#82 We now have 27 albums in MQA -- what is that format?

MQA, MQD, DSD, DSF, DFF, WAV, FLAC, AIFF - what are all these acronyms? We know it's confusing.

From Wikipedia:

"Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) is an audio codec using lossy compression^[1] and a form of file fingerprinting, intended for high fidelity digital audio internet streaming and file download.^[2] Launched in 2014 by Meridian Audio, it is now owned and licensed by MQA Ltd, which was founded by Bob Stuart, co-founder of Meridian Audio."

Wikipedia goes on to say it was launched in 2014 and provides an interesting history.

In easy terms, MQA is not a recording format. It's a consumer format for digital playback. It's a way for consumers to get a high quality sound in a very small container making streaming or storage very easy. To compare an MQA encoded file that was originally recorded to DSD256 would be like comparing a $2000 Mytek DSD DAC to a $25,000 DSD DAC from Playback Designs. I love them both when I don't compare them. Many people can't hear a difference.

But that doesn't mean the Mytek doesn't sound great. It does and we use ours all the time. I listen to YouTube also and rarely regret my $100 speakers in my office for the convenience they offer.

MQA streaming has a large following on Tidal. It provides an upscale sound that most streaming services won't come close to. Many manufacturers now include the MQA decoder function on their devices for the premium listening experience (you don't need it, but it will improve the sound).

So why aren't there more MQA albums on Tidal?

Sadly, it's not because the artists don't want MQA. The problem is most albums you've heard of are owned by labels who have not given permission for the MQA encoding process. The second issue is that many large distributors use delivery services (like FUGA) who have not yet incorporated MQA into their processes.

So even though Blue Coast Records did a deal with Entertainment One, because they use FUGA to deliver the files to Tidal, we have no say in getting MQA files to Tidal.

That is, until we made a direct connection to MQA in the UK and we had our albums encoded to MQA. So we can't offer streaming to Tidal (at this time).

But we can offer MQA downloads on our own site! 27 albums and growing. Here's the link to all the albums encoded in MQA:

https://bluecoastmusic.com/store/MQA

If you want to compare for yourself, we now include an MQA file along with the 9 other files in our free test download located here:

https://bluecoastmusic.com/free-downloads

Better than guessing or reading, listen for yourself.

Enjoy your weekend,