I think you can download MQA - no reason you can’t if you can stream it. You can buy MQA discs in Japan too. I do hope DSD gets some traction again. Some specialist labels give you the choice of downloading tracks in DSF or PCM.
If you buy a lot of music downloads it is worth getting their top subscription tier as it gives a massive discount on those albums.
I have it… called Sublime… reason I posted… was very unimpressed cost me $300 for the year. However, I have the US beta, reason I asked a friend to try outside US and came up with 1 additional album
Really - 19 cool jazz albums and 2 were even worth streaming, let alone purchasing… I have 100+ and I’m a nobody
For what it’s worth, hi res flac on Qobuz sounds better than MQA on tidal, through my system.
This is always a problem due to the stupid licensing issues. Generally it is the other way around though. Give it a few years and I think the US store will have a broader range than the Europe one.
Thanks for confirming. Indeed for me some MQA albums sound worse than the 16bit variants although that may be due to a difference in mastering. Don’t get me started on mastering (esp remasters)!
@drarifakhtar - OK, full disclosure… Tidal double charged us one month and my wife went crazy… If I got Tidal she would stab me in my sleep… so I’m waiting a year till her aneurism subsides to go Tidal for a year. Then back to Qobuz cause I hate MQA in another year… by then Qobuz will have straightened out the “what ever” and the forum will be a blaze with OMG Qobuz like Paul…
I bought my 5 DSD files from highresaudio. They offer DSD, PCM and MQA downloads. So I was wrong again! https://www.highresaudio.com/en
I doubt the download royalties will make much of a dent in MQA’s losses of about $20million and counting.
I’ve never heard an MQA file. I have no desire to.
An English politician was asked if she’d stabbed her party leader in the back. She replied that she’d stab him in the front given the chance. She’s been a national hero ever since. People feel like that about MQA and Jayzeeeee.
I don’t see what people are so excited about. It is lossy PCM with some “corrections” applied for “timing errors” but I can’t hear the great difference that a lot of people who swear by the format seem to be hearing. It certainly doesn’t sound better than hires PCM to me and further the use of lossy compression (whatever excuses they use) is pointless given how fast technology is advancing.
@drarifakhtar - I do not like the sound of MQA. I love hi res… this is SQ talk… Now, my distrust of the music industry is on par with most… Cesar type greed… they are looking to maximize profits and will use music industry shills to get filthy rich… been doing this for decades. Also, I really wish DSD would take off cause I love the sound. Buying SACDs and ripping them with my Oppo is getting thin pickings… need to get the Octave label up and running and see where that goes…
You could improve DS Sr components, put an actual FEMTO clock in there and cut jitter by 50 or 75%, lower noise board and PIC, Jensen/upgraded linear phase transformers like the TSS. I’m sure there are plenty of changes possible that don’t cost an extra $10-15k.
I’ve noticed the same. In both resolving and not so resolving systems.
Oh goodness. Please, let’s do our best to keep it as upbeat and non-judgmental as we can. I know it’s hard when passions fly. Lord knows I am as passionate as the next and tempted to criticize but I have found over the years that the times I have restrained
myself the community has benefited.
We have great people on this forum. I want to encourage a spirit of giving. Of helpful comments on features for the future, suggestions for what the community would like to see.
We hope folks will continue to let us know how to get better. It’s what family is all about.