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MQA is Vaporware


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On 4/23/2021 at 1:13 AM, Archimago said:


I’m a proud pinko who supports a generous welfare state for individuals, but it’s pretty clear PPP provided opportunities for businesses to game the system and wasn’t very effective at saving jobs. The goal was to prevent employers from laying people off, even temporarily, which would’ve spiked the unemployment rate. However, it arguably would’ve been better to just let the unemployment rate go up. If that was to be avoided at all costs, there were “paycheck guarantee”-type options that would’ve sent money from the government directly to employees while requiring businesses to nominally keep them on the payroll and begin paying them their previous salary when the pandemic’s effects ebbed. In short, color me dubious that PPP “saved” jobs.  

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21 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

You do know why I had to disable links, right?

I think I remember you writing something about spamming.

Assuming that's still the case, wouldn't it be enough to just turn the link into a text? So it can be just copy-pasted? And if not, than surely it would be enough to modify it only in one place instead of three:

www.Xaudiosciencereview.com/foobar

Hell, you could even include the reason why:

www.audio “science” review ANTISPAM.com/foobar

Selecting and deleting a single word is still less annoying than editing the address in several places.

But that of course would not include a chil..., sorry, a dig at their name.

 

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8 hours ago, John_Atkinson said:

 

As I was comparing a hi-rez file with an MQA version of the same file, use of plugins would have been a confusing variable.

 

And I have no idea if the audible improvement in sound quality that I reported finding with MQA could be duplicated with plugins.

 

John Atkinson

Technical Editor, Stereophile

John,

 

I'm curious then as to your thoughts on what has been recently proposed here - that MQA originally may have been a means of augmenting and improving sound files that you found favorable and that now is seen as nothing more than an upsampling filter and marketing scheme.  

 

I know there's a lot of cheap shots taken at you on occasion, and for one admire the fact that you respond at all.  

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2 hours ago, KeenObserver said:

 

That seems to be the modus operandi of MQA and why they insist on the NDA's.

If non MQA music is distorted on MQA certified DAC's, then MQA will sound better in comparison.

Wait a minute. That presumes that it won’t occur to anyone to do a comparison between an MQA enabled and a “standard” DAC.  
 

Are you saying that Meridian are now in a position to take over the audiophile world with this clever MQA marketing campaign?


Is this another industry push to get us to buy our music all over again, or just another sales pitch like Quadraphonic Sound?

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3 hours ago, KeenObserver said:

 

That seems to be the modus operandi of MQA and why they insist on the NDA's.

If non MQA music is distorted on MQA certified DAC's, then MQA will sound better in comparison.

 

It's already that way. Try listening to the MQA version of Jack Johnson on an Yggdrasil. It's very weird.

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10 ouf of 12 comments are invisible from this suggested FB post, so I took a similar action.

I also did cancel Tidal as I could not accept existing redbook files being replaced by crippled batch encoded MQA CD versions.

image.png.8912cc5ad3ff6bc3a20ec85545d6af67.png

 

I won't miss much, these are the 2 comments which were allowed:

image.png.def2c70ca5c69a011b826ac7d5f21a78.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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On 4/20/2021 at 11:25 PM, UkPhil said:

Anyone cozying up for Bob’s fireside chat on Saturday with What Hifi,  not me I’ll be too busy watching paint dry unfortunately.

0EF004AA-FD37-40D4-A7F0-458A404D0A0D.png

 

I suspect that the hardness of the hard hitting interview might be determined by this:

 

 image.png.2b6950433a64dac3b92ef0acd52c93fd.png

Windows 11 PC, Roon, HQPlayer, Focus Fidelity convolutions, iFi Zen Stream, Paul Hynes SR4, Mutec REF10, Mutec MC3+USB, Devialet 1000Pro, KEF Blade.  Plus Pro-Ject Signature 12 TT for playing my 'legacy' vinyl collection. Desktop system; RME ADI-2 DAC fs, Meze Empyrean headphones.

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Interesting content from Danny @ Roon, it turns out that MQA gets payed per track played using software decoding.

 

 Those still using Tidal and software decoding are continually feeding MQA money.

 

 

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

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2 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:


It amazes me how people still think MQA has no cost to them. Businesses that don’t pass costs on to customers, don’t exist for very long. As a business owner, I have first hand experience. 

 

MQA has been a losing proposition for all these years. They have dumped tens of millions into this scheme. They would not be dumping this money into the scheme unless they expected to make huge profits from the scheme. And these huge profits come out of the pockets of the music consumer.

MQA is simply a scheme to add an extra layer of cost onto music distribution. And for this extra cost the music consumer gets a loss of choice and damaged music.

The music consumer that is buying into the MQA scheme are like sheep to the slaughter.

Or kaffir to the "Tot".

Boycott Warner

Boycott Tidal

Boycott Roon

Boycott Lenbrook

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With all the turmoil going on in the US now, I find this whole MQA thing baffling. People are tearing down statues and taking offense at the slightest hint of any racist possibility. And yet, there are people embracing MQA and their South African backers. These financial backers made their billions during apartheid. They would not have been able to amass their vast wealth if not for the apartheid system being in place. Apartheid was in place well into the latter part of the 20th century. This allowed the billionaires to place their wealth into European holding companies. This is the wealth behind MQA. They are trying to rewrite history, but if you dig down deep enough you can find the true history.

What is particularly disturbing is the fact that they are trying to ram MQA down the throats of the music consumer the same way they rammed "Tot" down the throats of the South Africans.

Look at the video of RMAF 2018 and tell me that these are the people that you want controlling the future of music distribution.

Boycott Warner

Boycott Tidal

Boycott Roon

Boycott Lenbrook

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Wow, Roon pays per play decode. That's way worse than I would ever have imagined. Of course, the MQA fanboys over at Roon said, (prarphrase) "then just buy a full MQA DAC, and don't ask Roon to decode".....

No wonder Roon costs so much...:)

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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18 minutes ago, firedog said:

Wow, Roon pays per play decode. That's way worse than I would ever have imagined. Of course, the MQA fanboys over at Roon said, (prarphrase) "then just buy a full MQA DAC, and don't ask Roon to decode".....

No wonder Roon costs so much...:)


You would think the rest of the software decoders do as well.

 

Worst yet it seems the software decoder phones home so MQA knows what you play so they can bill.

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

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49 minutes ago, KeenObserver said:

With all the turmoil going on in the US now, I find this whole MQA thing baffling. People are tearing down statues and taking offense at the slightest hint of any racist possibility. And yet, there are people embracing MQA and their South African backers. These financial backers made their billions during apartheid. They would not have been able to amass their vast wealth if not for the apartheid system being in place. Apartheid was in place well into the latter part of the 20th century. This allowed the billionaires to place their wealth into European holding companies. This is the wealth behind MQA. They are trying to rewrite history, but if you dig down deep enough you can find the true history.

As much as I appreciate the information you're connecting in your post, I have serious doubt that MQA can ever be important for the people affected from the situations/protest you describe. In the audio world the discussion about/against MQA has merits and value, in the political discussion about BLM and against Arpartheid ... less so.

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9 minutes ago, Dr Tone said:


You would think the rest of the software decoders do as well.

 

Worst yet it seems the software decoder phones home so MQA knows what you play so they can bill.

Roon also pays for the users' accessing metadata. From what was said on the Roon site, it's Roon collecting the data for decoder royalty payments, not MQA. But Tidal of course, does know what you play from there, MQA or not.

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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9 minutes ago, DuckToller said:

As much as I appreciate the information you're connecting in your post, I have serious doubt that MQA can ever be important for the people affected from the situations/protest you describe. In the audio world the discussion about/against MQA has merits and value, in the political discussion about BLM and against Arpartheid ... less so.

 

The contradiction just strikes me. MQA is trying to force their scheme down the throats of the music consumer. If the backers of MQA were in the US and had the history that they have, there would be protesters storming their doors.

The thing that bothers me is the similarity between the way they are forcing MQA down the throats of the music consumer and the way they forced "Tot" on the South Africans.

MQA has been hiding behind smoke and mirrors since day one. They are telling us it is better than the original and we should just accept it.

Boycott Warner

Boycott Tidal

Boycott Roon

Boycott Lenbrook

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2 minutes ago, firedog said:

Roon also pays for the users' accessing metadata. From what was said on the Roon site, it's Roon collecting the data for decoder royalty payments, not MQA. But Tidal of course, does know what you play from there, MQA or not.


With the vision of MQA world dominance, I would think it’s more elaborate than Roon or any other player just counting and reporting.  Those numbers could be fudged.
 

My guess is the core decoder supplies the data encrypted with checks and validation that Roon needs to report.  I still consider that MQA calling home.

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

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