Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Restaurant at the End of Universe Meridian Dealers - Equipment An Exclusive Meridian MQA NYC Event

First, I would like to thank Ken for hosting the event. I wasn't aware this was a HH specific event, so on that front, I am especially grateful.

My overall comment is that MQA is a step forward. Was I blown away, no, but I was impressed. My expectations going in were very different than what I heard. I was expecting MQA to be a real powerful tool to reinvigorate older recordings. So I was thinking that all the old jazz masters and classical offerings would be the first to remaster. However, what I heard last night left me thinking that isn't the case. The challenge is that I don't know how many MQA titles have been done at this point. I am sure that like any smart company, M has picked the ones that have yielded the greatest "return". I suspect that remastering via MQA one of countless classical recordings likely yields less play and interest than something more mainstream when out there trying to sell the format to recording studios and manufacturers. So initially I was surprised that not a single classical recording was offered up as a demo last night, though in reflection, I guess it makes sense. As an aside, it sounds like they have a very large portion of the manufacturing community on board, with a couple �billion dollar� manufacturers already on board. So from a hardware perspective, it seems like they are good there.

For me, the most impressive recordings of the evening were:

Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly: Here, you could just feel the power of the low-end and the clarity in the reproduction. Really was a great list. Will be having a listen on my own tonight, to compare mental notes.

David Brubeck � Take Five: Here I was impressed

Will i AM's - ???? (sorry, no idea what the track or album is) - This was essentially EDM (electronic dance music). Apparently Will I Am is all in with MQA, so I imagine his music will be some of the first releases with the tech. By virtue of my lot in life, I spend a lot of time around EDM. I will admit that I exercise to its as well. However, the crispness and clarity to the sound was pretty spectacular. I imagine nightclubs and million dollar a night dj�s (they exist..) will want this in the arms race to put on the best show possible.

Was not impressed by the now typical M demo featuring Ella and Louis Armstrong. While the M products always seem to do justice to Louis, I struggle with Ella. This is me, but I find the reproduction of here vocals fatiguing. This was a pure old world analog recording that had been processed in some capacity via MQA. I fully acknowledge that this might be me, but I don�t have the same reaction to this on my own gear. This is what makes me wonder about where MQA will yield its greatest benefits. Looking forward to hearing something distinctive in the classical realm, an old classic recording of Rachmaninoff #3 or Bach Cello solo, to determine if there is a classical reissue wave coming, as I initially suspected.

Other demos were:

Dire Straits � Money for Nothing: Don�t have much to compare it to, not on my play list. Was on the list and suggests that Warner Brothers is an early adopter of MQA. Roberta Flack was also Warner Bros..

Norah Jones � Was a recording that I think we have all heard. MQA adds to the recording, giving it�s more range and clarity.

On the hardware front:

I was a little disappointed with some of the answers. There was a question about why you need an updated 818 if you have DSP's with MQA. It was down to "shared processing". Seems odd.

I also wanted to know why M keeps MHR for Sooloos outputs via the 818, when the incoming stream isn't encrypted. The answer was, reduced jitter... Not 100% sure I am buying that. Sort of a deal killer for me.