Qobuz

I agree with the sound presentation Mofo. I did a one month trial and stayed with Tidal because Qobuz downloads would dropout or not link in my car audio and you could not organize your album downloads by artist in my Lumin streamer, using the Lumin app. The music selection of both services had plus and minus but I'd return to Qobuz if the two issues I described were solved.

I used my free one-month trial using the Windows app, and it had serious problems, apparently known to Qobuz.

Fast forward a few months and the arrival of a new Roon Nucleus Plus streaming server.  I signed up for Qobuz again and am hooked.  I have both Qobuz and Tidal running on that server and I can't explain why, but when I listen to the same albums in 44.1/16 (CD) quality, not always, but much of the time the Qobuz version sounds better to me, a little more dynamic, better soundstage, etc.  The differences are small, but noticeable.  Though I do like the sound of MQA on Tidal, the high-res FLAC files from Qobuz (to me) sound better than the Tidal MQA versions...again, not always, but enough to be noticed.

For those that found the Qobuz app buggy, the Windows app is now much improved.  I found it almost unusable and cancelled my subscription also, but gave it another try a while later and came back.  It works great now.  My only complaint is that I have to "tell" it the output device when I turn off my DAC, which I always do because it has a tube in it.  Tidal and Spotify always "know" where sound is being output.

I listen to Qobuz more than anything else when I stream.  I also have Tidal, Spotify, and Pandora and listen to Radio Paradise often.

I haven't experienced any problems or glitches yet. I do have to say the interface is not my favorite. Ease of use goes to Spotify. 
Got rid of Tidal because it so hip hop/ rap centric. Not my bag. 

I was a beta tester for Qobuz and like it very much.  Its album selection is acceptable and you can always find something to listen to.  I especially like their hi-res albums (24/96 and 24/192).  I dropped Tidal streaming since I was always listening to Qobuz. 

Qobuz has 575 available playlists and they are terrific.  For example, listen to Prestige 70 Jazz classics for 70 handpicked jazz tracks.  Many of them are in the hi-res format.  This Qobuz jazz playlist is 7 hours and 38 minutes long. This makes listening to music very easy.  Enjoy.   On my Aurender, I go to the playlist tab and look for Qobuz playlists that I like.  The Aurender Conductor App has a search option that is very useful to find interesting playlists.  You can also  mark your favorites for future listening. 

@tuberest, Qobuz is developing an API that will allow you to sort your Qobuz albums by artist.  This means you will be able to  organize your album downloads by artist in your Lumin streamer.   HOWEVER, Aurender, Lumin, etc, will need to implement this Qobuz API in their application in order to provide these sort options.   I do not know when Qobuz will finish their API or how long it will take these streamers to implement the API.  

If you are a Roon user, I believe you already have these sort capabilities.  

@hgeifman ,
Thanks for posting that information.
I have a nice list of favorites on Quobuz, but hate the fact I can't sort them by Artist.
I have to say, Spotify does it and it offers a nice bunch of compilations based on the albums in your favorites. I wish Quobuz could offer that.
Bob

I too have been using Qobuz since its USA inception and it did not take very long to deduce that 24/96 and 192 hirez stream a sounded much better than Tidal MQA even fully unfolded.
Dropped tidal and stayed with Qobuz.

Now as far as Windows issue I would have to say ... Don't know as never tried it.
I stream direct into my Ayre QX8 just using either my android phone or iPad as a control for the mconnect app.
No issues at all even though the mconnect app is not the best in the world.

Have also streamed Qobuz very easily using Google Chromecast Audio devices controlled by Bubble,UPnP on my phone with zero issues.

Who needs Windows? Lol.

Uber, I use Bluesound's app to control Qobuz in my main system and control it from my phone or tablet. Bluesound's implementation is very good. 

I do a lot of listening while I'm at my computer also. Since there's no streamer involved in that setup, I either need to use the windows app or Qobuz' browser based interface. The Windows app was really buggy at first, but is now greatly improved. 

Greg
Before I sold my Bluesound Vault I too used its control app via my phone and was always happy with the results tbh.
So much so that I have never even seen the need to load a windows version as my PC room system has a simple Google Chromecast Audio hockey puck in it which is accessed via BubbleUPnP.
In fact listening to Tool through it right now.

Interesting approach Uber.  I'm not familiar with  BubbleUPnP so I'm probably missing something that it brings to the table.  That seems like a lot of extra devices and software when you could just have the Qobuz app on your PC's screen and use the PC's internet connection.

@gdnrbob, As I posted above, I was a beta tester for Qobuz and have requested Qobuz sort by artist options, etc. since I started beta testing earlier this year. 

I know they are working on the sort API and other similar improvements.  Unfortunately, I do not have their estimated completion date.  Once Qobuz releases the API, Aurender, Innuos, Lumin, etc. will need to implement the API within their application.  

Greg
I agree if the vintage receiver in my PC room and second system would accept anything but analog signals.
So as the Chromecast pucks cost just $40 each and output to l/r rca analog it works very well for my application.
And they use just a simple app on my phone the BubbleUPnP so its not much of hardship.
My main rig is Ayre QX8 which takes direct internet for streaming which is where I control using the mconnect app which is just about all Ayre and Krell to name a couple allow to work.

Uber, I get it now. The Chromecast is a bargain DAC! 

I had read about them in these forums and thought it must be toylike at that price.
But the only toylike part is the compact hockey puck looks!
As far as performance goes it is great bang for the buck.
And they do also output digital over a 3.5mm to optical mini toslink cable if your system has digital inputs too.

Where can you get a puck in the us besides ebay?

The Audio ones are actually discontinued line now so eBay is about it I am afraid.

Howard, thanks for the update. I'll most likely go back to Qobuz when my two issues are resolved. Then I'll have to find an app that will let me transfer my "library"
Larry

Qobuz is now offering their Qobuz Studio subscription service for $149.99 per year. I signed up and they credited my account for the balance due and so I paid $105.

Qobuz reports "With your (Qobuz Studio) subscription, you have access to Hi-Res quality streaming, 40 million tracks, Available offline On all your devices and No strings attached".

This is a very smart move by Qobuz. They collect money, NOW, from subscribers, like me, who paid our yearly fees. They collect early and also, maybe, from new subscribers getting the new lower price. A very smart business decision. I recommend it.

Additional information:   "This LIMITED time promotion is available to the FIRST 100,000 new subscribers AND existing users until January 31, 2020".    

Just started my "trial" Qobuz subscription. So far not crazy about the interface and locating music. Maybe it's just me but if I had to decide after the 1st 24 hrs I'd cancel. SQ is VERY good, going thru a Bricasti M12 at the moment.

(Dealer disclaimer)

I’m not enamored with Qobuz at least so far. I am on the second 30 day trial period. I like the new pricing, I really hope Tidal follows suit soon and has some lower price options. Mainly I’ve noticed Qobuz 
slowing down and having a hard time streaming, that is a big time deal breaker for me. Tidal on the other hand runs smoothly without a hitch.

@dougsat  how did you get a 2nd 30 day trial period?

No issues with Qobuz streaming on my Aurender server or my iPhone. I listened to Qobuz over Bluetooth in my truck, no drops. The Qobuz app is well laid out and makes it a breeze to find the music. 

@dougsat  how did you get a 2nd 30 day trial period?

That's easy.
Just use a different email address to sign up with.

😁😁😁😁

I have had no problems streaming Qobuz via my iPhone. I do like the format and the new release section. Easy to use to me and the sound quality is wonderful.

I highly recommend Qobuz.

Relax and take some time to listen to the sound quality and how to best use the interface. 

For the price of one live concert ticket, you get millions of songs to listen to and artists to discover.

David Pritchard

I tried to sign up for the new rate, but things got screwed up.
Not only was my previous subscription cancelled, but I ended up on a monthly plan-nor was my previous subscription credited towards the new subscription.
I opened a ticket. Hopefully, they will come through.
Bob

Sksos -

“How did I get the 2nd 30 day trial” ?

I signed up for it when the  new pricing was announced.
I may have used a different email, if so it wasn’t intentional.

Any news about an update to the Qobuz API?  It would be helpful to save favorite artists in alphabetical order with Bluesound, Lumin,Aurender, etc. rather than in the order they were saved. Hopefully, this will become available. 

Completed my 30 day trial and just signed up for the 1 yr rate. They actually "credited" me as I had just passed the end of my trial date. Qobuz integrates great with Roon and my NAS, all working well and enjoying music that I would have never heard before.

@cdr1,

Sadly, Qobuz / Aurender still working on the API. The only work around I know of is to search the artist in search box. It’s annoying not to see your favorite artist in alphabetical order. Qobuz has the best SQ so this is a very small nitpick for me 😊