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- Dec 1, 2018
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Well I just signed up for the 30 day free trial of Qobuz. Some people like DACs, some people like amps. I like music streaming services. They are like giant playgrounds for me.
From the interface it looks like Qobuz brings a lot of added value to the table in terms of notes, recording information, putting the music in context, etc. It looks like they do a lot of things right. Just like the MQA label, the Hi Res label has taken on a negative connotation for me, and it’s all over Qobuz, but they give you the option of the 16 / 44.1 price tier, which is what I chose for the free trial.
Having gotten used to full CD quality streams on Amazon HD, I thought I’d try Qobuz too while they are both in their trial periods. It looks like Qobuz does deliver a lot of value that Amazon never will, not in terms of fidelity (which for my purposes is identical) but in terms of content to give insight into the music and satisfy curiosity in the app. I am not sure of the sonic benefits of lossless CD quality over high quality lossy, but it gives me more confidence if I am upmixing or using digital EQ or whatever, and I just feel more relaxed about it than a lossy stream. Part of that’s psychological, I’m sure, but it’s rooted in at least some reality, I think, knowing that I have full CD lossless quality as a baseline.
Where Amazon comes up really big for me is price of course, and not having to look at that “hi res” label, and great search capability and lyrics and a massive catalog. Amazon‘s Ultra HD label is really an “in your face” to MQA and hi res marketimg.
I do not like the kind of inane marketing that hi res represents, but I am persuaded that for Qobuz to have staying power in the market they have to offer some sort of “better than CD” quality.
I can stream Qobuz straight into my receiver via AirPlay or Chromecast. I prefer AirPlay because the receiver lets me do more upmixing and DSP with the Airplay stream. Either way I get a nice info display of track and album information fed from my receiver to my TV.
So. . . Qobuz and Amazon Music HD. . . both very highly recommended, in my book. And may MQA slowly wither away into irrelevance, obsolescence and obscurity.
From the interface it looks like Qobuz brings a lot of added value to the table in terms of notes, recording information, putting the music in context, etc. It looks like they do a lot of things right. Just like the MQA label, the Hi Res label has taken on a negative connotation for me, and it’s all over Qobuz, but they give you the option of the 16 / 44.1 price tier, which is what I chose for the free trial.
Having gotten used to full CD quality streams on Amazon HD, I thought I’d try Qobuz too while they are both in their trial periods. It looks like Qobuz does deliver a lot of value that Amazon never will, not in terms of fidelity (which for my purposes is identical) but in terms of content to give insight into the music and satisfy curiosity in the app. I am not sure of the sonic benefits of lossless CD quality over high quality lossy, but it gives me more confidence if I am upmixing or using digital EQ or whatever, and I just feel more relaxed about it than a lossy stream. Part of that’s psychological, I’m sure, but it’s rooted in at least some reality, I think, knowing that I have full CD lossless quality as a baseline.
Where Amazon comes up really big for me is price of course, and not having to look at that “hi res” label, and great search capability and lyrics and a massive catalog. Amazon‘s Ultra HD label is really an “in your face” to MQA and hi res marketimg.
I do not like the kind of inane marketing that hi res represents, but I am persuaded that for Qobuz to have staying power in the market they have to offer some sort of “better than CD” quality.
I can stream Qobuz straight into my receiver via AirPlay or Chromecast. I prefer AirPlay because the receiver lets me do more upmixing and DSP with the Airplay stream. Either way I get a nice info display of track and album information fed from my receiver to my TV.
So. . . Qobuz and Amazon Music HD. . . both very highly recommended, in my book. And may MQA slowly wither away into irrelevance, obsolescence and obscurity.
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