2. misc-audio
  3. 181571-179096

Why is everyone so down on MQA?

Ok. MQA is a little bit complicated to understand without doing a little research. First of all: MQA is not technically a lossy format. The way it works is very unique. The original master tape (Holy grail of SQ) is folded or compressed into a smaller format. It is later unfolded through a process I don’t claim to understand. The fully processed final version is lossless! It is the song version from the original master tape. FYI, original master tapes are usually the best sounding, they are also the truest version of any song- they are painstakingly produced along with the artist in the studio during the recording process. Ask anyone, they are the real deal. For some reason most people hate the sound quality! One caveat, the folding/unfolding process is usually carried out at one time by a dac. But some dacs only compress and do not unfold….I think Meridian should explain dac/ streamer compatibility issue. When your hardware supports the single step the sound quality is pretty amazing. They should have explained in more detail what the format is all about.

128x128walkenfan2013
erik_squires
16,353 posts
 

I have a Mytek Brooklyn which is fully MQA capable but after a lot of listening, and talking to members of the San Francisco audiophile society I have left it off.

There are three problems for me:

  1. Lossy
  2. Tries fixing a problem we no longer have
  3. Not that great sounding

The lossy/lossless part of MQA is to me the least interesting, but please see the great write-up from Benchmark (below) on this point.  Apparently it is quite lossy.

The bigger issue in my mind is that it's attempting to solve problems from the 1990s.  High resolution music transmission.  That problem was solved by cheap Internet and high speed Ethernet.  I don't need more compression.

Lastly, it just doesn't sound that good.  The biggest audio related issue I can detect is the use of an apodizing digital filter, which is not perfect but attempts to solve pre-ringing artifacts.  To my ears it also severely softens the music sound and I prefer steep roll-off filters.

 

 

 

edcyn
1,876 posts
 

I had MQA via my Mytek Brooklyn Bridge. When streaming from Tidal, MQA gave me slightly sharper images and slightly more air (OK, treble). Lyrics were slightly more understandable. All told, though, when it came time for me to choose between Tidal and Qobuz as my streamer of choice I opted for the non MQA Qobuz. Qobuz just sounded better than Tidal, whether MQA was engaged or not. Qobuz offered Classical, which Tidal didn't. Long story short, I no longer have MQA and I don't miss it.

clearthink
1,421 posts
 

walkenfan2013"The fully processed final version is lossless! "

No it is a compressed, lossy, compromised signal in an era of which bandwidth is available rendering lossy methods unnecessary and obsolete.

jerryg123's avatar
jerryg123
3,429 posts
 

Compression is not good thats why.

erik_squires
16,353 posts
 

+1 edcyn

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