UPDATE: Check out my post on How to get the best sound quality from the TIDAL app and MQA!
TIDAL Masters MQA is now available on iOS as well! Check out our post about it here.
TIDAL announced today that it will be making TIDAL Masters, their implementation of MQA high-resolution streaming, available to all Android smartphones via an upcoming update to the TIDAL Android app. Up until now, only those with certain Android devices like the LG V30, LG V40, and the Essential Phone with an Audio Adapter HD attached could stream MQA directly from the TIDAL app since they have built-in MQA Decoders.
However, with the new update, the TIDAL Android app will incorporate its own MQA software decoder, allowing any Android smartphone to take advantage of high-resolution music streaming.
The following is courtesy of TIDAL and MQA:
TIDAL MASTERS NOW ON MOBILE
TIDAL’s Android App Adds MQA To Deliver Studio Quality Sound On The Move
Las Vegas/New York/London, 7 January 2019: TIDAL Masters is now available on all Android smartphones, so you can experience studio quality sound with TIDAL Masters wherever you choose to listen.
Global music and entertainment platform, TIDAL, first announced its partnership with MQA at CES in January 2017, after integrating MQA’s award-winning technology into its TIDAL HiFi tier on desktop. MQA captures, packages and delivers the original sound, at the highest quality, and in a file small enough to stream. With the latest update, the TIDAL Android app will now include the MQA decoder.
As listening habits evolve, mainstream audiences are increasingly choosing to stream music and listen on their mobile devices.
Mike Jbara, MQA CEO, stated, “We know that most music fans are choosing to stream on their phones. MQA’s view is that you should have the best quality sound regardless of where you’re listening. We’re delighted that, through our ongoing collaboration with TIDAL, access to master quality audio is now expanding across mobile.”
Lior Tibon, TIDAL COO, commented, “This is a major advancement for the audiophile community and TIDAL’s HiFi members. As our platform evolves, our partnership with MQA continues to expand and cements our position as a leader in the High-Fidelity audio space.”
MQA has partnerships with all three major record labels, as well as the independent label community, and the range of master quality music continues to grow rapidly, covering new releases and catalogue recordings.
TIDAL members can learn more about Master quality audio on TIDAL.com/Masters
About TIDAL
TIDAL is an artist-owned global music and entertainment platform that brings artists and fans closer together through unique original content and exclusive events.
Available in 53 countries, the streaming service has more than 60 million songs and 244,000 high quality videos in its catalog along with original video series, podcasts, thousands of expertly curated playlists and artist discovery via TIDAL Rising. With the commitment of its owners to create a more sustainable model for the music industry, TIDAL is available in premium and HiFi tiers—which includes Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) recordings.
In the US, Sprint customers with the Unlimited Plus plan are able to access a “free-forever” TIDAL membership. For more information, please visit www.tidal.com.
About MQA
Using pioneering scientific research into how people hear, the MQA team has created a technology that captures the sound of the original studio performance. The master MQA file is fully authenticated and is small enough to stream or download, while also being backward compatible, so you can play MQA music on any device. MQA’s award-winning technology is licensed by labels, music services and hardware manufacturers worldwide and is certified by the RIAA. MQA is a UK-based private company.
For more information visit www.mqa.co.uk
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I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My thirst for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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