Popular Post Fast and Bulbous Posted September 8, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 8, 2021 That's unfair. They have published an article with MQA listed as a tech that they feel will likely fail. The jibe at Neil hacks me off - spent time with him and Charley H discussing MQA at length from the tech, music and innovation / strategy perspective. Neil's integrity in this matter is not in doubt as far as I am concerned. They have also said what they think about MQA that is good in their opinion - or which gives them a way out with MQA. And still included it in a list of failed tech. Or one that they think is likely to / could well fail. Has any other commercial, advertiser funded publication done that? Frankly am bemused that they have published the article. Am musing on why they would do so, seemingly unprompted. Wonder if they know something? May be a turning point. Time, as always, will tell. The Computer Audiophile, beetlemania and MikeyFresh 3 Link to comment
Currawong Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 5 hours ago, Fast and Bulbous said: Well, well well... Never thought I would see this... What HiFi - UK magazine that has been very positive about MQA, some would say suspiciously so, has just published an article about tech that is likely to become obsolete. Includes BluRay, CD, wired IEMs, music downloads. And.. MQA. Yep, really. Good news as far as I am concerned. May give others in the audio / music press the courage to tell it like it is. Well, you never know... Here is the (very long) URL: https://www.whathifi.com/features/the-tech-endangered-list-are-these-devices-and-formats-the-next-to-go?utm_source=SmartBrief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=E632F623-34B1-4EBE-B56C-3D5896DC5E2A&utm_content=F859157B-285F-47A8-BD65-02C2F2721B68&utm_term=c4187c4a-d498-48ef-ae6a-f2d854d1917c Oh, I don't subscribe to What HiFi - I just get emails from them. Honest. No, really. How to remove the tracking crap from URLs: Basically, everything separated by a "/" is part of a url. It used to refer to physical directory structure on a web server, but is generated virtually now, for the most part. After that, if data info is included in a url, it is indicated by a "?" and variables chained together with "&". So, the actual url is: https://www.whathifi.com/features/the-tech-endangered-list-are-these-devices-and-formats-the-next-to-go and everything else is just stuff showing that it came from an email campaign and the details so the site can see how effective their email lists are. MikeyFresh 1 Link to comment
Popular Post Currawong Posted September 9, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 9, 2021 On 9/8/2021 at 12:31 AM, UkPhil said: All eyes on China, more from Bob on 9/9/21 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/music-ally-china-digital-summit-in-association-with-mqa-tickets-165239073517?fbclid=IwAR0KY-vDTzzXHrD_0x4AX9nPoZjxAYSAZGb37rmTFtE3AMqpUrwWxnfjYHk Grab a pot of your best coffee 😁 Sorry for the double post, but a followup: Likewise, the above URL came from facebook, and you can see the ?fbclid part which is the facebook tracking id. If you remove that and everything after it, the URL will still work and wont pass on FB tracking data. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/music-ally-china-digital-summit-in-association-with-mqa-tickets-165239073517 lucretius, UkPhil and MikeyFresh 1 2 Link to comment
KeenObserver Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 On 9/7/2021 at 11:31 AM, UkPhil said: All eyes on China, more from Bob on 9/9/21 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/music-ally-china-digital-summit-in-association-with-mqa-tickets-165239073517?fbclid=IwAR0KY-vDTzzXHrD_0x4AX9nPoZjxAYSAZGb37rmTFtE3AMqpUrwWxnfjYHk Grab a pot of your best coffee 😁 The ruling party in China dictates what the masses has access to and how they access it. That would fit in with the MQA business plan and the studios wishes. The music consumer needs to conform to the parties wishes. It's all detailed in the parties media arm, TAS and Stereophile. Boycott Warner Boycott Tidal Boycott Roon Boycott Lenbrook Link to comment
KeenObserver Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 Did I miss something? Boycott Warner Boycott Tidal Boycott Roon Boycott Lenbrook Link to comment
botrytis Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 10 minutes ago, KeenObserver said: Did I miss something? Is this you dancing in the clouds? 🤣 Maybe that is why you missed it.... Current: Daphile on an AMD A10-9500 with 16 GB RAM DAC - TEAC UD-501 DAC Pre-amp - Rotel RC-1590 Amplification - Benchmark AHB2 amplifier Speakers - Revel M126Be with 2 REL 7/ti subwoofers Cables - Tara Labs RSC Reference and Blue Jean Cable Balanced Interconnects Link to comment
kumakuma Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 It looks like a bunch of posts from BrassFace were deleted... MikeyFresh 1 Sometimes it's like someone took a knife, baby Edgy and dull and cut a six inch valley Through the middle of my skull Link to comment
UkPhil Posted September 14, 2021 Share Posted September 14, 2021 It’s 40 minutes long if you want to stick it out Link to comment
Popular Post lucretius Posted September 14, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 14, 2021 3 hours ago, UkPhil said: It’s 40 minutes long if you want to stick it out Thanks, but I'll pass. UkPhil and kumakuma 1 1 mQa is dead! Link to comment
Popular Post Rt66indierock Posted September 15, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 15, 2021 10 hours ago, UkPhil said: It’s 40 minutes long if you want to stick it out MQA Karaoke was the highlight for me. UkPhil and botrytis 2 Link to comment
Popular Post Iving Posted September 15, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 15, 2021 I was about to rip this Louis Armstrong 3CD set: when I noticed this: All of a sudden I felt a chill. Somehow things weren't right. I wasn't sure whether these recordings would be "authenticated" enough. These days I have high expectations as an audiophile! We've gone way beyond mp3s after all. I just gotta have the real thing. "MASTERED FROM ORIGINAL COLUMBIA RECORDINGS" doesn't seem to cut the mustard. I need mQa on top of this guarantee. I just don't feel secure! I need to imagine Mr. Stuart's soothing tones reassuring me that I don't have to tolerate compromises. OK - I sound a bit like a baby when I say that. But who doesn't want to feel "safe"? Some people know a lot more than me about the real thing! I'll have to get me one of those mQa CD players that cost $20k to play these old Jazz recordings. Well - when they come out properly authenticated I mean. They just won't sound "right" otherwise. It's had a great review you know - that $20k mQa CD player. Honest and balanced. Just great guys doing great writing. Totally independent! That's another reason I feel safe and secure. omg. I've just realised too. Louis Armstrong died in 1971. That's like 50 years ago. Exactly half a century in fact. Do you think we could use his memory to "authenticate" these CDs? I mean - I need to know that what I'm hearing is what Louis himself would have wanted for me. I just feel so at the centre of the Universe with mQa. Not in a bad way. In a good way! Do you think we could track down some of Louis's progeny - I mean maybe he has a Great Great Nephew or something - wouldn't that be better than nothing? Now I just need that $20k for an mQa CD player. Sure - it's like buying a $1,000,000 hutch for a $2 rabbit. But who cares. I've got to have the best! I'll have a chat with the wife when she gets home ... maybe we can get an mQa house and eat mQa food and watch mQa TV ... ooh ... I just feel so warm and cosy and excited! botrytis, DuckToller, UkPhil and 1 other 4 Link to comment
Popular Post Confused Posted September 15, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 15, 2021 30 minutes ago, Iving said: I was about to rip this Louis Armstrong 3CD set: when I noticed this: All of a sudden I felt a chill. Somehow things weren't right. I wasn't sure whether these recordings would be "authenticated" enough. These days I have high expectations as an audiophile! We've gone way beyond mp3s after all. I just gotta have the real thing. "MASTERED FROM ORIGINAL COLUMBIA RECORDINGS" doesn't seem to cut the mustard. I need mQa on top of this guarantee. I just don't feel secure! I need to imagine Mr. Stuart's soothing tones reassuring me that I don't have to tolerate compromises. OK - I sound a bit like a baby when I say that. But who doesn't want to feel "safe"? Some people know a lot more than me about the real thing! I'll have to get me one of those mQa CD players that cost $20k to play these old Jazz recordings. Well - when they come out properly authenticated I mean. They just won't sound "right" otherwise. It's had a great review you know - that $20k mQa CD player. Honest and balanced. Just great guys doing great writing. Totally independent! That's another reason I feel safe and secure. omg. I've just realised too. Louis Armstrong died in 1971. That's like 50 years ago. Exactly half a century in fact. Do you think we could use his memory to "authenticate" these CDs? I mean - I need to know that what I'm hearing is what Louis himself would have wanted for me. I just feel so at the centre of the Universe with mQa. Not in a bad way. In a good way! Do you think we could track down some of Louis's progeny - I mean maybe he has a Great Great Nephew or something - wouldn't that be better than nothing? Now I just need that $20k for an mQa CD player. Sure - it's like buying a $1,000,000 hutch for a $2 rabbit. But who cares. I've got to have the best! I'll have a chat with the wife when she gets home ... maybe we can get an mQa house and eat mQa food and watch mQa TV ... ooh ... I just feel so warm and cosy and excited! It's fine, you just need to add the blue light: botrytis, MikeyFresh, UkPhil and 3 others 1 5 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. Link to comment
Pierre LeMonf Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 Forgive me, but after parsing through this thread, isn't the quote below pure merde? "When music is playing, the EVO's screen displays, along with the album cover, the song and album titles, the artist's name, the stream resolution, the file format, the track's total and elapsed time, and—if the track is MQA—the MQA logo accompanied by either a green or a blue dot indicating whether that MQA recording is engineer- or artist-approved (blue, "MQA Studio"). If the dot is green, it means that the file being streamed is intact MQA, but it may not be the most recent or definitive version of the recording. I got a kick out of seeing my first blue authentication dot. I thought: "This recording is the real deal!" It appeared on the 24/192 MQA version of John Coltrane's cover of "My Favorite Things" (Atlantic/Qobuz) which I heard after I'd heard that same track on a green-lighted 16/44.1 MQA mix." https://www.stereophile.com/content/cambridge-audio-evo-150-streaming-integrated-amplifier MikeyFresh 1 Link to comment
garrardguy60 Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 (EDIT: I see Pierre and I posted the same/similar thing at same time. Great minds think alike!) NOW THERE ARE TWO DOTS! Our favorite legacy publication has a review of the Cambridge Audio EVO 150 streamer. On the second page of the article, the reviewer goes to town listening to multiple MQA versions of the same album. This of course begs the question: How can there be multiple MQA versions of an album when supposedly the intent of MQA is to stipulate to the listener that he/she is listening to the ONE AND ONLY TRUE AND APPROVED file. This seems like an underreported crack in the MQA p̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶l̶i̶e̶s̶ story. FURTHER, apparently there are now two lights, something of which I was previously unaware. Green dot means engineer approved, blue dot means artist approved. I don't want to give this nonsense more air, nor do I want to inadvertently violate any policies Chris might have, so I won't quote from or link to the article, But if you go to the home page of that audiophile mag which starts with stereo and ends with phile, and scroll down to the EVO 150 review, please see if you are not as confused as I am. (Indeed, one disruptive commenter is asking why it is that upsampled files seem to always be called out as such, except when they are MQA, and he wonders why that is.) Me, I wonder what's up with the multiple MQA versions and also the two dots. I HAVE AN IDEA. Let's refer to MQA from now on as "MQA 2 dots." That will, as the Brits say, take the piss out of RS and co. MikeyFresh 1 Link to comment
kumakuma Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 10 minutes ago, Pierre LeMonf said: Forgive me, but after parsing through this thread, isn't the quote below pure merde? "When music is playing, the EVO's screen displays, along with the album cover, the song and album titles, the artist's name, the stream resolution, the file format, the track's total and elapsed time, and—if the track is MQA—the MQA logo accompanied by either a green or a blue dot indicating whether that MQA recording is engineer- or artist-approved (blue, "MQA Studio"). If the dot is green, it means that the file being streamed is intact MQA, but it may not be the most recent or definitive version of the recording. I got a kick out of seeing my first blue authentication dot. I thought: "This recording is the real deal!" It appeared on the 24/192 MQA version of John Coltrane's cover of "My Favorite Things" (Atlantic/Qobuz) which I heard after I'd heard that same track on a green-lighted 16/44.1 MQA mix." https://www.stereophile.com/content/cambridge-audio-evo-150-streaming-integrated-amplifier Yes, pure unadulterated merde... MikeyFresh 1 Sometimes it's like someone took a knife, baby Edgy and dull and cut a six inch valley Through the middle of my skull Link to comment
JoeWhip Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 His description of the vocal on Getz/Gilberto was how can I say it nicely, laughable. Hyperbole much? MikeyFresh 1 Link to comment
MarkusBarkus Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 ...I left Tidal last Christmas, but I recall seeing both green and blue dots display, so not new, per se. I recall searching and not finding much on the difference between the two. I assumed it was just more of their tap-dancing show. MikeyFresh 1 I'm MarkusBarkus and I approve this post. Link to comment
Popular Post The Computer Audiophile Posted September 22, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 22, 2021 Oh yes, in typical mQa fashion making things clear as mud, there are of course two colored lights. Blue and green, and of course they must be approved by the engineer or artist. Who knew Miles Davis and Rudy Van Gelder could hit the stamp of approval from the grave. And, who knew the batch converter in the cloud could also obtain those approvals. I had a Judy Collins album from mQa Ltd and I asked why it was "only" a green light mQa file. An hour later I had a blue light version. I'm sure it had nothing to do with flipping the mQa light switch in the metadata, and everything to do with obtaining the proper approval. botrytis, MikeyFresh, yahooboy and 3 others 1 5 Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
Popular Post MarkusBarkus Posted September 22, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 22, 2021 ...I'm MarkusBarkus and I approve this post. I should add that to my sig. with a dot. Confused, opus101, MikeyFresh and 5 others 1 7 I'm MarkusBarkus and I approve this post. Link to comment
Popular Post firedog Posted September 22, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 22, 2021 Not to mention the mag continuously talks about hi-res, 4X, and 8X MQA as if they actually exist and aren't upsampling. UkPhil, yahooboy, The Computer Audiophile and 2 others 4 1 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 Link to comment
botrytis Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said: Oh yes, in typical mQa fashion making things clear as mud, there are of course two colored lights. Blue and green, and of course they must be approved by the engineer or artist. Who knew Miles Davis and Rudy Van Gelder could hit the stamp of approval from the grave. And, who knew the batch converter in the cloud could also obtain those approvals. I had a Judy Collins album from mQa Ltd and I asked why it was "only" a green light mQa file. An hour later I had a blue light version. I'm sure it had nothing to do with flipping the mQa light switch in the metadata, and everything to do with obtaining the proper approval. A little too much LSD or mescaline for them? Just asking..... MikeyFresh 1 Current: Daphile on an AMD A10-9500 with 16 GB RAM DAC - TEAC UD-501 DAC Pre-amp - Rotel RC-1590 Amplification - Benchmark AHB2 amplifier Speakers - Revel M126Be with 2 REL 7/ti subwoofers Cables - Tara Labs RSC Reference and Blue Jean Cable Balanced Interconnects Link to comment
firedog Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 Go back and read JA2's post in reaction to mine under that article. He's totally bought in to MQA, and accepts their claims at face value. MikeyFresh 1 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 Link to comment
Popular Post The Computer Audiophile Posted September 22, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 22, 2021 8 minutes ago, firedog said: Go back and read JA2's post in reaction to mine under that article. He's totally bought in to MQA, and accepts their claims at face value. Wow, not on his watch will mQa be talked about truthfully. I liked the comment about “those other HiFi discussion forums.” Rich indeed. botrytis and kumakuma 2 Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
Popular Post Archimago Posted September 23, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 23, 2021 1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said: Wow, not on his watch will mQa be talked about truthfully. I liked the comment about “those other HiFi discussion forums.” Rich indeed. I hope they're being paid well. Just in case my response to JA2 doesn't get the editorial cut, here it is: "Please keep in mind that nearly everything restored in the last unfold (almost everything about 96kHz sampling rate or 48kHz frequency) is noise--not audible acoustical noise but electronic noise from circuits. So, truly, there's little difference between what MQA does--or what FLAC does--and upsampling: You end up with very nearly the same thing, 'cause there's not much up there to be accurate about. Curiously, this information can, apparently, affect how music is reproduced in the time domain (if it doesn't, then why does anyone care what MQA does?) and how it sounds, but restoring it losslessly is expensive (in terms of data storage and transmission costs) and also pointless. What MQA is interested in doing, apparently, is using that space to address the time domain--to get the transients right." 1. Even if everything >48kHz is "noise", that doesn't mean it's OK to fill up the ultrasonic spectrum with distortion, right? That's what MQA is doing and you can see that when you examine the filters they use if you look a little deeper into what's being done. Filling up those frequencies with junk is not "unfolding" anything that even truly resembles the original content. You can actually see this when you examine the output! 2. What do you mean "using that space to address the time-domain"? There's no evidence that it's doing such a thing. Who said this? Where's it shown that moving from 96 --> 192kHz even substantially changes time-domain performance when true bit-depth of the original music has actually been reduced by the MQA algorithm? Please. Don't add with misleading statements that really have not been shown to be factual. yahooboy, UkPhil, Rt66indierock and 3 others 6 Archimago's Musings: A "more objective" take for the Rational Audiophile. Beyond mere fidelity, into immersion and realism. R.I.P. MQA 2014-2023: Hyped product thanks to uneducated, uncritical advocates & captured press. Link to comment
Popular Post GregWormald Posted September 23, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 23, 2021 8 hours ago, JoeWhip said: His description of the vocal on Getz/Gilberto was how can I say it nicely, laughable. Hyperbole much? 👍 Oh dear, "hi-rez" (can't spell or abbreviate), "phlegm-filled" sound (NO THANKS, must be a side effect of the covid) and analogies and descriptions that don't make sense (and some are just silly!) Great review, NOT. botrytis, MikeyFresh and Rt66indierock 3 Link to comment
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