Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 16, 2021 R1200CL, Teresa, Confused and 5 others 1 1 6 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted January 17, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 17, 2021 10 hours ago, R1200CL said: Maybe time to stop getting angry at Tidal ? No definitely not, until such time as Tidal no longer pushes MQA at all, they should be shunned. lucretius, Thuaveta, botrytis and 1 other 4 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 @ARQuintWith regard to your otherwise competent review of the Odeon Absolute DAC: Negatives or compromises, if you will? No MQA, if you happen to be a fan. Really? This is a broken effing record from the main stream audio press, the obligatory swipe at any digital piece not bowing to the throne of BS, isn't it? Shameful, at this late stage, and after all the BS claims have been long ago fully debunked, and even lame-ass supposed subjective listening preference also highly questionable in the context of the McGill study, how is it possible TAS thinks any/all mention of Master Quality Approximated is in any way important or relevant to the prospective buyer of a piece like the Odeon Absolute DAC? Did you think adding the "if you happen to be a fan" part actually absolved you of any complicity? Did your editor ask you to add that bit about no Master Quality Adulterated, or do you personally feel it is truly relevant and useful information to the readers of TAS, and that the review would be incomplete without it? Ishmael Slapowitz 1 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted January 19, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 19, 2021 9 hours ago, firedog said: "If you"...That's all he wrote. He's writing for the broad audience, which includes people who like MQA. A review of a component is supposed to inform the audience. That's what he did. No "swipe" at the product. There's no waxing endorsement of MQA here. I know both exactly what he wrote and to what audience it is directed, that being the TAS readership/paid subscribers. I never said he made a "waxing endorsement of MQA", however I did more than suggest and stand by the assertion that it's a swipe, and that this is a pattern that has been repeated ad nauseam in the audio press, that being any digital product lacking MQA capability gets dinged one star. 9 hours ago, firedog said: Your reaction is totally out of proportion. I accept that as your opinion, and perhaps that of other's too, but it ain't the gospel, it's your opinion. I have my own opinion. 9 hours ago, firedog said: MQA does exist, even though it upsets you. ? 9 hours ago, ARQuint said: So I included that information in my review, acknowledging with "if you happen to be a fan" that there's controversy regarding the technology. I'm pretty sure I missed the part where you acknowledged any controversy, and I know exactly why I missed it, because it's not actually there. What's there is the obligatory mention of lack of MQA being in the category of "negatives and compromises". That's definitely a swipe, no matter how veiled or clever you may think it was posed. 3 hours ago, KeenObserver said: I would think that audiophiles would be happy to know that there are equipment manufacturers that have integrity and have not fallen for the MQA BS. I didn't think of it in that context, but put that way, I fully agree. 9 hours ago, ARQuint said: Most of our readers will understand that—and that I, personally, do not view Ideon's decision to omit MQA as a problem. That's all. Good to be on record as such, thanks for the clarification, the context of "negatives and compromises" told me otherwise, just as it had in all other audio press reviews that remove one star from a product for failure to bow at the throne of BS. yahooboy and lucretius 2 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 2 hours ago, asdf1000 said: Is it possible this has happened with more manufacturers? It is possible, though no one will ever know the real numbers involved, and the blame for that lies with the audio press for their relentless and reckless promotion of all things Master Quality Adulterated. It's also possible that those very same manufacturers are not innovators, and are merely looking for the easy way out with regard to shifting boxes, so they play the game of "tick the feature list". Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted January 21, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 21, 2021 7 hours ago, R1200CL said: So is there a chance that Dr. AXI will include MQA in a future test ? You should contact him and ask him, but I don't see any reason why he or anyone else would bother, not when the folks at MQA have refused to discuss the findings of all previous testing both on an objective basis and subjective listening (McGill study) that fully debunked this garbage rip-off "technology". What kind of test were you hoping to see and why? Ishmael Slapowitz and Thuaveta 2 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 11 minutes ago, kumakuma said: Never heard this expression before. Thanks for sharing. Me neither, very interesting indeed. 23 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said: This comes to mind. Sealioning That would surely seem to be one of the tactics employed by the MQA adherents. Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 46 minutes ago, KeenObserver said: There is a whole mass of people that don't understand the full implications of implementing MQA. That above all else is what needs to be communicated to the masses, if at all possible. It's not rocket science in that regard, doesn't need to be highly technical for those implications to be laid bare. Confused 1 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 1 hour ago, firedog said: It's MQA...so of course Barry authenticated all of them. 😂 Jimmy Page too. lucretius 1 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 1 hour ago, Kevin Brock said: You know it is quite simple. It is not quite simple, but then I'd expect because you are brand new to this thread that you've not actually read much of it. Take a good look, there are lots of reasons why it is not quite simple, and what most of us are objecting to is the threat to consumers and choice that MQA represents, not to mention imposition of DRM. 1 hour ago, Kevin Brock said: I hear the difference. MQA to my ears is usually better than CD. You are in the minority there, various different user groups, as well as the McGill study don't agree. 1 hour ago, Kevin Brock said: But if you don’t agree then fine. Don’t use it. Oh we definitely won't, nor any product such as TIDAL that endorses or licenses MQA and participates in the scheme. We don't want our consumer choice to be eliminated by the greedy record labels and their investment banking backers, so the last thing we'd do is support companies or products attempting to do just that. Welcome to the forum by the way, wow your very first post here, a vehement defense of MQA. Signed up just for that? Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted March 21, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 21, 2021 1 hour ago, Kevin Brock said: MikeyFresh. No, I haven’t read all 869 pages of this thread. It's not a short read, however the full technical debunking details, and the argument for why MQA is bad for all aspects of the music creation and delivery system (excepting themselves and the greedy record labels) is all there if you parse through it. This is why I can't accept your "it's quite simple" statement, not when it's your very first post here. You seem to be missing or ignoring a ton of details in your assessment. 1 hour ago, Kevin Brock said: And when it comes to streaming you have an ever increasing choice from Spotify to Amazon to TIDAL and Qobuz. Not necessarily, it depends where you live, for example our friends in Canada still can't get Qobuz, and only recently got Amazon HD. I've had Qobuz since the moment it became available in the U.S. (even prior to that as a beta tester), but I had to drop Amazon HD due to it being unfriendly with my in-home streaming protocol, I don't use Alexa anything, and Amazon doesn't play nice with anything other than BluOS, and HEOS, neither of which I use, so Amazon won't work for me. Spotify is lossy, I'll await the details including pricing and availability time frame for their HiFi tier in the U.S. They've already reneged on that once back in early 2017 where it was literally announced as coming soon at CES, and then never happened, with not another word ever said about it. TIDAL is not an option, unless of course Jack Dorsey takes his first available option to sever the contract/license with MQA, and force WMG to restore the Redbook CD album versions that were previously removed. Then it might be an option. 1 hour ago, Kevin Brock said: I don’t really get the anger that develops among MQA sceptics but whatever keeps you going through this pandemic winter. I don't really get why you and all of the other MQA adherents like to portray the anti-MQA folks as angry. I'm not angry, I've not said anything to you to indicate any anger, I'm perfectly calm on a Sunday morning, having coffee, and listening to a classical music internet radio stream from Finland in the background. This portrayal of supposed anger is bullshit, and very typical of the tactics chosen by MQA themselves in which a changing of the narrative and constant moving of the goal posts deflecting away from the real issues at hand are evident. You want to see anger? Look at the faces, body language, tone of voice, and outright rude unprofessional behavior of the MQA cadre at CC's RMAF presentation. Thats anger. 1 hour ago, Kevin Brock said: I don’t believe I’m in the minority when it comes to people who have actually listened to MQA. You are, it's been stated in various places that have conducted informal listening tests, and the McGill study is actual scholarly proof. 2 hours ago, Kevin Brock said: It’s all opinion. As long as you’ve listened. As discussed, this is not only a question of subjective sound quality, it is not that simple at all, however you and various others who keep touting this as some sort of trump card would have absolutely no way in the world of knowing who have listened to what with regard to MQA. You have zero knowledge there, no way of knowing if I've tried one MQA compatible DAC, or five, would you? 2 hours ago, Kevin Brock said: Perhaps the problem is that Bob Stuart and co. didn’t tell the MQA story very well. No the problem is they told a bullshit story, and it has since been laid bare. 2 hours ago, Kevin Brock said: I grabbed what I could through the pages of Stereophile (oh, I feel more rage and passion descending upon me from the angry mob) and then listened. Again, there is no angry mob, but you got bad information from a bad source, whose reputation has been irreversibly damaged by their complete lack of research and vetting, reduced to laughingstock status, a parrot for the manufacturers marketing-speak. Those manufacturers are their clients, not the readers. 2 hours ago, Kevin Brock said: Life is far too short. Have fun. And enjoy the music. You too, I certainly do enjoy the music, without MQA. The Computer Audiophile, askat1988, Currawong and 2 others 4 1 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 38 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said: Nobody is foolish enough to suggest MQA is leading to a reduction in the availability of CDs. Yeah I missed that supposed suggestion, I don't think that was a thing. However MQA has definitely led to a reduction in the availability of real Redbook quality content on TIDAL. Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted March 21, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 21, 2021 52 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said: Nobody said Tidal would move all content to MQA. Tidal has accepted millions of tracks from Warner that supplanted pure PCM tracks, making the unaltered original tracks no longer available. MQA has made it possible for labels to remove the unaltered versions of albums. That’s a reduction in choice. Now that does certainly qualify as "quite simple", no ambiguity, nothing to debate there at all. Concern that the same thing could happen with Universal's catalog next is warranted and logical. UkPhil and The Computer Audiophile 2 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 Bloomberg is reporting LG Electronics is considering the shuttering of their mobile phone business after talks to sell it in January seemingly broke down. Looks like no more MQA enabled phones. Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 34 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said: On one hand this sucks because I love Radio Paradise and I hate to see them sucked into this. On the other hand, at least it's exclusive to Bluesound devices. It does suck, and I'd like to understand it better. Does this mean non-BluOS users will be hearing MQA encoded tracks on Radio Paradise at something akin to 14-bit quality, due to their hardware not being Bluesound brand? In other words, is Radio Paradise going to be replacing the standard Redbook tracks they would have typically streamed in the past with MQA encoded versions, or will there perhaps be a fully separate stream that is a different URL, for the MQA crap and BluOS users? Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 1 hour ago, Cebolla said: Separate parallel streams, so with the same playlist - one sourced from MQA material; the other from non-MQA, Really? Unlikely. It'll be far easier to source both streams from the same MQA material and just run a bit depth reducing downsampling (where necessary) hi-res MQA mangler to produce the 16bit/44.1kHz 'non-MQA' stream - similar to what TIDAL already does on its HiFi quality connection (as opposed to its Masters quality connection). Don't be surprised if some MQA-CD tracks start 'appearing' on the 'non-MQA' stream. Definitely thats what I am concerned will happen, seems likely, and when it does, I'll delete their streams entirely which is really too bad. I've always really liked RP, but once they are aiding and abetting this rip-off scheme, then I bid them adieu. Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Currawong said: I'll be happy if they stream 24/96. I understand that it's a difficult situation for Bill to keep RP running, given that he relies on donations. That means getting RP more well known. Doing so through a manufacturer makes sense. Sadly that has to involve MQA. Where does the blurb you quoted come from? Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted April 6, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 6, 2021 Bye bye MQA phone: https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/4/22346084/lg-exits-smartphone-business lucretius, yahooboy and Currawong 2 1 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted April 17, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 17, 2021 6 hours ago, firedog said: The MQA comeback is that they have software that analyzes the files and figures out what the original ADC was, if you believe that. For every ADC and combination of different ADCs ever produced and used on any given recording? I do not believe that one bit. lucretius and Currawong 2 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted April 20, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 20, 2021 55 minutes ago, GoldenOne said: If people are conceding that MQA is lossy then that's my main aim achieved (with the second being that this video gives manufacturers enough community backing to be able to say no to MQA and not be effectively forced to implement it lest they lose sales). No, these tests wouldn't work for a lossy encoder, which is exactly the point! People are conceding that, except for MQA themselves of course: So it's lossless, and also higher resolution, though higher than exactly what they aren't actually saying. It's also evidently better than lossless, and the only advancement of significance in audio distribution in the last 20 years: So let's sum that up: it's lossless but also higher resolution (than something, ostensibly lossless), and it's lossless but also better than lossless, and it's the only significant advance in sound distribution for 20 years, well beyond lossy and lossless. I believe there is actually a video interview I've seen where Bob is asked "so it's lossless but also better than lossless?" to which he replies "yes". One would be hard pressed to come up with anything more laughable than the above. opus101, troubleahead, GoldenOne and 2 others 4 1 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 3 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said: Here’s some info on it. https://opengovwa.com/labor-industries-contractor/MADROD*877JR Interesting, if that information remains up-to-date, it would appear their license to operate in WA was suspended in August 2019? 2 hours ago, JoshM said: Well, it exists enough to have received $180k in PPP. https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/hometechusa-llc-6118618500 Perhaps calls into question under what circumstances they were approved by B of A for a PPP loan in the amount of $180,000 just this past March 2nd. That might also raise the question of what other (if any) PPP loans were previously granted, and just how many employees' jobs were supposedly sustained by those loan(s). I guess it's also possible if the loans are not in the category of "forgivable", that makes little difference when the business in question subsequently closes their doors for good. Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 34 minutes ago, JoshM said: More seriously, isn't this the second MQA thread that's been locked at ASR because Amir made a fool of himself and got repeatedly dunked on by his followers? Yes, it most certainly is. Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
MikeyFresh Posted May 2, 2021 Share Posted May 2, 2021 4 hours ago, KeenObserver said: What, exactly, is a 1411Kbps FLAC file? It's compression-less lossless, another Bob Stuart worldwide first. The new acronym will be PLCAC, Perceptually Lossless Compression-less Audio Codec™. 4 hours ago, Archimago said: FLAC Level 0 compression??? 🤪 Actually it's the all new FLAC level -1. yahooboy 1 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted May 4, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted May 4, 2021 29 minutes ago, Ishmael Slapowitz said: If you had any doubt about what an absolute toole Darko is.,behold this laughably hypocritical rubbish--- "Despite some slippery marketing language that makes suggestions to the contrary, both Qualcomm’s aptX HD and Sony’s LDAC are lossy codecs: they discard data because their bandwidth is insufficient for CD-quality audio’s 1411kbps. These codecs’ claim to hi-res ‘support’ is a fingers-crossed-behind-your-back-because-you-hope-noone-will-notice type of fib." https://darko.audio/2021/05/apple-rumours-cd-quality-streaming-bluetooth/ Let's correct it for him...substitute "MQA" for "aptX"...and he is spot on. The sheer chutzpah. Actually if I'm not mistaken there is no slippery marketing language at all with aptX HD and LDAC, both admitted from the get go that they employ perceptual coding and so thats not deceptive at all, each one fully owned up to being lossy at certain high frequencies. On the contrary, Darko's beloved MQA took something like 3 or more years to even grudgingly admit that when they said lossless they meant perceptually lossless, and their own slippery marketing speak as well as that of various of their manufacturing licensees still to this day claims lossless with no further definition or description whatsoever. Neither Sony nor Qualcomm is claiming anything further, certainly nothing like "master quality" or "better than lossless", or any other such nonsense, and both had stated all along the goal was to improve on the dismal performance of the very lossy SBC codec while maintaining some reasonable battery stamina for portable devices, which seems like an honest and worthy tradeoff and design intent. Both LDAC and aptX HD are intended for use on portables such as mobile phones, tablets, or laptops. Contrast that with the total BS being bandied about using MQA marketing speak, and Darko's claim is more fake news, and really seems disingenuous at best. He's taking a shot at something that actually provides a real solution to a real problem, that being the challenge of battery life on portable devices running wirelessly, while conveniently ignoring the false claims and non-solutions to non-problems as offered by Master Quality Adulterated. lucretius, DuckToller, Currawong and 5 others 8 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
Popular Post MikeyFresh Posted May 9, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted May 9, 2021 3 hours ago, GregWormald said: May I suggest that to be taken seriously Since you've quoted nothing no one knows what you are referring to, but this forum has most certainly already been "taken seriously", despite the MQA cadre's attempts at dismissal by sheer authority or more specifically by self importance. lucretius, LarryMagoo and Thuaveta 3 Boycott HDtracks Boycott Lenbrook Boycott Warner Music Group Link to comment
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