Japanese audio manufacturer TEAC has announced that its NR-7CD Network CD Player/Integrated Amplifier and NT-505 USB DAC/Network Player can both now be upgraded for free to add support for MQA.
MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) is an award-winning technology that captures and faithfully reproduces the sound of an album’s original studio master tapes in a digital format that’s small enough to stream and download easily. Conventional MP3 music files compress music by throwing away up to 90% of the data in the music file. It’s fine for casual listening but not much use for those who want the convenience of digital audio but down want to compromise on audio quality.
Bob Stuart, former co-founder of Meridian Audio, developed MQA and it’s ideal for streaming hi-res music over slower Internet connections without compromising on audio quality. MQA music is available via TIDAL’s Masters streaming service and tracks can be bought and downloaded from sites such as Onkyo’s music store. You can find out more about MQA by visiting the MQA website .
TEAC has something of an obsession with delivering hi-res music and the addition of MQA capability to its two high-end streamers, the NR-7CD and NT-505. This is TEAC’s latest step forward and will be welcomed by owners of TEAC gear. The upgrade to MQA is available via firmware upgrades and comprehensive instructions can be found at TEAC’s website.
Andy Dowell, Director of Licensing MQA says: “TEAC’s adoption of MQA provides consumers with even more choice when it comes to listening to master quality music. We’re delighted to welcome such a well-known quality brand to our ever expanding base of MQA-enabled hardware partners.”
The NR-7CD is part of TEAC’s ‘New Vintage Line’ line of leading-edge audio components with a retro-modern design, while the NT-505 is part of TEAC’s Reference series, a range of compact audio separates that encompasses USB DAC/headphone amplifiers, amplifiers, disc players, as well as DAC/network playback devices.
