[N0sferatu]

There are tons of MQA albums. It's just not easy to find them. Usually I stumble on them when they're added to the artists I have saved.

Check out Elton John's Captain Fantastic album in MQA. To me it sounds exactly like the vinyl album I bought when it first came out and played hundreds if not thousands of times. Especially the track called Writings. Superb. A lot of Van Morrison MQA albums are super but his recordings are generally excellent anyway.

I guess that how good MQA does or doesn't sound comes down to how resolving your system and ears are. But there are millions of non MQA tracks if you don't like MQA.

Well here's the nail in the coffin so far for me on Amazon Music HD. My two receivers (Yamaha and Anthem) in my living room and movie room have Nvidia Shield and for both devices when I pick MQA tracks the receiver shows a 96Khz signal where the others are in 44.1 or 48Khz. Therefore it successfully plays the high reesolution audio. Amazon HD doesn't have a working android app to play HD audio. You can try and sideload the mobile app to the shield but it's glitchy and doesn't look or operate properly with a remote control. This may be game over for me for Amazon.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Well here's the nail in the coffin so far for me on Amazon Music HD. My two receivers (Yamaha and Anthem) in my living room and movie room have Nvidia Shield and for both devices when I pick MQA tracks the receiver shows a 96Khz signal where the others are in 44.1 or 48Khz. Therefore it successfully plays the high reesolution audio. Amazon HD doesn't have a working android app to play HD audio. You can try and sideload the mobile app to the shield but it's glitchy and doesn't look or operate properly with a remote control. This may be game over for me for Amazon.

Yeah I read some complaints that the amazon apps are horrible. Tidal is better than average since the desktop app seems to be able to recognize and use whatever DAC drivers you have installed and bypass the windows audio stack. tbh I almost never use the Android app for Tidal.

 

[a-LeXx]

Well here's the nail in the coffin so far for me on Amazon Music HD. My two receivers (Yamaha and Anthem) in my living room and movie room have Nvidia Shield and for both devices when I pick MQA tracks the receiver shows a 96Khz signal where the others are in 44.1 or 48Khz. Therefore it successfully plays the high reesolution audio. Amazon HD doesn't have a working android app to play HD audio. You can try and sideload the mobile app to the shield but it's glitchy and doesn't look or operate properly with a remote control. This may be game over for me for Amazon.

Well, think twice. Theoretically, MQA is optimized to work with specific filters, the type of the filter is hardcoded in the content itself. A proper MQA decoder would get this information and use a corresponding filter. Even if we ignore the second unfold, which to my knowledge wouldn‘t do anything for the sound quality... But your receivers have no knowledge of MQA filters, they use a standard filter specified somewhere (might be user selectable, most probably not). Which is not how MQA decoding is supposed to work, so most probably it will sound not as intended on your receiver. It‘s not only the bit rate, it‘s a combination of a bit rate plus an appropriate digital filter which should make MQA sound like MQA...

 

[Pro-Jules]

MQA seems like PITA to me.

 

[Pro-Jules]

I can't seem to broadcast chromecast out from AM on my iPhone. I don't know why.

So I have to use Spotify (and would rather not)

 

[Sandifop]

Qobuz. Because.

I find Qobuz has a bit different catalog. (By my searches) Long live the difference.

 

[N0sferatu]

Well, think twice. Theoretically, MQA is optimized to work with specific filters, the type of the filter is hardcoded in the content itself. A proper MQA decoder would get this information and use a corresponding filter. Even if we ignore the second unfold, which to my knowledge wouldn‘t do anything for the sound quality... But your receivers have no knowledge of MQA filters, they use a standard filter specified somewhere (might be user selectable, most probably not). Which is not how MQA decoding is supposed to work, so most probably it will sound not as intended on your receiver. It‘s not only the bit rate, it‘s a combination of a bit rate plus an appropriate digital filter which should make MQA sound like MQA...

Amazon Music HD doesn't even do lossless on the Android TV app it's lossy so I was limited to using it just on my PC to get the most out of it.

As for Tidal Master, I listened to Star Wars and Stevie Wonder - Superstition which are "master" files and they sounded great to my ears on my main 2.1 setup (Anthem MRX 720 --> Emotiva XPA-3 --> Monitor Audio Platinum PL200 + Seaton Submerssive HP+). What would I be "missing?" I feel like Tidal is well aware the "average consumer" isn't going to know the difference between MQA and non-MQA so I feel it would still work appropriately no? Even if it's not I can just toggle down to Hifi and still have better quality than the other two services on my other sources other than the PC

 

[Pro-Jules]

I think I saw an eq built into Amazon Music on my Sony 507 (Android) DAP. But not on my iPhone - was I dreaming?

 

[a-LeXx]

I think I saw an eq built into Amazon Music on my Sony 507 (Android) DAP. But not on my iPhone - was I dreaming?

I also have an EQ in my android phone Amazon Music app, but not in the iOS app.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Qobuz. Because.

I find Qobuz has a bit different catalog. (By my searches) Long live the difference.

But unfortunately not available in a lot of the world.

 

[Sandifop]

I’ll like your comment without liking QOBUZ having limited distribution. It was not available here for years and I had to create an account through a vpn.

But unfortunately not available in a lot of the world.

 

[Pro-Jules]

I also have an EQ in my android phone Amazon Music app, but not in the iOS app.

Thank you! Thought was losing my marbles!

 

[Pro-Jules]

I’ll like your comment without liking QOBUZ having limited distribution. It was not available here for years and I had to create an account through a vpn.

I was a huge fan of Qobuz for many years but it performed terribly on several DAPS. I now prefer the catalog and scrolling lyrics on AM now.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I’ll like your comment without liking QOBUZ having limited distribution. It was not available here for years and I had to create an account through a vpn.

Understood, thank you. I know, it seems dumb how long they took to get to major markets. And why some countries in EU can get Qobuz and others not? It doesn't make any sense...

 

[TK33]

I was a huge fan of Qobuz for many years but it performed terribly on several DAPS. I now prefer the catalog and scrolling lyrics on AM now.

I really like Qobuz as well. I downgraded my Amazon HD to just Amazon Unlimited and subscribed to Qobuz. UAPP integration is great but the Windows app is unreliable (constantly hangs up while playing). In my opinion, Discovery is worse than Amazon but luckily I have both. I do like the x-ray lyrics feature on Amazon and the Alexa integration.

I recently dusted off my old Logitech Squeezebox Touch and use that for my desktop setup instead of my PC. Has been working well so far.