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MQA is Vaporware


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12 hours ago, FredericV said:

No word about batch encoded albums ... a big taboo?
 

 
 

 

Terrible "interview", a total crock of BS being spewed there. Shame on both Tidal themselves and to the "interviewer" as well for giving MQA an infomercial.

no-mqa-sm.jpg

Boycott HDtracks

Boycott Lenbrook

Boycott Warner Music Group

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Yesterday I was analyzing some Tidal favorites in LMS and running @mansr's mqascan on them, and found something very disturbing.

This album ( Julieta (Banda sonora original) ) has one track which is MQA CD, for which the green light on my Mytek also lights up:

https://listen.tidal.com/album/58380173

 

It's the 22th track which is MQA CD. So why is only one track MQA CD, and why is the album not marked MQA?

 

00000000: MQA signature at bit 8
00000000: [5] datasync
          magic                     36: 0x11319207d
          stream_pos_flag            1: 0
          pad                        1: 0
          orig_rate                  5: 0x00 [44.1 kHz]
          src_rate                   5: 0x00 [44.1 kHz]
          render_filter              5: 4
          unknown_1                  2: 0
          render_bitdepth            2: 2 [16 bits]
          unknown_2                  4: 0x0
          auth_info                  4: 0x0
          auth_level                 4: 0x4
          item_count                 7: 1
          size                       8: 0x14
          type                       8: 0x00
          [type 0]
          stage2_dither              2: 1
          gain_index                 4: 2
          unknown_5                  7: 15
          unknown_6                  7: 127
          checksum                   4: 0x9


Is Tidal at random replacing redbook by MQA CD?
Why do albums have mixed MQA CD / redbook content?

The Silencio track BTW is serious dynamic range demo quality, and also a great test for microdetail in percussion ;)



 

Designer of the 432 EVO music server and Linux specialist

Discoverer of the independent open source sox based mqa playback method with optional one cycle postringing.

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15 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Welcome to the lovely world of MQA. I'm old enough to remember when MQA Ltd. said MQA would remove all the uncertainty and ensure everyone receives perfect files. 

 

They also added one track from a different artist to this album, which may explain the MQA CD ...

The 2017 version had 22 tracks.

Even more strange why they would do this.

image.png

Designer of the 432 EVO music server and Linux specialist

Discoverer of the independent open source sox based mqa playback method with optional one cycle postringing.

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In the eyes of Warner and MQA the perfect future is a world where only MQA music is available.

 

In the eyes of the audiophile, music hell is only MQA music being available.  Your choice of music being eliminated.  And having to pay the royalties every step of the way for the "privilege" of being forced into MQA.

Boycott Warner

Boycott Tidal

Boycott Roon

Boycott Lenbrook

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It would be a sad day indeed if the financial backers of MQA were able to force the music consumer into accepting the contaminated brandy that is MQA music.

 

The music consumer should reject MQA altogether and not let themselves be forced into a world of MQA only music.

 

Warner is the spearhead of the effort to force MQA on the music consumer.

 

Boycott Warner.

 

Boycott MQA.

 

Save your ability to choose and not be forced to drink the contaminated brandy.

Boycott Warner

Boycott Tidal

Boycott Roon

Boycott Lenbrook

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12 hours ago, KeenObserver said:

It would be a sad day indeed if the financial backers of MQA were able to force the music consumer into accepting the contaminated brandy that is MQA music.

 

The music consumer should reject MQA altogether and not let themselves be forced into a world of MQA only music.

 

Warner is the spearhead of the effort to force MQA on the music consumer.

 

Boycott Warner.

 

Boycott MQA.

 

Save your ability to choose and not be forced to drink the contaminated brandy.

 

Why boycott just Warner?  What about Sony and Universal?

mQa is dead!

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45 minutes ago, lucretius said:

 

Why boycott just Warner?  What about Sony and Universal?

I believe because so far only Warner Music Group has had the unmitigated gall to force feed Master Quality Adulterated/Approximated in lieu of previously supplied 16-bit Redbook albums onto a streaming service. I pity the TIDAL subscribers now forced to gag or upchuck (vomit).

 

If one had to guess which label might be next, that would likely be Universal, because they too, just like Warner, are part owned by greedy private equity. Lawyers and accountants reign, along with the Chinese conglomerate Tencent.

 

Sony Music would seem a likely distant 3rd in that race to the bottom, however they too own a stake in MQA, and are thus likely to follow suit if they perceive any semblance of market acceptance.

no-mqa-sm.jpg

Boycott HDtracks

Boycott Lenbrook

Boycott Warner Music Group

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10 hours ago, firedog said:

It's just a matter of time for the other 2 majors is my prediction. Max a year? The real crisis will be when they force services like Qobuz to take MQA because there is nothing else available.

 

I’d sure like to be in the room when some suit from Warner’s tells Tim Cook what format music Apple is going to stream. 

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39 minutes ago, daverich4 said:

I’d sure like to be in the room when some suit from Warner’s tells Tim Cook what format music Apple is going to stream. 

Doesn't really apply to Apple, as they are only streaming fully lossless type compression, and not CD or hi res (even in MQA form). I don't expect mp3 type lossless formats to be affected. I'm sure the labels will be happy to keep supplying it. 
MQA is about preventing consumers from accessing master type quality from 16/44.1 lossless and up. 

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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58 minutes ago, firedog said:

Doesn't really apply to Apple, as they are only streaming fully lossless type compression, and not CD or hi res (even in MQA form). I don't expect mp3 type lossless formats to be affected. I'm sure the labels will be happy to keep supplying it. 
MQA is about preventing consumers from accessing master type quality from 16/44.1 lossless and up. 


Is Apple supplied the lossy files or do they create them?  “Mastered for iTunes” makes me think Apple wanted to be sourced pcm files. What if the label decided to start giving them MQA instead?

Roon Rock->Auralic Aria G2->Schiit Yggdrasil A2->McIntosh C47->McIntosh MC301 Monos->Wilson Audio Sabrinas

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1 hour ago, Dr Tone said:


Is Apple supplied the lossy files or do they create them?  “Mastered for iTunes” makes me think Apple wanted to be sourced pcm files. What if the label decided to start giving them MQA instead?

MQA is a type of PCM; that's why it can be played back without MQA hardware and software. Apple could just compress an unfolded MQA file the same way it does everything else. 

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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52 minutes ago, firedog said:

MQA is a type of PCM; that's why it can be played back without MQA hardware and software. Apple could just compress an unfolded MQA file the same way it does everything else. 


I understand what it is.  My point is: would Apple put up a fight if given a lossy PCM file that has been DSPed instead of the real master to create their aac files.

Roon Rock->Auralic Aria G2->Schiit Yggdrasil A2->McIntosh C47->McIntosh MC301 Monos->Wilson Audio Sabrinas

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3 hours ago, Dr Tone said:


Is Apple supplied the lossy files or do they create them?  “Mastered for iTunes” makes me think Apple wanted to be sourced pcm files. What if the label decided to start giving them MQA instead?

They get lossless files. And in the case of "Mastered for iTunes" or "Apple Masters" they get 24-bit/44.1

But everything is downgraded to lossy AAC. 

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