verifonix
I'm commenting more on the lossy/lossless sound quality debate, and less on the MQA royalties debate. But since you brought it up, are you more concerned about paying them, or whom they go to?
I'll tell you right up front, I'm an OPPO man (which means I'm sticking with what I've got) but it seems to me we're all paying through the nose in every segment of this sport: high streaming subscription fees, high product/equipment costs, technology advancements that encourage and sometimes force constant upgrades--all of which conspire to take a shameful toll on our wallets. Audio is capitalism you can hear and feel!
I'd like to think some of the money I'm spending goes to the artists that create the music I listen to (rather than the middlemen), but when I see the lifestyles of the truly successful artists, I'm less enthusiastic about that part of the game as well.