If you know me, you know I’m an old vinyl guy, so it may surprise you that I’m writing this review about Qobuz, digital streaming and download service. In fact, those of you who read my reviews regularly know, for years I had no digital system of my own.
Yes, I reviewed some digital systems that cost over $40,000 when I was writing for Dagogo, but the first system to tempt me in the last 15 years has been the Innuos Mini music server paired with the Border Patrol DAC. This little combo is the most musically satisfying digital gear I’ve ever heard in my system. The best news is that it costs $2,600. However, since the DAC I fell in love with only plays files up to 24/96 kHZ, my system may seem a little limited to those of you who are really into Hi-Res music.
Background
Qobuz, the French subscription digital streaming and download service, was started in 2008 and is on the cutting edge. In 2009, Qobuz offered the first catalog of CD-quality downloads, and in 2011, the first CD-quality streaming service. In fact, in the summer of 2015, they were the first online music service to offer 24-bit Hi-Res for as much of their catalog as possible since some distributors/labels only provide CD-quality max. Anyway, Hi-Res Streaming is available with its Qobuz Sublime+ subscription.
Now available in the US, Qobuz offers more than 40 million tracks and over two million of them are stated to be Hi-Res. They use a different approach from Tidal, the service I have been using from time to time. Qobuz does not use MQA for Hi-Res files. Instead, they stream files at MP3 Quality (320 kbps), CD Quality (FLAC 16-bit / 44.1 kHZ) and Hi-Res Quality (FLAC 24-bit up to 192 kHZ). They also offer their subscribers the ability to purchase and download files up to their Hi-Res Quality. I love this feature and will talk about it more below.
Using Qobuz
You can access Qobuz’s web player online at Qobuz.com, or you can download their PC or Mac desktop apps. There are also iOS and Android mobile apps plus support from and integration into a wide range of audio products such as my Innuos Mini music server. Hi-Res streams for Sublime+ members are available on Web, desktop and mobile platforms, as well as for several networked products with Google Chromecast or DTS Play.
Qobuz has been known in Europe more for classical and jazz genres and French artists. There’s now a balance with pop, rock, and bluegrass well represented. Hi-Res albums are flagged with the familiar ‘Hi-Res Audio’ logo, both in the library interface and the playback bar where you can click to change the stream quality.
I found the interface a joy to use both on my MacBook Plus and on my Innuos Mini music server. Let me just say, if this 65-year-old vinyl junkie can navigate it so can you!
Sound
I had no problem finding any of the albums I use most often for reviewing or setting up equipment. Rob Wasserman’s album, Duets, sounded very good, and better than it did on Tidal. Harry Belafonte, Sarah Jarosz, and Alison Krauss all sounded better on Qobuz. However, when I played Duke Ellington’s Masterpieces, it definitely sounded better on Tidal. I found this disappointing because I really don’t want to pay to have both services.
The other question I asked myself was how does streaming Qobuz sound compared to files downloaded to my Innuos Mini. I’m disappointed to admit that it’s hard to say. On some, it sounds just as good and on others not quite as good. I didn’t buy any downloads from Qobuz so I can’t say how they would sound. What I can say is that every good recording sounded really good when streaming on Qobuz.
Wrapping It Up
The longer I listened, I would say that more Hi-Res albums sounded better on Tidal, and most CD-quality recordings sounded much better on Qobuz. You have to remember, though, Tidal has far fewer Hi-Res albums available than Qobuz. Qobuz digital streaming and downloads should appeal to anyone who is into CD-quality or Hi-Res streaming. That would be especially true for people who like to stream in a tablet or smartphone-based hi-fi set-ups.
For me personally, Qobuz better meets my needs, and it will be my choice for streaming audio.
