MQA is Vaporware

[MikeyFresh]

3 hours ago, LarryMagoo said:

I was just keeping with the groups tone here.

What tone is it that you are referring to?

[MikeyFresh]

1 hour ago, Ishmael Slapowitz said:

The fact is if you do not subscribe to Tidal, MQA is not a factor with Roon.

Thats right, and so Roon's offering of TIDAL would really only be super objectionable if for instance they steadfastly refused to offer any Qobuz integration, such a thing would be an example of them limiting customer choice and/or propping up MQA, but currently that's not a thing, and Deezer integration is said to be coming soon.

 

So the takeaway remains, with Roon or otherwise, don't subscribe to TIDAL and you are doing your part in not supporting the MQA scam. If you live in a region that offers the "fork" pricing on TIDAL such as Australia, make sure to downgrade from Masters, you will save yourself some money and cease supporting MQA, though by all accounts they will still force-feed you at least some MQA encoded tracks, you just won't be paying anything for it.

 

Best bet is dump TIDAL, I'd like to think that many in Australia already have with the recent roll-out of Qobuz there, and that still a bunch more TIDAL subscribers in Canada will do so when Qobuz finally rolls out their service in that region too.

[MikeyFresh]

17 minutes ago, Ishmael Slapowitz said:

-Will Apple allow integration with streaming devices and interfaces? Or the usual bullshit of keeping it closed in their ecosystem?

I'm guessing the latter, streaming via AirPlay2 equipped devices only if past history is instructive.

 

18 minutes ago, Ishmael Slapowitz said:

-Will Apple use their power to squash the other services...Qobuz, Deezer etc...as they did with Pono?

I think in the near term it's more Spotify they have their eye on, as Spotify did show substantial paid subscriber growth between 4Q20 and 1Q21, suggesting there is still more marketshare out there to be had, and it's likely not from any audiophile niche, but from Joe and Jane Mainstream that Spotify grew most recently.

[MikeyFresh]

33 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Apple Music webpage source code indicates lossless and lossless high resolution. 
 

Dolby Atmos and Dolby Audio too.

[MikeyFresh]

49 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I appreciate Audirvana Studio labeling this MQA track as a "Dubious HD Recording."

 

I was very curious how that new feature would work with MQA, for example would the presence of some MQA garbage HF content trick the software into calling it "hi-res" or not?

 

Can you try it with 24-bit MQA and see what happens?

[MikeyFresh]

4 hours ago, LarryMagoo said:

This MQA thing has backfired so bad you'd think it would really affect PS Audio as well as their credibility is s totally shot forever!  

I don't think so given they've only made just one product that is MQA compatible if I'm not mistaken, that being their network bridge, and Paul McGowan has stated publicly that he has issues with the technology but decided to offer it in the network bridge simply due to customer demand.

 

I'm not advocating for their stance, just pointing out that PS Audio have not been champions of all things MQA, and they've at least had the guts to fully admit that while MQA has serious issues, they decided they had to cave to perceived customer demand.

 

So if we take them at their word, then it's back to the main stream audio press as blame worthy, PS Audio would not likely have seen that customer demand for MQA had there not been proclamations of whole new worlds being birthed in the audio press completely misleading PS Audio's customers.

[MikeyFresh]

2 hours ago, StephenJK said:

Long story short, the way things sit right now, it's Tidal for streaming or nothing for any reasonable sonic quality.

Thats unfortunate and will change, hopefully soon, but not everyone lives in Canada. Many folks do have a choice and choose Qobuz, and in the U.S. it's actually $5/mo. less than TIDAL is. No brainer.

 

2 hours ago, StephenJK said:

What I don't get is the hysteria that some people here exhibit on this topic.

There is no hysteria.

 

2 hours ago, StephenJK said:

I mean, at the end of the day, how does this affect you?

You've not followed the topic, actually read this thread, or made anything other than a cursory attempt at fully understanding it if you are seriously asking that question. MQA has the ability to negatively affect every single music lover, as well as all aspects of the music distribution chain. In that scenario, only MQA and the record labels benefit, everyone else including the artist loses with MQA.

 

2 hours ago, StephenJK said:

It's not like MQA is the Axis and is making plans for military domination of Western Europe.  

Actually it's not too unlike that in terms of the end to end domination and control they have stated they wish to impose on the music distribution chain with licensing fees at each stop.

 

2 hours ago, StephenJK said:

What I don't get is why everyone has their guns turned on a little guy who's a bit player in the music streaming world, and has made a decision for whatever reason.

Because they fully support and prop up the bullshit story that is MQA, your beloved TIDAL is complicit in this scam and should be held accountable for that.

 

2 hours ago, StephenJK said:

From where I sit, listening to my stereo as I type, nothing sounds better than my local storage. 

Ahh, the old "lets bring this conversation back to sound quality" because thats subjective and appeals to the audiophile's FOMO. You are in lockstep with TAS and Stereophile there, if I'm understanding you right it all comes down to what you say sounds good then, and all other considerations are moot?

 

2 hours ago, StephenJK said:

TL DR  If we're going to fight a war, let's make sure we know who the enemy is.  

We do know, it is MQA, and their staunch allies including TIDAL.

[MikeyFresh]

3 hours ago, KeenObserver said:

 

Since when has MQA debunked anything?

I count zero times, it's never happened.

[MikeyFresh]

I'm also kind of curious what takes 35 whole days for BS to conjure up such a nothing burger response. Dubious at best.

[MikeyFresh]

14 hours ago, ARQuint said:

suspect that Ken et al anticipated that the seminar would be entirely negative and came prepared to disrupt the presentation.

Why would that be OK? Disrupt an RMAF presentation? You sound as if you think that was clever, justified and well done, none of which are the case. 

 

It wasn't their presentation, though they certainly could have waited until the end and made some comments or questioned whatever they wanted to. But to engage in the level of interruption and unprofessional behavior they did when someone like Jbara is the damn CEO, more is expected of both himself and the band he leads into a public arena that is being captured on video. He couldn't have looked more foolhardy, or done a worse job of representing their brand with that gaggle of jerks.

 

Who the hell do you suggest Ken Forsythe is to "disrupt" an RMAF presentation? Should we for some reason be impressed by his tenure at Meridian, or at HiFi Buys? Lee's buddy?

 

Another pathetic attempt at "clever" revisionist history, I'm amazed at how in each and every post you make here you seem to fancy yourself about the most clever guy around. You've only deluded yourself though, no one else is impressed at all with these periodic ARQ summations, your credibility long ago shot.

[MikeyFresh]

10 minutes ago, vmartell22 said:

BUT, talking in general, if someone becomes a moderator, is that a reasonable expectation?

Yes it is a reasonable expectation, which is not to say they may not have an opinion one way or another, just that counter opinions should not be summarily stifled or rejected by a moderator.

[MikeyFresh]

13 minutes ago, March Audio said:

No moderators at ASR are not impartial, they are appointed by and take direct instruction on policy from Amir.

Resulting in groupthink.

[MikeyFresh]

59 minutes ago, GregWormald said:

I have never locked a discussion because it was popular or the topic had already been discussed.

Where, on ASR? Thats the context.

[MikeyFresh]

Due to my anti-MQA stance, the folks at Radio Paradise have applied discouragement to my account, I can no longer stream Radio Paradise using my primary IP address. 

 

However, if I change the IP address I'm using, presto, Radio Paradise streams just fine. Such a brilliant maneuver by these formerly great folks, who have now chosen to take a check from BLUESOUND and thus MQA, and completely sell out.

 

Their web page is now a pack of lies, "100% listener supported" my ass. Though they claim that MQA will only infect their streams on BLUESOUND devices, I don't believe that for one minute, soon enough their one and only "hi-res" stream will be MQA, complete with upsampling to 24/96, count on it.

 

Though it would be trivial to use a different IP to access their streams, I will not do so, as I don't think it's really appropriate for me to listen when I'm now a former contributor. I had absolutely no intention of ever donating another dime until such time as Radio Paradise parts company with MQA, however I understand my periodic contributions don't amount to a hill of beans compared to the checks Radio Paradise will be cashing from BLUESOUND and thus MQA.

 

So be it, I will no longer listen to Radio Paradise at all, nor recommend it to any friends, or answer any questions about how one can implement it in their listening setups. Bye bye Radio Paradise, perhaps we can reconcile when MQA is dead and buried.

[MikeyFresh]

37 minutes ago, JoeWhip said:

mQa, the Scientology of audio. You have been declared an SP MikeyFresh. Wear it proudly!

I will certainly wear it proudly, and I'm only too happy to have nothing more to do with Radio Paradise.

 

I have many different ways of playing music, I don't actually need RP for anything. It was a fun year or so since they started their FLAC stream with meta data, I didn't really listen to it much at all prior to that, and now it's over. Good riddance!

[MikeyFresh]

56 minutes ago, firedog said:

Nah, probably just means that at least in Japan, he doesn't control how his music is marketed.

I bet that's right, though I'd also be curious then if King Crimson is available in "Masters" on TIDAL or not. If it is, and UMG had not obtained proper authorization from the artist, Fripp could potentially be another Neil Young in waiting.

[MikeyFresh]

2 hours ago, KeenObserver said:

Something is going on.

I think it's just desperation. When it takes 35 days for "Bob Talks" to conjure up such a bullshit non-response to GoldenSound's original video, followed by that absolutely pathetic piece in Stereophile, and I think those are signs of the gig being up, and everyone knows it.

[MikeyFresh]

5 minutes ago, botrytis said:

 

I did put up an interesting post on MQA. It seems Tidal has changed pricing and tiers and higher res MQA seems to be only in the highest priced tier...

So far only in Australia, and when tested the mid-tier was still serving up MQA in many cases, most likely WMG releases if I had to guess, but I don't live in Australia and so only took a passing interest in the topic.

 

Could very well be a sign of TIDAL's new owners at least seeking data on just how many of their subscribers would not want to pay extra for "Masters", in which case they'd probably bolt the MQA license deal at the earliest juncture if that data supports it.

[MikeyFresh]

3 hours ago, DuckToller said:

"In the 21st century, the term has been applied to Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election. "The big lie" in this instance is the false claim that the election was stolen from him through massive electoral fraud and voter fraud, and the scale of the claim's proponents eventually culminated with Trump supporters attacking the US Capitol.

Exactly what I thought Chris was alluding to when I read his post.

 

3 hours ago, DuckToller said:

What makes me wonder is why you have that need to stick that incorrect information on Chris and the MQA threat? Ulterior motives, as already suggested? 
I get that modern partisan journalism uses propganda techniques.  And it is the choice of your editor to allow this in the publications under his responsibility.
 

But why would you feel the urge to expose yourself (plus the publication your represent) and your intentions to do so in an environment where readers are not only informed about audio related topics?
 

From a personal perspective, I thought initially Mr. Cogley's remark was quite a hard punch, but your response offered a stark evidence why he may have made his point.
Shame on you.

Well said, ARQ's ulterior motives are obvious.

[MikeyFresh]

2 hours ago, ARQuint said:

The rhetoric can get overheated around here and, generally, if one counts to ten and then moves on, things won't go off the rails.

More propaganda.

 

2 hours ago, ARQuint said:

The poor manners and narcissism of a very few participants undermines the good information and sense of community AS usually provides

Another falsehood to fit your narrative.

 

2 hours ago, ARQuint said:

Most TAS-bashers claim not to have looked at the publication in decades so I'm not sure how they can be so sure of the depths we've fallen to.

You've conflated that with the reality that most former TAS readers stopped subscribing to the magazine many years ago, and now only occasionally reacquaint themselves with it, usually because someone else has posted a link.

 

[MikeyFresh]

19 minutes ago, Samuel T Cogley said:

Sure, but they've doubled, tripled, and quadrupled (etc.) down on mQa since those now infamous proclamations.  So I'm not seeing the evidence of the "bamboozlement" of which you speak.

Interesting notion, I agree, by now you'd think if it were a bamboozling that had occurred, then a full retraction would be printed and an admission of "we were fooled" would be the only way to go, both ethically speaking, and in an attempt to regain trust and respect.

 

But we've not seen that retraction, rather, the doubling, tripling and quadrupling down that you described is clearly what has transpired with the trade press.

[MikeyFresh]

13 minutes ago, JoeWhip said:

do not read TAS so can’t comment on RH. In zoom calls with JA, he doesn’t wax poetically about MQA, seems to be just another option for him.

Yet we all know that it's not just another option, despite that being the stance of various press members and indeed LS himself in the very pages of this thread.

 

Moreover, we all know it cannot continue on as "just another option", not with all of the investor money already pissed away. They don't have an HDCD-like outcome in mind at all, only an end-to-end domination of the music distribution chain with a "one deliverable" approach will suffice for mQa at this point.

[MikeyFresh]

2 hours ago, JoeWhip said:

I would take that as a win and move on rather than beat a dead horse, but that is just me.

Not just you, I too would gladly take that outcome.

[MikeyFresh]

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

If all streaming went mQA, count me out. 

+ 1 million.

[MikeyFresh]

1 hour ago, ARQuint said:

That, because of the two print magazines' out-of-the-gate enthusiasm for MQA, everything they write about, even four years later, is worthless—every equipment write-up, every interview, every music review, every show report, every award feature.

That enthusiasm was not just an out of the gate thing, it was and is ongoing for years now. Yes that "now worthless" description is how many of us feel so long as there is no retraction printed, until then the reputations of all involved are shot, irreparably harmed for the reasons already stated here. You guys do know better, but for some reason feel there is no value in telling readers the absolute truth, instead continuing to curry favor with your advertisers instead. 

 

That doubling, tripling, and quadrupling down previously alluded to? Thats not a brief out-of-the-gate enthusiasm as you've tried to describe it, thats a super stubborn digging in of one's heels and refusal to acknowledge that upon close inspection, mQa has no technical merit and is merely a licensing fee scheme that promises to drive up consumer and artist costs, limit choice, and place the power of music distribution firmly in the hands of the big 3 record labels.