Whatever you think about MQA, the delivery of recording studio quality to your ears, it is a very nice system for receiving higher bit rates, Essential smartphones get this. Most streaming music (90% it says here*) is received by a smartphone so it makes sense, if you are into it, to get your Audio delivered on you phone as nicely as possible. For example I use an Android Nexus 6P at the moment, or a Pioneer XDP-100R, with AVS EVOLVE in ear monitors.

With this in mind Essential smartphones, founded by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, has partnered with MQA to deliver their technology to you ears. I for one cannot wait, indeed my finger is hovering over an Essential-ph1 as we speak.

Essential Customers will be able to stream MQA music via TIDAL, through the App in Google Play. One in the eye to the Apple slaves out there, I just hope it works and sounds great.

* IFPI’s report ‘Connecting With Music’