Qobuz

[geofos63]

I really like the sound quality of Qobuz over Tidal, but I can't deal with the buggy PC app. In my library, I arbitrarily get double entries of albums, it's prone to freezing at times, etc. I'd be a huge fan of the service if not for that issue.

 

[Fatburger]

One HUGE difference is that there's no way to stream Tidal to my Marantz AV8805 in high res without some intermediate piece of equipment. Airplay 2 cuts off at CD quality. I can stream Qobuz at full resolution using a downloadable UPnP server on my Mac laptop and then use the Linn Kazoo client on my iPad (or the Mac - I do see some pause between tracks if I run Kazoo and server on the Mac which makes sense. I see no pause running Kazoo on the iPad. The Kazoo seems quite good enough for me. I looked into Roon and that's an outrageous price for what it does. Full directions for doing what I'm doing are here . I don't hear any significant difference between Tidal and Qobuz, by the way. I'm not always entirely sure that I hear the difference between high rez and CD quality. I hear much more difference with DSD, but I don't know of anybody streaming that. Let me know if you do.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_10153826024370649]

I ran Qobuz and Tidal subscriptions simultaneously for almost 6 months, now I'm with Qobuz solely. Tried Amazon HD too, but it's lack of Roon integration was a deal-breaker for me in the end. Never liked the Tidal Master format, Qobuz files always sounded better. MQA is not "Master Quality" at all - it's a proprietary, DRM, perceptual "lossy" format. A solution to a non-existent problem and a way for big businesses to get rich at the expense of the artist and consumer.

 

[flouncer]

I still hop between them all, but I find navigating Amazon HD a little frustrating, Tidal seems to suffer from rap pollution, and Quobuz with its keep it simple approach the most usable and suitable for me.

Pity Amazon HD wasnt available on usb pro, or other similar apps, OSs.

 

[jimmyvail]

Sorry but Tidal does not sound better than Qobuz, particularly when playing 24/96 or 24/192 Qobuz files.

 

[kdbur]

I used Qobuz for a few years and love the sound and the layout of the app but being a techno lover, there were too many gaps to stay on, after Amazon HD became available.

 

[kdbur]

I still hop between them all, but I find navigating Amazon HD a little frustrating, Tidal seems to suffer from rap pollution, and Quobuz with its keep it simple approach the most usable and suitable for me.

Pity Amazon HD wasnt available on usb pro, or other similar apps, OSs.

Yep, I agree with all your points but the genre's of what I listen to most, made me forgo the benefits of qobuz, in the end.............. and am kinda reasonable happy with Amazon HD.

 

[James Robinson]

I have taken out a trial Tidal subscription a number of times (after each time What Hifi gives it a 5*review) - every time I have cancelled and uninstalled the application after a day or so. I mainly listen to classical music, and Tidal's classical offering (last time I signed up) was very limited in scope and search results were frustrating.

Qobuz, by contrast, presents both classical and pop music in a clear way - perhaps generally Qobuz favours albums over "tracks", which suits the way I listen (and anybody who wants to listen to classical). New releases are easy to browse on Qobuz, distinguished (fairly successfully) by genre. I have never had any complaints about the sound, and its HiRes subscription seems excellent value to me.

To my mind Qobuz is the streaming service of choice for those who want to listen to classical or (from what others say) jazz. Perhaps Tidal may be better for pop music, but What Hifi's reviews should make this distinction very clear.

 

[nopiano]

To my mind Qobuz is the streaming service of choice for those who want to listen to classical or (from what others say) jazz. Perhaps Tidal may be better for pop music, but What Hifi's reviews should make this distinction very clear.

I’d definitely second this. I tried Tidal for the second time a few months ago, and it was ok, but it was relief to return to Qobuz. I mainly listen to Classical, with some jazz and pop/rock. Furthermore the annual £149.99 for high resolution seems great value to me.

 

[petergabriel]

And once again a review states that one service sounds better than another. Makes no sense, as they are both using Flac, so how come one supposedly sounds better than the other? Most streamers will cache the flac files before they are played, so can't have anything to do with how the file is delivered. And how sure are WH that they are listening to the exact same masters? Has anyone compared the size of each platforms flacs, to see if the better sounding ones are less compressed, putting less strain on the player when unpacking?

 

[Henri]

In Australia Tidal has been around for a while, Qobuz less than a month at time of writing this. I had been using Deezer at CD quality for quite a while and was happy enough at the time but thought I'd try Tidal because of all the up talk around it (note: Amazon HD is NOT yet available to Australian subscribers).
My system was then comprised of an Emotiva XSP -1 Gen 2 preamp, out to 2 x Emotiva XPA 100 monoblocks (via laptop into NAD DAC) and then to a pair of GoldenEar Triton Ones.
So, I tried a 3 month free trial of Tidal - at the end = no thanks. Insipid , grainy bass at times, music without a sense of envolvement. Sure, can be detailed and articulate (MQA of no interest to me - tried the 1st unfold via my Dragonfly Cobalt but, yea - na). Even via my Android phone bluetoothed to my car amp I consistantly found Tidal last behinf Deezer (even humble ol' Spotify at times) - there was just magic 'something' lacking all around.
Two months ago I sold the Emotiva gear and dropped in a new NAD M33 to simplify my room and life. Streaming all happening now via the BlueOS app - fantastic! When Qobuz was dropped on the Aussie scene last month I immediately signed for a 1 month trial - have about a week to go at time of writing.
Pros:
- Amazing sound quality - clean, detailed with bass heft and impact (of course all dependent on source material as always). I listen to Jazz, Blues, Ambient, trance, other odd/weird electronic music and abstracted sounds, plus some classic rock in small doses when I feel nostalgic.
- Great layout on Windows app, Android app - I find them very easy to use and navigate (your mileage may vary here)BlueOS does it's own thing and could be better here but I digress...
- Listing of bit rate is a big plus, as is the ability to view and change DAC source with WASAPI coverage etc
- PDF Booklets plus commentary (when available)
- Reasonable price for a yearly sub which i intend to do next week
- Qobuz does NOT nag me with Hip Hop and Rap screens and/or similar recommendations at all which Tidal ALWAYS did, regardless of my listening history.
- Multiple versions of an album are NOT a problem in my personal view. These 'multies' seem to be extended or special anniversary issues. Granted, I think Qobuz could label these with a bit more obviousness in the thumbnail view but nice to see them there anyway.
Cons:
- Catalogue is limited. In Australia this 'may' be a regional licensing issue, and, as a new service I will have to see how it pans out as it can take time for companies to make all their agreements. I intend to keep Deezer as well because of this issue as they fill in all the gaps here. I've long dropped Spotify.
- As others have said, even over 3 weeks I've noticed items disappear and then reappear...what is THAT about?...
Conclusion:
My take on all this is that it (your experience of the final SQ seems to be very dependent on: your system, your region, your musical tastes and personal prefs for app navigation etc.
Regarding the above post questioning how FLAC files can sound different on different services, well, others elsewhere online have suggested that each streaming company somehow injects a 'house' sound in there catalogues- intentionally or unintentionally. Perhaps due to unavoidable differences in their electronics/servers/wires/ancillary equipment (audiophiles tell you this all the time with home gear - why not the same with Tidal or Qubuz central?) Also, we don't know if they are all using the same FLAC files anyway, nor do we really know if any form of remastering/adjusting or whatever is going on (2nd poster mentioning French library files...hmmmmm).

I'm very happy to stick with Qubuz and Deezer for quite a few months an see where it all goes, but Tidal is not getting my money ever again.

 

[Nini des Bois]

Qobuz may be one of the best sounding streaming services out there, but that doesn't mean it is the best option for all.

Qobuz : Read more

Votre article n'est pas à jour : les prix ont baissés et depuis 1 mois ou 2 Qobuz propose une playlist "sélectionné pour vous" qui équivaut aux recommandations par algorithmes de Spotify et autres services de Streaming