Okay, so it’s been a little over a year since I switched from Tidal HiFi to Amazon HD and after living with Amazon’s service for that time, I finally decided to give Qobuz a try and man am I glad that I did!!
I received a free trial coupon with the purchase of my Audioquest Jitterbug FMJ (highly recommended for anyone using their laptop as a streamer, BTW) so I decided to test Qobuz out and I instantly heard the same amount of improvement in sound quality from Qobuz vs. Amazon that I did from Amazon vs. Tidal, if not more.
The most notable improvements were in the amount of bass as well as the amount of volume. Not only does Qubuz sound more present, but it just sounds better.
I also like how you can stream legit hi-res vs. “Ulra HD” or MQA as the former isn’t really recognized by most DACs as actual hi-res with the format decoding while the latter needs special software and is still a lossy format, albeit one better than standard Tidal streaming.
I can honestly say that if Qobuz isn’t streaming in actual CD quality, then it is coming closer than either Tidal or Amazon do.
The hi-res is also an audible improvement over CD quality, with better instrument separation, less distortion (noise) and a more airy presentation.
I also like the music suggested by Qobuz much more than the other services which seem to be more about pushing the latest trends rather than actually curating music toward music aficionados.
It also just performs better than Amazon in that Amazon would keep playing even after I closed its window whereas Qobuz doesn’t. The one downside to the user interface is that there is perhaps too much info, sort of like they’re trying to be Roon.
I suppose that I’ll eventually get around to trying Apple, but for now Qobuz is King!!!
The gear used in this demo was:
Microsoft laptop (streaming over Wifi) fed via USB to a Modwright modified Marantz SA8005 for the source. The amps are a Naim NAC and NAP 152 XS stack. The speakers are Scansonic MB 2.5. Cables are Audioquest Forest Ethernet cable for the modem/router, Audioquest Forest USB cable with Audioquest FMJ Jitterbug for the laptop/DAC, Voodoo Labs Platinum power cord and Transparant Audio Performance power cord for the SA80005, Synergistic Research Atmosphere Level 4 RCA for the SA8005/NAC 152 XS, Transparant Audio The Wave speaker cables, and a Transparant Powerwave 8 power conditioner with a Transparant Audio Performance power cord.