klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Aug 1, 2018 9:29:22 GMT -5
There seems to be a lot more MQA on Tidal now, so with that - I'd buy a DAC that had it and I would be willing to pay more it than the same DAC without it. How much extra? $50 extra would seem OK...less would be better, and more would get me asking "why?"
Mark
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Post by lesliew on Aug 12, 2018 11:50:11 GMT -5
Why wait and play catch-up all over again.
In 3-5 years time no DAC worth buying will be without MQA support.
The question shouldn't be if we are going to support MQA it should be when.
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Post by Casey Leedom on Aug 12, 2018 15:52:27 GMT -5
Hhmmm, I wouldn't be willing to take that bet. MQA had a bunch of marketing noise for a bit, but that all seems to be dying down now and there are plenty of critics. I think we'll just have to see ...
Casey
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Post by lesliew on Aug 12, 2018 16:42:47 GMT -5
I wouldn’t bet on the technology either, but I consider myself on the ball so any DAC I look at in the future, gotta have MQA support or it’s not going to make my shortlist. Every new format has its critics and antagonists, certainly nothing new there , but yes let’s all hurry up and wait.
“A man may plant a tree for a number of reasons. Perhaps he likes trees. Perhaps he wants shelter. Or perhaps he knows that someday he may need the firewood.”
― Joanne Harris, Runemarks
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Aug 13, 2018 8:22:42 GMT -5
Hhmmm, I wouldn't be willing to take that bet. MQA had a bunch of marketing noise for a bit, but that all seems to be dying down now and there are plenty of critics. I think we'll just have to see ... Casey Just curious - why do you say it's "dying down"? I find more and more MQA selections in Tidal each month. Mark |
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Aug 13, 2018 8:58:59 GMT -5
The big questions are:
How many MQA releases do you find anywhere OTHER THAN Tidal? How much MQA music do you OWN?
To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of streaming, but Tidal is obviously the only major option out there if you want CD quality or better streaming. That said, as far as I know, both Tidal and Spotify continue to lose a lot of money. I also hear that Spotify is going public... which should get them a big infusion of capital... and enable them to stay in business.
(I should also note that, based on the track record of both, most customers of streaming audio seem to consider price and selection far more important than sound quality.)
I seriously wonder if Tidal will be around in six months... or whether they'll go out of business... or get bought up by Spotify. They could also get bought up by someone else - like Google or Apple.
If Tidal goes out of business then there will be NO major backers for MQA. And, if Tidal gets bought, it will be interesting to see if their new owners continue their license arrangement with MQA.
For all the claims I'm STILL waiting for remasters of all my favorite albums to be offered in MQA FOR PURCHASE OR DOWNLOAD. I still recall huge announcements about how "the entire music catalogs of this or that studio have been converted to MQA"
Yet, when I just did a search on "MQA" on Amazon - it produced precisely TWO albums available for purchase in MQA.
So where ARE those "entire studio catalogs that have been converted to MQA"? I guess you can't actually BUY any of it... all you can do is RENT it on Tidal.
Personally, I would not consider spending a dime on MQA equipment until and unless I OWN some MQA music....
(I have no objection to playing it - as long as my favorite player program can play it through my favorite DAC.)
Hhmmm, I wouldn't be willing to take that bet. MQA had a bunch of marketing noise for a bit, but that all seems to be dying down now and there are plenty of critics. I think we'll just have to see ... Casey Just curious - why do you say it's "dying down"? I find more and more MQA selections in Tidal each month. Mark |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Aug 13, 2018 9:12:51 GMT -5
The big questions are:
How many MQA releases do you find anywhere OTHER THAN Tidal? How much MQA music do you OWN?
To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of streaming, but Tidal is obviously the only major option out there if you want CD quality or better streaming. That said, as far as I know, both Tidal and Spotify continue to lose a lot of money. I also hear that Spotify is going public... which should get them a big infusion of capital... and enable them to stay in business.
I've hardly bought any CD's since Tidal came out with CD quality streaming. In fact, I have purchased 3. So...the answer is...I own no MQA releases in CD form. And, while you may not be a huge fan of streaming - I and many others are. When I look at the discussions here and other forums about how people are sourcing their music, I see a LOT off discussion about streaming and very little about playing CD's. As far as Tidal and Spotify and their financials. I have confidence that CD quality streaming services will exist. Will they offer MQA? I don't know. But, as I noted...no matter who is backing it, there are more and more MQA releases I can get to whether I own a hard copy or not. If Tidal goes away, I highly doubt those will go away...I have confidence they will reappear somewhere. Mark |
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Post by novisnick on Aug 13, 2018 9:23:21 GMT -5
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Aug 13, 2018 9:55:53 GMT -5
That's very nice... but what does it MEAN? I'd have to say I did see a few albums on Onkyo Music in MQA that I just might buy... and a bunch that are at least worthwhile. I've always sort of liked 2L's mission statement... and hoped for an excuse to buy something from them... but they never have ANYTHING I want to listen to.
And it will be interesting to compare the MQA version of American Beauty to the excellent 24/192k remaster that HDTracks released a few years ago.
But what ever happened to that studio "whose entire catalog was being remastered in MQA"? Where are all the rest of those albums? And why can't I buy them on Amazon.
(Face it, Amazon carries even some pretty obscure stuff... why not MQA?)
And how come only one of the few dozen albums that came out in the past few years, that I would be willing to buy, came out in MQA?
I'll be excited when a significant percentage of my favorite albums, old or new, are AVAILABLE TO OWN in MQA. Renting is OK... but it just isn't the same... and I sure wouldn't bank on Tidal being around in a year or two. And, while a good few albums have finally become available in MQA, it's still a tiny minority. |
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Post by Casey Leedom on Aug 13, 2018 11:03:39 GMT -5
Just curious - why do you say it's "dying down"? I find more and more MQA selections in Tidal each month. There was a lot of hype about MQA almost every month in all of the publications. That' seems to have completely gone away. And there have been several critical articles on it recently. As for streaming, I totally understand that most people like Streaming Music. I don't myself, but I'm a minority. However, I have yet to see any convincing argument that any of the Music Streaming companies will actually make it financially. Unlike Video Streaming where the Content Licensing and the Consumer Monthly Fees seem to be balancing each other, the same doesn't appear to be true for Music Streaming. Now maybe if the Music Content Owners get convinced to offer much lower Licensing Fees that can change ... Casey |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Aug 13, 2018 21:09:18 GMT -5
Just curious - why do you say it's "dying down"? I find more and more MQA selections in Tidal each month. There was a lot of hype about MQA almost every month in all of the publications. That' seems to have completely gone away. And there have been several critical articles on it recently. As for streaming, I totally understand that most people like Streaming Music. I don't myself, but I'm a minority. However, I have yet to see any convincing argument that any of the Music Streaming companies will actually make it financially. Unlike Video Streaming where the Content Licensing and the Consumer Monthly Fees seem to be balancing each other, the same doesn't appear to be true for Music Streaming. Now maybe if the Music Content Owners get convinced to offer much lower Licensing Fees that can change ... Casey I see...well, I don't tend to read audio publications, so I've missed what they have said. All I know is that I'm enjoying it. And, as far as whether any will be financially viable...time will tell. I can't help but think someone will figure it out. Recently, I heard that a song was release and within a month, it was played over a billion times within a month (over the web). If someone can't figure out how to make $ on that + handsomely reward the artist, they have to be an idiot. Mark |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Aug 13, 2018 21:14:53 GMT -5
Renting is OK... but it just isn't the same... Keith - that's great for you. It's just not how many of us feel. I resisted streaming for quite a while and it almost kept me from getting Sonos...because I didn't even want to rip disks and have Sonos play them back. Once I did, the convenience was HUGE. And, Tidal, for me, took it to an all new level. Say what you want about financials, but see my last most above this one for my comment on the billion plays in a month. I re-iterate...if someone can't figure out how to make $ off that and handsomely reward the artist, they are an idiot. Mark |
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Post by dimora on Nov 5, 2018 1:07:51 GMT -5
I like TIDAL...so much music to listen to...no waiting two days for Amazon to deliver my CD...instant gratification.
I have an AudioQuest Dragonfly red which is portable to use with my iPhone, and I have a Meridian Explorer 2. Both do MQA unfolding...the Meridian all the-way (but it won't work with the iPhone) and with my Surface tablet, the Dragonfly does a full unfold with TIDAL.
Both are sub-$200 and sound great, so the competition in this space is fierce.
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Post by jra on Dec 21, 2018 12:10:17 GMT -5
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Post by mgbpuff on Dec 21, 2018 12:18:45 GMT -5
And I feel just the opposite, because I actually have a full MQA decoding setup. I can only say that listening to it gives me the most realistic results I have ever heard. |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Dec 21, 2018 19:55:08 GMT -5
And I feel just the opposite, because I actually have a full MQA decoding setup. I can only say that listening to it gives me the most realistic results I have ever heard. Me too. It sounds great. Mark |
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Post by goodfellas27 on Dec 21, 2018 20:25:28 GMT -5
I have the OPPO 205 with MQA and it sounds awesome.
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Post by Loop 7 on Dec 21, 2018 21:23:29 GMT -5
jra Thanks for posting the EFF piece. Glad to see MQA is on their radar.
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Post by Casey Leedom on Dec 22, 2018 17:50:38 GMT -5
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Dec 22, 2018 22:12:00 GMT -5
Well, I'll comment. I found that some albums sound the same and some sound a lot better. I've not found any that I would say sound worse. The ones that sound better sound a lot better, though. And, I can't even realize the full benefit as my DAC can't do the last unfold. Mark |
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