Audio Video News

MQA is coming to CDs, with the first releases arriving from Ottava and Chesky. Master Quality Authenticated is a form of “audio origami” that folds down hi-res audio into more manageable file sizes and streams. It can travel in a “CD quality” stream, so why not release it on CD?

Ottava’s first MQA release is A. Piazzolla by Strings and Oboe by the UNAMAS Piazzolla Septet. Chesky’s first MQA release is Camille Thurman’s Inside the Moment, followed by Rebecca Pidgeon’s The Raven. MQA is also supported by two major music conglomerates, Universal and Warner, though not yet on CD (at press time). MQA CDs play on any CD player, but to get maximum quality, the player must be connected to an MQA-capable DAC