Quobuz

Hi Graham

Yes that is correct, Qobuz FLAC is supposedly CD quality streamed.

how are you connected to your system to stream?

Plus 1 interested in how you are connected. As a predominately "non Apple" user I am interested in how people are connecting to Naim eqpt and the Uniti range in particular.

PC with Qobuz client via USB/SPDIF converter to DAC to Naim amp

Hi.

at the moment I have the sonos , connected to the naim , and streaming via this.

from what I'm hearing the quobuz app will be embedded in future naim streamers

so how much difference is there in quality terms between 320 spotify and cd 

Graham,

Did your fine ears happen to hear whether it would be included in the Naim servers?

M

Hi.

no it was confirmed to me as definite from a naim stockist. Particularly in light of the muso in September , it all points in that direction 

Well the last whisper I heard, so please treat it as that, was that the Qobuz integration might not make the initial release in September...

Wish naim would throw there hat in the ring and give us an update. I love my naim gear , but get very frustrated at there promises of releases / apps and then nothing comes of it 

Strange thing.

i took up the offer of the 2 week trial of quobuz to try out the flac. All good so far until yesterday.

now none of the files are in flac!

anyone got any idease 

are you running it from the application or streaming it direct from website? If you're streaming you'll only get MP3 files. Maybe need to re-launch application. 

run it from the application and somewhere near the bottom of it click on the hyperlink to change selection. it should read something like:

Vraie qualité CD (Lossless) - FLAC (16 bits - 44.1 kHz)

Yep got it thanks.

so do I keep the quobuz and dump the spotify.

quality does seem better even to my aged ears.

or do I wait till it comes down in price a bit and naim have embedded it on there equipment .?

Only you can say whether it's worth it to you. I tried it and am now a happy subscriber.

It is a bit expensive but I reckon if it saves me buying 2 CDs a month I'm even. The big thing about Qobuz is that if they have the album available (and there are some gaps) then it's absolutely as good as having the CD yourself rather than just a "try before you buy" option. 

It's also a great way of checking out music that you have heard about but are unlikely to get to hear on RP etc. - it's been a boon for me just now checking out bands that are playing Glastonbury but aren't familiar to me such as Midlake, The War on Drugs, Metronomy etc. No way I'd risk buying any of those blind(deaf?) but they sound interesting and I'll check them out live. 

I find these new ways of accessing music can really open up and change your listening habits - it happened for me when I junked my CD player and it's happening again now with Qobuz. It's quite wonderful and of course you can easily go back to the old ways if the mood takes you.

Pev's right. Streaming changes listening habits fundamentally. Problem is that it encourages grazing rather than sitting down and running through an album from start to finish. The 'Ringo Starr tracks' can easily be avoided. I suppose ultimately this will change the way musicians compile their albums and just put the decent tracks at the top rather than thinking of them in a more structured and programmed way.