Has anybody tried Qobuz Streaming service?


Hi and thanks for reading!

Has anybody tried Qobuz and compared it to TIDAL? I read that Qobuz streams 24/196 files which may be higher than even TIDAL Master quality?? If you have made the switch to Qobuz, was it easy to integrate into your streaming system?

I look forward to hearing from people who have tried Qobuz and either loved it or disliked it compared to TIDAL.

grm
grm
@ejr1953 I had similar issues with the Windows app.  I was part of the beta group and reported it and have been contacted by Qobuz.  They are working on a revision to the app and have asked me to be a tester.  No word yet on when it will be ready.

It may be something specific to your computer.  It works with no issues on my laptop which is a less powerful machine than my desktop system, which is where I've experienced the issues you have.  I have one DAC driver installed on the laptop, and have three installed on the desktop (MHDT Labs Orchid, Sony TA-ZH1ES, and Peachtree Nova 300).  The Peachtree driver seems to be the one that has caused issues.  The application works OK when that driver is not installed.

The app also works great on my tablet with Bluesound's BlueOS app.
Disaster,
First off, when I downloaded the desktop app it would freeze, I would have to go into my task manager to close it, never was able to play even one track. Then I just used the Web player which worked fine, but all the files played back at just 44.1/16, even when they were supposed to be high-res files! So then I loaded the App on my iPad, this time the music would skip as if it had to buffer more of the track to play, the thing is my internet service for download is 250mbps, way more than I should need and my Steamer (Cambridge AZURE 850N) is connected directly to my Gateway with a CAT7 cable, I have no issues streaming High Res TIDAL or Spotify, regardless of what device I am using. Lastly, I really do like Qobuz, the selection of music is more to my liking compared to TIDAL, but right now it's way to "buggy" for me. So for now I tip my hat to TIDAL and will revisit Qobuz maybe in another 6 months??

grm 
I slightly prefer the sound of Qobuz 24 bit PCM ("Native Quality Audio") to Tidal MQA. TBF, my DAC is not MQA'd, so I only get the first unfold with Roon. But why would I ever buy new hardware to play MQA files when I can play an original hi-res file not needing folding and unfolding?
For now, I am keeping Tidal because there are about 30 albums in my library on Tidal but not Qobuz. I could just buy those albums but that amount of money will also pay for about 2 years of Tidal. If Qobuz adds most of those albums I will cancel Tidal.


I've been using Qobuz for a few weeks, and I have found it much better than Tidal for classical and similar for Jazz.  There are some annoying titles/labels that appear on one or not the other.  Random example: Joey Alexander is on Tidal, but not Qobuz (are other Motema titles on Qobuz?).  Qobuz does a better job of giving you lists and suggestions, at least for Classical and Jazz.

I'm probably overconfident in my ability to distinguish them, but I think I like hi-res over MQA.  Certainly it gives you more streaming and equipment options.

I use BubbleUpnP as my control point, which integrates both services and my music server (Minimserver) and will even search them together, so you can find your piece wherever it lurks.  Neither has J. Wagenaar's overture to Cyrano de Bergerac, which I'm going to hear tomorrow night at Geffen Hall, along with a couple of warhorses.
I compared Qobuz 24/192 against Tidal MQA with a few songs today. Obviously this is a tentative opinion. Qobuz has a higher streaming rate in terms of kps and sounds better.