If You Hate MQA Now What?

[witchdoctor]

I happen to like MQA but not everyone has the same taste. Even if you like MQA there is still a lot of music not available in MQA yet. I wanted to start a thread with some easy, low budget ideas. 

One of the issues with MQA is it costs an extra $10 a month today via Tidal to buy it. What if you are on a budget? I think it's the performance that matters more than codec and LIVE performances generally rock. For only $39 a year you can find incredible LIVE performances at www.concertvault.com or www.wolfgang.com. Most of these recirdings were mixed using the sound board by the onsite engineer. Are they lossy? Yes. Do they still sound great? 100% yes, there is a slam factor you get live which is incredible. Check it out.

 

Next, what if the master of a recording just sucks? A great dac will just reveal all the warts. The guys at Aftermaster Studios have created a device called Aftermaster Pro which automates the mastering process they use in the studio. You connect it via analog in or HDMI. It only works with 2 channel sources. I like what it does to lossy recordings like Pandora, Qello, Amazon Music, Spotify, etc. If you actually want to hear what it does they have A/B samples on their website. They pretty much replicate what I hear in my system.

 

www.aftermasterpro.com

 

Finally you can use upsampling filters built into many DAC's for lossy files. I don't have a LOT of experience but one I use that works pretty good is Sony's DSEE HX which claims to upsample lossy to near hirez resoloution. I use it with my Sony UHPH1 on Spotify and it does improve the SQ. I know Harman has tech they call Clarifi and I'm sure there are many others.

https://blogs.sonymobile.com/2016/03/15/behind-the-acronym-dsee-hx-with-audio-engineer-kenichi-matsumoto/

 

 

So, if you are stuck with a lot of lossy files, hate MQA or just don't have budget for major upgrades here are some ideas to experiment with. 

[Samuel T Cogley]

So this is or isn't yet another MQA thread?  Not counting the thread title, you mention MQA five times.  I've been trying to give you the benefit of the doubt when others suggest you're either a trollish MQA sycophant or an outright MQA shill.  But recent posting history strongly suggests you're a one-trick MQA pony here.

 

 

[esldude]

 

How about this.  You like fake immersion, upsampling to hirez, and after mastering.  How about suggestions for taking old mono recordings to generate hires, immersive multi channel MQA sound. It appears the original recording matters not just post processing.

[Fair Hedon]

Has it not been established this clown is a paid MQA shill, and that his "research" has been funded by Bob Stuart?

 

Isn't this enough for a banning? He has been shilling MQA 24/7 on numerous other forums with no other topics discussed.

 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sungyoung_Kim2

[witchdoctor]

21 minutes ago, Samuel T Cogley said:

So this is or isn't yet another MQA thread?  Not counting the thread title, you mention MQA five times.  I've been trying to give you the benefit of the doubt when others suggest you're either a trollish MQA sycophant or an outright MQA shill.  But recent posting history strongly suggests you're a one-trick MQA pony here.

 

 

The other thread has a lot of blather about what people don't like about MQA and I am always posting what I like. This thread is more acknowledging that not everyone agrees and trying to offer some alternative ideas. 

[PeterSt]

1 minute ago, witchdoctor said:

This thread is more acknowledging that not everyone agrees and trying to offer some ideas.

 

This thread will be establishing that nobody agrees with you.

Nobody.

It doesn't matter any more what you come up with.

 

Ban yourself ? 

[witchdoctor]

5 minutes ago, PeterSt said:

 

This thread will be establishing that nobody agrees with you.

Nobody.

It doesn't matter any more what you come up with.

 

Ban yourself ? 

If you don't have a better alternative to MQA to share please go back to bed, you sound grumpy this morning

The solution should be simple, cheap, and offer good SQ. 

 

[Samuel T Cogley]

16 minutes ago, witchdoctor said:

The other thread has a lot of blather about what people don't like about MQA and I am always posting what I like. This thread is more acknowledging that not everyone agrees and trying to offer some alternative ideas. 

 

Has it occurred to you that a multitude of audio enthusiasts prefer not to adulterate the audio?  DSP is fine in a studio/DAW environment when the finished product is being constructed.  But your raison d'être seems to be, "DSP always, everywhere".  It certainly gives me some reason to doubt your alleged skills in a studio/DAW context, and with that, your overall audio credibility.

 

How about preserving fidelity?  Is that in your wheelhouse?

[witchdoctor]

4 minutes ago, Samuel T Cogley said:

 

Has it occurred to you that a multitude of audio enthusiasts prefer not to adulterate the audio?  DSP is fine in a studio/DAW environment when the finished product is being constructed.  But your raison d'être seems to be, "DSP always, everywhere".  It certainly gives me some reason to doubt your alleged skills in a studio/DAW context, and with that, your overall audio credibility.

 

How about preserving fidelity?  Is that in your wheelhouse?

I read your post, what is your solution? The recorfings at concertvault are raw, live, and can't be found anywhere else. 
Here is Elton John opening for the Kinks in 1970, nobody in the US had even heard of him. You don't need "hirez" to enjoy this:

 

http://www.concertvault.com/elton-john/fillmore-west-november-12-1970.html

[Samuel T Cogley]

2 minutes ago, witchdoctor said:

I read your post, what is your solution?

 

Don't apply DSP, and enjoy the music.  Noodling with the knobs isn't the same as listening.

 

If you read my post, do you have a response to the point that you seem to believe that DSP is always good?

[witchdoctor]

Just now, Samuel T Cogley said:

 

Don't apply DSP, and enjoy the music.

 

If you read my post, do you have a response to the point that you seem to believe that DSP is always good?

The concert I posted by elton john was before DSP (computers?) were invented, do yourself a favor and check it out

[PeterSt]

3 minutes ago, witchdoctor said:

The concert I posted by elton john was before DSP (computers?) were invented, do yourself a favor and check it out

 

Yes But apparently MP3 was already invented. Must be, because it is that (all is, in there).

And didn't I promise (other thread) ... you like MP3.

Good for you, but not so good for me.

[Samuel T Cogley]

2 minutes ago, witchdoctor said:

The concert I posted by elton john was before DSP (computers?) were invented, do yourself a favor and check it out

 

I'd rather discuss your preference for DSP.

[witchdoctor]

23 minutes ago, Samuel T Cogley said:

 

I'd rather discuss your preference for DSP.

I never posted about "DSP", I posted 3 ideas. Go try one of them if it suits you, this thread is not about DSP. 

If you have another alternative to MQA that is cheap, easy, and effective please share

 

Please review the concert I posted if you check it out.

[witchdoctor]

21 minutes ago, PeterSt said:

 

Yes But apparently MP3 was already invented. Must be, because it is that (all is, in there).

And didn't I promise (other thread) ... you like MP3.

Good for you, but not so good for me.

In 1970? If I'm not mistaken they converted the original tape recordings to MP3. Please check this out:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang's_Vault

[Samuel T Cogley]

Just now, witchdoctor said:

I never posted about "DSP", I posted 3 ideas. Go try one of them if it suits you, this thread is not about DSP. 

If you have another alternative to MQA that is cheap, easy, and effective please share

 

Aftermaster Pro is hardware DSP.  The filters applied by MQA are another example of Digital Signal Processing.  You didn't know that??? 

[witchdoctor]

6 minutes ago, Samuel T Cogley said:

 

Aftermaster Pro is hardware DSP.  The filters applied by MQA are another example of Digital Signal Processing.  You didn't know that??? 

The malcontent thread is the other one, please be respectful. If you have tried the aftermaster please post. 

The guys who made the aftermaster pro are pretty good, check out their discography, I really respect them:

http://aftermaster.com/discography/

[PeterSt]

18 minutes ago, witchdoctor said:

In 1970? If I'm not mistaken they converted the original tape recordings to MP3.

 

OK, apparently I need to add that I was kidding.

You are hard to deal with and messages don't come across. 

[Samuel T Cogley]

13 minutes ago, witchdoctor said:

The malcontent thread is the other one, please be respectful. If you have tried the aftermaster please post. 

The guys who made the aftermaster pro are pretty good, check out their discography, I really respect them:

http://aftermaster.com/discography/

 

That list is pretty meaningless.  That is a list of artists (not a discography) that one or more members of the "Aftermaster team" claimed to be present when some step in the artist's production workflow happened.  It doesn't advance your assertion that DSP is always good. And it certainly is no guarantee that everything pumped through a hardware DSP device will sound better on the output.

 

I mean no disrespect.  I'm just asking that you back up your DSP advocacy with something substantive.  All I've seen so far is marketing fluff and juvenile misdirection.

[witchdoctor]

21 minutes ago, Samuel T Cogley said:

 

That list is pretty meaningless.  That is a list of artists (not a discography) that one or more members of the "Aftermaster team" claimed to be present when some step in the artist's production workflow happened.  It doesn't advance your assertion that DSP is always good. And it certainly is no guarantee that everything pumped through a hardware DSP device will sound better on the output.

 

I mean no disrespect.  I'm just asking that you back up your DSP advocacy with something substantive.  All I've seen so far is marketing fluff and juvenile misdirection.

Please go to www.aftermasterpro.com and scroll down the page. You will find a bunch of tracks so you can A/B compare. Come back and post your findings and we can discuss.

[Fair Hedon]

Why waste time engaging with this tone deaf paid MQA operative?

 

[NOMBEDES]

I have no interest in MQA but I will chime in regarding the subscription model.

 

Now here is a possible middle class household month budget for connectivity:

 

Telephone Service:   $100 (+/-)

Cable TV: $80 (+/-)

Hulu / NetFlix   $20 (+/-)

Internet:  $50 (+/-)

Amazon Prime: $11.  (music and video)

Tidal etc.... ?

 

Now comes Disney, CBS and other media companies wanting to build their own pay per view channels.  Where does it end?  Can we afford another bill for streaming?  Can we afford to pay $10. extra for MQA on top of the charge for streaming music?  Media is killing us with both the nickel and the dime.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

T

[witchdoctor]

7 minutes ago, NOMBEDES said:

I have no interest in MQA but I will chime in regarding the subscription model.

 

Now here is a possible middle class household month budget for connectivity:

 

Telephone Service:   $100 (+/-)

Cable TV: $80 (+/-)

Hulu / NetFlix   $20 (+/-)

Internet:  $50 (+/-)

Amazon Prime: $11.  (music and video)

Tidal etc.... ?

 

Now comes Disney, CBS and other media companies wanting to build their own pay per view channels.  Where does it end?  Can we afford another bill for streaming?  Can we afford to pay $10. extra for MQA on top of the charge for streaming music?  Media is killing us with both the nickel and the dime.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

T

If I could only choose one subscription it would be qello.com at $7 a month

I have an immersive soundsystem with a 120 inch screen via my PJ and it is as close to live concert I can get in my listening room (I know its lossy but that's probably why it's so cheap)

[Samuel T Cogley]

25 minutes ago, witchdoctor said:

Please go to www.aftermasterpro.com and scroll down the page. You will find a bunch of tracks so you can A/B compare. Come back and post your findings and we can discuss.

 

No thanks.  If you advocate for DSP without even understanding what it is, I can't imagine any substantive would come out of that banter.

[witchdoctor]

Just now, Samuel T Cogley said:

 

No thanks.  If you advocate for DSP without even understanding what it is, I can't imagine any substantive would come out of that banter.

NP, enjoy whatever it is you are using.