[rkw]

I think Qobuz may be responsive to the culture of N American listeners.

Stay tuned.

I just want the apps to work properly and the US catalog to match what they have in Europe. Qobuz needs to focus on fundamentals first and everything else should be lower priority.

 

[Ableza]

I just want the apps to work properly and the US catalog to match what they have in Europe. Qobuz needs to focus on fundamentals first and everything else should be lower priority.

They are still in public beta. I suggest reserving judgement until they actually call the system released.

 

[rkw]

They are still in public beta.

I was amused by a comment on another forum, "Qobuz has been in beta for five years."

 

[Ableza]

I was amused by a comment on another forum, "Qobuz has been in beta for five years."

That may be, but that fact remains...

 

[Left Channel]

I was amused by a comment on another forum, "Qobuz has been in beta for five years."

Qobuz has been under new ownership for less than five years.

Google called Gmail a "beta" app for five years.

And sometimes it feels like Windows has been in beta for over 35 years...

 

[mixman]

Yeah but there is no “Beta” discount either!

 

[Ableza]

Yeah but there is no “Beta” discount either!

How do you know? Maybe that's what we're paying now.

 

[mixman]

How do you know? Maybe that's what we're paying now.

If what we are paying now is a lower beta amount and the charges go up once they go into full release..........They will surely fail!!!

 

[Peter Hyatt]

Yeah but there is no “Beta” discount either!

40% to 60% discount for hi res purchases working out very well for me.

 

[garyalex]

Well right now I have Tidal, decided to do a trial on Qobuz, Roon and Audirvana. Frankly you are right, Qobuz alone would not be a reason for me to use Audirvana. Especially since I believe Tidal app is a lot better than Audirvana’s navigation. So for that alone Audirvana is probably out. Roon on the other hand is a lot better, but probably a little much for just navigating the two streaming apps I have. It is slower than either apps on their own as far as playback, so not sure if I really need what it delivers. It depends on whether I decide to keep Qobuz, which I am doubting now. They do all have slightly different sonic signatures from Roon to Audirvana, to Tidal to Qobuz. With Tidal to Qobuz it depends on the title, so that’s harder to judge. Right now because Tidal seems more together I am more inclined to just stay with that and wait for Qobuz to catch up in the US.

I had Roon for about two years. While I liked the interface after a while I began to wonder why I needed it. I was using it along with HQ Player, so I had lots of opportunity for experimenting with different configurations. As an IT guy that was interesting and fun for a while but ultimately became tedious. I was constantly trying new settings. It got in the way of listening to music. That is not the fault of the software. It was my seeming inability to just leave well enough alone. Also, Roon didn't do well enough what I really wanted: find new music. So I dumped Roon and stopped using HQ Player. I replaced my iFi Micro iDac2 and 3.0 iUSB with a Border Patrol DAC SE and began using Tidal, then changed to Qobuz because I thought it sounded better and had a better interface. I just wanted a simple, reliable and satisfying musical experience. I have that now. Good luck with whatever path you choose.

 

[mixman]

I had Roon for about two years. While I liked the interface after a while I began to wonder why I needed it. I was using it along with HQ Player, so I had lots of opportunity for experimenting with different configurations. As an IT guy that was interesting and fun for a while but ultimately became tedious. I was constantly trying new settings. It got in the way of listening to music. That is not the fault of the software. It was my seeming inability to just leave well enough alone. Also, Roon didn't do well enough what I really wanted: find new music. So I dumped Roon and stopped using HQ Player. I replaced my iFi Micro iDac2 and 3.0 iUSB with a Border Patrol DAC SE and began using Tidal, then changed to Qobuz because I thought it sounded better and had a better interface. I just wanted a simple, reliable and satisfying musical experience. I have that now. Good luck with whatever path you choose.

Thanks. To just think several years ago I was just using Itunes and that lousy, tired interface and now I have all of these much better options available. That in and of itself is a blessing. It would be nice it I could have all of these from Roon, Audirvana, Tidal and Qobuz, but unfortunately I just don't have time to sit and listen to that much music, so keeping all of them would be redundant for me. I actually do hope Qobuz thrives and continues to grow because competition is always good.

 

[abirdie4me]

I also like the fact that they are selling hi res files at very reasonable rates. Also for me roon compatibility is a must as I have invested in devices like Digione signature player which acts as roon end point and I feel most of the audiophile who pay for these services have atleast invested in a good player like Roon or Audirvana to enjoy these services.

This. ^

I bought Roon lifetime a couple years ago, and the digiOne Signature and ultrarendu were purchased because of Roon integration. I subscribe to Tidal family for the 5 accounts, but I personally use my Qobuz sublime+ account the majority of the time and am taking advantage of the purchase discount to buy hi-res albums at greatly reduced prices. I’m also an Amazon Prime member (and stockholder), but won’t drop Tidal/Qobuz without Roon integration.

That said, I realize I’m in the .0000001 percent of users and don’t even register in their target markets. My wife does, she’s an iPhone / Bose / mp3 user like most people. Amazon’s interest in hi-res has nothing to do with music, it’s just another way to tie people into their ecosystems. Much like people can’t leave apple because of iMessage, hi-res could be a value-add service that makes it harder to drop all those other Amazon services like Prime. If they deliver a product like Prime Video, it could wipe out Qobuz and Tidal. If they deliver a product like the Fire Phone, Qobuz and Tidal will be just fine.

 

[rkw]

If they [Amazon] deliver a product like Prime Video, it could wipe out Qobuz and Tidal.

Maybe Qobuz, at least in the US. For Tidal, there are estimates that less than 10% of their subscriptions are HiFi.

 

[S Crowther]

Maybe Qobuz, at least in the US. For Tidal, there are estimates that less than 10% of their subscriptions are HiFi.

I have Qobuz sublime. I use the streaming service to try stuff and if I like it then I buy it in hi Res where possible using the discount available to sublime customers.
I used to subscribe to tidal but did not like the sound quality as much.

 

[robjones67]

This. ^

I bought Roon lifetime a couple years ago, and the digiOne Signature and ultrarendu were purchased because of Roon integration. I subscribe to Tidal family for the 5 accounts, but I personally use my Qobuz sublime+ account the majority of the time and am taking advantage of the purchase discount to buy hi-res albums at greatly reduced prices. I’m also an Amazon Prime member (and stockholder), but won’t drop Tidal/Qobuz without Roon integration.

That said, I realize I’m in the .0000001 percent of users and don’t even register in their target markets. My wife does, she’s an iPhone / Bose / mp3 user like most people. Amazon’s interest in hi-res has nothing to do with music, it’s just another way to tie people into their ecosystems. Much like people can’t leave apple because of iMessage, hi-res could be a value-add service that makes it harder to drop all those other Amazon services like Prime. If they deliver a product like Prime Video, it could wipe out Qobuz and Tidal. If they deliver a product like the Fire Phone, Qobuz and Tidal will be just fine.

I have Qobuz sublime. I use the streaming service to try stuff and if I like it then I buy it in hi Res where possible using the discount available to sublime customers.
I used to subscribe to tidal but did not like the sound quality as much.

This might not be the most appropriate place to ask, but since my other post is not getting much love I would tag on here.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/streaming-or-download-for-hi-res.906752/

For those who are purchasing hi-res downloads through Qobuz (or other sources) just curious on the reasoning? I am on the fence about how to rebuild my collection, but always like the idea of having something physical (coming from the CD days) or available for off-line listening. I guess too if the service ever disappears that could be another reason.