Interesting video on MQA

[shyamv]

Precisely,
They’ve made it tougher for future technological developments in this regard to warrant unnecessary scrutiny and skepticism from audiophile community at large. Any Genuine scientific breakthrough in music format technology will have it tougher to get a deserved attention. There’s lot to improve in digital music playback, both on Software side and hardware side ; everything Seems to have hit roadblock with this deceitful profiteering scam.
That’s a biggest loss to the audiophile community and to genuine scientific research in General.

Then explain how high res audio makes ethical sense. How can something that's practically inaudible makes sense?? As I said both MQA and hires audio are a scam.

Let's not forget that MQA is the wannabe audiophile not the discernable one.

The scam about MQA is that it simply is a digital filter that could easily be implemented in software. Instead, MQA has gone about making up these elaborate nonsense terms and then made manufacturers incorporate all this in hardware to make people believe that you have to purchase new gear to have access to their secret sauce.

If you take a look at some of the software discussions on players like bughead etc you will see that many of us experimented with similar filters that arguably made the sound better or different. But like I said this is all possible with software.


.

Exactly! Everything that MQA does can be done in software. Two-level unfolding is a very clever marketing ploy to get hardware manufacturers onboard with MQA. They have managed to engage all the stakeholders in the ecosystem - music labels, streaming services, hardware manufacturers. This is classic multi-sided network efforts in play! One can call it a scam or clever marketing!

 

[Bloom@83]

I admire them for their astute business sense and marketing capability. No one can deny that MQA is a big selling point for Tidal.

You are speaking from a business \ marketing POV. Yes in that sense they are a success.
As a paying subscriber , it’s more or less a scam.

 

[shyamv]

You are speaking from a business \ marketing POV. Yes in that sense they are a success.
As a paying subscriber , it’s more or less a scam.

Yes, for a consumer it might be a scam. But most businesses serve their own interests not the consumer's.

 

[Bloom@83]

Yes, for a consumer it might be a scam. But most businesses serve their own interests not the consumer's.

It’s a scam if you are not getting what you are paying for. There are no ‘ master quality authenticated ‘ files getting streamed in MQA which basically was their entire selling propaganda.

As to whether entire hires is a scam or not - I would like to see what dedicated digital hires users have to say about this. I’m old school analog guy.

 

[Sean de Silva]

It’s a scam if you are not getting what you are paying for. There are no ‘ master quality authenticated ‘ files getting streamed in MQA which basically was their entire selling propaganda.

As to whether entire hires is a scam or not - I would like to see what dedicated digital hires users have to say about this. I’m old school analog guy.

Afaic it was clever marketing of a scam and scamming the hifi market!
Reminds me of this famous quote "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."

 

[shyamv]

It’s a scam if you are not getting what you are paying for. There are no ‘ master quality authenticated ‘ files getting streamed in MQA which basically was their entire selling propaganda.

As to whether entire hires is a scam or not - I would like to see what dedicated digital hires users have to say about this. I’m old school analog guy.

I don't know about others but I like to see a high bit rate and sample frequency in my DAC display. And I looove the blue dot while MQA is playing ..I thought I pay $19.99 for the nice blue/green/purple dot on my DAC display and the 'M' symbol adjacent to Tidal tracks. Do you mean to say that even the music is supposed to be better? ;-)

 

[sathtom]

I admire them for their astute business sense and marketing capability. No one can deny that MQA is a big selling point for Tidal.

I would have admired MQA if they used their so called "astute business sense and marketing capability" based on a Breakthrough Technology which can actually provide a notable difference SQ wise and measurement wise. But MQA's "astute business sense and marketing capability" is only based on a BIG FAT LIE...

By your logic, we should call a fraudster like Harshad Mehta a National Hero..

 

[ssf]

There are no ‘ master quality authenticated ‘ files getting streamed in MQA which basically was their entire selling propaganda.

Even though I can't tell the difference between a good quality MP3 and FLAC and MQA, I still subscribed happy that I was getting quality streaming albeit at a quality price.

Not going back.

 

[dillihifi]

Well maybe it is all a big scam something like digital cables or the vinyls made from DDD masters sounded better on vinyl. Never tried comparing a FLAC vs MQA always assumed that the MQAs would sound better.

 

[Analogous]

MQA's technical merits and its claims are debatable.

@shyamv, so, in essence “nothing sounds louder than success, even if devoid of substance or merit“?
The loudest and best marketer wins.
Sounds like a good epitaph for the times we live in!

 

[Deleted member 15865]

Two-level unfolding is a very clever marketing ploy to get hardware manufacturers onboard with MQA.

Absolutely! Folding/unfolding would be done through software, I can’t understand how hardware can do it. To not release that software completely in the app and instead embed part of it in hardware sounds like a trick to sell new hardware.

One can call it a scam or clever marketing!

A clever trick and slick marketing can make you quick wealth, but not a sustainable business model. Anyway, that doesn’t matter to entrepreneurs who’d rather sell their business to investors after a point.

But most businesses serve their own interests not the consumer's.

The ones that don’t, won’t survive too long. That unapologetic ‘business at any cost’ logic doesn’t sell even in a MBA class - forget in a passionate consumer group like this.

@shyamv, so, in essence “nothing sounds louder than success, even if devoid of substance or merit“?
The loudest and best marketer wins.
Sounds like a good epitaph for the times we live in!

And the times that are crumbling under this mindless race.

 

[sathtom]

Qobuz review

A good option for hi-res streaming, but not the best choice for all

www.whathifi.com

Seems like an another Paid Review from Whathifi to nullify the bad reputation caused by MQA.

 

[Analogous]

Qobuz review

A good option for hi-res streaming, but not the best choice for all

www.whathifi.com

Seems like an another Paid Review from Whathifi to nullify the bad reputation caused by MQA.

The headline says “not the best choice for all”
And three star rating (out of 5)
They say Tidal Hi Res streaming sounds better
Hardly an endorsement of Qobuz I’d think.

 

[jai1611]

The headline says “not the best choice for all”
Hardly an endorsement I’d think.

Qobuz review says Tidal hi res sounds better. Basically promoting mqa

 

[sathtom]

The headline says “not the best choice for all”
And three star rating (out of 5)
They say Tidal Hi Res streaming sounds better
Hardly an endorsement of Qobuz I’d think.

Almost all the user opinions in most of the Forums I seen is that they feel Qobuz is slightly better than Tidal.
I suspect this Qobuz review is paid by Tidal..

 

[Analogous]

Qobuz review says Tidal hi res sounds better. Basically promoting mqa

My mistake; I thought you meant the whathifi review was somehow paid by Qobuz.

 

[sathtom]

so, Qobuz does not use MQA streaming?

No, Qobuz doesn't use MQA. It uses only FLAC upto 24bit 192Khz.

 

[DB1989]

Now i have the urge to subscribe to Qobuz!

 

[chander]

Now i have the urge to subscribe to Qobuz!

You must if you can - great library too.

 

[ssf]

You must if you can - great library too.

Qobuz card payment failing. VPN - USA ? How did you do it ?