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UPDATE (PLEASE READ)******** The sound quality difference I experienced between the MQA decoded CD and the standard CD audio is because rather than the CD being 16bit (as normal) - the patent says it's 13 bit with 3 bits used for the MQA data - however others now say it’s 15 bit with 1 bit going to the MQA. Apparently the MQA bit(s) get ignored as noise by a standard CD player. I don’t know which spec is true…but the plain fact is that a normal standard CD has the ability to sound better than an MQA CD when played on a normal CD player. There are Loads of complaints about me saying that the "MQA version sounds better" - “how could this be when Brothers in Arms can't ever sound any better than a CD due to the fact it was only mastered at CD quality originally". That's not what was demonstrated in this video. The information below that explains things in more detail. I wasn't comparing the full bitrate CD version of the album vs the MQA version. I didn't play the standard CD version of Brothers In Arms at any point in this video. The comparison in the video was between the *compressed* version of the album (contained on the MQA CD) vs the MQA ‘unfolded’ version (contained on the same CD). SUMMARY: I was comparing the REDUCED BITRATE VERSION vs the MQA UNFOLDED VERSION. And it should be no surprise that the MQA UNFOLDED VERSION sounded the better of these two, not because MQA is brilliant or amazing…it’s just a simple case of the reduced bitrate CD compatible version being audibly hobbled and the MQA one being less hobbled. Just like a 192kbps MP3 sounds better than a 96kbps MP3 one. It doesn’t mean 192kbps is perfect - it’s just better than the 96kbps version. So on to the next question... Could an MQA version of an album that was only ever originally mastered in 44.1khz 16bit sound better than the normal traditional (non MQA) CD version of the album? - No, of course not. The album can only ever sound as good as the original digital master no matter what format it is on. You can read up on the official blurb on MQA Audio here: http://www.mqa.co.uk However I’d really recommend you watch this video about it for independent tests on the claims of MQA https://youtu.be/pRjsu9-Vznc Universal Music Japan’s MQA-CD page (in Japanese) https://www.universal-music.co.jp/international/mqa-uhqcd/ This is a useful site for downloading Hi-res Audio test files (including MQA) http://www.2l.no/hires/ Clearing something up that seems to have caused confusion. MQA existed before MQA-CDs in the form of Downloadable Files & Streaming. That's what all those USB decoders (including mine) are designed to decode. MQA-CDs are an adaption of the MQA format into a physical version that can be sold in Japanese stores (where CDs still sell quite well). ------AFFILIATED LINKS/ADVERTISING NOTICE------- All links are Affiliated where possible. Useful Links below: Amazon have the MQA-CD Samplers listed (AFFILIATED LINKS) AMAZON US Rock & Pop https://amzn.to/2yGGP97 Jazz https://amzn.to/2IrjPKU Classical https://amzn.to/2tw2YSy AMAZON UK Rock & Pop https://amzn.to/2tHjUVl Jazz https://amzn.to/2lzauYl Classical https://amzn.to/2KpGjkm I bought my MQA-CDs from CD Japan http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/feature/Worlds_First_HiRes_CD_by_Universal_Music_Japan