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https://www.forbes.com/sites/marksp...lks-about-the-music-streaming-business-today/
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Qobuz Chief talks about the music streaming business
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UltraFast69
New member
Article helps illustrate some points on streaming.
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Audiophilehi
Member
I’m not a steaming fan. Please correct me if I’m wrong but for the most part you at the mercy of the latest reissue of whatever you are streaming.
It might cost more purchasing multiple LP’s, CD’s etc. of the same album but I get to choose which one sounds the best to me and sell the rest.
It might cost more purchasing multiple LP’s, CD’s etc. of the same album but I get to choose which one sounds the best to me and sell the rest.
garyalex
New member
I've been using Qobuz since they first offered their beta program in the US. Prior to that it was Tidal, and Spotify before Tidal. That said, vinyl is still very much my preference. I buy as much as I can. But I've got a small vinyl library, something just under 2000 albums. There's so much more music out there than what's on those LPs, as wonderful as they are.
Of course I'd rather it be on vinyl. But it isn't and I'm not going to let that stop me from discovering new music. There's only so much time and there's an ocean of music out there to be enjoyed. I can't buy everything I like. I just don't see a good alternative to streaming. You are indeed limited to whatever release is being streamed, some less good than others. I try to just listen and enjoy.
Of course I'd rather it be on vinyl. But it isn't and I'm not going to let that stop me from discovering new music. There's only so much time and there's an ocean of music out there to be enjoyed. I can't buy everything I like. I just don't see a good alternative to streaming. You are indeed limited to whatever release is being streamed, some less good than others. I try to just listen and enjoy.
I own a lot of CDs and SACDs.
I do love them and play them still very often.
But I've noticed that a lot of my CDs bite in the dust when compared to their Qobuz 24/96 and 24/192 counterparts.
Especially the remasters of older music are terrific, as are the new releases of classical and jazz, but also pop and rock.
When you do a search on an album, the best quality version comes first.
You could say I like to be at the mercy of Qobuz' choices.
I recently cancelled my Qobuz (and Tidal) accounts. I far prefer either physical media or hi-res files. It was nice to hear new releases, but out of the 500ish titles on my Play Lists, I only wanted to own maybe 25 titles, so I'm slowly replacing them. In every case, either an LP/CD/SACD/his-res file has more body and detail compared to the streamed version. I also decided that as a classical fan, I already own superior performances of many works compared to the latest whiz kids that both services promote.
UPDATE: I decided to keep Qobuz but still drop Tidal. After further soul-searching I decided there are enough good alternative recordings to ones I already own in order to justify the cost. Plus, I have limited storage space for discs, and since I'm retired, I don't have an unlimited budget. Qobuz definitively saves me a lot of money!
UPDATE: I decided to keep Qobuz but still drop Tidal. After further soul-searching I decided there are enough good alternative recordings to ones I already own in order to justify the cost. Plus, I have limited storage space for discs, and since I'm retired, I don't have an unlimited budget. Qobuz definitively saves me a lot of money!
still-one
Active member
Life is too short for me to worry about versions. It either sounds good or it doesn't. I into listening to music not collecting it.
Audiophilehi
Member
Hi Jim.... I’m really all about listening as well but when the loudness wars started I got burnt many times purchasing remastered CD’s and then Hi-Rez downloads to find they mostly inferior to CD’s from the 80’s and early 90’s. Of course vinyl still ruled IMHO.
So with that being said for the most part I really don’t care for what’s being remastered today. I do admit there are some outstanding remasters being done today but not many. Maybe if they were not so heavy handed on the gain control there would be many more outstanding remasters. Until then it’s either my vast vinyl collection, CD’s from the 80’s and early 90’s or the few recent remasters that are done correctly.
Audiophilehi
Member
I own a lot of CDs and SACDs.
I do love them and play them still very often.
But I've noticed that a lot of my CDs bite in the dust when compared to their Qobuz 24/96 and 24/192 counterparts.
Especially the remasters of older music are terrific, as are the new releases of classical and jazz, but also pop and rock.
When you do a search on an album, the best quality version comes first.
You could say I like to be at the mercy of Qobuz' choices.
Hi Bart...Qobuz certainly is not lacking in content which is of course part of its charm. If I was just starting out I probably would be gravitating to Qobuz but since I’ve been purchasing and listening to music for over 50 years I’m partial to what I have.
See my above reply to Jim on the reasons why.
Five or ten thousand albums in your collection? That’s nothing. No matter how large is one person’s physical collection of LPs and CD/SACD, it cannot compare in size to the 30-40 million tracks offered by the likes of Qobuz or Tidal. Not to mention the incremental pain of finding it as the physical collection gets larger!
Unless one’s collection is made of rare recordings, MOST folk’s collection is readily available on Qobuz and Tidal right now.
As far as remasters, again, most streaming services offer several versions of the same album. So one does not ‘lose’ an older version when a new, remastered version becomes available.
To me, it makes little sense to purchase expensive LPs or physical discs or even downloads when I can get the same music via CD-quality streaming. I am not getting rid of my existing collection of LPs but I certainly no longer listen to them as much as I used to.
Unless one’s collection is made of rare recordings, MOST folk’s collection is readily available on Qobuz and Tidal right now.
As far as remasters, again, most streaming services offer several versions of the same album. So one does not ‘lose’ an older version when a new, remastered version becomes available.
To me, it makes little sense to purchase expensive LPs or physical discs or even downloads when I can get the same music via CD-quality streaming. I am not getting rid of my existing collection of LPs but I certainly no longer listen to them as much as I used to.
I have been streaming TIDAL’s 44.1/16 FLAC files and recently the TIDAL MQA encoded files.
Listening to the MQA files seemed to my aging ears to be a very artificial experience, especially the extreme bass and some strange “ringing” in the high register.
Today, I decided to try Qobuz and I signed up for the free trial. The transition was painless thank to the LUMIN app, which made it easy to compare identical tracks encoded in Tidal MQA and Qobuz FLAC 96/24.
The difference between the two formats was not subtle; Qobuz won the “contest” hands down, helped no doubt because my PS Audio Nu Wave DSD easily handled the D/A conversion. (My system also includes Krell pre and power amps connected to a pair of Martin-Logan Aeon-i electrostatic speakers and Sunfire sub).
I enjoy classical music, so I selected the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony performed by Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony. I have never heard my audio system sound so good - and other tracks with Billie Holiday and Diane Krall confirmed my initial impression.
I have cancelled Tidal ... R.I.P.
Listening to the MQA files seemed to my aging ears to be a very artificial experience, especially the extreme bass and some strange “ringing” in the high register.
Today, I decided to try Qobuz and I signed up for the free trial. The transition was painless thank to the LUMIN app, which made it easy to compare identical tracks encoded in Tidal MQA and Qobuz FLAC 96/24.
The difference between the two formats was not subtle; Qobuz won the “contest” hands down, helped no doubt because my PS Audio Nu Wave DSD easily handled the D/A conversion. (My system also includes Krell pre and power amps connected to a pair of Martin-Logan Aeon-i electrostatic speakers and Sunfire sub).
I enjoy classical music, so I selected the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony performed by Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony. I have never heard my audio system sound so good - and other tracks with Billie Holiday and Diane Krall confirmed my initial impression.
I have cancelled Tidal ... R.I.P.
