Hi-Fi+ July 2024

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hi-fi+ Magazine July 2024

hi-fi+ is a magazine that is serious about hi-fi. Our articles are intended to help you get the best from your system, rather than simply telling you to buy another one. Our reviews only cover product that we think is worthwhile. You can read more about that by looking at our reviews policy, but lets just say that our attitude to equipment is rather different, and we hope, much more informative. We haven't forgotten that hi-fi is supposed to be fun!

Editorial: Tidal Drops MQA And Sony 360 Reality Audio
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Editorial By Alan Sircom
As we went to press this month, streaming giant Tidal announced that it was officially dropping all its MQA and 360 Audio recordings as from the 24th July this year. These recordings will be replaced with FLAC files (for stereo) and Dolby Atmos files (for surround). While there are still some hold-outs, this announcement has been touted as being the end of MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) as a going concern for music replay. Or is it? Recently, Lenbrook (the parent company of NAD, BluSound, and PSB) acquired MQA in late 2023. It has now joined forces with HD Tracks to provide its own MQA (and PCM) streaming service. Less than six days after the Lenbrook/HD Tracks press release, Tidal announced that it was withdrawing its support for MQA. While Tidal and HD Tracks have very different business models, I can see this as a potential lifeline for the beleaguered MQA format. HD Tracks has a strong following among audiophiles – especially in America – and the association might help keep MQA in the enthusiast's gaze in a way Tidal's more mainstream approach cannot.
---> Editorial: Tidal Drops MQA And Sony 360 Reality Audio.

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