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In Reply to: RE: Agree with this sentiment posted by E-Stat on February 15, 2017 at 14:01:42
Here's my view of what MQA offers of value - via the below URL.http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/295397-mqa-5.html#post4970237
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Ken Newton
Edits: 02/15/17 02/15/17 02/15/17Follow Ups:
it's like The Emperor's New Clothes given the dearth of available content.
That doesn't seem an apt analogy. All successful new technologies weren't widely adopted, until they were. New things have to crawl before they walk. The commercial success of MQA will likely depend on just two factors. Whether it results in compellingly increased consumer sales (due to greater convenience or greater listening satisfaction), and/or whether it compellingly lowers industry distribution cost.
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Ken Newton
Edits: 02/16/17
Success will depend on whether or not the masses perceive the "new" as a meaningful improvement over the current version.
Vinyl to CD
VHS to DVD
Cassette to MP3
Tube to Flat Screen
All succeeded because the masses could immediately grasp the difference, and felt that the difference was a meaningful improvement.
CD to DVDa or SACD
Flat Screen to 3D
Were incremental improvements that appealed to a small segment of the market. And failed.
Jury is still out on MP3 or CD to HiRez. So far the masses are barely aware of the availability of HiRez and so far are satisfied by no more than CD quality.
Unless the masses come to believe that MQA is a meaningful improvement it is doomed to fail on merit- unless it is force fed to us.
My opinion is MQA is designed to impose industry control over streaming by imposing a new level of licensing fees to be paid before a streaming service can become involved. Streaming services and digital distribution companies control flow of music. The industry did not like it when Apple iTunes become so successful that Apple could dictate terms to the industry -and- impose Apple specific restrictions on ownership and playback. MQA is an attempt at an end run around Apple and anyone with similar intent.
As for me, I am a "buy it, I own it" consumer who takes a very dim view of having to pay a fee to access what I have purchased. And I HATE the migration from single purchase to ongoing subscription models.
The commercial success of MQA will likely depend on just two factors.
Greater convenience? Than exactly what?
Lower distribution cost? A two minute download vs a three minute download?
I'm not holding my breath. :)
In my view, the main performamce goal, by far, of MQA is to establish a transient optimized standard from recording through playback. This is all predicated on their conclusion that transient blurring is the greatest remaining hurdle to realizing non-fatiguing digital sound. While such transient optimization is certainly technically possibly via other high sample rate formats, there is no set requirement and specification for that. MQA sets such a requirement and specification.I'm not familiar with the details of the music industry's cost structure, however, I do know that the cost of managing distribution isn't simply that of inventory storage cost, but also includes inventory managment and sales management cost. With MQA, the number of catalog items could be cut in half, or even by two-thirds in some cases, versus having CD resolution and 96kHz resolution and even a 192kHz resolution version. Not to mention the 88.2kHz and the 176.4kHz resolution versions sometimes carried. Resolution meaning; transient resolution.
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Ken Newton
Edits: 02/16/17 02/16/17 02/16/17
With MQA, the number of catalog items could be cut in half, or even by two-thirds in some cases, versus having CD resolution and 96kHz resolution and even a 192kHz resolution version.
Why do you believe that? Do you understand that MQA is a 24 bit format? It certainly could not replace the 16 bit Redbook version.
It would be yet another 24 bit format - this time requiring all *new* hardware to exploit!
MQA can also be encoded to fit a 16-bit Redbook container for distribution via CD, while still holding high-rez information, and is not restricted to 24-bits. The technical consequence is increased quantization noise.
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Ken Newton
Edits: 02/16/17
1. The full deal lossy encoded and unfolded in 24 bits (sounds like a Waffle House hash brown order)
2. A halfway lossy encoded 24 bit approach
3. A dumbed down 16 bit lossy version with additional noise
Yeah, that third flavor surely must sound better than Redbook.
Sounds simple to me! :)
Why is this such a big deal? If you don't like or want MQA then ignore it. Like DSD, I ignore it because It does not give me any real improvement in sound but does require me to pay a premium
Alan
First, its all about streaming. Then it will "simply the catalog". Then it can be delivered on a CD.
You're one of the few buying this concept. How's the oldies rock and blues content working for you?
Look, just because you disagree with certain answers/assessments doesn't render them BS. Perhaps, you disagree due to your own personal bias and not because of the answers themselves, who knows. At any rate, baselessly insulting characterizations are not appreciated.
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Ken Newton
Edits: 02/16/17
Are you kidding?
Look, just because you disagree with certain answers/assessments doesn't render them BS. .
Sorry, but I pay attention to what others post. Let's review some of what you've said:
With MQA, the number of catalog items could be cut in half, or even by two-thirds in some cases... .
As we've seen, that speculation has no basis in fact. Next!
You opined that MQA might provide:
...compellingly increased consumer sales (due to greater convenience or greater listening satisfaction), and/or whether it compellingly lowers industry distribution cost.
When I challenged the notion of "convenience" and "lower cost", you folded. Obviously since neither applies in today's world of inexpensive internet bandwidth cost.
I've observed that there is an utter dearth of downloadable titles. When I've challenged PAR with that reality, he retracted. "That takes further time"
We'll wait!
I've observed based upon an in depth analysis of another poster that the 500 odd titles available on Tidal are largely classic rock and soul/blues.
Do you have any data that refutes any of those facts?
Also, would you care to share with us your top 3 MQA titles? What content justified the additional cost to use one of few MQA compatible DACs?
You've fully revealed your irrational hostility toward this subject. Thank you, as I now know not to waste any more of my time attempting to have a rational discussion with you.
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Ken Newton
Edits: 02/16/17
Pardon if you confuse discussing facts "hostile". BTW, earlier you opined:
Then it can be delivered on a CD.
That was my conjecture at one point as well, but was corrected by John Marks on that point.
In a Bob Stewart interview he said it can be put on a CD
Alan
"It is practical to make MQA CDs which are 100% backward compatible, sound great as a Redbook CD and decode to much more."
"Practical" from exactly who's standpoint? Even Stuart told John Atkinson "that would depend upon the level of the recording's analog noise floor ".
Even the MQA website promotes only streaming or downloading.
Maybe we'll see brand new and improved CDs in time, right? Just what Millennials are looking for. :)
CDS are doomed
Alan
Your evident prejudice and hostility toward a subject about which you are so obviously ignorant is quite astounding. Be aware, that the more you write the more you reveal your ignorance. No, I'm not going to spend the time necessary to educate you. You're not seeking to learn, you're seeking to defend your preconceptions.For the record, I've not advocated for MQA. I've merely attempted to also discuss some of it's potential advantages. I'm only an audio hobbyist with some technical education. I have no agenda, pro or con, regarding MQA aside from an general audiophile interest in obtaining better subjective digital replay. I've not yet heard MQA, and so, have not formed any opinion on the sound offered.
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Ken Newton
Edits: 02/17/17 02/17/17 02/17/17 02/17/17 02/17/17
which you are so obviously ignorant is quite astounding
over your past seven posts, you've failed to demonstrate anything that I've said that is incorrect. OTOH, we both shared the same misconception about the ability to use the CD format. :)
but have no agenda, pro or con, regarding MQA.
Nor do I. Just the facts, M'am!
...over your past seven posts, you've failed to demonstrate anything that I've said that is incorrect. OTOH, we both shared the same misconception about the ability to use the CD.That makes a good example for me to use. You misunderstood what Marks wrote, probably because you are predisposed to misunderstanding it. An legacy CD player cannot DECODE MQA in to it's high resolution versions, but CAN still play an MQA encoded track as Redbook PCM. The undecoded MQA specific content simply acts as strong dither. This ability is fundamental to MQA, which is something so basic that the fact you don't know it helps reveal your ignorance about MQA. While ignorance is nothing to be ashamed of, hostile belligerent ignorance is.
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Ken Newton
Edits: 02/17/17 02/17/17
but CAN still play an MQA encoded track as Redbook PCM.
Then it's no longer MQA!!! Why would anyone press a CD with content that is never playable? Is that what you want folks to believe? Really?
This ability is fundamental to MQA, which is something so basic that the fact you don't know it helps reveal your ignorance about MQA
Your ability to demonstrate that anything I've said is incorrect remains zero.
Do you have difficulty discussing facts?
I knew I shouldn't have attempted to help you understand any of this. My own fault for trying.
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Ken Newton
I learned from my days in IT: Never be an early adopter!
Dave
what we find is vaporware . The Emperor truly is naked.
Allegedly, the entire Warner Brothers catalog is MQA enabled. It's just that you can't buy it anywhere. Oh.
This is like a Kickstarter project. :)
First, if MQA does not sound noticeably superior to standard lossless 16/44 or higher recordings then what is the point? Storage and bandwidth for audiophile are not really an issue. I have been listening to MQA Tidal (with a high end but not an MQA enabled DAC) and some recordings sound great, some sound bad so overall I am somewhat ambivalent as to the value of any sonic improvements. Call it a tie.Secondly, I have an inherent dislike of any proprietary product that will capture entire music catalogues. I don't like all my eggs in one basket. Negative.
Thirdly, as I understand MQA, it is lossy in some sense although the parts that are lost can be easily be argued to be sonically invisible. Negative.
Finally, the MQA chain could be used as some form of DRM if desired. Not saying it will but it certainly has the ability built in. Negative.
So overall, I don't see this as some revolutionary advance and it possibly could become a big pain in the ass. I would be perfectly happy with well recorded lossless 24/96 or higher PCM.
Edits: 02/16/17 02/16/17
I would be perfectly happy with well recorded lossless 24/96 or higher PCM.
The technical (if not new revenue generation) challenge was solved long ago.
LOL! Yes, software is particularly notorious in that regard.
I've always loved the old software vendor joke; "It's not a bug, it's a feature!"
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Ken Newton
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