Hi Docv..ok I have taken another free trial with Tidal.. and directly comparing lossless PCM with MQA with a DAC that does the full MQA decode and hidef PCM (Audioquest Cobalt).
I have listened to a few recordings including Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep… which I am currently rather fond of.
The MQA version it is all ‘there’, but there is steriliness to the upper mids, higher end.. it just sounds a little lifeless or artificial. switch over to the PCM hidef version.. the eq is identical.. and there are some deliberately deep blown out bass on that album which gives quite an effect.. on both variants, but Billie’s voice sounds more intimate and space around with subtle inflexion on the PCM compared to the MQA. The MQA just sounds a little sterile or two dimensional by comparison.
I will listen to more tracks.. but haven’t heard anything yet to suggest that MQA artefacts have improved yet, but at least keeping an open mind
However, the Tidal playlists are definitely more interesting than Qobuz… if only Tidal would do lossless hidef
My downstream sync speed is 20.00Mbps…funny that this number has been the same every time I’ve checked recently. I am expecting a degree of variation, and also a higher speed to match historical levels of mid-high 20s
Your sync speed should be constant… at least for several weeks at a time. It will only possibly change if you restart your router, or the remote ends restarts because of a high level of data errors on the line, a firmware update, or the line manager thinks you your line can support a higher throughput.
Stability is good. If this is changing often, this is bad, and your line might then be profiled down to aid stability.
You will also have a max data throughput setting, and will be visible under the advanced settings.
In short modern dsl protocols have core sync, and adapt the data rate to suit conditions… so your actual effective data sync could be slightly lower. This adapted rate will change slightly over 24 hours due to environmental conditions.
If in doubt and you want to know your shaped speed for your line… This is the definitive maximum data download throughput irrespective of what speed apps say and you are on BT. Use the following https://windows.mouselike.org/be/index.asp?DoAction=BrasChecker
Enter the IP profile, put in your line/phone number wait and you should get a response… you can only do this every so often, so you will need to wait between requests. This only gets set in the access network each time you sync.
This shaped speed will be around 10 to 15 % lower than your sync speed, and is the rate the data is shaped for your line.
This shaped speed will be around 10 to 15 % lower than your sync speed, and is the rate the data is shaped for your line.
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Thanks, very useful. I got the following results:
The current Downstream BRAS rate is: 17.65 Mbps
The current Upstream BRAS rate is: 10 Mbps
[I think that your advice will be of help to others, even if I’ve drifted the topic away from Quobuz at times (apologies to others following this string).]
I’ve just listened to a Haydn quarter on Quobuz streamed in glorious 92/24… no problems with that.
Now miles Davis’s Smokin… in 192/24 on Quobuz…again, so far so good.
An enjoyable aspect of Quobuz is the pdf liner notes which are occasionally available. Definitely leaning towards a switch from T to Q.
As far as i know its an ongoing offer for the £14.99 studio subscription that i am on. They notified that i was being put on the lower offer, heard nothing to the contrary, i think its a simpler structure, based unfortunately on lower revenue for artists. Apparently to be rolled out in other countries, subject to record company negotiations.
I’m not certain what’s happening with Qobuz subcription prices.
I just signed up for a 2nd trial month, as my previous one seemed to end a few days early.
If I let it run it will renew at £21.99 a month (but this will not happen).
But my guess is that I can still sign up for the offer of £14.99 a month if I dig out their original email offering that before the end of May.
One thing that is still bugging me is that the hundreds of Qobuz John Zorn LPs all seem to be giving 30 second samples of tracks instead of full tracks.
If anyone is willing to click on one or two of them at random (e.g. the LP Nova Express?) please let me know whether your system is playing full tracks.
Hi Jim, there is a huge catalog of this artist, but there is only 10 or so currently playable, not sure why Qobuz tease with so many albums viewable, but do not play. Those that play are full albums and full tracks.
The playable ones are in bold, the ones not playable are somewhat dulller typescript. So under the search for John Zorn, you get a column of tracks, then a column of albums. To the right hand side of the screen next to albums is a symbol called “more”, click this and you will get a screen full of album covers to scroll down, best of luck.
Gaz
