MQA is Vaporware

[Ralf11]

I am not a fan of DRM (though I do believe in the concept of Intellectual Property and think it should be protected).

 

re SQ of MQA - I have not heard it (!) so I am not going to trash it.

 

I am as reluctant to suppose that Bob Stuart would involve himself in a consumer fraud production chain as to suppose the same for Nelson Pass in amplification chains.

 

OTOH, some of his explanations or hand wavings do seem a bit vague ...

[Ralf11]

re MQA market size

 

let's use (another) car analogy

 

the market might be the size of that for Ferraris

 

or Porsches

 

or Mustangs

 

all 3 are or were viable and the cost per car is high relative to the 'unit' cost of MQA

[Ralf11]

Well actually my question was more about any potential BENEFIT for the end customer to justify any investment in MQA files or hardware.

 

So far, we all seem to think there is little or none.

 

Stereophile raved about the SQ - if true, that would be a big benefit

[Ralf11]

Has Fancy Bear hacked into MQA yet and left some easter eggs?

[Ralf11]

maybe the thread title should be:

 

I Wish MQA was Vaporware

[Ralf11]

Now I'm listening to The Nordic Sound by 2L and it sounds damn good.

 

it's the DRM issue that people are worried about

[Ralf11]

"alias artifacts" ??

[Ralf11]

I wouldn't call it aliasing - so not sure what you mean.

[Ralf11]

Everything is bandwidth limited, so that doesn't really help.

[Ralf11]

Did you read this?

 

MQA 192k / 96k There and back again.

 

I look forward to reading Miska's (Jussi) technical evaluation when ready.

 

I have yes. Note there is no actual data in the plots.

 

But the point is that everything is aliased - understanding a FFT will show that. So it is only of value to talk about a high degree of aliasing vs. a low degree. I'll wait to see that, and will wait to hear MQA before jumping to speculative conclusions.

[Ralf11]

substantial degradation at higher frequencies than 20 kHz?

 

how do snares & cymbals sound?

 

what else would be affected?

[Ralf11]

Where is this train you are talking about?

 

this one?

 

[Ralf11]

I am trying to make most of my CDs go away soon...

 

But I fear it will take a looong time. I load up a few at a time and trade them in for other used ones at ye old local CD trading place.

[Ralf11]

MQA is GROWING!! Sovtek just added MQA compatibility to their tubes

[Ralf11]

if you've priced a nice condo in Mid-town next to the park recently, you'd see why the ads are necessary

[Ralf11]

???

Isn't that illegal?

 

eh??? I listen to something I've bought and then sell it.

[Ralf11]

Don't trust an audiophile that is scared shitless by a blindfold. If they don't trust their ears neither should anyone else.

 

quoted for emphasis

 

also, can you guys stop referring to Mr. L... as an "elite" reviewer??

[Ralf11]

MQA may or may not offer better SQ. Let's assume it does and that the SQ is better than a given current std. by a certain increment (for a certain bit rate).

 

The next question would then be, whether there is a form of DRM encapsulated by MQA or linked (i.e. separable) -- the easier prong to deal with is that the DRM is not separable from the increment in improved SQ.

 

That then resolves into whether the increment in improved SQ is worth the onus of DRM.

 

And BTW, only the ignorant will claim there is no onus to DRM. They can enjoy their music and video on the failed formats provided by the DMCA.

[Ralf11]

MQA appears to be a way to package hi-res so it can stream on lower bit rate 'channels'

 

I'm not clear that this requires real DRM, but it certainly means you need an ability to decode such streams -- just as do HDCD and SACD, and... everything else, back to Edison's magic spinner discy thing, and the player piano.

 

Now, the worst thing for consumers would be if MQA could embed into your "owned" library for a while and then -- one day -- you wake up to find out that you are the arse of the world because all of it is now locked (so pay up).

 

But that is merely nefarious speculation at this point.

 

and speaking of badgers....

[Ralf11]

Of course, that's not actually a problem. Netflix couldn't exist if it were.

 

no, not at all - sorry if I was unclear

 

but it may be a solution that has been bypassed by evolving technology as someone else noted a few days ago

[Ralf11]

Ripping is illegal in the UK even if you still have the CD. Obviously, it's impossible to enforce, and I don't think anyone actually cares.

 

I think I'll start a new thread for this interesting IP issue

 

ok, done:

 

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/who-owns-what-31300/#post624494

[Ralf11]

well, this thread seems to have a lot of pastabilities

[Ralf11]

I think it's a great idea to talk about pasta - just as relevant and a heck of a lot more pleasant than the past couple of pages.

 

You like the thin or thick spaghetti noodles?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

 

Bucatini is the king of the spaghetti-like noodles

 

I used to like lasagna too - not so much now

[Ralf11]

Sorry if I'm asking a dumb question, but I'm a Newbie. Is this the Breitbart site I've been reading so much about?

 

 

No, but it IS very similar as it also has "hacks" who are afraid of science on it

[Ralf11]

Perhaps. I was involved in the very early days of the public internet. That whole "Al Gore invented the internet" business comes from Rush Limbaugh. It is a shibboleth of the right.

 

of course Gore did do more than any politician to establish the internet; he also had a slip of the tongue in an interview

 

I am curious what sort of real writing Mr. White does.