Official Qobuz Issues Thread

[R1200CL]

Qobuz claims to have access to 170,000 hi-res audio tracks. The fact that they're aren't even 2000 albums that have been produced at real hi-res doesn't seem to matter.

 

http://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/566i-y4gg0--jilj9-5q8j86o9

 

Interesting article. 

[R1200CL]

2 hours ago, Jud said:

 

He discounts the good careful work of people like Giles Martin on beloved music as being "hi-res" due to the original recording technology (some of which Mark Knopfler uses these days, and manages to sound pretty damn good).

 

I on the other hand enjoy the idea of music from any era being presented to me as well as possible.

 

I can agree to he does to probably anyone that doesn’t follow the standard. Wich seems to be his main point. 

 

The hi res logo was meant for the hardware used to create what we call hi res music. 

To me this is an interesting point. 

 

That you can create hi res out of old masters used on equipment not meeting the hi res standard is something else. And I think he does not attacking that as I understand it. He is attacking those companies, Qobuz included, that is misusing the hi res logo, and marketing everything as hi res if it’s 24/96 or better, even if not recorded on equipment meeting the standard. 

 

 

 

[R1200CL]

4 hours ago, Hugo9000 said:

Qobuz uses the Hi-Res Audio logo, but I would assume they are relying on the provider of the files, so if the music doesn't meet the Japan Audio Society's criteria, that would be the fault of the labels, and I wouldn't blame Qobuz for the misrepresentation.

 

A very interesting assumption. 😀

 

Now why isn’t HD tracks then using same logo ?

 

UMC only points to Spotify and YouTube themselves. 

 

 

[R1200CL]

16 minutes ago, Jud said:

 

Mark Waldrep has for years been trying to get people to notice him and buy his 24/96 recordings by criticizing others and attempting to persuade consumers they're being taken by everyone but him. You are welcome to believe him and not subscribe to Qobuz. Now the rest of us have music to enjoy.

 

I didn’t know. OK thanks Jud. 

 

Anyway here is the prove rove that Qobuz actually can use that hi res logo. 

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=4583

 

[R1200CL]

9 hours ago, spin33 said:

The JAS logo for Hi-res music is different; see below. Who (other than Qobuz) knows why the choice was made? A clerical design error? A conscious decision? (The Hi-Res Music logo is a tad ugly and less eye-catching :-).

 

So I started here:

http://static.qobuz.com/uploads/cms/files/presse/20150505_-_Communique_de_presse_Qobuz_Cerifie_Hi-Res_EN_editbarry.pdf

 

That lead me here:

https://www.cta.tech/News/Press-Releases/2014/December/CEA-and-Japan-Audio-Society-to-Collaborate-on-Hi-R.aspx

 

Which took me to the formal definition of hires. 

https://www.cta.tech/News/Press-Releases/2014/June/DEG,-CEA,-The-Recording-Academy®-and-Major-Labels.aspx

 

High Resolution Audio is defined as “lossless audio that is capable of reproducing the full range of sound from recordings that have been mastered from better than CD quality music sources.”

 

Which then took me to this page. 

 

https://www.grammy.com/sites/com/files/recommendations_for_hires_music_production_09_28_18.pdf

 

Here I learned The following on page 31:

The Hi-Res Music logo, administered by the RIAA, (Recording Industry Association of America) “...was created to help consumers find hi-resolution recordings available from digital music retailers in the U.S., Canada, and Europe for downloading or streaming. Under terms of the licensing agreement that has been issued to nearly a dozen companies, the logo must be accompanied by the name and resolution of a song’s digital format.”

 

https://www.riaa.com/high-resolution-audio-initiative-gets-major-boost-with-new-hi-res-music-logo-and-branding-materials-for-digital-retailers/

 

So I tried to understand more about the Hi res music logo

 

and ended again up at Mark Waldrep site. 

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=4789

 

“I can’t help but wonder why this new logo is being introduced when the existing JAS logo was already being used for both hardware and content. The RIAA announcement does state that the JAS logo is “for use on compatible consumer electronics devices”. Perhaps the JAS changed its mind after the Qobuz site adopted the logo and became a “certified” source for high-resolution audio. Or maybe the JAS realized that a single logo with two drastically different sets of requirements wasn’t a good idea.”

 

Others is also confused:

https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2015/11/riaa-introduces-a-hi-res-music-logo-plus-some-confusion.html

 

Well. Anyway I just post this in order to maybe enlighten a bit about use of the hi res logos. 

 

The good thing so far, seems that no hires streaming site og shop is offering anything that doesn’t comply with hi res specifications 😀

 

As I understand it’s easy to reveal tracks that doesn’t comply with the standard. 

 

[R1200CL]

On 2/4/2019 at 10:28 PM, #Yoda# said:

Not all of the following few examples of obvious upsampled albums are available in the US as HiRes files, hence I use the link for Qobuz Germany. If you need charts to proof my concerns, I can forward them to you as PM:

Eric Clapton - Slowhand;  24/192 https://www.qobuz.com/de-de/album/slowhand-eric-clapton/0060253780355

 

Should I understand this album as an example on Qobuz is different as the one available on HD tracks ?

[R1200CL]

On 2/16/2019 at 8:15 AM, goon525 said:

 

Given that virtually every classical album recorded for at least the last decade has been at high res, and Gramophone magazine reviews well over a hundred a month, this figure of under 2000 is self-evidently, as we in the UK like to say, bollocks.

 

I would be very interested in knowing how many hi res albums actually exist. 

Qobuz says they have 75000+

 

How many albums is available on HDtracks store ?

 

How many MQA albums exists ?

 

Why is it so hard to find som official numbers, that isn’t given by a streaming service ?

 

I was not able to find any updated numbers using Google. 

I was able to find that there seems to exist just about 1500+ albums DSD, but wasn’t what I was looking for. I still hope that’s a correct number ?

 

 

[R1200CL]

On 2/16/2019 at 8:15 AM, goon525 said:

 

Given that virtually every classical album recorded for at least the last decade has been at high res, and Gramophone magazine reviews well over a hundred a month, this figure of under 2000 is self-evidently, as we in the UK like to say, bollocks.

 

Her is his answer to how he came to that number:

 

‘’I arrived at that number after looking at the number of new recordings that were actually recorded and released at 96/24 (or DSD 64) or better. Virtually none of the albums on HDtracks and the other hi-res music sites qualify. They are hi-res transfers of older standard-res masters. Real Hi-Res music albums are only produced and delivered by audiophile labels. Just because some uses 96/24 bits during the recording stage doesn’t mean that the potential of those specs survives to the distribution format``

 

 

[R1200CL]

15 hours ago, Jud said:

 

Mark Waldrep may also include hi-res digitization of analog recordings in that "standard-res" appellation - in any case he doesn't consider it to meet his notion of "hi res."  If you read his posts over the years, it turns out very little music meets his high standards, except, just coincidentally, his own recordings. 

 

For example, he's criticized DSD, and said that anything over 24/96 is unnecessary, while until quite recently he also disdained "standard res," and in fact continues to post critically about it, though his test subjects couldn't tell the difference from 24/96 in his own tests.  For me, as I've said before, I'm quite happy to have stuff available like the 24/96 recordings Giles Martin has done of Sgt. Pepper and the White Album.

 

I'm also generally impressed with the sound quality of Qobuz material, RedBook or hi res.

 

Here are two links you may read. 

 

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/when-high-resolution-audio-isnt-hd/

 

https://opensource.com/article/18/11/hi-resolution-compared-cd-quality-audio

 

The following definitions may also cause some confusion.

It also seems they are not being used by the record companies in order to clarify what the source is. 

 

 

 

Can someone explain what to expect from MQ-A ?

 

My understanding is that many of the Qobuz Hi Res offering is based on MQ-A. 

 

And Tidal’s Masters probably originated from same source. 

 

Master Quality Recording sources

The descriptors for the Master Quality Recording categories are as follows:

MQ-P
From a PCM master source 48 kHz/20 bit or higher; (typically 96/24 or 192/24 content)

MQ-A
From an analog master source

MQ-C
From a CD master source (44.1 kHz/16 bit content)

MQ-D
From a DSD/DSF master source (typically 2.8 or 5.6 MHz content)

[R1200CL]

18 hours ago, rickca said:

I'm confused.  Are a lot of the hi res albums on Qobuz just 'hi res transfers of older standard-res masters'?

 

Me too 😀

 

 But what’s the option to your question ?

This is what I understand as MQ-A. 

 

https://www.cta.tech/News/Press-Releases/2014/June/DEG,-CEA,-The-Recording-Academy®-and-Major-Labels.aspx

 

[R1200CL]

5 hours ago, Jud said:

Hoo boy, no chance of confusing that with MQA, right? 🙄

 

What is the MQA format? Is that the same as MQ-A?

 

 

MQ RATINGS

Because the different MQ (Master Quality) designations apply based on the source master, there is some potential for misunderstanding.

• you could produce a release entirely in the analog domain, to an analog tape, and then digitally master it at 24-bit/96kHz PCM. That therefore would give it the "High Resolution" designation of "MQ-P"
• you could record and produce a release entirely in the digital domain using a PCM-based multi-track recorder, and then master it to analog tape. This would give it the "High Resolution" designation of "MQ-A"
• you could produce a release entirely in the PCM digital domain, and then convert it to DSD, which would therefore give it the designation of "MQ-D"
• you could produce a release from a 16-bit 44.1kHz master that was upsampled to 24-bit 96kHz, giving it the designation of "MQ-C"

 

[R1200CL]

Those of you that have the skills, may take the recordings mention here

https://medium.com/@rezakabir/hires-downloads-and-loudness-1e52678a75af

and verify if the Qobuz versions is just an upsampled CD. 

 

I actually find the article hard to believe, as i taught HDtracks didn’t do this. 

[R1200CL]

1 hour ago, Polyglot said:

For those with European accounts, have you been able to create a U.S. one with the same email address and credit card?

 

Delete your EU account. Create an US. Worked for me. You probably need a VPN in order to create. But afterwards you don’t.

[R1200CL]

6 hours ago, ttate90303 said:

Is this normal - listening to Qobuz on iPhone - choose 24/96 tracks but didn’t have Audioquest Dragonfly plugged in - should this default back to 16/44.1 instead of showing Hires 24/96 playback?

 

 

In order to play hires from an iPhone, or any iOS device, you will need the CCK. 

 

BTW, iPhone is a fantastic Roon endpoint. 

[R1200CL]

4 hours ago, ttate90303 said:

I would expect the app to only display 16/44.1 instead.

 

Not if the Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter has a DAC that actually supports those rates. I think it at least supports 24/48. 

 

Also you’re suggesting that the DAC can tell the app via lightning interface its capabilities, which may not be part of the lighting specifications. (But USB does). 

 

[R1200CL]

On 9/21/2020 at 12:20 AM, dmackta said:

Cuneiform is one of the GREAT independent labels and I've worked with and known Steve the owner for many years. He does not allow his catalog to be streamed. Period, end. I gave up trying to convince him.

Probably a very stupid question. But doesn’t the artist have any influence on such a matter ?

[R1200CL]

@David Craff

 

Have you ever looked into if DSD files could offered as a streaming service ?

Including upsampled and converted PCM files ?

I suppose SACD is impossible to offer as an streaming service as of DRM and similar. Correct ?

 

BTW. Just discovered this 👍

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/qobuz-multi-channel-albums/99491/15

Not sure how easy it is to find them. Didn’t seems to be a link in Qobuz website. 

[R1200CL]

4 hours ago, keeper said:

Otherwise as soon as the support team ask you to log out to try something you loose all the hours of work performed in creating an offline library.

I guess the trick is to create a playlist, and then download it ?

 

(BTW. Offline mode is a non exiting feature in Qobuz 😀). 

 

[R1200CL]

@matthias

If you can’t see Bob Dylan in a German account, an option may be to change to an us account.

Quite many hires albums. Enjoy. 
 

BTW, can you access Rammstein ? Should be 20 albums.