AudioAficionado.org  

Go Back   AudioAficionado.org > Manufacturers Forums > Meridian Audio

Meridian Audio Listen Closely

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #11  
Old 12-05-2014, 02:34 AM
Crion Crion is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 378
Default

Streaming "vinyl-releases" (with lower dynamic compression) anyone?
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 12-05-2014, 09:46 AM
Still-One Still-One is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Milford, MI
Posts: 32,466
Default

I copied this post from a Meridian owners site. This is very promising.

Back in October, Bob Stuart invited a few of us to HQ to talk about a new technology. Like the ferrets that we were, some Googling turned up the MQA and MQL trademark applications. Further digging revealed a patent (surprised no-one else has found this yet!) describing an encoding+decoding system. Adding other bits and pieces to the jigsaw such as the SE loudspeakers tweeter, “higher bandwidth” analogue electronics, and “DAC management” with other snippets gleaned from chats with Meridian staff at shows and events, we guessed what MQA might be. Yet we were absolutely not prepared for what we were about to hear.

Bob extended the definition of “lossless” audio to include the A2D and D2A processes. Meridian has developed “pipelines” which characterise the actual ADCs used (and additional analogue processing equipment as well). This information is encoded as metadata in the MQA file and, once decoded, can be used to *manage the DACs* (!!!), essentially providing an audibly lossless A2D2A chain.

He then went on to challenge what was meant by "HiRes" audio.

In the last decade, there have been tremendous strides taken in psychoacoustics and, importantly, neuroscience (which has informed the psychoacoustics). The short of it is that the industry has been grossly mistaken about the relative importance of the frequency domain vs. the time domain. Yes, there is the anecdotal evidence that higher sample rates are better, but no-one has ever really articulated why (other than the pre- and post-ringing "naturalness" arguments).

The latest findings, grounded in science, are that, when it comes to human hearing, the time domain is up to 5x more important than the frequency domain. If you hear a twig snap in the woods, you know immediately where it is (time domain); you actually “decode” what it was afterwards (frequency domain). This is evolution at work: hearing is the most important sense for survival: it works when your eyes are shut, when you’re not looking in the relevant direction, and in the dark.

The human hearing system is sensitive to about 10 microseconds in time resolution and here’s the kicker: much/most of this resolution is destroyed in anything encoded digitally below a 192kHz sampling rate.

That’s right: 96kHz is NOT enough.

However, is the public about to download or stream 192/24 audio? No, because it’s not *convenient*. How then to provide audio of the highest quality to the masses? The short of it is that Meridian has found a way of folding the time resolution information into a regular PCM file with a lower sample rate (it’s actually hidden below the noise floor). It’s a stroke of genius and means that MQA files appear to anything other than an MQA decoder as a playable PCM file. But an MQA decoder can "unfold" the file to the original sample rate, adding back the time resolution information.

Another crucial learning from neuroscience is that the brain has three times as many nerves sending signals TO the cochlea than sending information FROM the cochlea to the brain. This is a incredible fact; the brain actively switches the ear’s sensitivity (to frequency) depending on the situation (natural sounds, animal sounds, and speech). The encoding algorithm takes into account these different hearing modes (don’t ask me how!) and the "compression" applied to the master file (which can be anything from a (non-ideal) 44.1/16 master up to 8x sample rate) is not lossy in the conventional sense. There is nothing removed from the file that would allow a human being to differentiate between the MQA encoding and the master as heard in the studio. Lossy? No, that would be an extremely unfair and naive description. "Encoded for human hearing" would be more accurate.

So what is MQA? It stands for “Master Quality Authenticated”. Master Quality because it is able to deliver essentially what the recording artist heard in the studio. Authenticated because the audio data are signed (no, not DRM) so that an MQA decoder can verify the authenticity of the MQA file; that it is intact and as intended when it left the studio, having been signed off by the artist and producer.

MQA has broad music industry backing from execs, artists, and producers. Meridian has been working on it for the past 4-5 years and for the last three years has taken the technology on a roadshow, demonstrating it and working with recording artists and producers. MQA is very much artist endorsed. It is an enabling technology: Meridian isn’t going to be MQA-encoding the whole back catalogue of recorded music; that’s the job of the studios. The first MQA files are expected to be released early in 2015. All of the major studios are on board, plus smaller labels. MQA decoding will not be restricted to Meridian hardware and software.

Given the number of parties involved, it is frankly staggering that this has all come together. That is has is testament to Bob's vision, determination, and no small amount of hard work by him and his team.

Oh, and it sounds more real than you have ever heard. Period. Hearing Louis Armstrong through a pair of 7200SEs – as if he was in the room – was a jaw-dropping moment that I will never forget. It *is* that good.


Postscript: Obviously we couldn’t comment until now, but we are very grateful to Bob, Richard, John, Chris, and the other staff at Meridian for trusting us with this information. On a very poignant note, our trip to HQ was the last time we met with Paul Webb, only a few days before he died. He would have loved to have seen the end of this part of the journey and the beginning of another.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 12-05-2014, 10:00 AM
Soundserge Soundserge is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 259
Default

Meridian MQA Launch video, showing that at least Warner Music seems to be on board with this studio-to-stereo audio quality delivery and assurance format

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2xpeEn1Mjtk
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 12-05-2014, 10:47 AM
Kingsrule Kingsrule is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,358
Default

Maybe now we'll see some Sooloos updates?

I can't get too excited about another Bob Stuart digital encoding/decoding format. I really think the guy is a good numbers/ science guy but hasn't the greatest "ears". Hopefully he'll hit it this time. 384k on the speakers is promising......
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 12-05-2014, 11:24 AM
Soundserge Soundserge is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 259
Default

I don't want to get my hopes up because I've been waiting a while now (though I do enjoy Sooloos the way it is on a daily basis) but ... The new Explorer 2 USB DAC has MQA support, the Prime headphone amp has apparently supported MQA all along, CES 2015 is in January, with MQA announcements coming from Meridian and music labels (maybe artists). -Something- has to deliver MQA content to this Meridian gear and I'm hoping Sooloos will be part of that. I'm assuming Sooloos will need to be updated to accomodate that. Whether those updates extend to UI updates as well, time will tell.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 12-06-2014, 03:23 AM
Crion Crion is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 378
Default

Ofcourse, Sooloos (next-gen) is/will be a natural part of the M ECO system. We know R. Harley listened to MQA a year ago. We know next-gen have been in development for more than a year and is supposed to be a complete overhaul including new android app as well according to programmers sig, 1+1..

The audio endpoint showing 384k is an SE speaker. SE's received a massive boost to DSP power, improved analog electronics chain that can handle rise times atleast in the 10 microsec range as well as new very high quality Be tweeter. This is because MQA is pushing the envelope here. We could be talking about something that makes DSD (the current highres sweetheart) somewhat irrelevant because of the enormous space DSD of higher resolution occupies, it is not practical to stream. And streaming IS the future, we all know it.

We know Prime headphone amplifier/DAC supports MQA. We know Explorer2 supports MQA.

Also to be relevant we need MQA to happen on mobile devices, might Tidal and new high-res capable phones be a part of this? I believe it's actually mandatory for anything succeding today.

Last edited by Crion; 01-15-2015 at 01:23 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 12-06-2014, 05:58 AM
Kingsrule Kingsrule is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,358
Default

Not so sure streaming "IS the future".
I for one want to own my content and have very little interest in a subscription bill......unless it sonically just can't be ignored

Last edited by g997; 12-06-2014 at 06:01 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 12-06-2014, 09:18 AM
Still-One Still-One is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Milford, MI
Posts: 32,466
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by g997 View Post
Not so sure streaming "IS the future".
I for one want to own my content and have very little interest in a subscription bill......unless it sonically just can't be ignored
Unfortunately I believe streaming is the future for the masses. Streaming services are already cutting into the digital download sites such as iTunes and Google.

I also prefer to own the physical CD for a good title but for some so-so releases that don't stand up to repeated plays for only have a couple of good tracks I just tag them in Sooloos/Rhapsody. I don't even worry about any loss in SQ when I am streaming these releases.
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 12-10-2014, 01:19 AM
o0OBillO0o o0OBillO0o is offline
Rebellious!
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Massachusetts!
Posts: 5,179
Default

I don't care about MQA, I want Meridian Digital Music System 3.0.

Sent from my iPad using A.Aficionado
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 12-10-2014, 03:30 AM
JSCC's Avatar
JSCC JSCC is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Singapore
Posts: 2,704
Default

After reading so much (and listening to my local dealer preaching, MQA, DSP8k SE so good, blah, blah, blah, ..), the itch had set in.

This time, think I am itching (and probably ready for) .... I Shall Return .....
__________________
Turntable: SME Synergy All-In-One
Thorens TD147 Jubilee + Plixir LPS + Ortofon A-Mono
DS Audio ION 1
SACD/DAC: Luxman D-10x
Server: Roon Nucleus+ 8TB SSD + Plixir Elite LPS
Bluray: ModWright Oppo UDP205
Amps: Air Tight ATC-5/ATM300R/ATH-3
Speakers: Avantgarde Uno XD Piano Black/Stealth Grey
Cables & Interconnects: Audience Au24 SX Series
Power Conditioner: Audience aR6 OX
Rack & Amp Stands: Audio-Philar
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Audioaficionado.org tested by Norton Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:51 PM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
©Copyright 2009-2023 AudioAficionado.org.Privately owned, All Rights Reserved.
Audio Aficionado Sponsors
AudioAficionado Subscriber
AudioAficionado Subscriber
Inspire By Dennis Had
Inspire By Dennis Had
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Wyred4Sound
Wyred4Sound
Dragonfire Acoustics
Dragonfire Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
Esoteric
Esoteric
AC Infinity
AC Infinity
JL Audio
JL Audio
Add Powr
Add Powr
Accuphase - Soulution
Accuphase - Soulution
Audio by E
Audio by E
Canton
Canton
Bryston
Bryston
WireWorld Cables
WireWorld Cables
Stillpoints
Stillpoints
Bricasti Design
Bricasti Design
Furutech
Furutech
Shunyata Research
Shunyata Research
Legend Audio & Video
Legend Audio & Video