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MQA is Vaporware


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13 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Yes. It's a great selling point for the MQA team. "We have people delivering a single file for all platforms, just like we promised." It's exactly what MQA did by starting with HiFi companies to stack their deck before bringing their pitch to larger companies. "We have the most discerning audiophile companies onboard." 

 

 

Yes a sonically crippled file with no keys to get in unless you pay the organ grinder 

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1 hour ago, KeenObserver said:

The FLAC container is a lossless system.  The MQA file inside is lossy.  And corrupts the original music, no matter what Bob says. 

 

I hope we are not seeing a resurgence of the MQA BS.  My hip boots are in storage.

I think there’s a big push Warner’s loading 16/44.1 MQA versions on Tidal and taking off the red book version so giving users no option, it looks like  controlled streaming is alive and well and people with non MQA DAC have a limping along damaged file 

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9 minutes ago, FredericV said:


MQA does not allow any QA:
 


You could run mqadec as written by @mansrand use it with an obtained .so file form a well known early MQA adopter (if you have the skills) and then analyze the output of that decoder. This tool reads an MQA encoded flac/wav file and decodes it to a PCM file. Then you can run any audio tools on those files.

But since this is reverse engineering, such tool cannot be sold or licensed. MQA does not release tools to decode MQA files, so there is no way to analyze the output of an MQA decoded file, except intercept the PCM in the OS or record the analog output of a DAC, or for those devices which expose the first unfold via SPDIF or HDMI, capture that digital signal and analyze it.

For a format that claims to be end-to-end, why then:

1. do we only have one MQA enabled ADC (some mytek ADC)
2. why are there no tools to verify the content of the MQA decoder output?

The fact that there is only one ADC should be the smoking gun

My main concern is that the likes of Warners start shipping non PCM files to PCM streaming companies as FLAC containers "MQA by stealth" 

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32 minutes ago, oneway23 said:
What used to be the original masters of Bowie's albums (the ones at 16/44) for example, now have the MQA logo , as well...Is this a new development?
 
Unless this is a temporary mistake from within Roon, many original masters are seemingly quickly disappearing.

By "MQA standards" it now much improved version allegedly, unfortunately you are losing the ability to choose yourself on the Tidal platform now 

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26 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Tidal app says it's the MQA version of Space Oddity, I've selected HiFi in the settings, Tidal app says HiFi when playing, but it's sending me MQA as evidenced on the DAC I'm using that now says MQA. 

 

Wow, it's MP3 or MQA. Ouch. Thanks to all who assisted in removing our freedom of choice. 

 

Screen Shot 2020-11-18 at 10.26.04 AM.png

This is shocking news Chris, just as people thought years ago is now happening 🙄

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So in less than a week we have had :

 

1, MQA batch conversion of 1000’s of albums loaded into Tidal via Warner’s which consists of 44.1khz files

2, Some replacing existing true lossless CD files this is without any warning to users .

3, Users playlists and albums from Tidal on third party software applications eg Roon messed around with. 
4, The possibility of future supplied FLAC containers to other sites could be holding the same file 

 

Digigeddon has been rebooted, MP3 Mk2 has not gone away,  let’s hope it the last chance attempt and it doesn’t get any further than the boundary walls of Tidal 

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6 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

 

The only counterattack strategy may be getting as loud as MQA clan but with telling the truth about the format and even that IMO wouldn't guarantee a success since most music 'enthusiasts' simply don't care. And the MQA clan obviously does.

I haven't been following the mainstream audio magazines but it would be interesting to see where they stand now..

 

Record labels / magazines and most mainstream media, and a lot of DAC manufacturers have bought into MQA over the last four years it will be a tough nut to crack now, they only need one of the lossy companies to jump and it could be game over MP3 Mk2 will reign over us

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1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Not right now. The communications I’ve received lately were in confidence. Stuff will come out. I’ll be able to post some in due time. I hate doing this but I keep my word with everyone. 
 

The manufacturers reading this can have confidence I won’t say a word until it’s appropriate. 
 

 

I shudder to think 😢

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11 minutes ago, KeenObserver said:

On the 12th Forbes reported that millions of new MQA tracks were coming to Tidal.

That's incredible! MQA and Warner must have spent the last 20 or 30 years in the studio authenticating and remastering all those tracks!

They have been doing for quite a while by all accounts I saw some post by Ken Forsythe on a thread in MQA fan site 

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6 minutes ago, KeenObserver said:

 

Do you think every one of those tracks was "authenticated" and carefully mastered, or do you think they were dumped into a hopper and out came the MQA sausage?

Bob Stuart goes in front of a camera an tells about the careful MQA authentication process.  How cynical do you have to be to do that?  He is just a used car salesman selling a 30  year old piece of crap and telling you it's a Rolls Royce.

This catalogue of music must have been batch converted, most of these files MQA highlights them as green they are not authenticated at source so the transfers are just reworked 16/44.1, why would hide these files behind a proprietary wall if you didn’t have another motive to do so, this is not about bettering sound for the consumer. 
 

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32 minutes ago, asdf1000 said:

 

Interesting.... if I connect the dots.... you said something big is happening soon and we know the major labels are shareholders in MQA Ltd...

 

Then MQA is about to go beyond Tidal's tiny market share to something larger... 😐

 

 

Well if it does go mainstream it will more than likely be difficult to stop,  and the PCM FLAC container delivery companies may find they will get pushed into the sidelines or worse have to accept MQA on their 

platforms. 
At worst CD could also become infected in the mainstream, the water has already been tested in Japan, although a minority market against global manufacturing I am sure the change could be quick. 
God forbid we get MQA master cut vinyl too 

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43 minutes ago, mevdinc said:

What a shame.
It is becoming clear that it wasn't at all what the artists intended, it was more like what the music companies intended/planned. Well done to all those who saw this from day one and argued against the intentions and possible negative results of the MQA format in this very topic.

It’s probably gonna get worse too 

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