Dire Straits [Hi-Res CD (MQA x UHQCD)] [Limited Release] Customer Reviews

I have absolutely no regrets about purchasing my MQA/UHQCD collection from CDJapan. Most of the titles that I have purchased are yet another copy of an album, a CD, or a SACD version that I have in my collection. All I can say about this format is that it is the absolute best sounding version of this album I have ever heard or owned. Unfortunately, it’s sold out now, but CDJapan has a great Proxy shopping arrangement that makes getting sold out titles extremely easy. I’ve used this service a few times without any issues. I have the cardboard sleeve Platinum SHM version of this album and it sounds great. I also own this on Japanese vinyl and the more recently Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab 45RPM mastered vinyl. These all sound good, but the MQA format is far superior to all of the other format’s in my collection. It’s the absolute cleanest and quiet version ever to be released to the general public. MQA/UHQCD’s require special equipment to unfold the amazing sound quality of this outstanding format. It’s worth every dollar spent to hear music the way the artist intended it to be heard. That’s precisely what you get with this format. The clarity of the music is just unbelievable. You hear instruments and richer sounds that most people have never been able to hear. It’s just a unbelievable sounding format and I don’t think you will find a better sounding copy of your personal favorite title than the MQA CD format. I think MQA/UHQCD is more for individuals who love music and want the best possible sounding version of their album that’s possible. Every title that I own sounds unbelievable and the format is the best sounding experience I’ve ever heard. I still play my vinyl, but if I have the MQA version, that’s what I listen to. I would love to see Dire Straits iconic album Making Movies get the MQA treatment.

I never met such a good sound for this album of Dire Straits, everything sound great as should be, and the signal level is fanttastic, I am very happy to listen this cd, this is 10 stars and not only 5, thank you.

I have been listening to this album since I first heard it on the radio in 1979,starting with the LP then Cd,remastered CD then SHM SACD which sounds fantastic...untill now,the MQA UHQCD rules supreme,it was like hearing it for the first time!...there is no doubt this is as close to the original master tape as we can get.Yes,it will depend on your system and your ears 'listening' ability however I am sure it will be 'clear' what the MQA format does for the sonic picture...tight focused bottom end,natural sounding mids and highs,open spacious 3D sound stage..etc In reference to the statement from the previous review regarding"the audible benefits of sample rates above 96k..." there is an interesting fact that has a direct bearing on sample rates and how we hear sound...the human brain takes about 7 micro seconds to process sound to build us a 'picture' containing information such as distance and direction(crucial to our evolutionary survival),if the distance between sample rates is less than or close to that 7ms mark then our brain gives us a far more accurate picture of what we are hearing,only sample rates of 192k and above meet that 7ms mark...this science is a big part of the MQA algorithm and is one of the reasons that given the same source master 192k will sound better than 96k...and you dont need 'bat' ears to hear that although again a high resolution system and experienced 'Ears ' will help...happy listening!!

According to Universal Music Japan and MQA, one of two things are required to enjoy the MQA information embedded in the Red Book 44.1kHz/16-bit audio on this and other MQA CDs: - a CD or Blu-ray Disc player with internal MQA hardware decoding, or - a CD player or Blu-ray Disc player connected via optical or coax to an external MQA-capable DAC. Apparently my Pre Box S2 Digital DAC is only able to identify and play back MQA content over USB, not its optical or coax digital inputs, so I was unable to listen to the MQA stream that way. I used Media Monkey to rip this CD as FLAC files on my computer, and Roon to play those files over USB to the Pre Box S2 Digital. As I was expecting the rips to contain the MQA information, I was not surprised to observe the Pre Box S2 Digital register MQA. I was, however, surprised and puzzled at the sampling rate which the Pre Box S2 Digital displayed. This MQA CD is described as being in 176.4kHz/24-bit, but both Roon and the Pre Box S2 Digital see it as being in 352.8kHz. Frankly, while sounding good, I am admittedly not very familiar with the album, and can't honestly say that what I'm hearing is indicative of an album which has simply been duped without any particular attention to remixing and remastering, or if this is now a significantly superior album representative of such an effort. Furthermore, because of the unusual discrepancy between the sampling rate listed on the jacket and what my software and hardware playback system is telling is being played back, I'm not sure what I'm hearing. Increased resolution is (potentially) a good thing, provided the source material warrants it. But I also am of the opinion that the audible benefits beyond 96kHz are negligible. As someone who is very familiar with MQA (being a partner vendor), I am cognizant of the advantages of MQA as bother space saver and as a tool to improve upon legacy recordings. That being said, this experience has me scratching my head...

After downloading the required software on my UDP Oppo 205 I put this disc on without high expectations. The result was outstanding. The music on this disc rose to another level with superb clarity and depth for a recording done 40 years ago. It clearly surpasses the same recording I have on vinyl and standard CD. Will now look seriously at other available titles and hope for many more releases. Wouldn’t it me wonderful if the Beatles catalog was similarly released.