Qobuz in US: When?

[TubeLover]

11 hours ago, Jud said:

 

A very interesting take.  What would be the reason not to use a computer you have at home to send music from Qobuz with, e.g., Audirvana Plus, to a streamer?

Jud,

 

As far as network players or streaming devices, my Aurender N100, for example is designed to pull the FLAC files off my NAS, and uses it's built in Tidal interface for streaming to my DAC, and then to my preamp. It don't see a way for it to accept that signal from a computer. 

 

I am now moving to a MicroRendu Ultra and SonicTransporter solution, which, using Roon, would stream Tidal to my DAC, but again, I don't see how it would work with a computer in the chain sending Qobuz. I may be missing something, as this is an all new implementation that I am waiting for the SonicTransporter to execute. 

 

JC

[Jud]

46 minutes ago, TubeLover said:

Jud,

 

As far as network players or streaming devices, my Aurender N100, for example is designed to pull the FLAC files off my NAS, and uses it's built in Tidal interface for streaming to my DAC, and then to my preamp. It don't see a way for it to accept that signal from a computer. 

 

I am now moving to a MicroRendu Ultra and SonicTransporter solution, which, using Roon, would stream Tidal to my DAC, but again, I don't see how it would work with a computer in the chain sending Qobuz. I may be missing something, as this is an all new implementation that I am waiting for the SonicTransporter to execute. 

 

JC

 

The UltraRendu itself will accept Qobuz sent by Wi-Fi/Ethernet from a Mac or PC running Audirvana+. Nothing else needed.

 

Now for whatever reason this may not be what you want to do, but it is possible.

[AudioDoctor]

@TubeLover  The Aurender itself will sign into Qobuz. Are you sure you're using the latest software?

[AudioDoctor]

You will love Qobuz coming out of your Aurender into your snazzy new DAC. You may want to call in sick for a year or so.

[TubeLover]

41 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

@TubeLover  The Aurender itself will sign into Qobuz. Are you sure you're using the latest software?

I will check on that Doc. I thought I was current, but might have unknowingly fallen a release behind.

 

JC

[TubeLover]

45 minutes ago, Jud said:

 

The UltraRendu itself will accept Qobuz sent by Wi-Fi/Ethernet from a Mac or PC running Audirvana+. Nothing else needed.

 

Now for whatever reason this may not be what you want to do, but it is possible.

Thanks for the explanation Jud. With the UltraRendu and the SonicTransporter already in the new system chain, though, also introducing a PC isn't something I truly wanted to do. And, in addition, my desktop pc is all the way across the house and on another floor, so the aforementioned scenario isn't really viable, since I can't physically access it while in my listening room.

 

JC

[left channel]

@TubeLover I believe you can also stream Qobuz (and Tidal, without MQA) through an ultraRendu using:

 

* BubbleUPnP on the ultraRendu and the Linn Kazoo controller app on another device, or

* Squeezelite on the ultraRendu and LMS (Squeezebox Server) on the sonicTransporter, with any compatible controller app including a web browser.

I subscribe to both Qobuz and Tidal, and use the LMS/Squeezelite solution to stream Hi-Res from Qobuz and CD-quality from Tidal all the time. Also the Radio Paradise FLAC streams, and lots of other good stuff.

 

 

[Ran]

You can also use the BubbleUPnP app to stream Qobuz directly. No computer needed.

[Jud]

3 hours ago, TubeLover said:

Thanks for the explanation Jud. With the UltraRendu and the SonicTransporter already in the new system chain, though, also introducing a PC isn't something I truly wanted to do. And, in addition, my desktop pc is all the way across the house and on another floor, so the aforementioned scenario isn't really viable, since I can't physically access it while in my listening room.

 

JC

 

Well, that's the setup I happen to have, and I control both local and Qobuz music through A+ by means of its iPhone/iPad remote.

 

Not arguing you should do this, just wanted to mention it if anyone reading was considering something similar.

[TubeLover]

6 hours ago, Jud said:

 

Well, that's the setup I happen to have, and I control both local and Qobuz music through A+ by means of its iPhone/iPad remote.

 

Not arguing you should do this, just wanted to mention it if anyone reading was considering something similar.

Thanks Jud, you've again provided me with information I didn't have on how this can be accomplished.

 

JC

[AudioDoctor]

@TubeLover this is Aurenders own ad on this forum.

 

 

[Chiller]

On 12/30/2018 at 4:23 PM, left channel said:

@TubeLover I believe you can also stream Qobuz (and Tidal, without MQA) through an ultraRendu using:

 

* BubbleUPnP on the ultraRendu and the Linn Kazoo controller app on another device, or

* Squeezelite on the ultraRendu and LMS (Squeezebox Server) on the sonicTransporter, with any compatible controller app including a web browser.

I subscribe to both Qobuz and Tidal, and use the LMS/Squeezelite solution to stream Hi-Res from Qobuz and CD-quality from Tidal all the time. Also the Radio Paradise FLAC streams, and lots of other good stuff.

 

 

Hey Left Channel - Happy New Year! - I'm interested to know more about LMS/Squeezelite and the Radio Paradise Flac streams. Any way to feed my Lumin D1?..... still waiting on Roon for this...

[left channel]

8 hours ago, Chiller said:

Hey Left Channel - Happy New Year! - I'm interested to know more about LMS/Squeezelite and the Radio Paradise Flac streams. Any way to feed my Lumin D1?..... still waiting on Roon for this...

 

And HNY to you! Maybe there's a way. At minimum you can listen to a lower-res Radio Paradise "Main Mix" stream using the TuneIn app on the D1. But you probably already knew that. Other than the official RP single-device web and mobile apps, LMS is the only way to get all the RP streams and get them in CD-quality FLAC, and it will serve them up on your network.

You'd need to install LMS (it's free) in a computer, add the Radio Paradise plug-in and the UPnPBridge plug-in, and then hopefully LMS will find the D1 as a UPnP player on your network. A lot will depend on Lumin's UPnP implementation, but you may be good-to-go, and could control playback from your phone or tablet.

I recommend you also install the Material Skin plug-in; it really updates the interface on both the desktop and the mobile web app. No Squeezelite needed in this case. Want to try? 

 

[wklie]

On 1/1/2019 at 5:45 AM, Chiller said:

 Radio Paradise Flac streams. Any way to feed my Lumin D1?..... still waiting on Roon for this...

 

Please try Radio Paradise on an Apple device then AirPlay to Lumin.

[left channel]

11 hours ago, wklie said:

 

Please try Radio Paradise on an Apple device then AirPlay to Lumin.

 

So the RP iOS app via AirPlay to the Lumin? @Chiller if you try that please let us know how it sounds. AirPlay decodes the FLAC into its own format before transporting, ruining Hi-Res files, but they claim it performs equivalent to 16/44.1 CD-quality and I'm always curious how the result sounds to people.

[exdmd]

There is a Qobuz signup landing page confirmed working for US residents at https://www.qobuz.com/nl-nl/discover

 

Just click the 'Try For Free' button. Maybe it will continue working for a while longer:)

[left channel]

26 minutes ago, exdmd said:

There is a Qobuz signup landing page confirmed working for US residents at https://www.qobuz.com/nl-nl/discover

 

Just click the 'Try For Free' button. Maybe it will continue working for a while longer:)

 

Odd. The "nl-nl" indicates Dutch-Netherlands. As opposed to en-US for English-'Murican.  And yet it's all in English and worth trying.

[yaslam]

I have been using the UK account for a long time.
I got a US account the other day and I'm trying it.
I'm comparing the accounts of the two countries. (Store and Streaming)
In the US, I can see many artists with fewer albums than UK. Especially classical artists and European bands.
This is true for both store and streaming.
 (As you know, the tracks that can be streamed are the same as the tracks that are dealed at each country's store)
For me it is best to pay both purchases and streaming in US dollars, but I'm Classical fans and I also like European metal bands, so the number of albums in US is worst for me.
Do you think the lack of some albums in US will be improved?

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/interpreter/lisa-batiashvili/download-streaming-albums (19 albums)
https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/lisa-batiashvili/download-streaming-albums (5 albums)

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/interpreter/amaranthe/download-streaming-albums (13 albums)
https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/amaranthe/download-streaming-albums (6 albums)
 

[Peter Hyatt]

My guess is “yes.”

 

Factually “guess” is accurate but I’d be stunned if moving into any country would not mean greater volume of that country’s artists’ releases.  

 

 

[Peter Hyatt]

Internal debate: 

 

hi rez or sublime?

 

the discount for purchasing is significant.  Yet, better to rent or to buy? 

 

 

 

I’m undecided and am looking for opinions. 

 

 

[exdmd]

19 hours ago, left channel said:

 

Odd. The "nl-nl" indicates Dutch-Netherlands. As opposed to en-US for English-'Murican.  And yet it's all in English and worth trying.

 

No longer working though they closed the loophole. You were also able to get in for a few days by going to the main Qobuz Facebook page first then clicking the first link shown but that too no longer works for US IP addresses.

[left channel]

1 hour ago, exdmd said:

 

No longer working though they closed the loophole. You were also able to get in for a few days by going to the main Qobuz Facebook page first then clicking the first link shown but that too no longer works for US IP addresses.

 

😞  Oh well. Based on @yaslam's post, they may still be working on US licensing anyway. I am willing to bet that situation will improve.

[Musicophile]

4 hours ago, Peter Hyatt said:

Internal debate: 

 

hi rez or sublime?

 

the discount for purchasing is significant.  Yet, better to rent or to buy? 

 

 

 

I’m undecided and am looking for opinions. 

 

 

I strongly suggest Sublime.

 

The discounts are significant and you should still buy at least some music, and not rely only on streaming. Here’s why:

 

Costs for streaming can be changed any day. So if after future price increases you want to stop streaming, you have to have your own content 

 

Streaming services come and go, there is no guarantee a Lossless or Highres streaming service will be around forever, as the business model isn’t profitable yet and may never be.

 

Finally and most importantly, artists need to make money. They simply don’t on streaming revenues only 

[TAV]

Perhaps we are getting close to a general public release.  I received a Private Beta Invite for Hi-Res Streaming from Qobuz this morning.  So it seems they are moving from a closed Beta to an open Beta.  

 

 

>>>>>>>> Hi from Qobuz US, You signed up .....  to be among the first to experience true Hi-Res audio streaming in the US. The big day is finally approaching! We are soon going to select our first open beta testers based on specific criteria. We will notify you within a week whether you have been selected as a first-round beta tester or placed on our waiting list. We look forward to seeing your responses! The Qobuz Team

[#Yoda#]

4 hours ago, Musicophile said:

I strongly suggest Sublime.

 

The discounts are significant and you should still buy at least some music, and not rely only on streaming. Here’s why:

 

Costs for streaming can be changed any day. So if after future price increases you want to stop streaming, you have to have your own content 

 

Streaming services come and go, there is no guarantee a Lossless or Highres streaming service will be around forever, as the business model isn’t profitable yet and may never be.

 

Finally and most importantly, artists need to make money. They simply don’t on streaming revenues only 

Finally, it is a matter of simple arithmetic. Supposed an average discount of $ 6 for a HiRes download, what is a pessimistic assumption, you need at least 50 HiRes downloads/year to get the complete HiRes streaming option for free. A good deal, IMO.

 

It is another question if Qobuz can stand this business model in the long term. The average gross margin for standard priced HiRes files is not even 20% and if you add the loss from the usual streaming business, 🤔.