Is this MQA news a big deal?


Just now stumbled across this release regarding DACs from ESS adding MQA, but I'm not certain if it means there'll likely be many companies offering MQA decoding soon enough. Or if it perhaps means something else. Any thoughts?

https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/05/08/1497989/0/en/SABRE-DACs-from-ESS-Technology-to-Int...
hodu
OK, put those rotten tomatoes down........

When I first heard MQA streaming on Tidal, I was smitten, so smitten that I purchased a Mytek Brooklyn DAC just for MQA (I also have a PS Audio DirectStream DAC).

I find that many of the MQA remasters to me do sound better than the prior masters, but certainly not all of them.  I would not attribute the improved sound quality only to being MQA, as comparing some albums to their "traditional" FLAC versions, it seems that some of them have the bass or midrange accentuated, in some cases I find more compression of the dynamic range, sometimes less compression, etc.  But I must say, some albums like the first four Led Zeppelin albums, the Crime of the Century, Excitable Boy, and several others (to me) do sound better.

But when I compare some of my classical favorites which are also available on either CD or SACD, I'm finding those older masters to sound better on my DirectStream setup, especially those on SACD.

Having said all of that, I think that the news that ESS will incorporate MQA rendering to their hardware is good news for the industry, especially since so many of our manufacturers are not large companies with lots of cash for R&D, ones which might use the ESS chipset in their future designs without having to provide their DACs to the MQA company for their review.

I think competition is a good thing!  And just about every DAC you will see advertised will decode DSD, which is another "esoteric" file type, but one that doesn't ruffle as many feathers.

ejr1953:

In a related vein, have compared a number of (same recording) CDs with SACDs and found that the latter are normally louder and more compressed. Have often wondered if Sony did this as a standard mastering technique in order to prove the superiority of the format; listeners often assume that louder feeds sound higher in quality.

Have also compared DSD feeds with 24/96 PCM ones and cannot tell any difference with my ears. A very helpful CD/BluRay in this regard is the LSO/Davis recording of the Nielsen symphonies that contains the original recording (24/192 PCM and DSD) in DSD, Flac, 24/96 PCM, CD, and MP3 formats. Was done several years ago and, so, does not include MQA. A great way to make up your own mind and on your own system about the various file formats.

@ptss -

1 - MQA plays back on anything. You just don't get the extra ffeatures. 

2 - DRM prevents copying. MQA does not do this. I can make copies and send them to others. If they have an MQA capable player, it will play at full resolution. 

So, this is NOT like HDMI, which prevents copying. 

Best,

E
MQA is not a solution, it is an option, a choice. I do not download hi-rez files, I like to stream music. I had used Spotify, but I find MQA on Tidal sounds better because of the hi-rez. I did worry or at least wonder around the years after 2000 how record companies and recording artists would continue to make money when Napster, Gnutella, Freenet, Kazaa, Limewire and other free music sharing music online companies were allowing artists music to be shared and CD sales, along with other music sales (such as albums) were declining year by year. Tidal is one of the most generous companies as artists make about $0.0003 per play. That was info from 2017. Amazing, Napster had top payouts at $0.0167 to $0.0190 and Tidal was 2nd. I guess after Napster was sued from the major record labels and users could not steal music any longer, some balance was brought make into music making by artists and music enjoyment by consumers.
Therefore Tidal allows me the option to stream hi-rez files, which sound great to me, they add albums all the times and I know musical artists are getting paid for their part. Paying for Tidal is not different from buying an album, buying a CD or paying HD Tracks for a download.
I will admit that I do not like all the licensing fees that MQA has built into their technology. But I do not think MQA will last long. Once the bandwidth opens up past 5g I think? hi-res files will be passed without any MQA needed.