MRC01
Major Contributor
I'm talking about Linux, not Windows.How does Firefox bypass the Windows audio mixer? Is there an ASIO/WASAPI output option? Never seen it.
I'm talking about Linux, not Windows.How does Firefox bypass the Windows audio mixer? Is there an ASIO/WASAPI output option? Never seen it.
Suspect the effectiveness of exclusive mode depends on what nastiness Windows audio enhancements are doing in your particular set up. There's a very long but interesting thread on it https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...indows-audio-quality-debate.19438/post-639677Wishful thinking on my part- I saw "exclusive" and wanted it to be wasapi so much I tricked myself into thinking it was. Sorry for the bad info. Regular exclusive mode does improve the sq significantly though.
After all wild discussion and discoveries about MQA I resigned from Tidal. Now using Qobuz for at home listening and Apple Music on the go. Looking at options we have here are my thoughts:I don't like the idea of MQA. Lossy compression sold as lossless without anything backing it bugs me. I like the idea of flac. Open, lossless.
Tidal pays the musicians the best. I like that. I haven't really committed to any service but I would like to. Still an open debate in my mind as to who to give my money.
Are you comparing Qobuz and Amazon HD on the WiiM mini by any chance? If so, I’m confused as to why there should be a difference unless the streaming services are using different source/masters of the same tracks. Wouldn’t the record companies provide the same digital file to whichever service licensed it? And if there is a “better” source version, why would Qobuz seem to regularly get those compared to, say, Amazon?Overall I like the sound of Qobuz over Tidal. It sounds better with most the music I enjoy. It's consistently better on an AB track comparison too. I am comparing Qobuz against Amazon HD now. It's amazing how much cleaner the Qobuz tracks are on my system than Amazon HD. You really need to compare the services on your own setup to see if you can tell a difference. Everyones taste varies.
Yeah, historically I could perhaps see why some thought that Qobuz sounded better due to Amazon’s shoot-themselves-in-the-foot implementation of their music apps, but now that WiiM has provided a level playing field, I really struggle to think why there’d be a difference now.I have checked Qobuz and Amazon HD for a few of the same tracks on the WiiM Mini, just for the sake of curiosity, and aside from differences in volume (not sure what is the reason for that, maybe something on my side), they sound very much the same to me. Pretty good, by the way, in both cases.
Are you comparing Qobuz and Amazon HD on the WiiM mini by any chance? If so, I’m confused as to why there should be a difference unless the streaming services are using different source/masters of the same tracks. Wouldn’t the record companies provide the same digital file to whichever service licensed it? And if there is a “better” source version, why would Qobuz seem to regularly get those compared to, say, Amazon?
From a variety of articles, I’m regularly seeing that Qobuz “sounds better” and am struggling to understand what secret sauce they use that the others don’t have - or is it just a often repeated opinion that’s almost treated as a given?
Thanks. Guess that begs another question - if there’s not much difference between the two on the WiiM, what’s the Audirvana/RPI4 combo doing to make Qobuz quite a bit better? Forgive my ignorance about the combo - I don’t know whether it’s also rendering the stream and not just passing it on bit perfect like the WiiM to another DAC/amp.I prefer Qobuz to Tidal by a lot. The volume between songs is more consistent and it just sounds better to me. If you use WiiM mini and switch between Amazon and Qobuz there's not a big difference in sound except Qobuz is a bit louder. But, if you AB compare WiiM on Amazon and Qobuz on RPi4 with Audirvana, then Qobuz sounds quite a bit better to me. Audirvana doesn't support Amazon so you can't do an Apples to Apples comparison.
Isn’t it the case that the lack of supported platforms beyond iOS or android devices (and connected DAC) is what holds it back from being a serious contender? I don’t want to tie up my phone or tablet and use a wired connection from those into my amp to get the full range of hires music it offers.Jumping a bit off topic, but is Apple Music not considered an option for hi res music? Last time I researched streaming services, I remember their rates being quite competitive compared to the others.
To be honest I use Apple Music on Windows platform in Direct Sound mode (aka Windows Mixer) which is the only mode available and it sonically still outperforms Qobuz set to WASAPI Exclusive mode. Just that uninspired looking feature-free interface is a total mess.Jumping a bit off topic, but is Apple Music not considered an option for hi res music? Last time I researched streaming services, I remember their rates being quite competitive compared to the others.
Tried Spot, Tid and Q.
Q sounds cleanest to me. Dynamics, clarity, smoothness.
I literally spent couple hours listening to the same song/album between the 3.
Sadly app kind of sux all around on Q.
But the worst thing on Q is limit of number of songs in playlist.
Why unlimited or like 10k. I have now 6 playlist spread over few playlist. Lame.
I end up using Tittal for dat.
Search is the worst in Q, I mean why you do this Q. Its 2022.