Audio Video News

Palo Alto, CA-based startup Essential Products has announced that the digital-to-analog (DAC)/adapter that enables its Essential Phone to stream Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)-encoded music via Tidal is now available in the U.S. and Canada.

Dubbed the Audio Adapter HD, the compact accessory is made of machined titanium and described as the first product to incorporate a high-resolution ESS Sabre DAC with hardware MQA rendering and an audiophile-grade amp that can power high-impedance headphones.

Essential is a champion of high-quality music listening as evidenced by the adoption of MQA and its partnership with Tidal. The company offers new Essential Phone owners a three-month subscription to the streaming service’s HiFi tier, which features MQA-encoded titles.

“A modern phone is a complex machine and all too often the sound quality is a neglected afterthought,” said MQA founder and CTO Bob Stuart. “For us the biggest challenge is to make sure that other processes in the handset don’t alter or degrade the sound. Essential has insisted on great sound and so, in them, we have the perfect partner.”

For more information, visit essential.com.