Audio Video News

Little has been said about the future direction of MQA since last September when Lenbrook Media Group (LMG) — the Canadian parent company of PSB, NAD, and Bluesound — acquired the assets of MQA Ltd after the beleaguered company filed for bankruptcy protection in April of 2023.

Lenbrook yesterday broke its silence in announcing a trio of audio-processing products from the newly formed MQA Labs that aim to bring enhancements across the music supply chain. The products reflect a “passion to improve the whole audio chain and bring the highest quality recording, distribution, and playback technologies to benefit the entire specialty audio industry and its fans,” according to the company.

MQA Labs will draw on three distinct technologies to execute its mission of enhancing audio quality:

• AIRIA by MQA Labs (also known as SCL6) is a high-resolution codec for wireless transmission that is said to seamlessly ensure the “best resolution possible regardless of bandwidth availability.” The codec, recently underwent a successfully trial for use as a distribution code that is described as perfect for streaming services. “As a transmission codec, it shines as a high-resolution codec with dramatic operational savings and reliability,” Lenbrook said.

• FOQUS by MQA Labs is described as “an innovative approach for analog-to-digital conversion.” No other details were provided.

• QRONO by MQA Labs aims to bring a variety of audio processing enhancements to audio playback devices, though no other specifics were cited.

“The digitization of an analog signal introduces a range of imperfections to the resulting audio file,” explained Lenbrook’s chief technology officer Greg Stidsen. “One of the most common and critical is something often referred to as time smearing — when the resolution of two sounds is reduced because their timing is incorrectly reproduced within the digital file. MQA Labs’ team are experts in time-domain audio improvements, having invented many of the techniques to avoid or eliminate such audio defects.”

Gordon Simmonds, CEO of LMG parent company The Lenbrook Group, added: “These developments confirm our instincts around this team and the value of the IP. While the choice and accessibility of MQA content remains a priority for us, this was never about a single codec.”

Lenbrook says initial response from the industry has been positive.

“We are inspired by the reactions of our partners who are incorporating these technologies into their products,” said Mike Jbara, vice president and general manager of Lenbrook Media Group. “This is a milestone moment for us. We are committed to receiving and applying feedback from the market in how we apply our technologies and ensuring they are more flexible and accessible throughout the music supply chain.”

For more information, visit mqalabs.com.