MQA.... Scam or not?

[Ieonasj]

Nobody can answer all your questions about MQA.

What makes something better, bigger numbers in the Hi Res specs or how it sounds ? I have seen various older poorly recorded 70s tracks on streaming services in 24/192, all that gives you is a technically better rendition of a crappy old recording, what is the point ?

I use Apple Music because we have an overall family Apple package and I really like Apple Music.

I tried Qobuz because it was supposed to be better and if you were an audio enthusiast you had Qobuz it seemed. I didn’t like the user experience and it didn’t sound any different to Apple Music lossless or Hi Res so I stopped using Qobuz.

A while back Tidal offered a discounted trial period so I signed up. I liked the user experience and to me there was something slightly different in the sound that I liked.

I still use Tidal despite that it seems to be trendy to criticise MQA. Frankly I don’t read the advertising for MQA, I don’t care about being part of the anti MQA brigade and I enjoy the end result of music in my ears which is more important to me than some dickhead on Head Fi telling me that I should think the same as him !

Try this stuff out for yourself and make your own mind up what is best for you.

im tried today my cheap 60€ chine tube amp vs xduo ta-22 dac/amp mqa renderer and want say sound is same for my ears compared A/B any sound masters tidal. china amp dont support mqa. however , cheap amp far more has “tube sound” vs xduoo. xduoo more neurral sound like transistor. maybe im need roll some better tubes ob my xduoo dac. for test im use my focal stellia headphones.

 

[BS5711]

im tried today my cheap 60€ chine tube amp vs xduo ta-22 dac/amp mqa renderer and want say sound is same for my ears compared A/B any sound masters tidal. china amp dont support mqa. however , cheap amp far more has “tube sound” vs xduoo. xduoo more neurral sound like transistor. maybe im need roll some better tubes ob my xduoo dac. for test im use my focal stellia headphones.

All the other gear is going to be far more important than the streaming service.

Use whatever suits you, your music preferences, your user experience, cost, availability to you etc.

To me Apple Music is as good as anything and I could easily live without Tidal. I stick with Tidal as well as Apple Music because there are parts of the user experience of both services that suit me.

If I wanted to save a little money each month and use only one service it would be Apple Music.

 

[Ieonasj]

All the other gear is going to be far more important than the streaming service.

Use whatever suits you, your music preferences, your user experience, cost, availability to you etc.

To me Apple Music is as good as anything and I could easily live without Tidal. I stick with Tidal as well as Apple Music because there are parts of the user experience of both services that suit me.

If I wanted to save a little money each month and use only one service it would be Apple Music.

but tidal stream is 9140kbps ,apple is only 320kbps ?

 

[BS5711]

but tidal stream is 9140kbps ,apple is only 320kbps ?

No.

Apple Music is completely lossless CD quality 16/44 for everything with an increasing number of albums in Hi Res Lossless 24/96 and 24/192.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

qobuz is better vs tidals mqa? qobuz is flac 24/192 all streams ? https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/music/streaming/offers

It's flac, 16/44.1, 24/44.1, 24/48, 24/96 or 24/192 depending on the release. But lossless in all cases.

 

[Ieonasj]

No.

Apple Music is completely lossless CD quality 16/44 for everything with an increasing number of albums in Hi Res Lossless 24/96 and 24/192.

apple only 16/44, but tidal master min is 24/44?

 

[BS5711]

apple only 16/44, but tidal master min is 24/44?

All of Apple Music is at least 16/44 which is all you can hear anyway.

Try it for yourself, there is more to enjoying your music than numbers.

 

[jonathan c]

All of Apple Music is at least 16/44 which is all you can hear anyway.

Try it for yourself, there is more to enjoying your music than numbers.

… what do #s sound like?

 

[BS5711]

… what do #s sound like?

Exactly

 

[Ieonasj]

All of Apple Music is at least 16/44 which is all you can hear anyway.

Try it for yourself, there is more to enjoying your music than numbers.

im enjoing tidal masters.but will try third partys too

 

[Ieonasj]

does this 1) stand not impact of pads? or better use second one pictured? but second collect dust in dynamics? second bad too for dust?

 

[rickles]

MQA is a scam. Full stop.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Hi, I am MQA! And these aren't real!
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/4a014296-fea7-4d34-b5b1-0a96c0fc6a5e

 

[Luckyleo]

If you have a thread with the title "is mqa a scam" and 50% or more of the respondents say yes, you have problems with your business model. They have been very secretive about what they are doing/done, and charge relatively a lot to allow companies to use their technologies. Doesn't seem to me to a long term go-forward proposition for the owners...

Leo

 

[Ieonasj]

MQA is a scam. Full stop.

im tidal hifi user will go try qobuz soon for free to see tidal master vs qobuz flac difference