Qobuz problems

VinylTrousers

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I've just sent this message to Qobuz, don't know how quickly they'll get back to me so I thought I'd post it here to see if anyone else was having similar issues or could offer some advice, thanks...

I'm currently trialling Qobuz as well as other streaming services and I have to say it would be my favourite but for one problem I'm experiencing. I'm using a desktop PC running windows 10 with an AudioQuest Dragonfly Red DAC, I have Qubuz set to 24bit-96kHz and 'Wasapi exclusive made' selected. The problem I'm having is related to the sample rate. When I start playing a Hi-Res track (24/96) my DAC indicates that it is indeed playing at this rate but as soon as the track buffers (typically 5-10 seconds) the sample rate drops to (16/44) and there is an audible click and a drop out, the track then continues playing at the lower rate. This doesn't happen every time, maybe 70% of the time. Also, occasionally a 16/44 track will start playing and the sample rate will jump up to 24/96 causing a similar click and brief drop-out. I've tried bypassing the DAC, plugging the speakers straight into my PC and noticed the same click and drop-out - so I don't think the problem is with my DAC. Has this problem been reported before or have you any ideas how to remedy it?
 

stephenk

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I've just sent this message to Qobuz, don't know how quickly they'll get back to me so I thought I'd post it here to see if anyone else was having similar issues or could offer some advice, thanks...

I'm currently trialling Qobuz as well as other streaming services and I have to say it would be my favourite but for one problem I'm experiencing. I'm using a desktop PC running windows 10 with an AudioQuest Dragonfly Red DAC, I have Qubuz set to 24bit-96kHz and 'Wasapi exclusive made' selected. The problem I'm having is related to the sample rate. When I start playing a Hi-Res track (24/96) my DAC indicates that it is indeed playing at this rate but as soon as the track buffers (typically 5-10 seconds) the sample rate drops to (16/44) and there is an audible click and a drop out, the track then continues playing at the lower rate. This doesn't happen every time, maybe 70% of the time. Also, occasionally a 16/44 track will start playing and the sample rate will jump up to 24/96 causing a similar click and brief drop-out. I've tried bypassing the DAC, plugging the speakers straight into my PC and noticed the same click and drop-out - so I don't think the problem is with my DAC. Has this problem been reported before or have you any ideas how to remedy it?
hello! I'm new to all this, and I'm curious to know what you think of primephonic in comparison to Quobuz? I'm using it with a cobalt dragonfly from my laptop.
 

VinylTrousers

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hello! I'm new to all this, and I'm curious to know what you think of primephonic in comparison to Quobuz? I'm using it with a cobalt dragonfly from my laptop.
I'm sorry, I've never heard of primephonic, I'm new to this too! I'm trialling Qobuz, Tidal and Amazon HD at the moment. If I can't get this issue sorted with Q i'll probably go with Tidal...
 

VinylTrousers

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I've not heard anything back from Qobuz yet but I have tested a few ideas. I've got a 60 day free trial with Roon so I set it up with Qbz and it works perfectly, the problem is: I can't justify paying for Roon, so I'll have to find another fix unless there is a free program that does a similar job. I also tried Qbz on a laptop and experienced exactly the same issues which leads me to believe it's the app that's causing the problem. I'll keep trying different ideas as they come to me and will keep you all updated.
 

Niallivm

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I've just sent this message to Qobuz, don't know how quickly they'll get back to me so I thought I'd post it here to see if anyone else was having similar issues or could offer some advice, thanks...

I'm currently trialling Qobuz as well as other streaming services and I have to say it would be my favourite but for one problem I'm experiencing. I'm using a desktop PC running windows 10 with an AudioQuest Dragonfly Red DAC, I have Qubuz set to 24bit-96kHz and 'Wasapi exclusive made' selected. The problem I'm having is related to the sample rate. When I start playing a Hi-Res track (24/96) my DAC indicates that it is indeed playing at this rate but as soon as the track buffers (typically 5-10 seconds) the sample rate drops to (16/44) and there is an audible click and a drop out, the track then continues playing at the lower rate. This doesn't happen every time, maybe 70% of the time. Also, occasionally a 16/44 track will start playing and the sample rate will jump up to 24/96 causing a similar click and brief drop-out. I've tried bypassing the DAC, plugging the speakers straight into my PC and noticed the same click and drop-out - so I don't think the problem is with my DAC. Has this problem been reported before or have you any ideas how to remedy it?

Are you UK-based?
I have Qobuz and listen through my MacBook and Meridian DAC. If you have the downgrade consistently with certain albums please share details and I’ll see if the Mac app has the same issues
 

VinylTrousers

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Are you UK-based?
I have Qobuz and listen through my MacBook and Meridian DAC. If you have the downgrade consistently with certain albums please share details and I’ll see if the Mac app has the same issues
Yes, I'm in the UK and will get a list together and post it later, thank you
 

VinylTrousers

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Ok, I've cleared the cache and played a few songs from the Classic Rock Playlist on Qobuz...

Hotel California plays at 96kHz correctly

Sweet Home Alabama plays at 96 correctly

Another Brick in the Wall plays at 44 correctly

La Grange plays at 96 correctly

Bad Moon Rising plays at 96 correctly

Stairway to Heaven plays at 44 should be 96

Knockin on Heavens Door plays at 96 should be 44

Dream On plays at 44 should be 96

I Can't Get No Satisfaction plays at 96 should be 44

Brown Eyed Girl plays at 96 correctly

Something plays at 44 should be 96

For What it's Worth plays at 96 should be 44

Riders on the Storm plays at 44 should be 96

All Along the Watchtower plays at 88 should be 44

Black Magic Woman plays at 96 should be 88

Go Your Own Way plays at 96 correctly

Don't Fear the Reaper plays at 44 should be 96

Mama plays at 44 correctly

Another One Bites the Dust plays at 44 correctly

As you can see, there doesn't appear to be much rhyme or reason to the fault - a bit of a head scratcher this one!
 

Niallivm

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Okay, I'm testing the same playlist using the Mac OS version of the app and there's a similar pattern through my Meridian Explorer DAC. On some tracks it's after around six seconds ("Something"), on others around 22 seconds. It's on the same tracks you've indicated. I have the buffering set to 0s as I thought the drop might be related to the 10s you have but that doesn't seem to make any difference.
To be honest my 59-year-old ears aren't great at hearing the difference between 96khz and 44khz on my B&W headphones but the lights on the DAC show a change and there's that split second drop out. I've been using Qobuz since the autumn and haven't noticed it before. I'll listen out for it now and will report back if I see it on other music.
 

VinylTrousers

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Okay, I'm testing the same playlist using the Mac OS version of the app and there's a similar pattern through my Meridian Explorer DAC. On some tracks it's after around six seconds ("Something"), on others around 22 seconds. It's on the same tracks you've indicated. I have the buffering set to 0s as I thought the drop might be related to the 10s you have but that doesn't seem to make any difference.
To be honest my 59-year-old ears aren't great at hearing the difference between 96khz and 44khz on my B&W headphones but the lights on the DAC show a change and there's that split second drop out. I've been using Qobuz since the autumn and haven't noticed it before. I'll listen out for it now and will report back if I see it on other music.
Thanks for your input, hopefully if a few of us are experiencing and reporting this problem, they will get it sorted. And I hope they do because I'm not keen on Tidal's MQA rendering of Bass. On my setup it's too heavy and crude and masks a lot of the finer detail, It does work with certain songs but spoils others.
 
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Niallivm

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Have a look at this from Qobuz about fluctuating bit rates:(https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...issues-thread/?do=findComment&comment=1095626)
“This issue are know at Qobuz since the last release.
First one is when you play a track at a different quality than the next track. After few second, depending on the load speed, there player send the meta data next track to the dac.
Second issue is when you first play a track in one quality, you cannot change this quality until this track is in the cache.”
Maybe this explains why I think I’ve not experienced the issue in my regular listening- I’m a whole album guy and rarely use playlists for serious listening. Albums shouldn’t vary quality between tracks but playlists do?
 

VinylTrousers

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Have a look at this from Qobuz about fluctuating bit rates:(https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...issues-thread/?do=findComment&comment=1095626)
“This issue are know at Qobuz since the last release.
First one is when you play a track at a different quality than the next track. After few second, depending on the load speed, there player send the meta data next track to the dac.
Second issue is when you first play a track in one quality, you cannot change this quality until this track is in the cache.”
Maybe this explains why I think I’ve not experienced the issue in my regular listening- I’m a whole album guy and rarely use playlists for serious listening. Albums shouldn’t vary quality between tracks but playlists do?
Yes, that all makes sense. At least they appear to know about the problem. It will be a good test of the company to see how quickly they sort it out. Top sleuth!
 
It doesn't seem to make a difference
Fair enough, just a thought that your local network might have been a factor. A year or so ago I got an intermittent issue where the progress bar froze, or jumped every 2 seconds, but that was fixed.
Now I invariably use the Linn app for my streamer, which incorporates Qobuz rather than their own app or desktop.

Maybe it’s the display of bit rate that’s lagging behind the actual track that’s playing, but that’s simply me guessing?
 
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VinylTrousers

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Fair enough, just a thought that your local network might have been a factor. A year or so ago I got an intermittent issue where the progress bar froze, or jumped every 2 seconds, but that was fixed.
Now I invariably use the Linn app for my streamer, which incorporates Qobuz rather than their own app or desktop.

Maybe it’s the display of bit rate that’s lagging behind the actual track that’s playing, but that’s simply me guessing?
I think Niallivm nailed it in post #13 but thanks for your comment. Interesting that proprietary apps like Roon and Linn seem to iron out problems with Qbz.
 
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VinylTrousers

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The latest video on PS Audio's YT channel saw our Paul explaining to a noob the best way to stream audio cheaply. He pretty much described my setup, that is: Window 10 PC, DragonFly DAC, Qobuz etc... but he also stated that Windows/Apple software will ruin the audio quality and that you need to invest in separate software to circumvent this problem and he recommended 'Audirvana'. Is he correct in this regard, I thought if Qobuz was in 'Wasapi exclusive mode' the data was routed around Windows?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqC1qmdmGlk&t=28s
 

johnfryett

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I’m no technical expert but I do know that a general purpose PC running Windows or MacOS is never going to provide the same quality of reproduction as a dedicated streamer, even with an external DAC. There are plenty of “boxes” out there that will do the job you want for a reasonable price - try out a Yamaha WXAD-10, for example - it will cope with Qobuz, Tidal, Spotify and Upnp from a server (eg a NAS). Finally, don’t ignore your LAN - Wi-Fi speed and strength really matters but wired is always best.
 
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Fatburger

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I've not heard anything back from Qobuz yet but I have tested a few ideas. I've got a 60 day free trial with Roon so I set it up with Qbz and it works perfectly, the problem is: I can't justify paying for Roon, so I'll have to find another fix unless there is a free program that does a similar job. I also tried Qbz on a laptop and experienced exactly the same issues which leads me to believe it's the app that's causing the problem. I'll keep trying different ideas as they come to me and will keep you all updated.
I'm using the Linn Kazoo client. I don't hear any issues running Kazoo on my iPad and a UPnP server on a Mac laptop. Running both server and client on the Mac resulted in significant buffering issues.
 

SteveR750

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The latest video on PS Audio's YT channel saw our Paul explaining to a noob the best way to stream audio cheaply. He pretty much described my setup, that is: Window 10 PC, DragonFly DAC, Qobuz etc... but he also stated that Windows/Apple software will ruin the audio quality and that you need to invest in separate software to circumvent this problem and he recommended 'Audirvana'. Is he correct in this regard, I thought if Qobuz was in 'Wasapi exclusive mode' the data was routed around Windows?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqC1qmdmGlk&t=28s
You do not need a library manager like Roon or Audirvana to configure Tidal, or Qobuz to optimum quality, make sure that your windows sound settings have the allow device to take exclusive control box is ticked. Then of course select wasapi event from the streamer app settings. This will configure the app to bypass any windows resampling and also have other notification sounds playing over your music.
 

SteveR750

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Did you get this fixed? I have exactly the same problem! Streaming rate keeps changing around 5s into the song if the rate of the previous song was different. Many 96k tracks just click down to 44.
Same tracks from tidal no issue at all. Having to pay for another app such as audirvana or roon is not an acceptable fix for me.
 

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