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Original Message

RE: Qobuz classical & jazz streaming service

Posted by PAR on January 25, 2017 at 08:26:58:

I must correct some of the things that you say about Qobuz:

1. It is not at all complicated, no more so than nay other streaming serice I have tried. However there is a new desktop player in Beta developement which is even easier to use. I am now running this as my usual player.

2. It is not in French. If you subscribe to the UK service you get a player and information that is in English. NB: when you download it will be in French but as soon as you login it transforms into English. Customer service is also in English.

3. There are 2 different players for phone and desktop. The desktop version cannot be confused as one for phone use. On the other hand the phone player has far simpler screens suitable for this kind of use. No, it is not perfect as there are deficiencies in certain metadata aspects (mainly with albums featuring more than one classical composer). I agree with you here in regard to pop music having the whip hand on metadata formats. However it is no worse than other streaming services and computer audio players in general.

4. SQ is excellent and classical tracks in 16/44.1 are broadly indistinguishable from the same on CD played via my ( very good) transport (both via the same DAC). Other users with other types of gear have remarked to me on the improved sound quality of Qobuz recently.

I can't comment on value as that can be very subjective. But it costs the same as Tidal. I use it with great success for exactly what you say - finding new music, some of which I won't want to hear again, or not for a long time. Other discoveries I want to replay immediately. I can do the latter with Qobuz as each streamed track is also then held in a cache to be heard offline. These are not, however, permanent free copies. It also means that for phone use I can load up the cache and hear the tracks when outside of a wi-fi environment and where streaming gets too expensive via 4G.

The service provides true audiophile quality through my main audio rig and I know of at least one subscriber for whom the SQ obtainable from 16/44.1 files played vis Qobuz was revelatory. For my part I think it is the best audio item that I have spent money on in the last year.