The OP was asking why Qobuz functionality in the MConnect (or BubbleUPnP) Apps could not be included (as software) in the Naim App. The Qobuz functionality in these apps is only a small part of what they do so expanding the Naim App to include it should not be a big deal size-wise.
All the talk of servers/bridges/PCs etc. is irrelevant. The Wav/Flac issue is a fault in 1st gen streamers, well aired, and also irrelevant to this question. Naim have explained that for technical reasons they cannot include it in the firmware (software in disguise) but that is not what was being suggested.
If I had a 1st gen streamer/MuSo (and I don’t for these reasons) I would be mad as hell.
As it is in software it must absolutely be possible to do it.
So the ultimate question is whether Naim want to do it?
It is a very good question!
Many Gen 1 owners are mad as hell as you say, any search on the forum supports that. Many are making do with workarounds.
Not everyone has pockets deep enough to upgrade at every change, Naim should remember their legacy customers will all be looking at new releases and wondering if they invest further, or will it only go the same way again as technology moves on. To me, and I am all digital now with an NDX 2 and a Muso 1, staying with an analogue front end may have been a better long term strategy! And as I and many others may consider that, it won’t be Naim as few will be in the Solstice league.
Well I do have QB1 and I’m not mad as hell. Why should I be? It still does everything it did when I bought it and does it just as well. In fact, now I have an Atom, it does more: I can listen to Qobuz via multi room from the Atom. Works a treat.
Well simply use Tidel instead of Qobuz on your 272 and buy/download the music you want to have on your Melco in WAV format.
This is the way I do it and it works and sounds great for several years now without somekind of magical software update……
Happy music regards from a 272 Naim fan who thinks enjoying music is where it is all about!
Both Linn (and I believe Lumin) play Qobuz in their apps to all their streamers, not just the current models. Why not Naim?
Several helpful contributors have mentioned Bubble UPnP, which is a valid workaround for PC users, however nobody should have to source a PC to play Qobuz on a Gen 1 streamer. Also not everyone wants a PC on their lap or in their listening room to play music. All should be available from the OEM app, as Linn (etc.) have achieved.
I was reading with interest that even the current equipment owners are having issues with the Naim app and Qobuz, but at least they have some functionality in the app
Right. An Android phone/tablet with only the BubbleUPNP app available from the Play Store installed on it will stream Tidal/Qobuz/NAS, etc to first gen streamers nicely.
You don’t need BubbleUPNP server installed anywhere.
Yeah, I find that Tidal, local and iradio sounds excellent thru my NDS/Hiline/SN2. I’m in Canada so Qobuz isn’t, and probably never will be, available here, but I’m fine with what I have for now.
Interesting! VPN was what I used for Qobuz subscription before it came to the US. Once the subscription was done, I just logged in Qobuz normally without VPN.
Do you have a trusted friend or family member in a country where Qobuz is available? You could send them the money for a Qobuz gift subscription and they could gift you the subscription and you could redeem it with a VPN to USA. That might work as you wouldn’t need to enter any billing information.
One person who said he got around it, had a US credit card to pay for his monthly account on.
That’s the only way I’ve heard lately. I don’t have a close friend out of the country.
So… thanks for all the suggestions and back to the original question and to summarise the responses so far
Upgrade my Muso to a Muso Gen 2/Atom, for example = cost
Buy an Android tablet/phone and run Bubble = cost
Run Bubble on a NAS = cost
Switch to Tidal = cost (as I already subscribe to Qobuz for an NDX 2 elsewhere)
Buy Audirvana and suitable hardware = cost
Accept that then Gen 1s we’re not designed for Qobuz, so tough luck Mr. customer
Continue with MConnect and accept that Naim cannot implement UPnP access in the Naim app, despite it playing UPnP Qobuz via the app when initiated by Bubble/MConnect? Personally I don’t believe that, MConnect is not a UPnP server, just a bridge. Put the bridge in the Naim app.
The last is my real point. Surely it would be a service to all Gen 1 owners, even though all the above workarounds (and possibly others) are being used, many of which have come at cost to Naim customers. We all buy Naim for quality and longevity and yet other manufacturers ( e.g. Linn) have managed to keep their platforms “all inclusive”.
I’d still like a comment without hypothesis from Naim on the technical or financial possibility/impossibility of including a UPnP bridge in their app. If the answer is financial, it needs to be balanced against customer loyalty as new users starting with 2nd hand/cheaper options upgrading to newer hardware, safe in the knowledge that product longevity is still a Naim benefit, as opposed to the disposability of many other competitor products.
A bit harsh I feel. My car cost 21k in 1989 and the manufacturer has never offered any upgrades and only came with a one year warranty.
It’s been a while since I tried MConnect but last time I did it was awful both with Tidal and Local. Maybe Naim thought the same?
So I sorted a Bubble server system on an old laptop with staggeringly better results. I never returned to the Naim App, I use Roon now but I have done a comparison and Bubble’s SQ is the same.
I tried Mconnect recently and found it very good with local files. Even better than Naim app for acoustic music and vocals. Naim app has more weight and body.
My car cost 21k in 1989 and the manufacturer has never offered any upgrades and only came with a one year warranty. 
