orgel Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Michal Jurewicz just posted over on the Mytek Brooklyn thread that he expects to release the MQA-capable firmware for the Brooklyn sometime next week, so more listeners will be able to judge for themselves the wonderfulness of MQA or lack thereof. And speaking of Brooklyn, allow me to plug the delicious hipster pizza at my daughter's place of employment: Roberta's It just doesn't get any more hipster than Roberta's. --David Listening Room: Mac mini (Roon Core) > iMac (HQP) > exaSound PlayPoint (as NAA) > exaSound e32 > W4S STP-SE > Benchmark AHB2 > Wilson Sophia Series 2 (Details) Office: Mac Pro > AudioQuest DragonFly Red > JBL LSR305 Mobile: iPhone 6S > AudioQuest DragonFly Black > JH Audio JH5 Link to comment
barrows Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Think about this: Meridian bases it's own audio hardware on wireless speaker systems.... draw your own conclusions. Additionally: There is no technological reason for MQA recordings, with MQA HW on playback, to sound better, than well recorded hi res PCM or DSD files with really good filtering applied at both ends of the chain. I am afraid MQA "hocus pocus" will replace all the advantages that folks like Jussi (Miska), Chord, Ayre, etc have already given to the playback (and recording) of digital music: Oh yeah, then we just add MQA processing to fix the "problems" of the ADC and DAC... SO/ROON/HQPe: DSD 512-Sonore opticalModuleDeluxe-Signature Rendu optical with Well Tempered Clock--DIY DSC-2 DAC with SC Pure Clock--DIY Purifi Amplifier-Focus Audio FS888 speakers-JL E 112 sub-Nordost Tyr USB, DIY EventHorizon AC cables, Iconoclast XLR & speaker cables, Synergistic Purple Fuses, Spacetime system clarifiers. ISOAcoustics Oreas footers. SONORE computer audio | opticalRendu | ultraRendu | microRendu | Signature Rendu SE | Accessories | Software | Link to comment
crenca Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 Think about this: Meridian bases it's own audio hardware on wireless speaker systems.... draw your own conclusions. Additionally: There is no technological reason for MQA recordings, with MQA HW on playback, to sound better, than well recorded hi res PCM or DSD files with really good filtering applied at both ends of the chain. I am afraid MQA "hocus pocus" will replace all the advantages that folks like Jussi (Miska), Chord, Ayre, etc have already given to the playback (and recording) of digital music: Oh yeah, then we just add MQA processing to fix the "problems" of the ADC and DAC... Barrows, I wish you would flush this out more - I know that Meridian encrypts (loosely, uses "DRM") it's wireless signal in it's equipment (speakers) even though the content (PCM/DSD/etc) does not require it legally of course... Hey MQA, if it is not all $voodoo$, show us the math! Link to comment
orgel Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 I am afraid MQA "hocus pocus" will replace all the advantages that folks like Jussi (Miska), Chord, Ayre, etc have already given to the playback (and recording) of digital music: Oh yeah, then we just add MQA processing to fix the "problems" of the ADC and DAC... Of course it will. Robert Harley says so. The more MQA "coverage" I read, the more I think there's something about the hype that makes people who are especially uncomfortable with digital technology think MQA is a magic bullet that will somehow solve all their problems, e.g., "It ties together every element in that chain into essentially a single analog-to-analog system." Pretty good, heh? Will there be unicorns and fairy dust, too? This stuff is probably not true, but it's certainly not good tech journalism. --David Listening Room: Mac mini (Roon Core) > iMac (HQP) > exaSound PlayPoint (as NAA) > exaSound e32 > W4S STP-SE > Benchmark AHB2 > Wilson Sophia Series 2 (Details) Office: Mac Pro > AudioQuest DragonFly Red > JBL LSR305 Mobile: iPhone 6S > AudioQuest DragonFly Black > JH Audio JH5 Link to comment
Sal1950 Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 So the question is, why did this pizza dude leave Chicago for the southeastern US? Was he driven out by the pizza mob and his sacrilege of Chicago style deep dish pizza with pineapple? Was he avoiding execution? Does Illinois have extradition for that offense? And what is the statue of limitations? I'm sure there's a contract out on him. If you want to pick it up, let me know. I'll make a few calls home for ya. "The gullibility of audiophiles is what astonishes me the most, even after all these years. How is it possible, how did it ever happen, that they trust fairy-tale purveyors and mystic gurus more than reliable sources of scientific information?" Peter Aczel - The Audio Critic R.I.P. MQA 2014-2023: Hyped product thanks to uneducated, uncritical advocates & captured press. Link to comment
francisleung Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Any Tidal subscriber here? I am not but would like to know whether MQA files are already available for streaming. If so how much more to pay for that each month. When I asked Robert Harley of Absolute Sound whether the MQA tracks given to him for review were special ones put together by Meridian, he replied that some were streamed from Tidal. Link to comment
crenca Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 Any Tidal subscriber here?I am not but would like to know whether MQA files are already available for streaming. If so how much more to pay for that each month. When I asked Robert Harley of Absolute Sound whether the MQA tracks given to him for review were special ones put together by Meridian, he replied that some were streamed from Tidal. I am a Tidal subscriber, and as of right now they are providing a limited selection of files in MQA format only to reviewers, industry insiders, etc (i.e to select accounts). I don't know fer sur, but I suspect one reason Tidal has not "thrown the switch" on MQA for the general subscriber is that that Meridian has not decided how they are going to provide software (as opposed to hardware decoding through their own DAC's like the Explorer) decoding to the general user who does not have MQA hardware. Based on Meridians schizophrenic behavior so far, I am not holding my breath that this decision/solution is right around the corner either... Hey MQA, if it is not all $voodoo$, show us the math! Link to comment
monteverdi Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 I am a Tidal subscriber, and as of right now they are providing a limited selection of files in MQA format only to reviewers, industry insiders, etc (i.e to select accounts). I don't know fer sur, but I suspect one reason Tidal has not "thrown the switch" on MQA for the general subscriber is that that Meridian has not decided how they are going to provide software (as opposed to hardware decoding through their own DAC's like the Explorer) decoding to the general user who does not have MQA hardware. Based on Meridians schizophrenic behavior so far, I am not holding my breath that this decision/solution is right around the corner either... I agree MQA's behavior is quite schizophrenic! Lots of claims but no plain mortal can listen to it (after more than one year after initial announcement) . Maybe MQA is only a plot to discredit audio journalists! Link to comment
francisleung Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Thank you Crenca for the info. Decoding software for general user--like you I do not see this being available for some time. Even two hardware manufacturers who have incorporated the decoder are not provided with the suitable firmware to operate it. Link to comment
Keyser Söze Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 All this DRM and $18-25 per album bullchit is why I still buy CDs. You can get fairly-priced, good-sounding CDs these days if you look in the right spots. Link to comment
Sal1950 Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 All this DRM and $18-25 per album bullchit is why I still buy CDs. You can get fairly-priced, good-sounding CDs these days if you look in the right spots. And stuff that hasn't been dynamically squashed to death too! Ebay is my best friend for music. "The gullibility of audiophiles is what astonishes me the most, even after all these years. How is it possible, how did it ever happen, that they trust fairy-tale purveyors and mystic gurus more than reliable sources of scientific information?" Peter Aczel - The Audio Critic R.I.P. MQA 2014-2023: Hyped product thanks to uneducated, uncritical advocates & captured press. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now