Pioneer’s XDP-100R digital audio player
Pioneer has enabled MQA playback for its XDP-100R digital audio player via an update to the native music app, which can also be found on Google Play. Pioneer’s XDP-100R is the first MQA-enabled portable digital audio player and is currently available for $700. Attendees for the upcoming AXPONA audio expo can experience the new sound by visiting the Pioneer booth 39X in the Michigan Ballroom at the Westin O’Hare.
When listening to MQA music on the XDP-100R, the MQA display indicates that the product is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file and a green light signifies that the sound is faithful to that of the source material. MQA Studio (indicated by a blue light in the app) plays files which have either been approved in the studio by the artist/producer or has been verified by the copyright owner.
Bob Stuart, MQA’s creator, commented: “We are very excited to launch MQA on the Pioneer XDP-100R. Throughout the implementation process, the MQA listening tests have been astounding and we’re looking forward to hearing customers’ reactions to MQA on the portable player. We continue to work with the music industry and you will see much more MQA music in the market very soon. It’s an exciting time for MQA and our partners.”
OnkyoMusic provides all of its downloads in FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) and MQA formats. FLAC is an audio format that compresses audio without any loss in quality. With webstores available in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, consumers can enjoy MQA music on the XDP-100R and listen to studio master quality audio. The X-DAP Link music transfer application with MQA support will be released soon. The current build will display MQA files as FLAC/WAV, but once transferred to the XDP-100R will properly display MQA or MQA Studio.
