Will MQA drive hdtracks, acoustic sounds, and other hirez sites out of business?

caesar

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May 30, 2010
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People seem to be excited streaming MQA over tidal. People who have heard this seem to be reporting great results. Now that a little time has passed and initial excitement has worn off, is MQA streaming still the best way to go?

I could definitely see mobile fidelity, analogue productions ,audio fidelity, etc., survive MQA if they continue doing a great job remastering. And I can see acoustic sounds selling dsd downloads to the niche market that enjoys that sound. But I have no idea about hi Rez downloads, as that content really lacks transparency pertaining to mastering/ remastering sources, forcing people to take a gamble with their money ...

Are MQA streamed files really better than a 24/96 or 24/192 downloaded files? 100 percent of the time, 75%, 50%, 30%?
 

still-one

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Aug 6, 2012
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I do not see these niche sites going away as they cater to audiophiles which are a niche faction within the music purchasing public. The younger consumer will continue the current trend of moving from purchasing downloads (iTunes, Amazon) to getting music streamed to their devices from Spotify, Rhapsody, Amazon, etc.

I am generalizing but the only consumer who still feels the need to "own" their music is and will be the audiophile. Whether that demand is sufficient to keep hi-rez and DSD sites viable is to be seen. I see MQA as another resource for them to offer high quality music to those of us who continue to purchase and not rent our daily content.
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Don't think so, Audioguy
The BluRay aficionados REALLY love their collectable restored box sets and SteelBooks
 

audioguy

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Apr 20, 2010
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Don't think so, Audioguy
The BluRay aficionados REALLY love their collectable restored box sets and SteelBooks

But that only applies if the studios continue to provide them ... which they will for quite some time. EVENTUALLY, I could see them disappearing .... but it would not be the first time I was wrong .... nor the last!
 

spiritofmusic

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BluRay really is the last preserve of the physical format collector
If 4K BR ever takes off, this may go to downloads much earlier in the cycle
I remain one of the last dinosaurs wedded to physical formats, not at all sure about the move to streaming in music
 

wisnon

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Dec 12, 2011
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BluRay really is the last preserve of the physical format collector
If 4K BR ever takes off, this may go to downloads much earlier in the cycle
I remain one of the last dinosaurs wedded to physical formats, not at all sure about the move to streaming in music

I own my collection and save for a disaster, I have access to it permamently. I distrust "clouds" and streaming services that can go bust or change the terms on a whim.
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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You and me, Wisnon
But anyone else?
I know Barry2013 and Lloyd LL21 are sticking w CDs and the like, and streaming hasn't conquered eg Germany just yet
But I do feel more and more under pressure to justify hanging onto CDs
 

audioguy

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I own my collection and save for a disaster, I have access to it permamently. I distrust "clouds" and streaming services that can go bust or change the terms on a whim.

I have a music server but keep all of my discs. I also, on occasion, make multiple file backups of all of the music and give one of them to a friend. Just in case their should be some kind of fire or other disaster that would destroy both my locally stored discs and a backup file. Can't be too careful.
 

wisnon

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I have a music server but keep all of my discs. I also, on occasion, make multiple file backups of all of the music and give one of them to a friend. Just in case their should be some kind of fire or other disaster that would destroy both my locally stored discs and a backup file. Can't be too careful.

I am with you 100%!!!!
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Well, I found the Eera Tentation cdp via a couple of stellar reviews in 2012, and w help of JackD201, purchased the unit
Up until SGM streamer, I felt no need to move on/up
Now, I'm not so sure
But I remain mentally wedded to physical formats
 

Rodney Gold

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Jan 29, 2014
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I love MQA. even the skimmed milk version that I use (tidal ap does first unfolding to 24/96 and adding secret sauce)
I long ago retired all my physical media ,, all ripped and stored .. roon takes care of playback and metadata and tidal takes care of my new music ..everything streamed.
However the MQA catalog right now is about 1200 of which only 25 appeal to me..

If MQA is free to the consumer and the catalog of titles expand radically.. it might well eclipse "high rez" sites .. but MQA does more than *just* provide the music in a higher rez.. so it's not exactly comparing apples to apples
 

wisnon

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Dec 12, 2011
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I love MQA. even the skimmed milk version that I use (tidal ap does first unfolding to 24/96 and adding secret sauce)
I long ago retired all my physical media ,, all ripped and stored .. roon takes care of playback and metadata and tidal takes care of my new music ..everything streamed.
However the MQA catalog right now is about 1200 of which only 25 appeal to me..

If MQA is free to the consumer and the catalog of titles expand radically.. it might well eclipse "high rez" sites .. but MQA does more than *just* provide the music in a higher rez.. so it's not exactly comparing apples to apples

I agree that its better to have this option that not, but its not really my cup of tea...in terms of total reliance.
 

still-one

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I agree that its better to have this option that not, but its not really my cup of tea...in terms of total reliance.

Not sure what you mean by reliance.
 

LenWhite

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Feb 11, 2011
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I finally was able to hear Tidal/MQA tracks recently when a friend brought his laptop with Tidal subscription up for a listen. I don't own a MQA DAC so the Tidal master listening was I assume 24/96 through my EMM Labs XDS1 v2. The results were generally impressive and varied depending on I assume the recording master, and/or the meta data available. We were able compare a couple of MQA tracks to SACD's, and I could easily listen to either format.

The real question is will a large number of music listeners opt to pay a premium for any hirez content? For now I can see/hear no compelling reason to change my current listening media. I prefer physical media when I can buy it.
 

wisnon

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Dec 12, 2011
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Not sure what you mean by reliance.

I mean to depend on this as my sole source of music, i.e. no stored music collection in my possession. I am not a CLOUD fan...especially a rented one.
Possession is 9/10th of the law.
 

still-one

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I mean to depend on this as my sole source of music, i.e. no stored music collection in my possession. I am not a CLOUD fan...especially a rented one.
Possession is 9/10th of the law.

Thanks for clarifying. I agree with you to a certain extent. I still purchase music most of my music. Tidal does allow me to hold off on purchasing many releases where there are only one or two good tracks or a album in a genre that I will only play once every couple of years. The SQ is virtually indistinguishable and with MQA actually better.
 

hifial

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Apr 7, 2013
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Well, "they" said at one time that FM Radio was going to take over, and we see were that went. But there is MANY points here. Some of them are.

1) Is MQA DRM in sheep's clothing?! I and many others think it is.

2) Band width is going up and the cost of same is going down. And so is the same for storage. SO, who the hell needs MQA! IMO and others, MQA is a little late to that party. So again it is really about DRM.

3) I want to be able to DSP my files any way I want. MQA stops this.

4) Tidal and others can stream HiRz very easily without MQA. And the so called "Authentication" is bull. It can be done without MQA and so can the mastering. Do you see a pattern here? It is called DRM.

I can go on.

I would use "streaming services" that use CD or better quality as a replacement of radio. But for serious listening I would still use files I have on my HD.

Just my thoughts.
 

wisnon

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Dec 12, 2011
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Bingo HifiAL. I agree.

Also, i cant see MQA beating a good dsd128 track.
 

still-one

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Aug 6, 2012
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Well, "they" said at one time that FM Radio was going to take over, and we see were that went. But there is MANY points here. Some of them are.

1) Is MQA DRM in sheep's clothing?! I and many others think it is.

2) Band width is going up and the cost of same is going down. And so is the same for storage. SO, who the hell needs MQA! IMO and others, MQA is a little late to that party. So again it is really about DRM.

3) I want to be able to DSP my files any way I want. MQA stops this.

4) Tidal and others can stream HiRz very easily without MQA. And the so called "Authentication" is bull. It can be done without MQA and so can the mastering. Do you see a pattern here? It is called DRM.

I can go on.

I would use "streaming services" that use CD or better quality as a replacement of radio. But for serious listening I would still use files I have on my HD.

Just my thoughts.

The DRM issue is BS. People like hiding behind it so they don't have to admit that MQA sounds better.
Just my thoughts.
 

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