Music streaming services are now the main medium through which many of us listen to music. Not long ago, most only offered standard, lossy compression music streams, whether 256kbps or 320kbps, AAC, MP3 or Ogg Vorbis. Spotify still does (and will until Spotify HiFi appears). But nowadays, the majority of streaming services – Apple Music, Amazon Music, Qobuz and Tidal – also offer better-sounding CD-quality and hi-res audio (by which we mean above CD quality) streams.
The first service to offer hi-res streaming was Qobuz, followed soon after by Tidal some five years before the others jumped aboard the hi-res streaming bandwagon. Our favourite music streaming service, Tidal launched its now-established Tidal Masters hi-res library six years ago, and it uses MQA technology to make it possible.
So what is MQA audio? How has it helped hi-res streaming become a reality? And, with it recently having introduced a potentially groundbreaking technology and entered administration in 2023, what does its future have in store?
- High-resolution audio: everything you need to know
- MQA enters administration: what does this mean for Tidal and supported products?
What is MQA?
MQA aims to “fundamentally change the way we all enjoy music”. It’s a method of digitally capturing and storing original master recordings as files that are small and convenient enough to download or stream, without the sonic sacrifices traditionally associated with compressed files. MQA is available via Tidal and MQA-CD, and products need to support the licensed technology to be able to decode and playback MQA music.
MQA claims its tracks use a similar bandwidth to that required for CD-quality streams. So if you’re able to stream Tidal’s CD-quality Hi-Fi tier with relative ease then the Tidal Masters-inclusive Hi-Fi Plus tier using MQA shouldn’t be a problem.
How can you listen to MQA?
Rather than being a new file type to sit alongside FLAC, WAV et al, MQA files can instead be packaged inside any lossless container such as FLAC, WAV or Apple Lossless. You will need compatible hardware, such as a music streamer or portable music player, or software such as the Tidal desktop app, to decode the MQA files.
Now we're several years into its existence, there's plenty of it. Many digital hardware manufacturers have licensed the technology, so it can be found on the spec sheets of many digital products – DACs, streamers, streaming systems and the like.
The Pioneer XDP-100R and Onkyo DP-X1 were among the first MQA-compatible portable audio players, and that's since been expanded to include various players from Pioneer, Onkyo, Astell & Kern and Sony – including the Award-winning Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MkII.
As for hi-fi kit, MQA compatibility is only going one way – up. MQA-supporting products include desktop and USB DACs such as AudioQuest's DragonFly Black, DragonFly Red and DragonFly Cobalt, Cambridge Audio's DacMagic 200M and iFi Zen DAC V2; music streamers like NAD C 658 and Technics SL-G700; and hi-fi systems including Dali Oberon 1 C and KEF LS50 Wireless II. Meridian, iFi, Arcam, Bluesound, dCS, Moon by Simaudio, Mark Levinson and Audiolab are also among MQA's product partners. Notable omissions on the hi-fi brand front include Linn and Chord.
Where can you find MQA music?
If Tidal Hi-Fi Plus subscribers don't have MQA-supporting hardware, they can still play Tidal's "millions" of Masters tracks through the Tidal desktop, Android and iOS apps, which can decode and play them through, say, your phone or Macbook. These apps can complete the first 'unfold' of MQA file decoding, outputting streams to a maximum of 24-bit/96kHz. However, the only way to entirely unpackage an MQA file for playback, and therefore give you a more accurate representation of the file, is by pairing the app with an MQA-compatible product (as listed above) that takes the decoding process away from the software (the Tidal app).
Tidal HiFi Plus subscribers can now easily 'cast' MQA Tidal Masters from the app to compatible kit, too, thanks to a new feature called Tidal Connect. Essentially Spotify Connect for Tidal, it allows the native Tidal app to be a controller for connected devices – like Chromecast can, only Connect supports Tidal's MQA and Dolby Atmos Music catalogue. Unsurprisingly, many MQA-supporting hi-fi brands are now supporting Tidal Connect.
With major music labels such as Universal, Warner Bros and Sony Music offering music in MQA, there was a time when we thought more music streaming services would get in on the action too. But Apple Music and Amazon Music found alternative ways to offer hi-res streaming. Deezer announced a partnership with MQA back in September 2017, though all has gone quiet on that front since. It's certainly worth noting too that Tidal's reliance on MQA is about to come to an end, as the service has announced that it “will be introducing hi-res FLAC for our HiFi Plus subscribers soon. It's lossless and an open standard". Tidal hasn't given a specific date for FLAC's introduction, and the existing MQA catalogue “will continue to be available on the platform”, but it’s hard to believe that with FLAC now in the picture there will be room for two hi-res audio file formats in the long term.
As for actual MQA music files that you can own, these are available to download from the Highresaudio and 2L download stores, as well as e-onkyo music and groovers (Japan only). And if you're looking to play such purchased files through a PC or laptop, dedicated desktop music player software, such as Audirvana and Roon, also supports MQA. While more niche, physical MQA-CDs are also a thing and can be bought on Amazon and the like.
What about MQA Live?
MQA has also been experimenting with “original quality” real-time concert streams with its MQA Live technology, which it has demonstrated at various trade shows in recent years.
The point of Live is to create a virtual gig experience, allowing people to listen to their favourite bands’ live performances if they can’t attend the event themselves.
To do this, MQA has made a live encoder box that connects to a venue’s audio system and is able to send what is being played to the chosen delivery platform of the venue. MQA claims the encoding process “preserves audio quality and addresses bandwidth issues”.
In 2020, MQA channelled this experience into a new format – The Masters Sessions – through a partnership with one of its hardware partners, Bluesound. These sophisticated audio soirees comprise live concerts, streamed in MQA studio quality, to over 140 esteemed audio dealerships around the world, played through each dealer's Bluesound MQA-enabled audio players. These dealers have included eight Sevenoaks Sound and Vision stores, in Bristol, Chelsea, Sevenoaks, Reading, Oxford, Solihull, Cambridge and Manchester. The initiative is still young – only a few sessions have been hosted so far – but there are more to come!
In support of the UK artists that were set to play at SXSW but couldn't because of the Coronavirus pandemic, MQA partnered with the British Music Embassy and us (!) to live stream mini-concerts on the What Hi-Fi? YouTube channel using MQA tech.
MQA SCL6: a groundbreaking codec?
You can read all about this potentially groundbreaking codec in our MQA SCL6 explainer, but essentially it is a way of packaging a file for wireless transmission (in much the same way as a Bluetooth codec like aptX or LDAC is) and works for broadcast and streaming across Bluetooth, UWB (Ultra Wide Band) and wi-fi. How is it different to Bluetooth codecs then? Well, for one, it has the potential to offer better on-the-go sound quality, as it is purportedly able to transfer data at a much higher data rate than Bluetooth codecs currently can. So will we see hi-res wireless playback for portable products without the need for wi-fi? Possibly. SCL6 is uniquely adaptable too and therefore able to react to the quality of the link between the sending device and the receiver.
As this technology was only recently announced, we are yet to see hardware support and therefore SCL6 in action. A pair of PSB-branded wireless headphones is due to be among the first SCL6-compatible products, though they are still a year away. Only time will tell how much impact it makes on the quality of wireless music on the go.
- Read our SCL6 hands-on review
MQA's future
In April 2023, news broke that MQA is going into administration, with the company's official statement reading as follows:
"Following the recent positive reception to MQA’s latest technology (SCL6), there has been increased international interest in buying MQA Ltd. At the same time, MQA’s main financial backer is seeking an exit. In order to be in the best position to pursue market opportunities and expedite this process, the company has undergone a restructuring initiative, which includes entering into administration and is comparable to Chapter 11 in the US."
That had us wondering what the future of MQA holds and any potential implications for the hi-fi industry, not least as Tidal the same week announced its plans to introduce hi-res FLAC streaming on its service. We have mused what MQA entering administration might mean for Tidal and supported products, though in this current state of limbo, it is only conjecture. Right now, nothing is changing for owners of MQA products and Tidal HiFi Plus subscribers.
MORE:
Hi-res music streaming services compared: which should you sign up for?
MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC: all the audio file formats explained
Tidal tips: how to download music, play it offline, and more
Further reading (and if you're struggling to hear the difference) the problem with hi-res audio is how you might be listening to it
