MQA.... Scam or not?
Mar 19, 2023 at 6:29 PM Post #166 of 197
As of 5 minutes ago Apple Music became available in my area for Windows 11 so I can use it at my work desk so that got rid of one of the main reasons I used Tidal so I am no longer a Tidal user, subscription cancelled.

I will refrain from becoming an MQA anti !
 
Mar 19, 2023 at 7:02 PM Post #167 of 197
As of 5 minutes ago Apple Music became available in my area for Windows 11 so I can use it at my work desk so that got rid of one of the main reasons I used Tidal so I am no longer a Tidal user, subscription cancelled.

I will refrain from becoming an MQA anti !
Is it lossless, with exclusive bit-perfect streaming to DAC support?
They released Apple Music Preview app in MS Store but its rating is pretty low and based on some feedback I've read it's still not bit-perfect.
Would love to see it fully supported on Windows platform, Amazon failed us on bit-perfect, otherwise could be ideal platform.
 
Mar 19, 2023 at 7:08 PM Post #168 of 197
Is it lossless, with exclusive bit-perfect streaming to DAC support?
They released Apple Music Preview app in MS Store but its rating is pretty low and based on some feedback I've read it's still not bit-perfect.
Would love to see it fully supported on Windows platform, Amazon failed us on bit-perfect, otherwise could be ideal platform.

I don't know yet, I still need to dig into it, I am not a Windows user except for work so I am not across the various audio setting.

I imagine in time with the final version of the app it will be.
 
Mar 19, 2023 at 8:40 PM Post #169 of 197
The entire discussion is simple. Yes MQA is a scam. Based on what it is vs what it's advertised as.

But, some people like the sound of it. Even if they know that it's not lossless or "true to the original".

Other people are easy to scam and incapable of admitting it (to themselves mainly).

Whatever. There are many way more egregious and destructive scams in the world.
 
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Mar 20, 2023 at 2:32 AM Post #170 of 197
how sounds ifi hip dac2 ? im read that it have foggy highs . im see at ifi too.
Hello,
I have zero problems with the Ifi Hip 2 Dac, and I don't hear anything foggy out of it, neither with the Iem's nor with the Aeon R/T closed where I had it.
I don't know where you got the info, but it's a really nice and inexpensive mobile dac that can be recommended.
Another good thing about the ifi is that you can switch off / flash away Mqa via firmware so that you can operate it without Mqa.

The only thing that is not possible is a fixed upsampling, if then only via Usb Player and what else is available as an app.

With Roon, Mqa can also be switched off completely on Mqa-capable Dacs.
To do this, you have to set everything under the Dsp settings for the sampling rate and switch off the render/decoder completely in the zone where the device is integrated and select worse than Mqa and then Mqa cannot be played back.
 
Mar 20, 2023 at 4:14 AM Post #171 of 197
Unfortunately that is the very nature of business.

Everything we use in this hobby is created to make money for somebody else, that money comes out of our pocket and into theirs. We choose what we spend the money on and Tidal and MQA are just one option, some people choose it and some don't.

I said it before, if there is any problem at all with Tidal and MQA it is very much a first world problem argued over by people that probably spend a pile more money on this hobby than most of the worlds population would think was absolutely nuts.

A lot probably spend money on things that others like me think is far more of a scam than MQA. I previously used the example of a $2,000 IEM cable but there are a raft of them, a near $500 adapter for a Chord Mojo to 4.4mm with a 1960's sound quality apparently is another good one, $30,000 Nordost power cable anybody ?

Can we have a show of hands from the folks who argue that MQA is a scam but at the same time line the pockets of the companies that are totally cashing in on the market that mostly consists of rich men that like cool toys to show off to their friends and brag about on Head Fi ?
im found that im listen same sound quality mqa file connected to lapotop via usb-c cable my focal bathys headphones biult in dac,or focal bathys connected to desktop xduoo dac/amp with MQA renderer via 3.5mm cable. all unfolding making software from tidal or my dac.
 
Mar 20, 2023 at 4:17 AM Post #172 of 197
As of 5 minutes ago Apple Music became available in my area for Windows 11 so I can use it at my work desk so that got rid of one of the main reasons I used Tidal so I am no longer a Tidal user, subscription cancelled.

I will refrain from becoming an MQA anti !
all songs from qobuz is 24/192 flac? or they have and lossy format or cd 16/44.1 quality?
 
Mar 20, 2023 at 7:13 AM Post #173 of 197
all songs from qobuz is 24/192 flac? or they have and lossy format or cd 16/44.1 quality?
They don’t offer any lossy service, tracks are 16/44 or ‘Hi Res’ with numerous different sample rates, up to 192kHz.

I have just switched from Tidal to Qobuz, just to see what it’s like for a month. I did it once before, and couldn’t remember exactly why I came back to Tidal.

I think I’ll be heading back to Tidal after this month...
 
Mar 20, 2023 at 7:40 AM Post #174 of 197
They don’t offer any lossy service, tracks are 16/44 or ‘Hi Res’ with numerous different sample rates, up to 192kHz.

I have just switched from Tidal to Qobuz, just to see what it’s like for a month. I did it once before, and couldn’t remember exactly why I came back to Tidal.

I think I’ll be heading back to Tidal after this month...
im happy user of tidal hifi plus for 2month now. never used similar services. all life listen for free downloaded music even free downloding flac quality. so no need from tidal move to qobuz?will be same songs with same pcm? tidal has many 352.8khz songs.
 
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Mar 20, 2023 at 8:29 AM Post #175 of 197
im happy user of tidal hifi plus for 2month now. never used similar services. all life listen for free downloaded music even free downloding flac quality. so no need from tidal move to qobuz?will be same songs with same pcm? tidal has many 352.8khz songs.
To my ears, Qobuz sounds a bit better than regular Tidal HiFi, but it’s not down to whether it‘s 44 kHz or 352.8 kHz. If I change the quality level from Hi Res down to 16/44, it sounds the same.

People wonder whether MQAis a scam, but really, the whole ‘Hi Res’ music thing is the real scam.
 
Mar 20, 2023 at 8:31 AM Post #176 of 197
To my ears, Qobuz sounds a bit better than regular Tidal HiFi, but it’s not down to whether it‘s 44 kHz or 352.8 kHz. If I change the quality level from Hi Res down to 16/44, it sounds the same.

People wonder whether MQAis a scam, but really, the whole ‘Hi Res’ music thing is the real scam.
what dac amp you use and headphones?maybe need high priced headphones to listen diference minimal 16/44 vs 24/192.
 
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Mar 20, 2023 at 8:54 AM Post #177 of 197
I am not going to target this towards anyone specifically because there are a number of anti MQA folks stating their case in this thread, other threads where questions about MQA have been asked and frankly sometimes any place they get an opportunity.

The objection the I have, and I believe others are probably the same, is that we don’t need the anti MQA folks to tell us what is right or wrong with MQA, we have all been told that 100 times before by other anti MQA folks. You are not educating anybody you are just voicing your opinion in an attempt to get others to agree with you. Unfortunately that is just human nature.

We acknowledge that you are perfectly entitled to your opinions and we understand your objections and we agree that there are technical aspects of MQA that are something less than the marketing infers.

What we get frustrated with is the seemingly endless posts and comments all saying the same thing about MQA when we already know.

You are like reformed smokers who sanctimoniously try and get everyone else to quit because you did and, based on the insight you have gained from your experience, you want to educate us all so that we embrace your enlightenment.

Using the same analogy, some people are happy to keep smoking despite that they fully understand the negative aspects of doing so. Those people get annoyed when frequently told they are doing wrong by people that openly proclaim to know better.

We get it, we understand your point, we understand the technical aspects, we just don’t react to that information with the same response of quitting using MQA. For our own reasons we are happy to use it despite the objections of others.

I guess you could make an argument that you are preaching to those that don’t know already but I think that audience is relatively small now.
Well said. Enjoy the music, and enjoy it anyway you like. :wink:

Leo
 
Mar 20, 2023 at 9:28 AM Post #178 of 197
I have subscriptions to both Tidal and Qobuz. In regard to their libraries, I find that Qobuz beats Tidal with Classical. With Jazz it’s kind of even, they both have stuff that the other is missing. With electronic music Tidal beats Qobuz. Generally, European music is better represented in Qobuz and American music in Tidal. Qobuz does this thing I hate with some classical and jazz albums, where some tracks are greyed out and only available if you buy the download version, Tidal doesn’t do that. If you use an Android phone or tablet the Tidal app allows a direct mode to a USB DAC, Qobuz’s app doesn’t, it makes Tidal sound better than Qobuz regardless of what the resolution of the file is. I’ve not used the Qobuz computer app, so I don’t know how that works with USB. Qobuz has a free trial period, so there is no reason not to try it out.
I was replying to leonasj, don’t know why it came out looking weird
 
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Mar 20, 2023 at 1:59 PM Post #179 of 197
If you use an Android phone or tablet the Tidal app allows a direct mode to a USB DAC, Qobuz’s app doesn’t

Does it do it for all formats or only MQA bypass to external DAC? UAPP is what people usually use with Tidal and Qobuz to bypass Android resampling. And yes, it sounds significantly better whether it's online streaming or local files.
 

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