new products, and built-in amplification, but with a great horn and 15 inch bass driver. Some may look at these and think, "are we going back to the 1970s?" But, in person they look wonderful and the modern design makes them a perfect match for many scenarios (think - no external amps, DACs, etc...).

     

    Last, I saw the new Klipsch headphones and little headphone amp/DAC. The headphones not only look good, but they feel as light as air when on the head. The wood and metal design feels like a very quality piece of gear. The headphones are open-backed, so I could only get a taste for the sound quality int he noisy Central Hall of CES. The Heritage Headphone Amp ($499) has an ESS DAC, USB input, headphone & RCA outputs (for powered speakers).

     

    Needless to say, I loved what I saw at Klipsch. I hadn't planned on stopping by, but I accidentally entered the show through a rather odd door and had to make my way past the booth. Thanks to Steve for stopping me and telling me all about the new Klipsch and its cool products.

     

     

     

     

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    After seeing Klipsch, I stopped at the Hi-Res Audio pavilion. I really like that Hi-Res audio was featured at the convention center rather than the Venetian. Everyone in the Venetian already knows about high resolution. Getting the products in front of a different, more mainstream audience, was a good move. At the booth was a mini-studio with digital audio workstation for people to see and hear how things are done and how they sound in the studio.

     

    In addition, products from Mytek (Clef), dCS (Rossini), ELAC (Discovery), Bluesound, Onkyo, AudioQuest, and many more wore available to see and hear. Plus representatives from each of the companies were on hand to answer questions. Again, I liked the setup and the fact it was mainstream.

     

     

     

     

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    The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) put on a Hi-Res Audio Update press conference. DEG can sure pull in the big names. Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Music Group, was sitting two chairs away from me while Jimmy Jam was speaking to everyone about the importance of sound quality. I'm not impressed by "celebrity" but the fact that some very big names attended or presented at the event, goes to the importance of high resolution audio to the music industry. (note: watching people fawn over Shaquille O'Neal near the elevators was ridiculous. He's just a guy that puts his pants on one leg at a time people, move on.)

     

    Anyway, some of the interesting notes from this press conference were, a CTA survey found nearly 90% of consumers cited sound quality as most important when listening to music, and sound quality was ranked second as a motivating factor for people to purchase streaming music subscriptions. See my photos of the slides below for more information.

     

    Pandora's CTO, Chris Martin was quoted as saying, "Hi-Res music streaming has the potential to engage millions of digital music fans who are seeking a more immersive studio quality listening experience." The quote by itself isn't really that big, but the fact that Pandora hinted at high resolution streaming is very cool for those of us who cherish sound quality.

     

    Following this, Napster announced it will deliver high resolution streaming to subscribers this spring. I'm sure all the snarky readers are thinking to themselves that Napster delivered free high resolution downloads back in the late 1990s. That was before Napster switched to being a legit company and combined with Rhapsody.

     

    After the presentation I spoke with Napster's VP of engineering, Darryl Wood. Darryl let me see and listen to Frank Sinatra streaming through Napster in high resolution on his phone. The streams were all in FLAC. I asked about MQA support and he was very noncommittal. I don't think it's his call to make and I also think Napster will stream whatever the record labels deliver to the service.

     

     

     

     

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    I took the shuttle from the LVCC to the Venetian, after the press conference, to do some listening. On the 35th floor as I got off the elevator I ran into one of my favorite guys, CA reader Joel (joelha in the forum). I could talk to Joel about audio, and other things, for hours on end, like we did in Munich last year int he lobby of our hotel. Of note this time, was the lack of people and high end audio rooms at the Venetian. Perhaps this is the last year for high end in Vegas? Who knows.

     

     

    Joel easily persuaded me to stop by the YG Acoustics room to have a listen to the new flagship loudspeaker Sonja XV ($266,000), paired with Audionet electronics and the MSB Audio Select DAC ($89,000). The total cost of the system was somewhere north of $600,000. Somewhat surprising was the lack of music server in the room. I heard CDs played through an Audionet CD player and CD played through the Select DAC via an MSB CD transport. Is this s trend? I don't think so, but my next stop at Chord surprised me in this area as well (see below).

     

    Anyway, the sound I heard in the YG / Audionet / MSB Audio room was really really good. I preferred the Select DAC to the Audionet CD player, but that's to be expected, given the difference in price and component design.

     

    YG's Dick Diamond played The Thrill Is Gone from Archie Shepp. Archie's tenor sax sounded huge yet very easy to localize within the soundstage. The rich deep tones were just what I needed after a long morning at the LVCC. After Mr. Shepp, Dick played one of my favorite artists, Fink. The track Trouble's What Your In sounded just wonderful. Fink's acoustic guitar and bare vocals sucked me into the listening experience nicely.

     

    Based on my listening session at YG today, I will probably go back for another dose of music, and I recommend members of the CA Community stop by as well. It's an expensive system no doubt, but it delivered nicely for me today. Highly recommended.

     

    P.S. While in the YG room I was actually able to listen without interruptions from loud people in the hallway and typical show disruptions. It was really nice, but perhaps a sign of low attendance.

     

     

     

     

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    Closing out the day, I attended the Chord triple launch press event. This one was definitely worth attending. At the event Chord introduced the Blu mk II, Hugo 2, and completely new product Poly.

     

    The Blue mk II was introduced first. We were treated to all the really neat technical features and the fact that the component has over 1 million taps. Rob Watts went into great detail about how big of deal it is to have an FPGA with over a million taps in the Blu mk II. I'll include some audio from the event below, so you can listen to him talk about what he has accomplished with this design.

     

    One "interesting" part of this event was near the end of the Blu mk II introduction. Chord's John Franks talked about how important physical CDs are to people and that the Blu mk II was really to bring out the best in CD playback. He went on to say people should have CDs, collect them, pass them down to children etc... And, that it's his belief that the "downloading generation" is missing the tangible quality and that people like cd collections. CD is important to John and he made if very clear. Rob even noted that CD is equal to any high resolution format.

     

    Don't get me wrong, I love 16 bit / 44.1 music and think it can sound fantastic. However, the physical plastic discs are over in my book. I last spun a physical CD in my home in 2004. I see no need to have the physical disc. I don't want to pass a CD collection down to my daughter. In addition I'm willing to bet she won't want the trouble of selling my large CD collection upon my passing.

     

    The Blu mk II has BNC S/PDIF digital input, but it's clear this product is meant for spinning plastic discs, not converting digital to digital and processing it with highly advanced DSP.

     

    The introduction of the Hugo 2 was very impressive. The new Hugo has ten times less distortion than the previous version, double the tap length, 16 times more resolution (WTA filtering at 88ns), half the output impedance, 1000 times more noise shaper resolution, and better than half the noise and no measurable noise floor modulation. Hugo 2 makes version 1 seem pretty old school.

     

     

    The most surprising announcement of the night was the Chord Poly. The Poly is an add-on to the Mojo portable DAC. Poly runs Linux and has three Cpu cores. Given this as the base, nearly anything is possible via software. Poly currently run Roon Bridge, but will be certified RoonReady in due time. It also runs an MPD server and UPnP software that enables it to appear as a UPnP renderer in apps such as JRiver Media Center. Poly supports Bluetooth and WiFi, SD cards, and connecting to NAS storage. Poly's supports PCM audi out through 768 kHz and DSD up through DSD512.

     

    I really like the engineering and technology that went into Poly. It's great to see a high end audio company produce a product of this caliber. I'll need to use one a bit to really get the full impact however. For example, I'm a little doubtful I'll be able to stream Tidal to the Poly losslessly while on an airplane, using my Google Pixel Android phone. iPhone is easy. Android is another story. Tidal music is stored offline on my phone, but I can't see how it would be streamed to the Poly given it supports AirPlay, Bluetooth, UPnP, and Roon. Tidal supports Google's Cast Audio protocol for sending audio to other devices. Given how Cast Audio works, pulling audio directly from the cloud, I'm not sure it would work on an airplane even if Poly supported Cast Audio.

     

    Nonetheless, Poly is really cool. For 99% of use cases it will be a must-have add-on for Mojo users. If I owned a Mojo I'd purchase a Poly without a doubt, even though I'm unsure I could send lossless audio from my Pixel while on a airplane. It's that cool and has that much potential.

     

     

    Chord press event audio:

     

     

     

     

     

    Much more detailed information about the three new products can be found in the following forum threads:

     

    Hugo 2 - http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/chord-hugo-2-announced-31165/

     

    Blu mk II - http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/new-chord-blu-mk-2-announced-31169/

     

    Poly - http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/new-chord-poly-announced-31168/

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Blue mk II Images:

     

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    Hugo 2 Images:

     

     

     

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    Poly Images:

     

     

     

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    Wrap-Up

     

    CES day one was a blast. All kinds of cool announcements and product introductions. The MQA switch flipped on Tidal giving access to 30,000 track at no extra cost to HiFi subscribers, software MQA decoding, and new products from Klipsch, YG Acoustics, and Chord. This was the most fun day at CES in recent memory.

     

     

     

     

     

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    I'm definitely interested in the Poly to partner my Mojo, but there a few things I'd want to be clear on:

     

    1. how will it interact with (say) BT and wifi enabled DAPs like Astell & Kern?

    2. How secure is the physical connection? Surely just using the plug sockets can't be a great idea?

    3. Will they release a revised case to enclose both together? Which would probably resolve my concerns re the physical connection.

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    My fear is that record companies will eventually issue everything on MQA only, and they'll be no other version available. When Spencer Chrislu of MQA says "keeping the crown jewels" is an advantage of issuing music on MQA, it seems like they'd love for that to happen. Not me!

     

    This has been my exact concern all along.

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

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    Would depend on the design of the filter used in the DAC.

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

     

    This is why MQA has it's own filter.

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    My fear is that record companies will eventually issue everything on MQA only, and they'll be no other version available. When Spencer Chrislu of MQA says "keeping the crown jewels" is an advantage of issuing music on MQA, it seems like they'd love for that to happen. Not me!

     

    Waaaay to early for all this speculation from everyone. Couldn't, for example the record company figure out what MQA is doing to correct the process, do it themselves, and then redistribute the better version however they want (CD/Hi Res). The big advantage with MQA is the packaging and streaming. Take that away, and your left with the supposed better version due to correcting the A/D process. So if the record companies are smart, which there not, they could do this themselves and sell us there product. Now I'm just speculating :)

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    Apparently NAGRA announced at a new power supply options for the NAGRA HD DAC along with some other smaller changes and an update is also coming later ? Any one has infos on these ? especially the sonic impact of the new power supply option ?

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    Been playing around all day (as I worked through crappy chores) with MQA on Tidal via the app (both Mac and Windows) versus non MQA versions, and then comparing the MQA versions to red book and HD versions of the same albums. The DAC is an Exasound e22 and all the audio was going through the Exasound ASIO driver.

     

    Comparing MQA versions of albums to non-MQA on Tidal, if there's a lot of voice, mid-range content, or the MQA version has been remixed significantly since the non-MQA, the MQA version stomped all over the non version. With the exception of rock stuff where the albums were mixed tightly to the top of loudness, which didn't sound any difference one way or the other. So... Joni Mitchell Blue? The MQA version was remixed 2016, and both my wife (who says she can't hear this stuff) and I could tell you how tall her chair was when she was playing. She was absolutely corporeal, compared to HD or red book.

     

    A very telling example... Ray Charles and Milt Jackson's album. The MQA version vs the non-MQA Tidal stream, the saxophone was seriously better on MQA, but otherwise... I might have preferred the non-MQA. And then, late in the album, there's a short tom-tom solo from the drummer, and I'll be damned if that drummer didn't materialize right in front of us for that solo. Enough that our 3 dogs all went rigidly focused on the slightly right of center location. And then... meh.

     

    So far... I'd be thrilled to stream MQA on Tidal vs non-MQA. Will make a difference for a significant number of albums, although not all. I would not be thrilled to buy MQA media where I own a 24/96 recently remixed or just plain awesomely mixed 16/44 before. It reminds me of what I've heard with the Blue Note jazz releases under Don Was' oversight, where almost every re-release sounds like a totally different recording than the 16/44 versions I own. God bless Rudy van Gelder. But a ton of other jazz re-releases are indistinguishable from the red book versions I already own.

     

    So far, for rock and alternative... the difference is imperceptible. I've seen people raving about early Led Zeppelin MQA releases, and I'm going to check that tomorrow. But, with Bare Naked Ladies, Dream Theater, CSN... not so much.

     

    I've ordered an Explorer 2 to see if having the DAC do the decoding changes my opinion. An energetic and curious puppy destroyed my old AudioQuest mobile USB DAC so I have free reign to order a replacement.

     

    This report is one of the most cogent I've read in all of the hubub following this recent upgrade but the lingering question I have is how one can determine whether the song is MQA. No indication that I can find. Is there a light or screen indication?

    Are we just assuming, generally, that the Masters series is MQA?

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    We might have been in the YG/Audionet - GTT - room at the same time. When they first put on the Archie Shepp, was it blaring loud by mistake and some guy was worried they blew the tweeter?

     

    Everything was turned out fine, but I was wishing I had my camera snap a picture the instant it happened. Watching about 10 audiophiles grab their ears ( and one guy run out of the room) would have been an epic audiophile pic for a room that cost north of half million dollars.

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    This report is one of the most cogent I've read in all of the hubub following this recent upgrade but the lingering question I have is how one can determine whether the song is MQA. No indication that I can find. Is there a light or screen indication?

    Are we just assuming, generally, that the Masters series is MQA?

     

    At least with the player app, the only indication is that it is in the Masters section, as they say that everything there is MQA. Not sure about MQA enabled DACs though.

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    Not sure you are right about full MQA decoding being available in software, at least from Audirvana. Here is what MQA say:

     

    ". Audirvana Plus 3 (available end of January 2017) integrates the MQA Core Decoder, enabling to get the full MQA quality with MQA devices, including the renderer only ones. Users who don’t have a MQA capable device will also benefit from the 2x sample rate of MQA streams thanks to the decoder in Audirvana Plus 3 that performs the unfolding."

     

    So to get "full MQA quality" from Audirvana you will need an MQA device or renderer, otherwise you just get a higher sample rate.

     

    http://www.mqa.co.uk/customer/our-partners/audirvana-partner-page

     

    In theory you won't get the DAC-specific profile, but I don't see any reason that couldn't be replicated (or tuned) in software as well.

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    and as for

     

    " Chord's John Franks talked about how important physical CDs are to people and that the Blu mk II was really to bring out the best in CD playback. He went on to say people should have CDs, collect them, pass them down to children etc... And, that it's his belief that the "downloading generation" is missing the tangible quality and that people like cd collections. CD is important to John and he made if very clear. "

    he should really listen to his children! CD is a legacy medium. It is finished. Over. Done and dusted. History. The past. Gone. You can pass playlists down to your kids - or even better, ask your kids for their playlists! I hated my CD collection, stupid plastic cases, minuscule print in tiny booklets, impossible to browse. Good riddance! I'm as likely to buy this as I am to buy a wind up gramophone.

    Develop a $10k+ CD transport and you too will change your tune :P

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    When Roon launches MQA decoding, does that mean that you could use your Microrendu and Berkeley DAC RS to take full advantage of Tidal's MQA offerings?

     

    Or do you need an MQA capable DAC to take full advantage of Tidal's MQA streaming service?

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    Or do you need an MQA capable DAC to take full advantage of Tidal's MQA streaming service?

     

    You need an MQA DAC to hear MQA at it's best.

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    If this is the future of music...god help us all. So we don't own anything and have to pay rent....monthly? And we won't burden our children with selling our music when we die? What a bunch of globalist propaganda. No thanks..

     

    that is the future of the universe (up until heat death anyway)

     

    all software makers are trying to push customers into a cloudy lease model

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    that is the future of the universe (up until heat death anyway)

     

    all software makers are trying to push customers into a cloudy lease model

     

    Just like automakers.

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

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    You need an MQA DAC to hear MQA at it's best.

    I purchased the Meridian Prime headphone amplifier in 2014 without any idea at all about MQA at the time. I've enjoyed this DAC quite a bit playing high resolution files, but this week has been a HUGE revelation.

     

    I upgraded the firmware in my Prime this week to get the MQA support, logged into Tidal to pick several of the available albums in their Masters section. Tidal recognized that I had a MQA compliant DAC and asked if I wanted to use the Prime as dedicated for playback. I confirmed and this was updated in the Tidal settings. Played a few test tracks and the "mystery" unlabeled blue led in the Prime turned on...

     

    The result: I AM FLOORED! The sound quality is just unbelievable and I'm experiencing the best sound quality I've ever heard in my life in any system I've owned over the last 40 years! To net it out, the sound has a very natural texture and clarity and I'm enjoying albums in a brand new way. So far, I've listened to Rumors, all the Led Zepelin albums on Tidal, Two Against Nature (Steely Dan), Opeth's Pale Communion, Wilco's albums, Modern Jazz Quartet's albums, Aqualung, etc. I am floored of how much better all these albums sound compare to my high resolution and my SACD and DVD/A versions.

     

    I HAD NO IDEA that listening to music could get this good! Loving it!

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    FYI, just posted up an evaluation of some of the MQA tracks vs. hi-res downloads mainly off HDtracks.

     

    Bottom line is that the software decoding works as it should. The tracks I looked at were pretty much same mastering as you'd expect on places like HDtracks. The decoder is neutral to my ears.

     

    I do wonder if using a better software upsampler and decoder may bring improvements.

     

    Give it a try in any event. TIDAL trial is free for a month and this would be a great time to check out if MQA is worthwhile for you.

     

     

    COMPARISON: TIDAL / MQA stream & high-resolution downloads; impressions & thoughts...

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    I asked a very high end DAC manufacturer what it saw as the differences between hardware decoding in its DACs and software decoding in an app like Roon (before outputting to its DACs). The answer was a refreshing, "there should be no difference."

     

    I predict many pages and pages of future threads debating this.

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    Likely purchase Poly for Mojo, but that's just baby step while waiting the long wait for streaming DSF/192kHz PCM library to audiophile grade, high-resolution capable wireless headset.

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