MQA is Vaporware

[rex4539]

I have been passively following this thread for a while now and, I fundamentally agree that MQA doesn't really bring anything spectacular to the table and, to its bare bones, it's mostly a licensing scheme.

 

Having said that, I have listened to a lot of hi-end MQA recordings from 2L. The amazing thing with this label is that they provide free samples of each and every sample rate so you, the customer, can compare.

 

So I did that and I have found that there is no audible difference whatsoever between the DXD version and the MQA version. I don't know if 2L is getting a white glove treatment from MQA but I love what I hear. I'm using an MQA-enabled DAC with 131dB dynamic range.

 

That said, would I prefer a FLAC file or the MQA file? Sonically speaking, I don't care, they sound exactly the same (and for any golden-eared person, I would challenge them to a blind AB test). But ethically speaking, I would rather get the open source FLAC file any day.

[rex4539]

12 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

mQa doesn’t have that near much dynamic range.  
 

It’s about 17 bit, so about 102 dB. 

You've beaten this dead horse long enough. All I'm saying is that if anybody thinks they can hear a difference between the DXD and MQA version of those 2L recordings, I challenge them to pass double blind AB tests.