MQA ? Pono? What's better than the CD?

I understand that MQA is separate from Meridian

I have not heard MQA, and neither have most people due to the lack of source material 2 years on.

BUT... it is a new enterprise by Bob Stuart (Meridian)  so it needs to be taken VERY seriously.

Also, rumor has it that MQA makes even regular redbook CD source material sound better.

There is an interview with him online somewhere if you search.

The flip side is that I am starting to get the idea that there is not a huge amount of SQ to be gained with higher sample rates, more bits, etc. when compared to speakers and room treatments, plus better mastering of source material.

IF you have the very best $35,000+ speakers in a listening room that was built solely for listening to those speakers, then things will likely be different for you.

on other forums, many are raving about MQA and DRM...

MQA is a std. that meridian meets, and is something of a "spin-off" from meridian, or bob Stuart's new project, etc.

it is designed to go from end to end - from the source on the masters to the last DAC near your ears

Chris at Computer Audiophile plans an interview with Bob Stuart in the near future, and DAC makers and others with a technical background have been combing thru the MQA process to try and figure out what it really does

but I suspect we will have to actually listen to it... ;]

the difficult issue is that most higher bit rate or bit depth releases have (or may have) used different masterings than an original CD release

so, you really never know if you are listening to the re-mastering or the putative better than CD stream or package

may not matter at the consumer level unless you are thinking of buying a spendy new piece of hardware

the thing to do may be to find where something has been downsampled to CD levels and run thru a good double blind test regime

or just forget about it and upgrade your speakers, or spend a few months dicking around with room treatments...