Yep as I thought.
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Iām curious to watch the video, thanks for sharing. However in my experience local streaming is way better than Qobuz/Tidal. And I prefer WAV over FLAC (even though the difference isnāt huge, but enough for me).
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I steered away from WAV to FLAC because I like to transfer a lot of my stuff to my iPhone to take with me.
To get around that issue, I rip in both mp3 and Flac, then I wrote a script to generate an MP3 folder structure (that iTunes uses) and an MP3RAW folder structure that I use for local streaming.
BTW, Iāve not noticed a difference, but perhaps I need to retest as things can change
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It makes perfect sense, FLAC is an excellent choice. WAV is ājustā more airy, detailed and clarity and decay are superior. But itās not a huge difference, I think itās only noticeable if you look for a certain type of sound and it depends on your Hi-Fi setup / gear.
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I moved away from streaming because of the variable quality and doubts over the claimed bit and sample rates. So happy to look at the video as it confirms my thoughts.
I changed all my WAV to FLAC to gain a significant amount of spare storage space, easy to do with dBpoweamps Batch Converter, set up and walk away, or as I did, it was bedtime.
Now with Asset UPnPās excellent transcoding set to āPlay Asā WAV Iām still getting the small better SQ playing WAV.
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When I had to transfer my music library from the HDX to Innuos I tried listening to a number of CDs ripped in both WAV and FLAC. I couldnāt discern a difference so went ahead and changed over the library to FLAC. Upside was that FLAC files on a playlist could be transferred to a USB memory stick and provide lots of music for car journeys
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One can get the best of both worlds by storing in FLAC and listening in WAV, at least with server software that can transcode on the fly. MinimServer and Asset both have this option.
Roger
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Can buying an expensive switch like the NA tempus switch solve these issues?
In a word , No
The data comes from the streaming service, if itās sub-standard, thats what you recieve ā¦ RIRO
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Thatās sad. Me heard story people says after using good switch their system transformed into more CD like quality or close to vinyl. I only stream though.
I subscribe and listen to Qobuz and iRadio only.
The differences between local files, if any, are minute and are far outweighed by the convenience of Qobuz Connect.
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Iām not sure if the blanket statement in the video above that streaming providers use data compression is generally true. Qobuz claims on its website that it has 100 million lossless tracks and the largest selection of hi-res albums. It also claims to be certified by the Japan Audio Society (JAS) for hi-res audio.
I donāt have any local files myself, so I canāt comment directly on this question. However, I have the impression that there are many very good recordings on Qobuz. That said, there are also many that are unsatisfactory, e.g. older jazz tracks, but also some newer recordings. With some effort in network optimisation, Qobuz is now as good as or better than the same recordings on CD in my system (when I play the latter in direct comparison via my Audiolab CDT).
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Well that was a pile of utterā¦..
āI donāt know, they may be compressingā¦ they may be whatever, something to keep costs down..ā
and then a pitch for a sale at the end.
Qobuz user for 14 years. Mastering differs. Other than that the SAME master will play the same on Q or from my NAS, or as close as I can hear. A better master or a Hi Res file is demonstrably better.
Properly attention to the home network with Ethernet cables and switches as much discussed here makes a very large difference and I think accounts for much or the problem when people say streaming doesnāt sound good.
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I have been using Qobuz since the service was introduced into the US and the music has always sounded excellent.
Very happy with the product and the yearly pricingā¦
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@BrendanD @seakayaker after 20 minutes on Qobuz Iām reaching to turn it off, relentless and unlistenable compared with a local FLAC which is rich and organic.
Nothing wrong with your music system so it shouldnāt be like that. Whatās your Ethernet set up?
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Nothing wrong with my Ethernet, even on my phone with the Dragonfly DAC FLAC files on the phone sound way more listenable than Qobuz
I second @BrendanD his point of view. With streaming thereās a big need for optimizing the whole chain. Loads of possible jitter and noise sources. If you can eliminate those youāll probably have Qobuz delivering an outstanding sound.
You may find the articles from Alpha Audio on this subject both interesting and helpful. Originally in Dutch but also vailable in English.
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Well no thanks, Iāll just listen to my very comprehensive catalogue of music on my UnitiCore. And actually guys if there is something amiss with my network or Ethernet how is that R3 sounds as sweet, even on my QB, as a nut?
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