Well it’s not my job to force you to do anything. For me I decided to pick up an additional EE8 to replace a basic 4 port Netgear gigabit switch that was on the upstairs wired Ethernet connecting the NAS, my Mac mini Audirvāna server and a printer with the rest of the house. I’d already got an EE8 with a Farad PS, before the streamer and a low power Netgear GS109E with another linear PS, and some mixed but quality cables taking out any cheap ones and being at least chord C level (AQ Vodka final leg) and had small incremental improvements in my streaming SQ. Previously local files were a bit more organic as you say.
However changing out that last most remote switch had a dramatic effect. Much more natural voices, clear placing of instruments on the sound stage and sweeter highs. Unbelievable…. I swapped it out a couple of times to be sure I wasn’t imagining. It seems streaming is only as good as the weakest part of your wired Ethernet chain even if it’s not near your streamer…..
Indeed, it is a matter of choice whether or not to try to get the most out of it. The only way to find out is trying wether or not it makes a difference. It’s a hassle and if you’re happy with your extensive catalogue local that’s just fine.
There are no obligations of listening with Qobuz (or any other streaming service), we are merely pointing out that with streaming there’s a lot more in play than just setting up a connection and play music. All parts of the chain can really make or break the experience.
@Dunc finds that Qobuz sounds better than local files on his Melco.
Not logical, but his experience.
So get a full Vivaldi stack instead of Network Acoustics.
None of that makes sense, on the main system between the Core and NDX2 there is only one switch, NetGear, the Core sounds great Qobuz far less so, and as Radio 3 sounds quite sublime and that comes down the same route as Qobuz it can’t be the switch.
Am I missing something here, or is this point that you guys are labouring entirely irrelevant to the subject of local UPnP streaming vs Tidal and Qobuz which is being discussed here, all of which obviously uses the same LAN to get to your streamer.
When you read what people find if they use this that or the other, what they find if they don’t use this that or the other, everything appears so contradictory. It’s impossible to make any logic out of it all. We have people with systems costing tens of thousands, using basic switch and cables, posting that their system sounds wonderful. We have people with systems costing tens of thousands, but it’s unlistenable unless they spend thousands on switches and cables.
It does seem puzzling that qobuz sounds so bad, yet streaming from NAS is excellent. I use Qobuz and usually it sounds very good.
But if you don’t need to listen to qobuz you don’t actually have a problem.
You are right, that’s another interesting solution. I stream locally with JRiver and it has that option too. I’ve done that, but I still prefer to go WAV for some reason. However FLAC is surely the best balanced solution, no doubt about that.
I’m not that dramatic, I do think Qobuz sounds nice, it’s just that local streaming is way better, more organic and rich you said @LindsayM
Well, in this case the difference between local and Qobuz is apparently so big that @LindsayM experiences a level of SQ by using Qobuz that not only local files but also R3 better. That seems strange to at least @BrendanD and me.
I personally don’t experience that kind of a difference. I don’t say that Qobuz sounds better than local files in my set up, but the difference is not huge either. More so, some of the (hi res) files on Qobuz sound better than the CD rips that I have locally stored. And Qobuz definitely sounds better than radio in my set up. So that’s where I come from with the posts in reaction to @LindsayM . I’m not doubting for one minute that his experience isn’t real, but more that by the way it was stated I get the feeling that there might be something in his set up causing Qobuz not sounding optimally.
Then again it certainly is possible as well that the sound of Qobuz just isn’t to the liking of @LindsayM .
Anyway, the same file when streamed locally vs Qobuz is a tad better, but also dependant on where I have stored it and then play it. When using my SSD on my laptop it’s better, when stored on the old NAS (don’t really use it) it’s not as good.
It’s an assumption on my side that the downloads I purchased at Qobuz are identical to the ones available for streaming by my subscription. Meaning that for example the 24 bit 96 kHz version of Return to Ommadawn that I downloaded after purchase (flac and wav) is the same that is available through my subscription.
Sorry not sure I understand the answer. Are you saying that a file streamed from Qobux HQ sounds bad, but when downloaded to a local file storage (Melco, Innuos, Synology for example), it then sounds good?
I don’t have that experience. Locally stored is a fraction better (don’t ask me the technical explanation) but streaming with Qobuz is certainly very good too, almost as good.
Perhaps everyone is right here, and in each persons house, some houses do not stream Quobuz/Tidal as well as NAS. What if the issue is not in the house, but an issue somewhere between the miles of cables and umpteen black-box network devices in-between, causing streaming issues just in certain locations.
I recall when I worked on a large company with many sites, that they introduced these local cache device. Now they initially caused all sorts of issues and strange diagnostics when looking at issues, but my point is big networks evolve and are stretched to limits and new tricks devised to squeeze that little bit more data through. Who knows if someone’s found a way to potentially enable lossy compression on streaming data when networks are saturated. - just a thought
I would suggest that you clear the app caches, and start afresh. I have a Linn streamer, Roon/Linn App/Asset UPnP all sound identical on the same physical files.
I find cloud streaming is much improved on the NC streamers. Much less difference compared to local. Qobuz sounds sublime and local slightly better. And I’m streaming all my local as wav.
