For classical listeners only - Qobuz versus Spotify

Posted by: Goon525 on 17 December 2014

I thought some of you might be interested - one thing I use streaming services for is to listen to extracts of Gramophone magazine's monthly Editor's Choice. (They used to include these on a cover CD but dropped this a while ago.) I've just checked availability of tracks from the December issue. Much to my surprise, the result out of 11(ten new issues and one reissue) was Qobuz 9, Spotify 7. A few caveats:- 1) I think this was an untypical month, which for instance included nothing from what we used to call the majors - the Universal labels, such as Decca and DG, Warner (ex-EMI) or Sony; 2) I no longer have Tidal available to see where they'd have finished; 3) both services have pretty lousy search facilities and I might just have missed something, though I don't think so.

 

So where will this leave me in subscription terms? On the one hand, I really like Naim's integration of Spotify into my SU. On the other, Qobuz offers higher SQ AND usually access to booklets - important to me. I think what I'm going to do is pull back my Qobuz subscription from the £20 all-inclusive to the £15 classical only; and probably stick with Spotify Premium at a tenner (I can probably live with my non-classical listening being at lower SQ). £25 is more than I really want to spend, but it's just about bearable. Like others here, I resent Qobuz charging me in pounds what others pay in Euros - but I do like their service.

 

Paul

Posted on: 17 December 2014 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Paul, I am not a million miles from your thinking. Although I quite like Spotify for classical in the car, I do find the repertoire a little limiting and I get a lot of repeats on the 'radio' feature. However on the Naim Spotify sounds too rounded, lacking finesse and detail to really enjoy .. I can't really complain given the  quart in the pint pot its trying to do. But Qobuz is quite different, its just I can't get the most from it currently with my Naim... So when the Naim Qobuz integration comes, I will almost certainly get £15pm classical subscription for Qobuz, albeit I am only using Qobuz for lossless downloads currently having cancelled my £20pm subscription whilst I wait for Naim to catch up.

Simon

Posted on: 17 December 2014 by R.K

Paul, Gramophone are also publishing a monthly editor's choice playlist on Qobuz. eg.Gramophone Dec 2014's playlist http://player.qobuz.com/#!/playlist/774830

Posted on: 17 December 2014 by Goon525

Yes, interesting - but I see it features only seven of the nine albums I tracked down. There seems to be a tie-up between Gramophone and Qobuz, but it's a frustrating one at the moment as so much is missing. I think their 9/11 this month is ahead of average.

Posted on: 20 December 2014 by DrPo
Originally Posted by Simon-in-Suffolk:

.... But Qobuz is quite different, its just I can't get the most from it currently with my Naim... So when the Naim Qobuz integration comes, I will almost certainly get £15pm classical subscription for Qobuz, albeit I am only using Qobuz for lossless downloads currently having cancelled my £20pm subscription whilst I wait for Naim to catch up.

Simon

+1 that's exactly what I plan to do. Just hope all our premonitions about the current streamers having insufficient memory to manage lossless streaming are proven wrong :-)

 

Posted on: 23 December 2014 by ragman
Originally Posted by DrPo:
Originally Posted by Simon-in-Suffolk:

.... But Qobuz is quite different, its just I can't get the most from it currently with my Naim... So when the Naim Qobuz integration comes, I will almost certainly get £15pm classical subscription for Qobuz, albeit I am only using Qobuz for lossless downloads currently having cancelled my £20pm subscription whilst I wait for Naim to catch up.

Simon

+1 that's exactly what I plan to do. Just hope all our premonitions about the current streamers having insufficient memory to manage lossless streaming are proven wrong :-)

 

ECM Label recordings are not within the stream from Qobuz. A huge disadvantage for the price requested.

Posted on: 23 December 2014 by Goon525

Yup, nor Hyperion, Chandos, BIS and quite a few more. But a least all of what we used to call 'majors' and quite a few independents are there. There's no complete streaming answer - yet.

Posted on: 23 December 2014 by ragman
Originally Posted by Simon-in-Suffolk:

Paul, I am not a million miles from your thinking. Although I quite like Spotify for classical in the car, I do find the repertoire a little limiting and I get a lot of repeats on the 'radio' feature. However on the Naim Spotify sounds too rounded, lacking finesse and detail to really enjoy .. I can't really complain given the  quart in the pint pot its trying to do. But Qobuz is quite different, its just I can't get the most from it currently with my Naim... So when the Naim Qobuz integration comes, I will almost certainly get £15pm classical subscription for Qobuz, albeit I am only using Qobuz for lossless downloads currently having cancelled my £20pm subscription whilst I wait for Naim to catch up.

Simon

Simon,
You'll not it is better not to rely on an integration by Naim in his streamer and instead to use a Mac or PC to any service and application remote control.
What speaks against it except possibly jitter (no issue with asynch USB) or the fact that it's a Mac or PC requires the listening room?

 

 

Posted on: 23 December 2014 by Goon525
Originally Posted by ragman:
Originally Posted by Simon-in-Suffolk:

Paul, I am not a million miles from your thinking. Although I quite like Spotify for classical in the car, I do find the repertoire a little limiting and I get a lot of repeats on the 'radio' feature. However on the Naim Spotify sounds too rounded, lacking finesse and detail to really enjoy .. I can't really complain given the  quart in the pint pot its trying to do. But Qobuz is quite different, its just I can't get the most from it currently with my Naim... So when the Naim Qobuz integration comes, I will almost certainly get £15pm classical subscription for Qobuz, albeit I am only using Qobuz for lossless downloads currently having cancelled my £20pm subscription whilst I wait for Naim to catch up.

Simon

Simon,
You'll not it is better not to rely on an integration by Naim in his streamer and instead to use a Mac or PC to any service and application remote control.
What speaks against it except possibly jitter (no issue with asynch USB) or the fact that it's a Mac or PC requires the listening room?

 

 

I guess the cost of an otherwise unnecessary computer. I'm contemplating a Mac mini on the basis you suggest, but already have a NAS sitting next to my SU. Should I blow another £400 when Naim have now proven that they can integrate a streaming service effectively - and surely some flavour of lossless must follow? I'm sitting on my wallet for now.

Posted on: 23 December 2014 by ragman
Originally Posted by Goon525:
Originally Posted by ragman:
Originally Posted by Simon-in-Suffolk:

Paul, I am not a million miles from your thinking. Although I quite like Spotify for classical in the car, I do find the repertoire a little limiting and I get a lot of repeats on the 'radio' feature. However on the Naim Spotify sounds too rounded, lacking finesse and detail to really enjoy .. I can't really complain given the  quart in the pint pot its trying to do. But Qobuz is quite different, its just I can't get the most from it currently with my Naim... So when the Naim Qobuz integration comes, I will almost certainly get £15pm classical subscription for Qobuz, albeit I am only using Qobuz for lossless downloads currently having cancelled my £20pm subscription whilst I wait for Naim to catch up.

Simon

Simon,
You'll not it is better not to rely on an integration by Naim in his streamer and instead to use a Mac or PC to any service and application remote control.
What speaks against it except possibly jitter (no issue with asynch USB) or the fact that it's a Mac or PC requires the listening room?

 

 

I guess the cost of an otherwise unnecessary computer. I'm contemplating a Mac mini on the basis you suggest, but already have a NAS sitting next to my SU. Should I blow another £400 when Naim have now proven that they can integrate a streaming service effectively - and surely some flavour of lossless must follow? I'm sitting on my wallet for now.

If you have a streamer I'm with you, but If you are thinking abount a DAC the MAC Mini costs less than the streaming Bord!