Apparently this is a known issue to be fixed in next release (hopefully in Feb!). It was reported by Thomas74 in the audiophilestyle forum. THANKS MSPOT FOR THE DIRECTION!
Qobuz pauses and bitrate changes during playback from favorites list
PROBLEM: When streaming songs from the Qobuz FAVORITES list (using track playback of songs with the heart indicator), both MAC and WINDOWS apps momentarily pause playback and lower the bitrate to that of the NEXT song in the queue at some point within the first ~2-30 seconds of a song.
This can cause 192kHz songs to start at 192kHz but then playback at lower bitrates when followed in the queue by a lower-resolution file. Manually selecting 192kHz during playback after the bitrate has dropped will pause play for a second and shift back to 192kHz playback, but then within ~2-30 seconds it "down shifts" again to the bitrate of the next song.
If the same songs are DOWNLOADED to the hard drive, then direct playback from the download section DOES NOT exhibit this problem and they play back from start to finish at 192kHz. But streaming a list of songs from favorites that includes some files that were downloaded still downshifts when playing those files.
It seems as if the app (Mac and Windows) is "looking ahead" to the next song and negotiates the upcoming bitrate with the DAC well BEFORE the next song starts to play when streaming.
How do I know? The playback Bitrate is indicated in real-time on my Benchmark DAC3 L. I have altered cache settings, etc. on both computers and even reinstalled USB drivers and upgraded O/S, but the problem persists. Love the service, but really need some help and advice!
RELEVENT INFO: Internet speed is fast (100Mbps), DAC is Benchmark DAC3 with USB2.0 drivers, problem is the same on Mac Mini and Windows Surface Pro, tried multiple USB cables (including one from Benchmak), Qobuz preferences set to use 192kHz when available. What am I missing?
This can cause 192kHz songs to start at 192kHz but then playback at lower bitrates when followed in the queue by a lower-resolution file. Manually selecting 192kHz during playback after the bitrate has dropped will pause play for a second and shift back to 192kHz playback, but then within ~2-30 seconds it "down shifts" again to the bitrate of the next song.
If the same songs are DOWNLOADED to the hard drive, then direct playback from the download section DOES NOT exhibit this problem and they play back from start to finish at 192kHz. But streaming a list of songs from favorites that includes some files that were downloaded still downshifts when playing those files.
It seems as if the app (Mac and Windows) is "looking ahead" to the next song and negotiates the upcoming bitrate with the DAC well BEFORE the next song starts to play when streaming.
How do I know? The playback Bitrate is indicated in real-time on my Benchmark DAC3 L. I have altered cache settings, etc. on both computers and even reinstalled USB drivers and upgraded O/S, but the problem persists. Love the service, but really need some help and advice!
RELEVENT INFO: Internet speed is fast (100Mbps), DAC is Benchmark DAC3 with USB2.0 drivers, problem is the same on Mac Mini and Windows Surface Pro, tried multiple USB cables (including one from Benchmak), Qobuz preferences set to use 192kHz when available. What am I missing?
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You can report the issue on the Qobuz Issues thread on Audiophile Style: https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/46611-official-qobuz-issues-thread/ Qobuz staff follow the thread and often post. |