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Topic: Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA. (Read 145485 times) previous topic - next topic
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Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #100
I'm obviously deaf, or enjoying music is a completely different way. I find being happy and/or emotional is a much greater contributor to musical enjoyment than better speakers.


Here is something to enhance subjective sound quality: http://porknwhiskey.com/wp-content/uploads...D_5872-Edit.jpg
Right now I am lubricating my hearing equipment (i.e. my brain) with just a tad of it.

... I actually can ABX out quite a few of these, but I do make mistakes under extended sighted evaluation without any other reference than the age and price tag.

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #101
+1 for bourbon signal processing.

On the other side of the coin, when my commute home from work puts me in a bad mood, there is some definite coloration of the music. As soon as someone cuts me off or fails to merge properly, I want to turn everything off. I immediately stop enjoying whatever it is I was rocking out to! Fix this Meridian!

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #102
Quote
JS
- In Audio High's exceedingly dry listening room, we began with an 24/88.2k file of Hilary Hahn playing what I believe was a movement from J. S. Bach's Violin Concerto No.2 in E, BWV1042. As compelling as the untreated hi-res file sounded, I literally laughed at the difference when the MQA version began. Not only did it feel as though a veil had been lifted, with far more color to the sound, but instruments also possessed more body. With more meat on dem bones, I also noticed less of a digital edge on the violin. I've heard Hahn in concert several times, and this was the closest to real I've ever heard her violin sound on recording.


So there you have it. MQA sounds better that the original (24/88) Hi Rez file.

cheers,

AJ


let me guess without clicking through: JS = Jason Serinus. 



Confirmed: Jason Seronis' Stereophile Article on MQA

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #103
At the risk of being TOSed, I'd be very curious how an encoding format can increase the size of an instrument after recording ("instruments also possessed more body") and influencing synesthesia ("far more color to the sound").

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #104
At the risk of being TOSed, I'd be very curious how an encoding format can increase the size of an instrument after recording ("instruments also possessed more body") and influencing synesthesia ("far more color to the sound").


Begs the question what would happen if someone devised a perceptual coder that did this sort of thing. 

We've long had recording formats such as vinyl that intentionally and unintentionally played with the spectral contents and imaging of recordings in potentially audible ways.

Adding color to the sound is just a matter of audible boosting and/or cutting spectral bands. Increasing or decreasing imaging related perceptions is just matter of adding or subrtacting cross feed between the channels.  You can mix the two as you desire.

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #105
Thought it would be more appropriate to post this here rather than create a new thread, the BBC just posted a video attempting to explain the state and future of "hi-res;" a lot of cringeworthy and groanworthy stuff as you'd expect (all this time I had no idea they were Wahvs... ), though in fairness they did at least attempt to address the matter of transparency (with the video analogy) and raise the question as to whether anything is to be gained from exorbitant file sizes and devices. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30880509

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #106
And again there's not a single mention of where the bad sound quality actually comes from: loudness war, terrible mixing and mastering ..
"I hear it when I see it."

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #107
Apart from equating WAV to CD quality, and FLAC to HiRes, I thought that was pretty good.

EDIT: xnor: well, that can apply equally well to HiRes, so...

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #108
It appears when they demo MQA, it's a comparison now.
Still trying to figure out what time "smearing" JA is talking about. Didn't he use to post here?

cheers,

AJ
Loudspeaker manufacturer

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #109
@2Bdecided: Exactly, that is my point!

Wow, all they offered for comparison was 128 CBR mp3? They must be really confident in the superiority of MQA ...
"I hear it when I see it."

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #110
And again there's not a single mention of where the bad sound quality actually comes from: loudness war, terrible mixing and mastering ..
I'm slowly realizing that's HA's fault, too. Bring it out to the public! Who's our PR guy?
It's only audiophile if it's inconvenient.


Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #112
And again there's not a single mention of where the bad sound quality actually comes from: loudness war, terrible mixing and mastering ..

That's because MQA can fix that griminess:
Quote
Meridian describes this as "taking an original master further, toward the original performance, in an analogous way to the processes expert antique picture restorers use to clean the grime and discolored varnish from an Old Master to reveal the original color and vibrancy of the work."

Just compare it to 128k mp3 and you too will believe.

cheers,

AJ
Loudspeaker manufacturer

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #113
Who's our PR guy?

Is Amir too busy these days?
Whoever it is, make sure they have science-ish looking graphs to point at.

But no lab coats, hand held meters or putty in their ears.

cheers,

AJ

Loudspeaker manufacturer

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #114
I wonder why audiophiles suddenly should think that noise can be left out. I had to read for many years how important the maybe last 8 bit of noise are for good sound leave alone the harmonics burried there at 50kHz+
Is troll-adiposity coming from feederism?
With 24bit music you can listen to silence much louder!

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #115
Who's our PR guy?

Is Amir too busy these days?
Whoever it is, make sure they have science-ish looking graphs to point at.

But no lab coats, hand held meters or putty in their ears.

About that graph (it's one of several slides, supposedly from Stuart's PP presentation, and associated with the Dec 2014 Stereophile article here: http://www.stereophile.com/content/ive-hea...g-meridians-mqa ) ...
Quote
Fig.1 is a variation on what is called a "Shannon Diagram"; it shows the information space required by an audio signal with level shown as the vertical scale in dB, frequency as the horizontal scale in kilohertz.

While it's not wrong to create an ad hoc info-graphic (the Stuart graph may be okay if their premises are sound), confused nomenclature is not ideal. I Google'd  "Shannon Diagram" and only came up with something very different-looking here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mathematica...f_Communication

More to the point ... I've never seen info-graphics in the style of Stuart's Origami-like depiction.

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #116
The current issue of "the absolute sound" (Issue #253 - May/June 2015) has a 6 page article:

'Beyond High Resolution: Meridian Audio’s Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)'
by Robert Harley
Kevin Graf :: aka Speedskater

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #117
The current issue of "the absolute sound" (Issue #253 - May/June 2015) has a 6 page article:

'Beyond High Resolution: Meridian Audio’s Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)'
by Robert Harley

You honestly suggest we should buy this?
Is troll-adiposity coming from feederism?
With 24bit music you can listen to silence much louder!

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #118
It's not a bad science fiction magazine.
And it has lot's of pretty pictures.
Kevin Graf :: aka Speedskater

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #119
The current issue of "the absolute sound" (Issue #253 - May/June 2015) has a 6 page article:

'Beyond High Resolution: Meridian Audio’s Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)'
by Robert Harley

You honestly suggest we should buy this?



Everyone should from time-to-time.  I buy 3 per year...just to see what people will spend on.  Even my kids cannot believe some of the stuff that is printed.  Very good to see.  Utter bunk mostly...

 

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #120
After further inspection:
The current issue of "the absolute sound" (Issue #253 - May/June 2015) contains:
6 pages : main article
1 page : MQA and the industry
6 pages : interview with J. Robert Stuart of Meridian
Kevin Graf :: aka Speedskater

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #121
After further inspection:
The current issue of "the absolute sound" (Issue #253 - May/June 2015) contains:
6 pages : main article
1 page : MQA and the industry
6 pages : interview with J. Robert Stuart of Meridian

Waiting for your summary.
Is troll-adiposity coming from feederism?
With 24bit music you can listen to silence much louder!

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #122
The current issue of "the absolute sound" (Issue #253 - May/June 2015) has a 6 page article:

'Beyond High Resolution: Meridian Audio’s Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)'
by Robert Harley


I'd have preferred the article be titled "Never mind the bollocks, here's the Meridian Audio’s Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)".

But that's just me.
Loudspeaker manufacturer

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #123
The current issue of "the absolute sound" (Issue #253 - May/June 2015) has a 6 page article:

'Beyond High Resolution: Meridian Audio’s Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)'
by Robert Harley


I'd have preferred the article be titled "Never mind the bollocks, here's the Meridian Audio’s Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)".

But that's just me.

Not only you. If ringing distortion at its low level can in any way influence sound in the audible band you should better have no content at all above. I always wonder if people state hearing the ringing in PCM at 192kHz. This marketing BS has gone to far already.
Is troll-adiposity coming from feederism?
With 24bit music you can listen to silence much louder!

Meridian Audio's new... sub-format called MQA.

Reply #124
Not only you. If ringing distortion at its low level can in any way influence sound in the audible band you should better have no content at all above. I always wonder if people state hearing the ringing in PCM at 192kHz. This marketing BS has gone to far already.


I come from the school that if this is the only way they can make their argument, it's actually a sign of progress.