Tidal has persisted with its support for the MQA hi-res audio format, despite the fact it doesn’t technically offer the ‘lossless’ audio they claim.

Now it seems they are conceding as much, with Tidal CEO Jesse Dorogusker revealing during a Reddit AMA session that the streaming service would soon be adding hi-res lossless FLAC files.

Much like MQA, the option will only be available for Tidal’s HiFi Plus subscribers, but its inclusion basically makes those millions of MQA files completely redundant.

On top of not being a truly lossless format like hi-res FLAC, it also requires a DAC or an amp capable of decoding the files to get the higher quality output.

Tidal already offers lossless FLAC streaming, at a lower CD quality, but this hi-res upgrade will step Tidal up with competitors like Amazon, who already offer hi-res lossless FLAC streaming audio.

This seems like the end of the much-maligned MQA format. Audio geeks will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief.