Confused re Qobus Connect

Hello
I began subscribing to Qobus yesterday, and began playing both through the official Qobus app and through the Naim app to my Naim Uniti Atom. I am having frequent drop outs and stuttering whilst playing through the Qobus app, though finding it plays perfectly, and maybe at slightly higher sound quality, through the Naim app.
My questions are :

  1. Whilst playing through the Naim app, am I using Qobus Connect?
  2. Why, whilst playing through the Qobus app, am I having drop outs?

Whilst listening through my Macbook speakers through the Qobus app, there are no problems with the connection; the stuttering only comes when I try to cast to my LS50 speakers. The problem seems to occur with both CD quality and hires files.
Sometimes also the Qobus app freezes and I have to restart the app.
If connecting through the NAIm app is in fact Qobus Connect, although connecting without issues, its functionality is quite limited.
Can anyone suggest how I can either stop the stuttering through the Qobus app or improve the functionality of the Naim app.
Thanks.

There is no Qobuz connect. If you play Qobuz with the pc app, it will use Airplay or Chromcast, one of the two.
Better use the Qobuz Naim app.

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ok Answer found. Chromecast and Qobuz appear unusable. :

SteveskyNaim Staff

Oct '20

HI @LJS,

When using Chromecast the stream is bit perfect and native upto 192kHz/24bit. The downside of Chromecast + Qobuz is that it’s not really designed to run at such high sample rates. The buffer sizes are far too small (hence prone to drop outs) and the Chromecast stack is very inefficient so uses nearly all the CPU time in the streamer. Not only is this bad for unit response times, but not also great for sound quality as the electric noise floor of the product increases as everything works harder.

For this reason + others, earlier this year we integrated Qobuz natively into the platform.
Benefits:

  • Proper buffering - We buffer up to 50MB of data at a time so very robust from internet data fluctuations. The average 16/44.1kHz track is fully loaded within 15secs, hence its playback from RAM buffer.
  • Efficient - near enough the same as playing a native 192kHz FLAC file from a NAS.
  • Faster to connect / play / do stuff.
  • Runs from the internal streamers Play Queue. Once the app has loaded in the play queue the streamer just gets on with it independent from the app / things in the cloud etc.

Overall, I would recommend use Qobuz via the Naim app if possible.

Best regards

Steve Harris
Software Director
Naim Audio Ltd.

As the native Qobuz app appears dead in the water with Chromecast, is Naim planning to develop their app to make using Qobus on a Naim device more pleasurable?

Thanks

2 Likes

Our postings crossed.
Its really frustrating that technically there are incompatibilities between Chromecast and Qobuz. I guess Roon might be a solution for an extra ÂŁ9 per month or, as suggested in the same thread, the following hierarchy of preferences :

1.  Native Qobuz on Naim App.
2.  Qobuz via Bubleupnp ( generally used before the native Qobuz integration)
3. ( or similar to 2). Qobuz via Mconnect app.
4. Qobuz via Chromcast.

Does Qobus draw this information to customers on its website???

Qobuz Chromecast implementation is indeed poor, but are you sure it’s Chromecast you’re using? On an iOS device it’s likely to be AirPlay if you cast from the Qobuz app.
One disadvantage on AirPlay is that the stream is routed over WiFi to your phone, and from there back to your router and on to the Atom. This should normally work, but puts more demand on your home network than other connection methods so maybe something to investigate?

The Qobuz app offers me choices for ‘Audio Output’, firstly ‘MacBook pro Speakers’ and under External tag, ‘Chromecast’ to ‘Uniti Atom 485215’. So yea. Chromecast and not Airplay, which would not stream at hires anyway.

I think this calamitous issue around Naim gear and Qobuz is startling - arguably the best sounding hires streaming service being essentially incompatible with a company as prestigious as Naim’s streaming devices is just …unbelievable. And other manufacturers who produce devices as well.

I guess either Naim improves its app or Qobuz introduces Qobuz Connect which rememdies this. Why are they delaying?

You can’t blame Naim for the dreadful implementation of Chromecast by Qobuz, it’s out of their hands.

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Not blaming Naim - the Naim app provides some relief. Just looking a pragmatic solutions to make it a better situation. The delay comment was meant for Qobuz.

I tried other streamers, even from reputable brands as Soulution. A lot, as the later, has no Tidal and Qobuz integration. You have to rely on Mconnect app.
Why do you need absolutely to stream from your pc, as you have much better sound using the Naim app on a phone or tablet ?

Because I am old, and enjoy the larger screen area of a pc’s monitor/laptop. Why is there a difference in sound quality between a phone and a pc when streaming music? I dont follow.

Because from a pc it has to use Chromcast or Airplay, which are not up to high fidelity standard.
You can eventually have a big IPad Pro as a remote, but expensive remote.

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Thank you for explaining this in a way I can understand. And the same applies to Pads as well?
I have downloaded Mconnect and currently using that on my Macbook though will download Naim for my phone.
Is there a reason why phones and pads function this way, and pcs are less efficient? Is it software or something else?

Geoff

I like you, find it easier to use a PC to root around qobus. What I do is use the PC to select a few albums and artists then stick them in favourites. These favourites will show up in the phone app. enabling me to stream direct, using the phone app.

Or just add them to a playlist.

So maybe Mconnect is the best response here, as it’s much better vs Chromcast or Airplay Qobuz and can be used on a pc. Not ?

Easier said than done, if you don’t understand playlists.:grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Could you ask Santa to bring you a MacBook with the new M1 chip for Christmas😀? These will run the Naim app (and most other IOS apps) natively. Works very well, too.

Roger

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Thanks everyone. I’m just being stubborn. Will Qobuz Connect ever come?

For now I consider Roon the only satisfactory way to stream Qobuz to my Naim streamers (NDX2, Atom, Mu-so, Mu-so Qb2). If Qobuz/Naim come up with a “TIDAL Connect”-like integration I would like to try that. Until that happens I’m using Roon.

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This is up to Qobuz and they probably have to use their resources wisely, so we will see

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