MQA is Vaporware

[Milt99]

On 8/23/2017 at 11:11 PM, Charles Hansen said:

 

It never ceases to amaze me why people on internet forums choose to attack those "in the biz" whether reviewers, biz owners, biz  reps, whomever, especially over perceived syntax idiosyncrasies or opinions.

The undisguised snark, self-superior attitude does nothing but make the poster look like an a$$hole.

I think I even saw fan-boy in one of the posts.

Really? Fan-Boy?

 

I don't agree with everything Charles Hansen has posted but that's beside the point and I'm positive he wouldn't agree with a lot of mine.

SFW?

I know these guys don't GAS about this stuff but one would think that after all these years people would get over themselves & grow up.

 

One other thing, why does this bloody forum software assume I want to quote a post when I only click Reply to this topic & won't allow me to delete it.

 

 

 

[Nikhil]

15 minutes ago, Milt99 said:

It never ceases to amaze me why people on internet forums choose to attack those "in the biz" whether reviewers, biz owners, biz  reps, whomever, especially over perceived syntax idiosyncrasies or opinions.

The undisguised snark, self-superior attitude does nothing but make the poster look like an a$$hole.

I think I even saw fan-boy in one of the posts.

Really? Fan-Boy?

 

I don't agree with everything Charles Hansen has posted but that's beside the point and I'm positive he wouldn't agree with a lot of mine.

SFW?

I know these guys don't GAS about this stuff but one would think that after all these years people would get over themselves & grow up.

 

 

Amen!  

[The Computer Audiophile]

Look for another streaming service to announce MQA partnership September 4th. 

[mav52]

24 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Look for another streaming service to announce MQA partnership September 4th. 

HDMusicStream (HDtracks) is my guess. The HDmusicStream service will use MQA technology to deliver studio quality music, while 7digital will handle app development, host the music catalogue on its platform and deliver tracks to consumers.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Good guess, but that one is the worst kept secret in HiFi. 

 

This one is different. 

[mav52]

With all of this Vaporware talk since Jan, it appears this vapor has been compressed by MQA and the music labels into a liquid and it's now flowing but not stopping.

[mav52]

1 minute ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Good guess, but that one is the worst kept secret in HiFi. 

 

This one is different. 

Ohh !, hint hint

[james45974]

On 9/1/2017 at 3:17 PM, Rt66indierock said:

Back to MQA a few comments on the MQA press release.

 

Thanks for the analysis.  Makes the "Major Announcement" press release kind of look pathetic and like it has a hint of desperation to it!

 

If you have a good product it should almost sell itself.  The fact the MQA is 'working hard' to sell their technology this long after the initial announcement says a lot.  And the talk about how it takes time to establish the the market has a whif of BS, again the technology should be selling itself by now, IMO.

[mansr]

48 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Look for another streaming service to announce MQA partnership September 4th. 

And this is why Chris maintains his strained "neutral" stance. If he took sides against the industry, he'd lose this early access to coming developments. Without access to insiders, any publication is dead.

[ShawnC]

2 hours ago, mansr said:

And this is why Chris maintains his strained "neutral" stance. If he took sides against the industry, he'd lose this early access to coming developments. Without access to insiders, any publication is dead.

I guess you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.  Have you said anything meaningful this week.  Just like your LinkedIn page states, one of your skills is trolling.

 

You do make things entertaining around here.  You have so much talent and knowledge , I wish you would share more of this. 

[Jud]

2 hours ago, ShawnC said:

I wish you would share more of this. 

 

To be quite fair (or even just reasonable), thousands of A+ and SoX users benefit every day from mansr’s knowledge and work bringing DSD resampling capabilities to those pieces of software.

 

I sometimes share your wish that he might lean a little more toward the helpful and a little less toward the acerbic.  But overall I must say his participation here has been much to my benefit and that of many others.

[wdw]

2 hours ago, Jud said:

 

To be quite fair (or even just reasonable), thousands of A+ and SoX users benefit every day from mansr’s knowledge and work bringing DSD resampling capabilities to those pieces of software.

 

I sometimes share your wish that he might lean a little more toward the helpful and a little less toward the acerbic.  But overall I must say his participation here has been much to my benefit and that of many others.

 

+1

[mcgillroy]

9 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Good guess, but that one is the worst kept secret in HiFi. 

 

This one is different. 

 

Interesting. My guess is Deezer.

 

As long as its not Spotify or Pandora it won't matter much. If they get either of those it's going to get really interesting vis-a-vis Apple, Amazon & Google.

[mcgillroy]

Ok it indeed is Deezer. Nice scoop for MQA.

 

https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/mqa-signs-global-deal-with-deezer/069660

 

 

[mansr]

12 hours ago, ShawnC said:

I guess you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.  Have you said anything meaningful this week.  Just like your LinkedIn page states, one of your skills is trolling.

That Linkedin "skill" is a joke between friends.

 

12 hours ago, ShawnC said:

You do make things entertaining around here.  You have so much talent and knowledge, I wish you would share more of this. 

I might be more motivated to do so if I weren't so often ridiculed on the grounds of being an engineer.

[Jud]

7 minutes ago, mansr said:

I might be more motivated to do so if I weren't so often ridiculed on the grounds of being an engineer.

 

On that score I think you give as good as you get, or to put it slightly differently, you set the terms of discussion. Many non-engineers perceive what they say as being attacked by you, and attack back.  There are certainly engineers on the site who manage to convey engineering information in a fashion that doesn’t raise hackles personally.

[mansr]

8 minutes ago, Jud said:

On that score I think you give as good as you get, or to put it slightly differently, you set the terms of discussion. Many non-engineers perceive what they say as being attacked by you, and attack back.  There are certainly engineers on the site who manage to convey engineering information in a fashion that doesn’t raise hackles personally.

Sure, I too could couch established facts of maths and physics as personal opinion and play along with the notion that everything, and then some, is audible. I'm just not willing to do that since I consider such behaviour dishonest.

[Shadders]

Hi,

I think all the information provided by the engineers exposing MQA for what it is, has been fantastic. Although non-technical people may not understand it, it is there as a rebuttal of MQA claims, hopefully causing people to think twice.

 

I see no other web site, and especially here in the UK, no physical publication, being critical of MQA. This is disgraceful - some of the journalists are very well versed and capable in DSP techniques - and yet, they have no critical remarks of MQA.

 

If there are claims by an entity which are false, then exposing the claims and the company behind it, are paramount to allowing people to see the truth. So this site, and the capable people contributing, are much needed voice to set the record straight.

 

What would be good is an idiots guide as to the claims made by MQA Ltd, and the actual truth - so those people who have no technical capability can see the opposing (truthful ??) facts. I can see the question and answer session on this site, so if some of those key answers were commented upon - as an example :

 

"Q82 i) “MQA have around 13 Bit of “lossless” information and everything below 14 Bit is “lossy”

 

This is incorrect. In general, the MQA system can reach in excess of either 23-bit dynamic range capability or 3–6 bits below the content noise in the audio band."

 

My interpretation is that the answer changes the subject, and the 23bit dynamic range is due to specific tests completed to provide a measured 23bits dynamic range. So, is the answer correct or not ?.

 

If MQA does indeed assign 13bits as standard LPCM, and the latter 3 bits are lossy encoding, then the questions statement is correct.

 

It is this obfuscation that needs to be commented upon, for us plebs to understand.

 

Regards,

 

Shadders.

[Jud]

52 minutes ago, mansr said:

Sure, I too could couch established facts of maths and physics as personal opinion and play along with the notion that everything, and then some, is audible. I'm just not willing to do that since I consider such behaviour dishonest.

 

It isn’t that at all.  Both you and Charles Hansen (an engineer not shy about saying what is on his mind when it’s in disagreement with what most folks on the forum here are saying about a topic) raised the question of whether Chris should adopt a different editorial stance regarding MQA.  Charles’ way of doing so led to discussion on the matter.  Your way of doing so led to discussion of who should be taking personal offense.

[Sal1950]

3 hours ago, Jud said:

 

On that score I think you give as good as you get, or to put it slightly differently, you set the terms of discussion. Many non-engineers perceive what they say as being attacked by you, and attack back.  There are certainly engineers on the site who manage to convey engineering information in a fashion that doesn’t raise hackles personally.

Same could be said to a lawyer I know here.

[Sal1950]

3 hours ago, mansr said:

Sure, I too could couch established facts of maths and physics as personal opinion and play along with the notion that everything, and then some, is audible. I'm just not willing to do that since I consider such behaviour dishonest.

Good drugs could help you get in sync with the mass illusion. 

[Rt66indierock]

On 9/2/2017 at 6:14 PM, Michael Lavorgna said:

This is not accurate. I have been saying, since I reviewed MQA last year, that the DAC is more important and it doesn't have to be "(expensive)". See my recent round-up of all-in-one devices for more on this subject.

 

You made that "(expensive)" bit up to fit your narrative, something you seem to have a habit of doing.

Michael you are right on time I will gladly listen to any argument you want to make that a Totaldac is not expensive. But when you said your Totaldac “made me reach much much deeper into my savings” I believed you. I read your roundup and I read more evidence MQA is not important to you. So I’m keeping you on the anti MQA side. It’s my scorecard and that’s where you fit.

 

This means whoever Steven Stone was referring to when he tossed the following insult at me will be contacting you shortly. “Do you write for the Wall Street Journal? Your comments indicate an anti-MQA bias, which is not a good position for a journalist...”  I wonder who decided that.

[Rt66indierock]

20 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Look for another streaming service to announce MQA partnership September 4th. 

 

Deezer isn't a surprise. Access Industries owns over 50% of it and they own Warner Music Group. 

[mav52]

21 minutes ago, Rt66indierock said:

Michael you are right on time I will gladly listen to any argument you want to make that a Totaldac is not expensive. But when you said your Totaldac “made me reach much much deeper into my savings” I believed you. I read your roundup and I read more evidence MQA is not important to you. So I’m keeping you on the anti MQA side. It’s my scorecard and that’s where you fit.

 

This means whoever Steven Stone was referring to when he tossed the following insult at me will be contacting you shortly. “Do you write for the Wall Street Journal? Your comments indicate an anti-MQA bias, which is not a good position for a journalist...”  I wonder who decided that.

From Audiostream,  Michaels position  https://www.audiostream.com/content/against-mqa-unfolded

 

My Official MQA Position
Who cares what my official MQA position is? OK, for those that do care, I don't have one. And I don't have one because a) it doesn't matter, and b) it doesn't matter. What I do have is experience. This matters.

And my experience tells me that MQA can make recorded music sound better (see my review of MQA). In some cases much, much better. I've never heard MQA processing make music sound worse.

You may agree, you may disagree. In either case, my experience does not change. You can question my motives, but then you'd just be being silly.

[Rt66indierock]

19 hours ago, mav52 said:

With all of this Vaporware talk since Jan, it appears this vapor has been compressed by MQA and the music labels into a liquid and it's now flowing but not stopping.

 

Actually MQA is still vaporware. It will take another 6,000 or so albums to turn the vapor into a liquid. It will stay a liquid for quite a while since the next hurdle is 1% of the albums available to get MQA out of commercially viable discussions.