Tidal Releases MQA Android and iOS App
Introduction
Let me first say that I am not a big fan of MQA. I have tried it at home using Tidal and was not impressed when compared to 24bit 96/128KHz Linear Pulse Code Modulation (LPCM), Free Lossless Audio Compression (FLAC) or Super Audio CD (SACD) plastic. Some of the MQA encoded discs and files that I have purchased were very good for their low bit rate, but they NEVER matched the audio quality of original Hi-Res LPCM or SACD recordings. On top of that the encoding technique is highly proprietary. You require special software to ‘unwrap’ the audio data and certified DAC’s to obtain the best unwrapped and authenticated studio quality audio performance.
The major benefit of the MQA encoding process is to provide a higher resolution audio stream at a much lower bit rate (approx. 1.5Mb/s) than Hi-Res LPCM. Does it do that? Yes. BUT it is NOT mathematically lossless like FLAC – AKA LPCM. It has no real benefit for the home user, most of who have internet pipes to their homes above 50Mb/s, with many now supporting 100Mb/s or even 1000Mb/s. So streaming Hi-Res music to the home using FLAC I.E. lossless compression that creates the original Hi-Res LPCM perfectly, from streaming sites like QOBUZ, provides a higher quality audiophile experience. More importantly, FLAC/LPCM requires no special software or hardware to decode and replay it. Every device that can support Hi-Res audio can play these files with no intervention by the user and no special USB DAC hardware.
The question that I ask myself is; why do the ‘on the go’ users need or even want Hi-Res audio on a pair of inexpensive earbuds as they tramp through the streets or busily go about their frenetic lives? Will they really either appreciate the improvement in quality or do they even need it?
As my daughter is at university I have addressed these questions to several of her friends. Their response was unanimous. Basically they just listen to their streamed music as either background; like my daughter, or as a filler in-between doing other things. Not one of them when asked about the audiophile experience was actively seeking an ‘audiophile experience’. Quote “if it sounds good that is fine”. What is ‘good’? It’s NOT audiophile. Based upon my discussions with these students and friends, most listeners by far, are not audiophiles in the true sense of the word. They do not own audiophile systems or live in environments were high quality audiophile replay can be achieved. Most could not even tell me what aural experiences could be considered audiophile and what they would be listening for in order to determine if something was audiophile. I go back to my earlier comment ‘if it sounds good thats fine’.
So what is a generally accepted definition of an Audiophile? It is a High Fidelity audio enthusiast that searches to recreate the original recorded sound experience within their environment. Lets all be honest here, that really sets some minimum limits on the caliber of the equipment, the speakers and rooms acoustics. I am not too sure how a pair of earbuds while walking down the sidewalks of Manhattan Ave, NY, gets reconciled here!
I have spent many hours and nights listening to Tidal MQA files, fully unfolded and rendered, using my Oppo 205 USB DAC. Recognized as a superb audiophile DAC for this purpose that fully unfolds, authenticates and renders the MQA Studio file. I was NEVER impressed. Often files would be no better than CD or even worse than CD showing distortion. Even the better encoded files only showed marginal improvement over the CD versions. Please see here for my listening environment and system.
I am not saying that MQA is not beneficial to the appreciative mobile listener. For some it surely will be. However, there are a number of business issues that revolve around the use of this proprietary encoding system that could easily become pervasive if the associated companies exercise their control rights.
The App
Tidal supports an MQA-powered service that delivers typically 24bit/96K Hi-Res files to those who wish to pay the premium for the Tidal Masters streaming package. These files may be higher resolution, or as I discovered, lower resolution than previously mentioned. Much more importantly unless the original MQA encoding is created from the original master tapes it’s quality will be no better, and actually is always lower , than the source it was encoded from.
Tidal are trying to deliver high resolution music guaranteed to sound – quote “as flawless as it sounded in the mastering suite.” Sorry, I worked in the professional recording industry for years, what I heard from their site (and my MQA encoded material samples) are a long way from what I listened to in the control room, or studio. (The ‘Mastering Suite’ sound is generally very close to the what you would hear in the control room unless the mastering engineer is applying significant compression and EQ to achieve a particular sound or to squeeze tracks onto one side of a disc.)
For mobile ‘on the go’ use, clearly MQA brings the major benefit that it uses a relatively low data rate to provide a Hi-Res audio signal, thus protecting your data usage. For the premium rates that you pay, whether the typical user can hear AND appreciate the quality improvement using inexpensive earbuds in a lot less than ideal environments, is up for discussion, but not here and now.
The MQA app is handicapped in a couple of ways:
- The ‘folding’ technique used to encode the MQA data can only be unfolded through software to its first of two levels. Maxing out at 24bit 96Khz.
- These devices DAC’s cannot be controlled by the MQA software as is required to provide the fully rendered and authenticated ‘STUDIO quality’ audio.
The Tidal streaming service is now available for iOS, Android and MAC devices. Only some LG and Essential smartphones originally had the ability to unfold the first level of MQA to 24bit 96KHz. Now, all Android and iOS 11 and higher powered devices can do the same using the new Tidal App.
If users wish to unfold the second MQA layer and create fully authenticated studio quality audio, your device needs to be connected to an EXTERNAL MQA-compatible DAC.
See the following posts on the theory behind MQA, its use and practicalities:
- High Resolution and Master Quality Authenticated Audio – MQA
- MQA Hi Res Audio – Streamings Holy Grail
