Was that the sound of Harry Pearson rolling over in his grave?

[tima]

Every so often I get these e-mails from The Absolute Sound, pointing out links to articles on their Web site about new audio products. It's not uncommon to pass them by un-read but today I took a look.

Top left prominently displayed was a link to comments From the Editor, Robert Harley, entitled "MQA and the Masses". It featured the tout "Robert Harley considers how MQA has democratized high-resolution audio—to the dismay of some."

The democratization of high-resolution audio? Wow. I don't do digital so I don't follow the whole MQA debate, but I really was surprised to see the mother of hi-end magazines take the politicized editorial position that it did. I know many regard review journals as entertainment yet I liked to think there was some effort toward objectivity. Guess I am not caught up with the modern TAS. Then I noticed the TAS e-mail was sponsored by MQA. Is this the happy coincidence of manufacturers taking advantage of an editor who likes what they do - or something else?

 

[the sound of Tao]

Tim, I’m not exactly sure how MQA has democratised audio... but I believe I could see where MQA might have monetised the editorial of The Absolute Sound.

Clearly commercial ventures just can’t afford to take the absolute high ground at each and every turn of the page. But if you are going to keep some hold on the wheel and point the vessel up towards the higher end of your moral compass then I’d see editorial space would be a space well preserved to exhibit only the higher values of a magazine rather than showcase the bits of your compass that you may have jettisoned overboard to help keep afloat.

 

[tima]

I was taken aback at Harley's implication that if you're dismayed over what MQA does then you're anti-democratization - against bringing more freedom and greater access to more audiophiles. That's a cheeky slap in the face to a lot of the digerati. And for what?

The comments to the 'editorial' suggest he hit his thumb not the nail.

 

[the sound of Tao]

MQA may well become the eight track stereo of tomorrow regardless of Robert Harley’s profound ‘influence’... let’s face it, we’re all having a fabulous time on both the analogue and digital sides of the great divide. We will access music with or without their help... who really cares what the master trend makers think they have going on... just delusional puppet masters largely needed by no-one.

 

[tima]

Yes, day to day whomever's editorializing doesn't matter. I suppose my disconsoloation comes partly (mostly?) from a (naive?) belief there is some role in our hobby for a press that takes its job as exposition (the root of which being 'to expose') rather than advocacy. Sure reviewers and editors have their choices and may even voice them but there's supposed to be a line between preferencing and telling the reader not only what to like but they are less of a participant if they don't. Unfortunately many may say 'what do you expect - it's par for the course.'

I will (sigh) give RH credit for being blatant as well as using an editorial vehicle rather than a review despite it being a sponsored one.

 

[the sound of Tao]

Ofcourse you are absolutely 100% right Tim, it is better that we have a true and independent press as it’s a sign of a healthy society. Proper journalism is critically needed in our world and it’s worth challenging anything that doesn’t measure up. Great leadership, good government and a strong and true judiciary and a healthy and free press. We just shouldn’t settle on anything less.

 

[microstrip]

Tim,

I think you partially misread the article you are linking, perhaps due to the provocative commercial email . No where in the linked article I can read such comment and endorsement and I can not give it the same interpretation you did. To be fair I think HP would be happy to see his magazine is an open area where people can debate audio ideas and concepts.

BTW, I have no opinion on MQA - currently I have no interest in the format. But I find RH sentence "Absent a deeper understanding of what’s important and what isn’t in digital audio, file size became a proxy for resolution. " worth the whole article and much more challenging.

And yes, MQA ranks with cables and power conditioners in the list of explosive subjects of audio!

 

[Mike Lavigne]

that's so 2 years ago.

hasn't MQA already been laid to rest with Quboz?

with bandwidth issues pretty much far in our rear view mirror, and Quboz (at most any resolution to my ears) sounding easily better than MQA on Tidal across the board, there is no longer an issue. my MSB does MQA and it's not bad compared to other Tidal files, but it's a mixed bag even in that context, and any of my own files are better.

Harley having 'profound influence'? only as the hyperbole cover king......not about any hifi performance issue. he is a nice guy and all, but really?

 

[the sound of Tao]

Tim,

I think you partially misread the article you are linking, perhaps due to the provocative commercial email . No where in the linked article I can read such comment and endorsement and I can not give it the same interpretation you did. To be fair I think HP would be happy to see his magazine is an open area where people can debate audio ideas and concepts.

BTW, I have no opinion on MQA - currently I have no interest in the format. But I find RH sentence "Absent a deeper understanding of what’s important and what isn’t in digital audio, file size became a proxy for resolution. " worth the whole article and much more challenging.

And yes, MQA ranks with cables and power conditioners in the list of explosive subjects of audio!

Micro as Mike pointed out Tidal with MQA is proving to be sounding not as good as Qobuz running without MQA. So depending on how that streaming skirmish pans out maybe native hi res streaming may just be an easier fit to the flow of the music streaming future.

Unlike the MQA tech traditional tweaks like power conditioners and hi-end cables have been around like forever (to quote my audio happy nephew) and seem well and truly embedded tricks of the trade going forwards in our audio world. MQA may be lucky to be an even remembered moment less than a decade after its inception given the way it has seemingly fallen off the audio hi-vis agenda lately. Dolby me no betacams I say.

Not that MQA tracks are that bad or anything (I’m happy that music now confidently sails over the fundamental sonic barriers in streaming these days and musical freedom easily trumps sonic anxieties) but given that a less can be more processing approach can be a good one then simply just going full native could just be the easier, more natural and better answer to the resolution needs of the future.

So perhaps just native hi-res will win out now that improved bandwidth has made hi-res delivery possible and also at the other end of the scale we have upscalers like the mscaler that have lifted red book performance so very far already so that MQA may just prove an unnecessary niche in the workings of a current and future hi-res music delivery system.

Also I’m not sure about the whole democratisation angle in Robert Harley’s stance on MQA at any rate as for me any additional licensed system in music access seems to add a layer of control and ownership in the system rather than imbuing any additional freedom or empowerment.

Explosive power conditioners are however confidently a way of the audio future along with all the raging enflamed dangers of burying treated kitty litter into pine boxes and the forever flaming marvels of tipping snake oil over our hi-end cables to make the sound shine ever more brightly and warmly. The more traditional and enduring tweaks will likely (and perhaps more deservedly) be a part of the continued wild fire of debate on the audio horizon.

MQA is just more likely to be a rather short lived wet match going out perhaps more with a whimper than any bang regardless of the attempts to create a bit of noise to lift (or salvage) MQA and its profile. Realistically the noise is just being made in just one small office in one small corner of a decreasingly powerful and increasingly less influential and more commercially endangered audiophile press. So when does journalism become overtly little more than PR. If everyone mostly considers it more just entertainment rather than seriously explorative and expositional why bother having any serious hi end editorial space. As Tim (who clearly comes at this with higher journalistic intention) is an example of someone in the industry who understands the core importance of preserving proper editorial intent and content.

I’m not sure the usual inflated writing suspects who have so overtly embraced the more commercial aspects of audio media as the fundamental agenda and through their hubris and poor theatre are no longer influencing anything much these days (let alone very much shaping the future). Mostly these days they are handily providing show coverage and some helpful product release info so it is useful but just can it be more?

 

[tima]

...

Also I’m not sure about the whole democratisation angle in Robert Harley’s stance on MQA at any rate as for me any additional licensed system in music access seems to add a layer of control and ownership in the system rather than imbuing any additional freedom or empowerment.
...
MQA is just more likely to be a rather short lived wet match going out perhaps more with a whimper than any bang regardless of the attempts to create a bit of noise to lift (or salvage) MQA and its profile. Realistically the noise is just being made in just one small office in one small corner of a decreasingly powerful and increasingly less influential and more commercially endangered audiophile press. So when does journalism become overtly little more than PR. If everyone mostly considers it more just entertainment rather than seriously explorative and expositional why bother having any serious hi end editorial space. As Tim (who clearly comes at this with higher journalistic intention) is an example of someone in the industry who understands the core importance of preserving proper editorial intent and content.

I’m not sure the usual inflated writing suspects who have so overtly embraced the more commercial aspects of audio media as the fundamental agenda and through their hubris and poor theatre are no longer influencing anything much these days (let alone very much shaping the future). Mostly these days they are handily providing show coverage and some helpful product release info so it is useful but just can it be more?

Thank you Tao.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I have remained deliberately and gleefully ignorant about MQA. All I know is that I love my Qobuz!

I like Robert Harley. He is a very nice guy!

 

[KeithR]

hasn't MQA already been laid to rest with Quboz?

Qobuz has a whopping 200k subs - let's not jump to conclusions.

 

[bonzo75]

Micro as Mike pointed out Tidal with MQA is proving to be sounding not as good as Qobuz running without MQA. So depending on how that streaming skirmish pans out maybe native hi res streaming may just be an easier fit to the flow of the music streaming future.

Unlike the MQA tech traditional tweaks like power conditioners and hi-end cables have been around like forever (to quote my audio happy nephew) and seem well and truly embedded tricks of the trade going forwards in our audio world. MQA may be lucky to be an even remembered moment less than a decade after its inception given the way it has seemingly fallen off the audio hi-vis agenda lately. Dolby me no betacams I say.

Not that MQA tracks are that bad or anything (I’m happy that music now confidently sails over the fundamental sonic barriers in streaming these days and musical freedom easily trumps sonic anxieties) but given that a less can be more processing approach can be a good one then simply just going full native could just be the easier, more natural and better answer to the resolution needs of the future.

So perhaps just native hi-res will win out now that improved bandwidth has made hi-res delivery possible and also at the other end of the scale we have upscalers like the mscaler that have lifted red book performance so very far already so that MQA may just prove an unnecessary niche in the workings of a current and future hi-res music delivery system.

Also I’m not sure about the whole democratisation angle in Robert Harley’s stance on MQA at any rate as for me any additional licensed system in music access seems to add a layer of control and ownership in the system rather than imbuing any additional freedom or empowerment.

Explosive power conditioners are however confidently a way of the audio future along with all the raging enflamed dangers of burying treated kitty litter into pine boxes and the forever flaming marvels of tipping snake oil over our hi-end cables to make the sound shine ever more brightly and warmly. The more traditional and enduring tweaks will likely (and perhaps more deservedly) be a part of the continued wild fire of debate on the audio horizon.

MQA is just more likely to be a rather short lived wet match going out perhaps more with a whimper than any bang regardless of the attempts to create a bit of noise to lift (or salvage) MQA and its profile. Realistically the noise is just being made in just one small office in one small corner of a decreasingly powerful and increasingly less influential and more commercially endangered audiophile press. So when does journalism become overtly little more than PR. If everyone mostly considers it more just entertainment rather than seriously explorative and expositional why bother having any serious hi end editorial space. As Tim (who clearly comes at this with higher journalistic intention) is an example of someone in the industry who understands the core importance of preserving proper editorial intent and content.

I’m not sure the usual inflated writing suspects who have so overtly embraced the more commercial aspects of audio media as the fundamental agenda and through their hubris and poor theatre are no longer influencing anything much these days (let alone very much shaping the future). Mostly these days they are handily providing show coverage and some helpful product release info so it is useful but just can it be more?

Wow what a post.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Ofcourse you are absolutely 100% right Tim, it is better that we have a true and independent press as it’s a sign of a healthy society. Proper journalism is critically needed in our world and it’s worth challenging anything that doesn’t measure up. Great leadership, good government and a strong and true judiciary and a healthy and free press. We just shouldn’t settle on anything less.

Nice sentiment, Graham. Too bad those days are behind us. The free (allegedly) press are the author of their own decline. Now we're all in our atomised safe spaces and weaponised missile silos, only seeking out the "news" and opinions that we want to find.

The liberal left may blame Trump and Brexit. But the rot had set in well before 2016, and indeed led to where we are today.

I have to laugh at the intellectuals who predicted The End Of History.

 

[the sound of Tao]

Nice sentiment, Graham. Too bad those days are behind us. The free (allegedly) press are the author of their own decline. Now we're all in our atomised safe spaces and weaponised missile silos, only seeking out the "news" and opinions that we want to find.

The liberal left may blame Trump and Brexit. But the rot had set in well before 2016, and indeed led to where we are today.

I have to laugh at the intellectuals who predicted The End Of History.

Ah yes, the end of history, apocalypse has always just been around the corner, has been ever since Noah started to slap together the Ark and realised that he was still several cubits short of the full quid and that climate change was still some time off.

On the passing of the news as we knew it. The failure to monetise online media was the first clear signpost for an imminent struggle to maintain a proper and free journalism in the age of the net and so we maybe just then get what we deserve in our rush to embrace an online world where free is where we don’t pay for stuff rather than free being about freedom and living without unfair constraint... in the end cheap news has proven to be almost as cheap as it gets... and I’m not just talking about fake news, just that if we don’t have a reliable source of expositional news we allow ourselves to be even more vulnerable and open to manipulation. The truth in the end will set us free.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Graham, in the UK, the Bbc has been banging on about the Trump/Russia Collusion thing for nigh on 3 years. Day in day out. The day that Mueller was due to administer the final kill, and instead proved only he has dementia and sub-contracted the report to Dem supporting attorneys got ZERO coverage. If you followed the MSM in the Uk, you'd have no idea of all this. This event alone proves everyone has lost the plot, and the traditional media have a lot of soul searching to do.

Me? I still force myself to read POV opposite to what I believe/support, esp on Brexit. But my core beliefs have formed, and very little of MSM is not guilty of Fake News. Trump and Brexit have just made the whole mess of unreliable news even more radioactive.