[Ableza]

I subscribe to the highest tier of Qobuz because I want high quality music and I appreciate the varfiety augmenting my local library. It's great sounding. It is seamlessly integrated into Roon, It's not for everybody. To each his own.

 

[I2evived]

Too bad they don't have any student options.

 

[kumar402]

I am from India and been using qobuz for quite a while using VPN. I think the songs in qobuz have similar master like apple music. I like apple music and prefer it over Spotify. I feel like some songs sound quite different... Especially older songs sound better on apple music like Peter Paul and Mary, John Denver. So far I am finding qobuz sounds very similar to apple music. I am on their trial period now. The Android apple music is horrible to use and the windows itunes doesn't work so smoothly. Not sure I am willing to pay 8 times of what I pay for apple music for the basic package of qobuz. So far I want to enjoy the trial period. .

I use apple music for bollywood music consumption and Qubuz for rest. However there are few bollywood songs that are common and if you pay attention you will found Qubuz to have more dynamic range, smoother treble. I can go higher in volume pot of amplifier with Qobuz.In long listening Apple Music fatigues quicker then Qubuz.

for quick comparison check out the studio masters version of American Idiot (96/24) in Qobuz and listen to the same album in highly compressed form in apple music, you will find the difference.

 

[runssical]

I'm the resident Disgruntled Qobuz user. My trial ends in a week. I'm still using the Android app on my LG phone with LDAC Bluetooth streaming to.my Sony wireless headphones.

Unfortunately, the Qobuz app occasionally (and too frequently for my taste) will freeze the audio stream. The music simply stops playing even though it hasn't been paused. Pressing the 'play' button repeatedly does nothing to resolve the issue.

I also tried to use Qobuz through UAPP which allows you to sign into your account. I've had audio streams from Qobuz freeze there as well.

Not sure what's up with Qobuz. Their sh-t simply doesn't work bruhs.

I know Q switched from http to https for streams. They also send chunks of an audio file at like 30-60 second parts. They totally changed how they deliver audio to client players. Used to be one link per file up until February. I believe these changes in content delivery are causing these playback issues. Qobuz is over complicating the process and they OBVIOUSLY don't have the technical expertise on staff to make sure everything works smoothly.

On a positive note, the Qobuz USA download store has very reasonable prices compared to the competition. Albums are generally $10 for standard lossless. That's a couple dollars less than the least expensive alternatives.

I will be buying a couple albums a month instead of subscribing to this frustafrust service. Album downloads benefit and support artists and small labels much more than streaming royalties of $0.038 cents per stream which is reportedly the average fee Qobuz pays copyright holders. Most artists see a fraction of that and small labels can't survive solely on that.

Btw, I still don't know how to pronounce this company's name.

 

[Gibson59]

Btw, I still don't know how to pronounce this company's name.

Haha! I love the service, hate the name. Kinda reminds me of Grado... I literally pause before I say it every time to think about how to say it then I still screw it up. Gra-Doh? Gray-Doh?

 

[Alcophone]

Btw, I still don't know how to pronounce this company's name.

"Co-buzz" seems to be it, based on YouTube videos. But I doubt that's how the French say it.

 

[Left Channel]

I will be buying a couple albums a month instead of subscribing to this frustafrust service.

Btw, I still don't know how to pronounce this company's name.

And I don't know how to pronounce "fustafrust".

A Qobuz product manager has confirmed they pronounce it "co-buzz": https://audiophilestyle.com/..

Qobuz is named after a Kazakh instrument, the Kobyz (қобыз): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobyz

 

[runssical]

Haha! I love the service, hate the name. Kinda reminds me of Grado... I literally pause before I say it every time to think about how to say it then I still screw it up. Gra-Doh? Gray-Doh?

And I don't know how to pronounce "fustafrust".

A Qobuz product manager has confirmed they pronounce it "co-buzz": https://audiophilestyle.com/..

Qobuz is named after a Kazakh instrument, the Kobyz (қобыз): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobyz

I think that was Belgian

 

[wdh777]

Just read an article that amazon is trying to launch a high fidelity service to compete with tidal by the end of the year. That could be interesting.

 

[BobSmith8901]

Just read an article that amazon is trying to launch a high fidelity service to compete with tidal by the end of the year. That could be interesting.

Amazon. What a surprise. I wonder if this will light a fire under Spotify to offer a CD Quality/Hi-Res option.

 

[rkw]

Just read an article that amazon is trying to launch a high fidelity service to compete with tidal by the end of the year. That could be interesting.

Please provide a link.
Edit: found it.
https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/amazon-is-readying-a-hi-def-music-streaming-service/
https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/26/amazon-is-prepping-a-high-fidelity-tidal-competitor/

 

[wdh777]

My dream would be for this to prompt Apple Music to do the same. Right now I have a Apple Music family plan for my family and I use qobuz. Not the most efficient.

Please provide a link.
Edit: found it.
https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/amazon-is-readying-a-hi-def-music-streaming-service/
https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/26/amazon-is-prepping-a-high-fidelity-tidal-competitor/

 

[runssical]

Sorry Qobuz and condolences to their fanboys, but it looks like Amazon has decided to stomp you out of existence.

Amazon service WILL lanch this year...doh!

It will feature Hi Res streaming...doh!

It will undercut Qobuz by $10 per month....Dooohhh!

Digital Trends: Amazon will reportedly launch a hi-fi version of Amazon Music Unlimited.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/amazon-music-hi-fi-hi-res-streaming-audio/

"The only remaining question, if Amazon does launch this new service, is how will Spotify, Apple, and Google respond? None of these big three companies have taken the plunge into hi-res subscription tiers, but they may have to if Amazon jumps in."

We KNOW that Apple and Spotify are ready to jump in!

Spotify already had a private beta program in 2017. They are ready to roll.

This is great news for us sound quality conscious
music fans but a terrible development for Qobuz.

Qobuz thought they were somewhatinsulated from competition because they offered Hi Res streaming. They never banked on a behemoth like Amazon skipping directly to Hi Res nor that any move by these three big companies would come the very year Qobuz launched in the USA. This is devasting from a business perspective.

Besides Spotify, this market was never going to support a company like Tidal or Qobuz. Streaming is obviously a loss-leader.

 

[runssical]

My dream would be for this to prompt Apple Music to do the same. Right now I have a Apple Music family plan for my family and I use qobuz. Not the most efficient.

I think Apple will jump in and we will see family plans as well.

Qobuz is like one of those little dotcom startups that were ahead of their time and went bust, burried by bigger better run internet companies. Think of all the dotcom companies amazon put out of business in the late 1990s, early 2000s. Now it's going to happen to Tidal and Qobuz.

I won't she'd a tear because Qobuz can't write or develope good apps or get their catalog FAT, the monthly fee is unreasonably high, and everything from the apps to time it takes a track to start is slow slow slow.

 

[runssical]

I'm curious what Left Channel thinks about all of this.