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Topic: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh (Read 7420 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #25 –
Quote from: bennetng on
Pretty sure there are (were?) paid shills.
Since some of them have even been open about their financial interests when editing the wikipedia article, you can take for granted that some have spent their working hours under false flag too.

Quote from: bennetng on
Recently, I suppose many victims (customers / retailers with a lot of stock) want to get rid of their MQA hardware ASAP and therefore made such a desperate fraud?
Hm, ...
I mean, if you need MQA-aware hardware to decode your files properly, then it doesn't really matter much that the format was a scam.
But to sell to those who can no longer get MQA-infested streaming services (when Tidal abandons the format), you not only need to convince people that it is good, but also that it is going to be offered.

... uh, persuming that "people" are rational, when the "people" in question include a lot of audiophools in the first place - possibly invalidating my point big time, I guess.

Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #27 –
OK, so
Quote from: bennetng on
some MQA hardware can even affect normal, non-MQA contents

... like, converting it to mono?  ;)

No seriously, that was news to me.

And it does spawn the question: if MQA-enabled DAC chips have these undocumented "features" that degrade fidelity of non-MQA content, what more do they have under the hood? E.g. can they already handle an "even more lossy MQA" that was waiting to be rolled out to make the material unlistenable on non-MQA gear?

Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #28 –
ESS do have MQA chips (ES9039, ES9068) but the audio controllers (e.g. XMOS) are also part of the chain and programmable too. Non-MQA DAC chips like ES9038 also allow uploading of external filter coefficients.

I think mansr (Mans Rullgard) already reverse engineered some MQA stuff but due to legal issues not everything can be disclosed.

Audibility is of course a TOS8 thing but MQA victims may not know about these things earlier when they bought the hardware, and just started to find out all the devil details later on and regretted.

Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #29 –
Quote from: bennetng on
Need to read the whole page instead of a single post to understand what is going on.
I'm not confident I fully understand what is going on. Is the implication that the measured MQA-enabled DACs are showing heavy aliasing? Could it be that this is simply a bad design choice that has nothing to do with MQA? Or could it be a design choice inspired by certain 'beliefs' (like that steep filters are bad) held by some prospective buyers?
Music: sounds arranged such that they construct feelings.

Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #30 –
Quote from: ktf on
I'm not confident I fully understand what is going on. Is the implication that the measured MQA-enabled DACs are showing heavy aliasing? Could it be that this is simply a bad design choice that has nothing to do with MQA? Or could it be a design choice inspired by certain 'beliefs' (like that steep filters are bad) held by some prospective buyers?
Not every MQA DAC is affected by this, I've seen many other MQA DACs perform normally when playing normal content too.

The problem is that a normal premium DAC (as a whole product, not the chip) often allows users to choose between several different filters which are provided by the chip manufacturers, but the MQA-affected ones may not be able to do this when playing normal contents.

Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #32 –
Bad news, as bad as mono flac.

Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #33 –
Quote from: apastuszak on
MQAir was rejected by Bluetooth SIG. Thank God.
Indeed. If it wasn't, who knows, maybe people would have to deal with this bs for many more years.
a fan of AutoEq + Meier Crossfeed

Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #35 –
Not at all surprised that the remains can be sold for whatever scrap value. Selected text:
Quote
As a result, Lenbrook retained a core group of engineers and developers and sales and marketing personnel including Andy Dowell, previously the Head of Licensing for MQA, who will continue to lead business development activities.
(Does the acquisition come with any interesting patents?)

Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #36 –
Maybe SCL6 (former MQair). It is a scalable codec that might rival APTX / LDAC.
TheWellTemperedComputer.com

Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #37 –
This shows how a botched MQA firmware crippled a premium ESS DAC. OP was unable to change filter when playing normal content.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/matrix-audio-element-x-issue.11027/

After more than a month a fix was published.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/matrix-audio-element-x-issue.11027/post-349555

But too late, the OP returned the DAC.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/matrix-audio-element-x-issue.11027/post-367371

The MQA filter shape is identical to a Meridian MQA DAC using a TI DAC chip. With a proper firmware, user should be able to select different filters when playing normal content, including MQA filters and the DAC chip's built-in filters.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/meridian-explorer2-da-headphone-amplifier-measurements

I cropped the red region and changed the aspect ratio, the upper plot matches the datasheet. The lower plot is the MQA filter. The reviewer lowered the input signal when testing the MQA filter because it is more prone to clipping. However, even without clipping, the MQA filter still resulted in more artifacts within the audible range.

X
X
X

While it is true that a proper firmware should not affect normal content, a non-MQA DAC is completely immune to this issue, and users don't need to speculate about this when using a normal DAC.

Also, the TI PCM5102 on the Meridian Explorer2 is a pretty low end chip, even my 2013 purchased soundcard has a PCM1794A DAC and a PCM4220 ADC and the whole thing was only $173, so this Meridian Explorer2 is basically an overpriced junk.
 

Re: MQA files for bankruptcy. The end is nigh

Reply #38 –
Quote from: Porcus on
(Does the acquisition come with any interesting patents?)

It says in the announcement: "This acquisition enriches Lenbrook's intellectual property portfolio with an assortment of significant patents and introduces two prominent audio codecs – MQA and SCL6."