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Of course it will...

All the positive reviews in the world won't save MQA if there is no need for it.

Who's going to make and sell a CD with a proprietary lossy CODEC in order to offer 'higher rez' when they can't even sell SACD which is REAL hi-rez? And that in a market where CDs and SACDs are dying anyway?

Downloads?

Who's gonna pay for a 'hi rez' download that is not REALLY hi rez but a lossy compression that requires a specially licensed DAC to play back?

Unless it's a WHOLE lot less money for that MQA file. And how can that be when bandwidth cost is such a very small cost of delivering a $20 hi rez download?

Are any of the download sellers offering MQA files as 'hi rez' downloads for sale right now?

Anyone plan to? If so, at what price?

MAYBE the TIDAL use case makes sense. The user pay no premium to stream the MQA title over the cost of streaming the same title at 16/44.1 (once you pay your $20 per month). Plus it's unfolded but the TIDAL player software requiring no special DAC.

MAYBE this helps TIDAL sell their service? Maybe? I really don't think it saves TIDAL any money in bandwidth costs over streaming a 16/44.1 title and I don't see it making them additional money or them charging more for the service because a few files in the catalog are MQA 'MASTERS'. OK, yet.

So other than making the TIDAL service somewhat more attractive than a streaming service where ALL of the titles are limited to 16/44.1, it's hardly worth paying the MQA folks a huge licensing fee.

While I have heard MQA, seen and heard the demo at multiple shows, have an MQA capable DAC (Meridian Explorer 2), and agree that TIDAL MQA Masters sound BETTER than the same title at 16/44.1 Lossless FLAC (unfolded by the TIDAL software and fed to my multi-bit ladder DAC without any MQA capability), I still don't see what all of the fuss is about.

And who pays any attention to what the magazine guys say anyway? They mostly rave about stuff most of us can't afford. :-)














First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

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