Qobuz

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the What HiFi community: the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products.

geofos63

Member
Dec 28, 2020
1
0
20
Visit site
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

Member
Feb 7, 2021
5
0
20
Visit site
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.
 
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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EricLeRouge

flouncer

Well-known member
Mar 6, 2020
10
1
4,525
Visit site
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.
 

kdbur

Well-known member
Dec 7, 2015
42
8
18,545
Visit site
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

Well-known member
Dec 7, 2015
42
8
18,545
Visit site
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

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2020
9
4
1,525
Visit site
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.
 
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

Well-known member
Oct 30, 2019
50
8
4,545
www.petergabriel.dk
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?
 
  • Like
Reactions: SkippyBE

Henri

Well-known member
Jun 24, 2020
8
3
525
Visit site
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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EricLeRouge

Natan90NL

Well-known member
Nov 2, 2021
44
8
545
Visit site
I know Sonos isn’t considered hifi, but after hearing Qobuz 24bit 48khz lossless on Sonos 5.1 arc ones sub set, damm that’s a big difference compared to Apple Music and Tidal. With true play and “neutral eq” it sounds really good.

Only the catalogue seems to fall short but the music “styles” like recommended, most streamed etc are also nice on Qobuz.
 

mickylane

Active member
Jan 31, 2022
1
1
25
Visit site
I have spent so much time testing and comparing the sound quality on Tidal and Qobuz recently and I’ve come to the conclusion that it really does come down to personal preference-I am not sure if it is correct to say categorically that “X is better than Y” as there are so many factors at play such as what equipment you are using, what genre you listen to, and ultimately what sounds good to your ears is a very personal thing which is different for everyone. So there is no right or wrong here, just go with whatever sound you personally prefer with your particular equipment.
For me personally I was initially obsessed with the amazing clarity and detail of the Qobuz sound, with every layer of sound being so perfectly clean crisp and clear, with lush timbres, especially on the mids and highs. So I had Qobuz as my front runner initially.
However, I have now come to the conclusion that for me with my equipment I much prefer the sound of Tidal.
I think one of the main reasons is that Tidal compliments my particular headphones better than Qobuz. As I am using Sennheiser HD800 headphones with Sennheiser HDVD 800 DAC/amp, these headphones already give a very detailed “clinical” sound at the expense of some warmth, bass, and cohesiveness of the music as a whole. So with the Qobuz sound also being similarly very clinical I find it just that little bit too clinical: it’s quite flat, “dull”, too trebly and “middy”, lacking bass, depth, “punch” and cohesiveness overall, which makes the listening experience not as enjoyable for me.
Tidal is more enjoyable for my ears as it sounds more full-bodied, cohesive, richer, well-balanced between lows mids and highs, with more warmth, depth, soul, life and “oomph” (for want of a better word!), whilst still providing a sufficient level of detail and clarity across the different layers of sound.
Even though I find the clarity, detail, and timbre of the mids and trebles superior on Qobuz (perhaps this is what makes it so popular with listeners of classical music in particular?) for me this does not lead to a favourable overall sound when considering the music as a whole. Tidal’s overall sound is “greater than the sum of it’s parts” for me, if you get what I mean.
But again, each to their own- I can completely understand why many people would prefer the Qobuz sound to Tidal, and vice versa. Our ears are all different. And again, that sound will vary depending on what headphones or speakers each individual is using: I am sure that if I tried out various different speakers and headphones / setups I may find Qobuz better in some cases.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EricLeRouge

Titntin64

Member
Mar 31, 2022
2
1
20
Visit site
After nearly 6 years with Tidal, I have just switched to Qobuz as it sounds a lot better on my set-up. I have a Sony receiver and headphones that both support hi-res and the sound is just a lot more spacial and detailed than Tidal. I'm also saving £60 a year now that Qobuz is £14.99 after the free month trial. I also tried Amazon music HD as that also has a free trial but that sounded no better than Tidal on my set up so I quickly discounted that option.

The funny thing is I'm sure Tidal used to sound a lot better than it does now and I haven't changed any aspect of my set-up. I note Qobuz mentions compatibility with Sony whereas Tidal doesn't, so maybe they had a falling out.


I agree whole heartedly!
Like almost everyone I've spoken to on hi fi user groups, Roon forums etc, I find Qobuz to be the best quality streams by far. I did use Tidal for a while, but there's no comparison, standard CD's sound much more like the original than the same tidal version. You need to match releases of course, as a decent mastering can make all the difference, but where I can compare the original CD with streams on Qobuz and Tidal, Qobuz is demonstrably better and almost indistinguishable from my own CD, where I find Tidal is not the same and sounds worse.

Unlike the article, I would contend this also applies to the high res tracks where I find a proper flak file which is a bit copy perfect of the source, is miles better than MQA that 'went through the magic box to make it better'. Its difficult to ensure you are always comparing the same master, but trying new releases after a new remaster can often get you comparable tracks
I'm not saying I have not heard good recording from MQA, I have. But when you find two copies of the same master - the original unaltered 24 bit flac file has always sounded better than the MQA format. Not going to open this huge can of worms here, but MQA is lossy and you can hear it.

After a year of keeping both services, I ditched Tidal as I never used it due to poorer sound quality and only played from there if the title were not available on Qobuz, which doesn't happen to me very often. Your millage may vary if like modern rap hip hop etc, as Tidal is very much geared to that output and I don't consume it at all.

Overall, if sound quality is your concern, I would highly recommend you at least audition Qobuz.
I've been a hi-fi man for nearly 50 years now, and a trained audio engineer who helped in the construction and setting up of several London recording studios. Sound is all that important to me and I have no brand loyalties or axes to grind.
If you are reading this and have not tried Qobuz, I'd urge you to do so if the best reproduction of music is important to you. Happy listening!!
 

Henri

Well-known member
Jun 24, 2020
8
3
525
Visit site
I agree whole heartedly!

Overall, if sound quality is your concern, I would highly recommend you at least audition Qobuz.
I've been a hi-fi man for nearly 50 years now, and a trained audio engineer who helped in the construction and setting up of several London recording studios. Sound is all that important to me and I have no brand loyalties or axes to grind.
If you are reading this and have not tried Qobuz, I'd urge you to do so if the best reproduction of music is important to you. Happy listening!!


Thanks T64 - I appreciate your perspective.

UPDATE from my last input almost 1 year ago:

After living with Qobuz (and still Deezer) for the last year I have not changed my mind - Tidal's sound is of lesser quality in, 'my' system - your mileage may vary. Again, system is NAD M33 out to GoldenEar Triton Ones. All control done through the bluOs app on Samsung tablet.
As a last test I again ran Tidal as a trial (new email address) for one more time and did many comparisons of many styles of music. Limits are of course:
(1) A slight delay in switching over using the BluOs app but it's pretty minimal and can't be helped
(2) I can never be sure that I'm listening to the same master or version...

However, after many files and styles, running Qobuz I consistently heard better separation, clearer highs, tighter bass and more detail.
Tidal while nice, always sounded slightly more 'dull', less expansive or engaging, while it's bass was often a bit too 'pushed' forward.
Same results with headphones, although sometimes Tidal had more weight and attack 'punch'. My cans are not audiophile grade as I do not do critical listening on headphones, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Pros for Tidal = great 'Tidal Connect' feature which is just so easy to use through the BluOs app. I do wish Qobuz would build something just as good. Have mentioned it but they say it's way down the track...

Cons on Qobuz = in this regard is that with BluOs I have to use their app 'within' BluOs itself (Deezer is like this also). This can sometimes lead to slow loading and seeking, plus the app layout is a bit limited in terms of easy search for your Favorites. BluOs is a bit of a closed ecosystem but I now accept that and just hope for improvements over the years.

BTW - Amazon HD arrived in Australia after my last post and, after a trial (in fact before it ended) I just laughed and deleted it. Sound quality was on a par with Deezer but the app, either Android or Win desktop was terrible, with a limited jazz and electronic catalogue that made Qobuz's look like a veritable galactic library. As for Spotify Hi Fi - I'm still laughing...

Having said all this, I have to say that the vast majority of my listening is from my own ripped FLAC library of many thousands of tracks from ripped CDs or downloads from over the decades. Streaming is secondary to my listening but very important for finding and evaluating before purchasing my own copies.
 

Praefectus

Member
Jun 23, 2022
2
1
20
Visit site
In the last 5 months I have tested Deezer, Amazon HD, Apple, Tidal, Spotify and Qobuz.

  1. Tidal and every song which have "Master" label is no longer lossless. Even with HiFi trier. MQA is lossy and if you choose to stream CD Quality they will serve you FOLDED MQA coded music anyways. Lossless are tracks without their "Master" label. I don't buy the MQA crap. Author said that Tidal sounds better than Qobuz. It is because his ears has been lied by MQA company. MQA is 'tuned up' lossy codec.
  2. Deezer is CD Quality. It's fine when you change your sample late manually to 16bit 44,1 khz. That's all.
  3. Amazon's HD Wasapi in Exclusive mode is not working so there's no point of having HiRes if you can't use your DAC to listen with bit-perfect mode. You have to change the sample rate (manually) of your DAC every time you listen different song that have different sample rate.
  4. Apple Music, sounds good but their Windows App is a disaster. Outdated crap with very limited options, also their ALAC don't speak to me as it is no longer FLAC (OpenSource).
  5. Qobuz - Their golden standard is brilliant CD Quality and LOTS of HiRes music with very good support of Wasapi in Exclusive mode. So DAC is changing its sample rate every time song needs it. I have an impression that Qobuz sounds the best and most premium of all. Their customer support is also brilliant.
  6. Spotify - laughable ;))
 
  • Like
Reactions: Natan90NL

fdasdfaaDf

Member
Sep 4, 2022
1
0
20
Visit site
Amazon's HD Wasapi in Exclusive mode is not working so there's no point of having HiRes if you can't use your DAC to listen with bit-perfect mode. You have to change the sample rate (manually) of your DAC every time you listen different song that have different sample rate.

Can you share a link where a study shows upsampling will actually "degrade" HiRes sound quality if bit perfect wasn't used? I couldn't find it anywhere. I see it similar to upscaling from 1080p video to 4k, 2k to 4k and 4k to 4k. I don't see a degradation, only wasted bandwidth and processing power and that wasted bandwidth only occurs between host and dac.
 
Last edited:

Natan90NL

Well-known member
Nov 2, 2021
44
8
545
Visit site
I’m so confused. I always agree and love the what hifi reviews. Many years ago (for me) AKG headphones, Apple products, KEFls50w2 etc etc.

But Tidal? MQA compared to Flac from Qobuz or Apple Music lossless? Don’t we all think Qobuz and Apple Music sounds better? What makes theTidal sound quality so good then? I’m honestly interested.

Despite my confusion, many thanks for all the awesome reviews.
 

flouncer

Well-known member
Mar 6, 2020
10
1
4,525
Visit site
While I prefer Qobuz, I find Tidal better integrated with most of my products which adds a bias to my choice outside of music quality and personal recommendations. :(
 

aleph.cruz

Member
Jan 26, 2023
1
0
20
Visit site
Qobuz (-Qz-) has meant a definite lot to me — music hasn’t ever felt so real. I don’t know how much may’ve changed since What Hi·Fi’s review, but as of today, Qz is definitely, 100% better than Tidal — this so much as objectively cos, when the records get modified, not by their conceiver for the listener but by whoever for the streaming service something’s bound to go wrong, – like, there’s just a loss of integrity in it, right? Innit? As many have commented already, Qz’s CD quality’s just evidently cleaner, but it’s when you notice that cleanliness that you really catch it. I very much liked the following comment as its terms were aesthetically telling to me:

I have spent so much time testing and comparing the sound quality on Tidal and Qobuz recently and I’ve come to the conclusion that it really does come down to personal preference-I am not sure if it is correct to say categorically that “X is better than Y” as there are so many factors at play such as what equipment you are using, what genre you listen to, and ultimately what sounds good to your ears is a very personal thing which is different for everyone. So there is no right or wrong here, just go with whatever sound you personally prefer with your particular equipment.
For me personally I was initially obsessed with the amazing clarity and detail of the Qobuz sound, with every layer of sound being so perfectly clean crisp and clear, with lush timbres, especially on the mids and highs. So I had Qobuz as my front runner initially.
However, I have now come to the conclusion that for me with my equipment I much prefer the sound of Tidal.
I think one of the main reasons is that Tidal compliments my particular headphones better than Qobuz. As I am using Sennheiser HD800 headphones with Sennheiser HDVD 800 DAC/amp, these headphones already give a very detailed “clinical” sound at the expense of some warmth, bass, and cohesiveness of the music as a whole. So with the Qobuz sound also being similarly very clinical I find it just that little bit too clinical: it’s quite flat, “dull”, too trebly and “middy”, lacking bass, depth, “punch” and cohesiveness overall, which makes the listening experience not as enjoyable for me.
Tidal is more enjoyable for my ears as it sounds more full-bodied, cohesive, richer, well-balanced between lows mids and highs, with more warmth, depth, soul, life and “oomph” (for want of a better word!), whilst still providing a sufficient level of detail and clarity across the different layers of sound.
Even though I find the clarity, detail, and timbre of the mids and trebles superior on Qobuz (perhaps this is what makes it so popular with listeners of classical music in particular?) for me this does not lead to a favourable overall sound when considering the music as a whole. Tidal’s overall sound is “greater than the sum of it’s parts” for me, if you get what I mean.
But again, each to their own- I can completely understand why many people would prefer the Qobuz sound to Tidal, and vice versa. Our ears are all different. And again, that sound will vary depending on what headphones or speakers each individual is using: I am sure that if I tried out various different speakers and headphones / setups I may find Qobuz better in some cases.

Absolutely, yes: I can’t afford a DAC so I just use my Mac’s –which allegedly tops at 32 bits / 96 kHz– and I don’t worry about the amp so that it’s just that and a Sony WH-1000XM5 headset, a rather good headset that really exploits Qz’s richness as described by mickylane above & also exposes Tidal’s faults, — namely the corruption of so many records! The corruption is indeed also as described by mickylane, thus rendering a better record at times — as other people have noted before me. This is, if you’d like to make a test right now, the case with U2’s Invisible, whereas Qz’s supremacy is patent all through Coldplay’s Everyday Life, and even –this should be quite a differential for anyone anyway– through Ye’s Yeezus. But I also enjoy Qz better through a Bose Revolve, and most certainly through some ‘cheap’ wired EarPods. As a matter of fact –this is somewhat terrible–, I don’t think—I really do not think that I’ll ever enjoy music as much as I’m doin’ right now with Qobuz, with any other streaming service (–I’ve tried ’em all–). And this is terrible because I’m finding Qobuz increasingly unreliable, on the software-side of things.

Qz’s iOS & macOS apps are a genuine disgrace. Some days are better than others, and then some days are awful: the apps (specially iOS’s) will (1) skip records from within the play queue, ‘refusing,’ as it were, to play them until they’ve skipped ’em all! (For instance, if you’re gonna play an album, it’ll skip every record before allowing you to play any single one for real — if you interrupt it –from skipping them–, insisting upon playing the album or, say, it’s head record, the app will just start skippin’em again! Its kind of funny actually — if not downright annoying), (2) take comparatively long times, and sometimes really long times loading whatever, certainly due to server-side issues (cos the client’s side works just fine with Tidal, Deezer, etc.), (3) display, out of the blue, enigmatic error prompts declaring that ‘whatever’ couldn't be loaded — then you close and reopen the app and it happens again, so you just wait a minute or so until it is, just as enigmatically as it went off, working back again, (4) just stop playback; and I honestly believe that I were to keep thinking I’d come up with more. And this worries me cos it suggests bad software maintenance — period. It could be some other thing though... I’m in Colombia, which probably matters a lot when it comes down to this. But beware: these crashes, they’ve been reported elsewhere too, and it’s been this last week that they’ve become really much more frequent; think of Twitter’s quality of service fluctuations since Musk’s instalment and you’ll see what I mean.

Then there’s also a few lags in software development. Qz doesn’t offer an EQ — not that it needs it, which is awesome (for headphones, say), but one does enjoy playing with one’s music. Qz doesn’t display any record’s lyrics either, which hurts when you wanna sing somethin’. I don’t think its interface is that handsome either... By which I mean enjoyable.

I think the prices are fair, — really fair. A month here costs a dollar more than a month of Apple’s, so you see what I mean... — & they’d just cost the same if you were to buy the annual subscription, but who would amidst such uncertainty? — Look, I’m listening to some music as I put this together and error #1 just happened. It’s inconvenient, this software...

But music’s never felt so real.

——

A tiny note on something important:

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?

This is an understandable mistake, because it is on these terms that streaming services are being marketed. You can encode silence as mp3, as FLAC, you know? Flac can be whatever, or rather anything can be (as) FLAC. The really important thing is how the records play to you, for real. ALAC, Master-whatever don’t matter ‘cause it can, it very much can still sound horrendous — sound and all aesthetic matters are mandatorily personal. So the baseline here’s, test it!
 

sivapu

Member
May 10, 2023
1
0
20
Visit site
I would defo go with Amazon HD, great value and huge selection, but I doesn't cast in CD quality (or above) to my Chromecast Audio so it's Tidal for me!
Definitely do not og with Amazon hd because Geoff Bozos is a PROFANITY DELETED that should have sunk into the ocean together with his completely environment-damaging toxic gas emitting space rocket, but unfortunately he didn't exploit the engineers enought to sabotage the whole thing, so there's only boycott of this company left as a last measure to stop them from achieving total world domination.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Anderlfs

Member
Jun 22, 2023
1
0
20
Visit site
There are several streaming services available, but all seem to have some shortcoming. It would be interesting for What Hi-Fi to reevaluate the services, since a lot has happened since 2020.

At first I thought that Tidal with MQA was the best, but when I changed the iFi Dac I was using for a Topping E50, I discovered that it was my iFi Dac that didn't perform well with non-MQA audio. So I started using Qobuz. I recently tested Amazon Music Unlimited, but all the potential of that service was useless because Wasapi/Asio was not fully implemented in Windows 11 and with IOs/iPad, although all the way through it showed 44.1kHz, the E50 display showed 192kHz, i.e. upsampling. A pity. I clearly heard sound degradation with IOs/iPad.

Only a few tracks on Qobuz don't sound so good, probably due to the master (as someone mentioned). It would be interesting to enlarge music sample in a possible new retest by what hi-fi. I keep Qobuz, alternating with Tidal once and awhile.
 
Last edited:

juiiion

Member
Jul 10, 2023
1
0
20
Visit site
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
There are stories 𝘾𝙐𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙈𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙑𝙄𝘾𝙀 𝟖𝙊𝟓 𝟑𝙊𝟏 𝟕𝙊𝙊𝟐 𝙦𝙤𝙗𝙪𝙯 𝙋𝙃𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙉𝙐𝙈𝘽𝙀𝙍 𝟖𝙊𝟓 𝟑𝙊𝟏 𝟕𝙊𝙊𝟐 that Rosée left London as a result of a misdemeanour and that he went to Holland or Germany to sell coffee, although there is no evidence this was the case.The original premises of the coffee-house was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. On its location is a late nineteenth century building housing
 
Last edited:

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts