MQA Champions Master Quality Sound at AXPONA 2019

SEMINARS, PARTNER DEMOS & MUSIC GIVEAWAYS

New York/London, 3 April 2019: MQA, the pioneering company delivering authenticated master quality music in a file small enough to stream, will be participating in the Master Class series and supporting its many partners at AXPONA 2019.   Attendees can learn about MQA’s award-winning technology and experience master quality sound at partner booths across the show, taking place 12-14 April at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, near Chicago.  There will also be some exclusive streaming and download promotions on offer to attendees.

“We are delighted to support our extensive partner base at North America’s largest high-end audio show,” commented MQA CEO Mike Jbara.  “Our commitment is to deliver the master recording all the way through to the consumer, and there will be a wealth of hardware partners and services providing opportunities to learn about and experience MQA music at AXPONA.”

Master Class Schedule

As part of AXPONA’s Master Class series, MQA will participate in the following events which are sponsored by NAD:

Friday 12 April, 3:00-3:45pm

MQA’s CEO Mike Jbara will present a session on Achieving Authentic Studio Quality Sound.  Attendees will learn about MQA’s end-to-end solution, which makes it possible to enjoy the authenticated sound of the studio master in the home or on the go.

Saturday 13 April, 12:00-12:45pm 

Mike Jbara will join MQA partner NAD’s CTO, Greg Stidsen, among other distinguished panellists, in The Future of High Resolution Audio discussion.  Moderated by Besflores Nievara Jr., Brand Ambassador, Music Direct, the session will explore the future for high resolution audio, and the trends driving market and consumer sentiments.  

And to round things off on a light-hearted note, MQA’s Ken Forsythe will host the Audiophile Trivia Face Off, where teams of industry experts and AXPONA attendees will compete for a chance to win the illustrious ‘NAD Sherlock Ohms Award’.  The quiz takes place 1:00-1:45pm on Sunday 14 April.

The events are located in the Master Class Theater (Expo Hall) and are open to all show attendees.

Exhibiting Playback Partners

Hardware partners who are continuing to integrate and expand their MQA offerings include the following companies (with show location):

  • NAD Electronics will showcase its recently introduced flagship product, the M10, a BluOS-enabled amplifier that offers full MQA decoding (Ear Gear Booth 8321)
  • Esoteric will introduce its first MQA-compatible DAC, the Grandioso D1X*, along with the new P1X Transport and N-03T Network Audio Transport, to play MQA files and CDs. The new Grandioso series will support MQA with future firmware updates (Room 388)
  • Technics will be presenting its new SL-G700 Network/Super Audio CD Player*, a multi-digital player that plays back digital audio media from CD and SACD through to streaming services – the player supports the full MQA-CD listening experience (Room 444)
  • Aurender will exhibit the A100 and A30*, its latest MQA-enabled network streamers (Room 634, 640)
  • iFi Audio is announcing the latest firmware update for the Pro iDSD making it the first in the range to support full MQA decoding. The DAC can also be paired with any CD player to experience MQA-CD playback (Ear Gear Booth 8323)
  • EMM Labs will demonstrate its recently released MQA-enabled DV2 Integrated Converter (Room 2, Nirvana B).

* Pending final certification

There will also be opportunities to experience MQA music from partners at the following locations:

  • Astell&Kern (Ear Gear Booth 8301)
  • AudioQuest (Music Direct in Record Fair 9322)
  • Bel Canto (Room 501)
  • Bluesound (Room 8321)
  • Cary Audio (Room 706)
  • dCS (Room 8328, plus Paragon & Quintessence Audio)
  • eXaSound (Room 658)
  • Hegel (1- Schaumburg D)
  • Krell (Room 558)
  • Lumin (Room 1221) 
  • Mark Levinson (Room 1234)
  • MOON by Simaudio (at Quintessence Audio)
  • MSB (Room 430) 
  • Mytek (Expo Hall 9112)

Exclusive AXPONA Offers

Visit our playback partners booth to claim your free streaming or download vouchers (distributed on a first come first served basis) courtesy of MQA’s music service partners:

  • TIDAL Masters is now available across all platforms, enabling music streaming in authenticated MQA quality everywhere.  Try TIDAL HiFi free for 60 days.
  • Onkyo Music offers a wide selection of MQA music for download.  Collect your voucher for a free album download (participating partners only).
  • nugs.net, the home of live music for iconic touring artists including Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Pearl Jam and Dead & Company, is offering free 90-day trials.

Further partnerships with hardware brands and music services continue to develop, visit www.mqa.co.uk for the most up-to-date partner list.

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.

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