Stereophile review of LG MQA capable phone

[firedog]

https://www.stereophile.com/content/lg-v30-hi-res-smartphone-mqa

Be sure to read the conclusion.

[botrytis]

I wonder how much they got paid for that bit of tripe?

[rickca]

Have any of the following things actually happened?  Is JVS misinformed?

 

I was told that by publication time, Roon will likely be able to unfold MQA in systems with non–MQA-decoding DACs.
 

While the Tidal app for Android and iOS devices did not yet support MQA at press time, I was told that MQA streaming via the Tidal app would be available by the time this is printed.
 

As I wrote this, HDtracks was reportedly preparing its own MQA streaming apps for Android and iOS that would be back-compatible with older versions of Windows and iOS operating systems, and should be available when this issue hits newsstands. One rumor was that, even for phones equipped for hi-rez but lacking MQA capability, the HDtracks app might unfold MQA tracks up to 24/96.

 

Have a look at this post from @vortecjr

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/30509-sonicorbiter-mqa-decoding-on-the-rendu-series/?do=findComment&comment=782846

 

[rickca]

So in this article, JVS asks several people who aren't used to critical listening whether they like MQA better.  Of course, they all do.  Contrast this to Steven Stone's article in TAS where he says you have to be in the sweet spot to appreciate what MQA does.

 

The latest MQA charm offensive is the equivalent of throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Comparing the V30 analog output to the analog output of the $0.10 DAC in the lightning cable, and calling it an iPhone comparison is laughable. 

[firedog]

6 hours ago, rickca said:

So in this article, JVS asks several people who aren't used to critical listening whether they like MQA better.  Of course, they all do.  Contrast this to Steven Stone's article in TAS where he says you have to be in the sweet spot to appreciate what MQA does.

 

The latest MQA charm offensive is the equivalent of throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.

Well if you play it to them first after telling them how much better it sounds, you almost assure the result of the "listening test".

Based on his conclusions in the article, I assume from now on he is going to compare his V30 phone  as source to every item he reviews and tell us each time that his phone is better than any specialized audio equipment.  That would be fine, but then he and stereophile need to stop reviewing any source that costs more than the V30.....

 

[firedog]

7 hours ago, botrytis said:

I wonder how much they got paid for that bit of tripe?

No need. We knew what JS would write beforehand. He's never heard an MQA"d track he didn't like.