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Would you buy full high-res streaming at €29 per month?


Would you buy full high-res streaming at €29 per month?  

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As discussed in the thread, Qobuz will be soon offering full high-res streaming, with access to all titles at master resolution (probably still without our usual friends of ECM, Hyperion, etc. who don't support streaming in general) in a subscription program called Sublime+.

 

Annual cost will be €349, or about €29 per month, compared to my current Sublime subscription cost of €219. It's really only €130 more, for unlimited highres streaming access to 60K+ albums. (Highres streaming already works right now, and quite well, but only for albums you purchased at that resolution). 

 

I'm seriously tempted on one hand, as I'm already spending more than that per year with them anyhow. On the other hand, I like to own those albums I really care about (I'm still unconvinced that the streaming model will have a long term future financially), so this would buy at least one album monthly at the typically discounted Sublime subscription prices for high-res titles (these significant 30-40% discounts on highres downloads also apply to Sublime+). 

 

I know many of you are not in Qobuz territory (which by the way will expand a bit in Europe, but I don't see them entering the US that soon), but I'd be interested in what you think about this model.

 

 

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I answered yes, but only if integrated with Roon.

NUC10i7 + Roon ROCK > dCS Rossini APEX DAC + dCS Rossini Master Clock 

SME 20/3 + SME V + Dynavector XV-1s or ANUK IO Gold > vdH The Grail or Kondo KSL-SFz + ANK L3 Phono 

Audio Note Kondo Ongaku > Avantgarde Duo Mezzo

Signal cables: Kondo Silver, Crystal Cable phono

Power cables: Kondo, Shunyata, van den Hul

system pics

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I might do it if I heard it and thought it sounded noticeably better than CD quality. I'm paying about $18 a month for Tidal CD quality, so the difference isn't that much. I have found that Tidal pays for itself with albums I stream instead of buying, or try and decide I don't like. Now I buy only the ones I really like and don't regret many purchases.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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Musicophile, do you notice a significant difference in sound quality streaming 24-bit (sublime) music you own vs CD quality?  I really wish Qobuz would offer a trial so I could compare for myself before I commit to paying for an entire year of 24-bit.  If I really felt 24-bit was superior even when streaming, I might be OK with the price.

 

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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11 minutes ago, rickca said:

Musicophile, do you notice a significant difference in sound quality streaming 24-bit (sublime) music you own vs CD quality?  I really wish Qobuz would offer a trial so I could compare for myself before I commit to paying for an entire year of 24-bit.  If I really felt 24-bit was superior even when streaming, I might be OK with the price.

 

I haven't done a blind test in a long time. 

 

I usually buy albums at the best available quality, but haven't compared vs. redbook for at least 2 years.

 

In any case, Qobuz usually offers 2 weeks free trial, I guess it will be the same for Sublime+.

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15 hours ago, firedog said:

I might do it if I heard it and thought it sounded noticeably better than CD quality. I'm paying about $18 a month for Tidal CD quality, so the difference isn't that much. I have found that Tidal pays for itself with albums I stream instead of buying, or try and decide I don't like. Now I buy only the ones I really like and don't regret many purchases.

Exactly how I use Tidal, and I too would pay the $30.00 per month if it sounded noticeably better than cd.

 

JC

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If I subscribe to Qobuz in Switzerland, what language do I get ... German, Italian or French?  The Swiss franc is closest to parity with the US dollar.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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I already subscribe to their Sublime package (more for the discounts on purchases than anything else), but continue to be disappointed they won't integrate with Roon.

 

If they were to allow integration with Roon, the higher-res service would be a slam dunk; otherwise, not sure I'd pony up the extra and be limited to streaming via their player only :/

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

Home Theater / Music -SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable HDMI > Denon X3700h > Anthem Amp for front channels > Revel F208-based 5.2.4 Atmos speaker system

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Qobuz integration with A+ is excellent, and Damien is working on A+ for Windows.  So you're not limited to the Qobuz app.  Of course, if you love Roon this is immaterial.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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4 minutes ago, rickca said:

Qobuz integration with A+ is excellent, and Damien is working on A+ for Windows.  So you're not limited to the Qobuz app.  Of course, if you love Roon this is immaterial.

 

I do use Audirvana sometimes for local playback, and integration with Tidal and Qobuz is excellent; however, I use Roon to control streaming to various endpoints in the house, which Audirvana can't do (yet).

 

In any case, I'm sure I'll keep my existing Qobuz subscription (I also subscribe to Tidal, Apple Music, and Spotify, just so all bases are covered LOL), but not sure I'd pony up for the higher-res service absent additional benefits / integration with Roon.

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

Home Theater / Music -SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable HDMI > Denon X3700h > Anthem Amp for front channels > Revel F208-based 5.2.4 Atmos speaker system

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Qobuz integration with OpenHome and the BubbleUPnP Server is near to perfect. It should be possible to play the music with almost every solution. I use it together with J.River - perfect. But don't know about Roon.

 

I have the Sublime subscription for the second year now and my initial idea was to have the possibility to evaluate a new album and then buy it for the very special sublime discount price. My savings of the discounts alone are higher than the annual price for sublime. Finally I really bought many many albums.

 

What would change with Sublime+?

I think I would buy the albums nonetheless.

I don't trust them. Who knows, how long we will have Qobuz? In all events I wish them the very best for their business. (And of course all other music websites too).

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I will absolutely get it. After the latest firmware related SQ changes when streaming with Aries, I have only bought a couple of files from Hyperion. All my listening is Qobuz streaming nowadays. Before the firmware changes I did buy much more. 

Say NO to ROON

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39 minutes ago, woodford said:

how is this different from the current sublime subscription?  

 

With the standard Sublime subscription the only high resolution titles you can stream are the ones that you've bought. With Sublime + you can stream all the high resolution titles that Qobuz have the streaming rights to. 

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I would not subscribe Sublime+ or any other service with a one year contract to any price because several other vendors announced to offerHiRes streaming services this year, some of them definitely will not use MQA. The market is in a significant change and today no one can be sure that a current player will still exist or offer the service next year.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 4/3/2017 at 10:06 PM, EuroChamp said:

I think I would buy the albums nonetheless.

I don't trust them. Who knows, how long we will have Qobuz? In all events I wish them the very best for their business. (And of course all other music websites too).

 

I have the same perspective: we never know how long high-res records remain on offer, so when I see one I like, I buy it. There have been many instances of high-res offerings disappearing. From the top of my head, I can quote the whole 2xHD collection, which was on sale on eClassical at attractive prices, which vanished from there to reappear at prices one order of magnitude higher on NativeDSD. eClassical also used to carry FIM/LIM audiophile recordings, which have now vanished from there. Balaké Sissoko's very fine album "At Peace," which I bought in high res from Qobuz, is not available in high res anywhere anymore. Horowitz' collection of unreleased live recordings is not available for download from Qobuz anymore etc.

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