[eio]

 
Taken from Archimago's recent post: http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2017/01/comparison-tidal-mqa-music-high.html

finally a decoded test.
audio diff looks good, compression rate over 24/96 looks reasonable but not excellent.
 
looks like it might not have a clear advantage over a 17~18 bit dithered flac.

 

[headfry]

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/06/an-inconvenient-truth-mqa-sounds-better/

 

[watchnerd]

  http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/06/an-inconvenient-truth-mqa-sounds-better/

 
Sighted listening test.  

 

[headfry]

and just so happens to mirror what I hear and many others do as well.

 

[watchnerd]

  ...and mirrors what I'm hearing and what many others do as well.

 
But this is Sound Science, where sighted listening tests are considered less valid.

 

[RRod]

 
and just so happens to mirror what I hear and many others do as well.

 
Maybe a testimonial is good data, maybe it isn't. You need control to make data useful for science. Archimago has put effort into controlling things, so I put more weight into his assessment than a whole slew of uncontrolled assessments across the internet.

 

[icebear]

  http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/06/an-inconvenient-truth-mqa-sounds-better/

 
 

 
and just so happens to mirror what I hear and many others do as well.

All good and fine ... given them [MQA] the doubt that they are on to something here, i.e. post processing the orig. master file to eliminate some timing errors of early generation ADC's and potentially it might sound better (no solid proof delivered yet!), then obviously they can give this step to the public if they are about to "advance the art of audio reproduction"...
BUT they are implementing a new chain of technology (encoding) rights control and make the consumer pay for all of it.
Not from my wallet

 

[watchnerd]

   
 

 post processing the orig. master file to eliminate some timing errors of early generation ADC's
 

 
Pre-ringing has nothing to do with the generation of the ADC.  It's based on the type of filter used.
 
You can have FIR or IIR filters, which have different ringing characteristics.  Also the steepness of the slope.
 
This has nothing to do with ADC generation, really.  It's just the signal processing math and how the sinc function works.

 

[jagwap]

I've given it an audition.  Several, actually.

It does not improve upon existing high resolution 24bit/96khz formats.

So there is no advancement in sound quality.

I thought you required statisical double blind listening tests before any conclusions can be made. Sole opinions are not valid.

 

[jagwap]

Sighted listening test.  

Same as yours I guess.

 

[jagwap]

Better sound, track selection, no generational loss, compact size?
All undeniable plusses, yet uptake took many years. How does MQA compare?

Vinyl hipsters are more a product of the digital age, aren't they?

There were plenty of vinyl fans before hipsters were invented. They had a point. Many early CD players sounded poor, and vinyl has been honed for over a hundred years. It's specs may have sucked in comparison, but it could sound great.

 

[watchnerd]

I thought you required statisical double blind listening tests before any conclusions can be made. Sole opinions are not valid.

 
You are correct regarding my listening impressions.  They are not valid as data.
 
I was merely stating the fact that I had listened as a fact, as there were claims that some on this thread weren't even listening.
 
As for this statement:
 
"It does not improve upon existing high resolution 24bit/96khz formats.  So there is no advancement in sound quality."
 
That is not a listening impression.
 

 

[watchnerd]

LOL!

 

[jagwap]

You are correct regarding my listening impressions.  They are not valid as data.

I was merely stating the fact that I had listened as a fact, as there were claims that some on this thread weren't even listening.

As for this statement:

"It does not improve upon existing high resolution 24bit/96khz formats.  So there is no advancement in sound quality."

That is not a listening impression.

More accurately perhaps:

"It has not yet been proven to improve upon existing high resolution 24bit/96khz formats as far as I am aware.  So there is no current statisically proven evidence of advancement in sound quality that I personally acknowledge."

 

[watchnerd]

More accurately perhaps:

"It has not yet been proven to improve upon existing high resolution 24bit/96khz formats as far as I am aware.  So there is no current statisically proven evidence of advancement in sound quality that I personally acknowledge."

 
No, that's not my stance.