Moving from Apple Music & Tidal to Qobuz?

DT79

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Since getting Roon (which I really like and have a lifetime subscription for, so I’m sticking with that) I’ve been using Tidal alongside my home library. My intention was to eventually move away from Apple Music, but I never did because I find the tidal mobile apps almost unusable. I think I could cope with the interface if they worked properly but they are just too unreliable. With AM I know that it will work, even with quite a poor mobile signal. Somehow it always manages to work. With Tidal, even on a perfect 4G signal sometimes it just won’t start playing at all.

I’ve also recently come around to the view that at worst MQA is a complete fallacy and at best it’s an unnecessary lossy compression algorithm and especially in view of the fact that they are making more and more of the content MQA encoded, I would be better off with a streaming service that will just give me uncompressed FLAC.

So I’m wondering whether I can kill two birds with one stone by replacing both AM and Tidal with Qobuz. If I get the family subscription that will cover all of my and my wife’s devices and use at home, and come in cheaper than AM + Tidal. And I can ditch iTunes on my Mac as well finally. I can do a free trial, but wanted to suss out the lay of the land first, so I don’t waste weeks figuring stuff out or trouble shooting.

How have people migrated their libraries (including playlists) from either Tidal or AM To Qobuz? When I first got Tidal I used a free app (forget which one) to copy across my AM library. It wasn’t great to be honest. There were a lot of tracks it couldn’t find or matched wrongly and you had to do it one playlist at a time. I’d be prepared to pay a modest fee for a slick/reliable solution.

Will these tools migrate 2 music services to 1 without erroring out every time they encounter a duplicate?

How do people find the Qobuz iPhone app? It’s a bit hard to draw a conclusion from the reviews on the App Store. Crucially, how is it on streaming in less than ideal mobile signal conditions. I don’t want to have to have downloaded anything I might want to listen to.

What’s the Qobuz library coverage like? As long as it’s at least as good as Tidal, then that’ll be fine.

Anyone got experience of using Qobuz in conjunction with Roon? Comparisons to Tidal?

Thanks!
 
I've moved from Tidal PC to Qobuz PC and while the quality is better (not massively so, but noticable), the interface is just not as good as Tidal. I'm weighing up whether to switch back just because Qobuz is just so crappy to use and find new music.
 
I've moved from Tidal PC to Qobuz PC and while the quality is better (not massively so, but noticable), the interface is just not as good as Tidal. I'm weighing up whether to switch back just because Qobuz is just so crappy to use and find new music.

Have to say that I find the opposite. Qobuz isn't perfect by far, but I find Tidal awful when it comes to finding new music. Do agree that Qobuz sounds better.

I use Roon as well for now, so the interface part isn't a big deal to me, but if restricted to Qobuz and Tidal interfaces, I'd say neither is as good as Roon.
 
I've moved from Tidal PC to Qobuz PC and while the quality is better (not massively so, but noticable), the interface is just not as good as Tidal. I'm weighing up whether to switch back just because Qobuz is just so crappy to use and find new music.

Have to say that I find the opposite. Qobuz isn't perfect by far, but I find Tidal awful when it comes to finding new music. Do agree that Qobuz sounds better.

I use Roon as well for now, so the interface part isn't a big deal to me, but if restricted to Qobuz and Tidal interfaces, I'd say neither is as good as Roon.
Thank you both.

From an interface perspective the iOS/MacOS apps merely have to suffice. As long as I can browse my library and perform a search that’s fine. I’ll be using Roon for playing music at home, so that will be my main interface.
 
I'm a recent convert to Roon and Qobuz. What I like about both of them is:
1 They are excellent with classical music (which is what I mainly listen to, though I do like other music).
2 They are album oriented (rather than playlists, though there are some playlists on Qobuz.)

I like the fact that music that you 'like' on Qobuz appears in your Roon library, so you can play it on any compatible device.
For non-classical music, I have imported some playlists from Spotify to Qobuz, and Qonuz found nearly everything (my tastes are not up-to-the minute).

The Roon app looks better on my iMac or Ipad than it does on a phone. Same with Qobuz. Both need a bit of screen space.

On the whole, I am very pleased with both: Roon for organising, and Qobuz for discovery.

PS: Qobuz seems to need quite a good internet connection to stream well.
 
I'm a recent convert to Roon and Qobuz. What I like about both of them is:
1 They are excellent with classical music (which is what I mainly listen to, though I do like other music).
2 They are album oriented (rather than playlists, though there are some playlists on Qobuz.)

I like the fact that music that you 'like' on Qobuz appears in your Roon library, so you can play it on any compatible device.
For non-classical music, I have imported some playlists from Spotify to Qobuz, and Qonuz found nearly everything (my tastes are not up-to-the minute).

The Roon app looks better on my iMac or Ipad than it does on a phone. Same with Qobuz. Both need a bit of screen space.

On the whole, I am very pleased with both: Roon for organising, and Qobuz for discovery.

PS: Qobuz seems to need quite a good internet connection to stream well.
Thanks for sharing your experience. May I ask how you migrated playlists from Spotify to Qobuz?
 
I used this:


It was a bit tedious, and would only convert one playlist at a time, but it worked.

+1 for Soundiz, free and on the whole works pretty well if you're just migrating a service.

If you're prepared to pay then Songshift on iOS was good last time I used it — although I'm no longer a subscriber, but can't imagine it's got worse at matching. You can also leave it running on your phone to sync playlists in the background.


I found Songshift was useful to keep my Spotify playlists in sync as a) there are far more good or well curated playlists out there for Spotify than any other service (in particular the music magazines / websites 'best of', 'new release' and 'genre introductions' playlists).

So I just added those lists to Spotify and then got Songshift to sync them back to Qobuz in the background so they appeared in Roon and b) I found it useful to to go the other way and export my Qobuz playlists (that I was using in Roon) back out to Spotify so that I could play them via Spotify when at friend houses / share them with friends who use Spotify (which love it or loath it is still the primary streaming app most people use). But in the end could't justify the ongoing monthly subscription costs.

As for Qobuz itself, I started with Tidal and switched to Qobuz which I've have been more than happy with. Haven't found there catalogue partially lacking and in some areas it seems better. Although as others have said the Quobuz apps are a bit basic, but perfectly usable as a backup when not using Roon.
 
+1 for Soundiz, free and on the whole works pretty well if you're just migrating a service.

If you're prepared to pay then Songshift on iOS was good last time I used it — although I'm no longer a subscriber, but can't imagine it's got worse at matching. You can also leave it running on your phone to sync playlists in the background.


I found Songshift was useful to keep my Spotify playlists in sync as a) there are far more good or well curated playlists out there for Spotify than any other service (in particular the music magazines / websites 'best of', 'new release' and 'genre introductions' playlists).

So I just added those lists to Spotify and then got Songshift to sync them back to Qobuz in the background so they appeared in Roon and b) I found it useful to to go the other way and export my Qobuz playlists (that I was using in Roon) back out to Spotify so that I could play them via Spotify when at friend houses / share them with friends who use Spotify (which love it or loath it is still the primary streaming app most people use). But in the end could't justify the ongoing monthly subscription costs.

As for Qobuz itself, I started with Tidal and switched to Qobuz which I've have been more than happy with. Haven't found there catalogue partially lacking and in some areas it seems better. Although as others have said the Quobuz apps are a bit basic, but perfectly usable as a backup when not using Roon.
Thanks for this. You’ve reminded me it was songshift I used before when I first started using Roon/Tidal, but only the free version which only does playlists and one at a time. Might check out the paid version. Could be worth using that to get everything set-up on Qobuz when I start the free trial.

Although not the ideal time as I’m not out and about much to try the mobile app, obviously.

Can anyone comment on the qobuz app’s effectiveness when streaming via mobile data network?
 
Just payed for 12mths with Qobuz after the free trial. Of all the streaming music services it seems to be the one that combines good quality sound & good value with a native app that works very well (android) especially the search engine which finds artistes with just a few letters typed if available. The quality of music reproduction is very good using googlecast on my Lyngdorf TDAI-1120, a step above Amazon music HD which sometimes sounded too forward for my liking. I dont intend to stream to my samsung smartphone so cant comment on streaming via the mobile network. Love the fact you can change the background to dark on the app too, it just looks better.
The only small niggle I have at the moment is when you start to play music on switching on the app it plays on the smartphone before you can cast to the Lyngdorf. Not sure if that could be fixed in the Qobuz app or the Lyngdorf software or maybe its just the way Googlecast works.
 
Just payed for 12mths with Qobuz after the free trial. Of all the streaming music services it seems to be the one that combines good quality sound & good value with a native app that works very well (android) especially the search engine which finds artistes with just a few letters typed if available. The quality of music reproduction is very good using googlecast on my Lyngdorf TDAI-1120, a step above Amazon music HD which sometimes sounded too forward for my liking. I dont intend to stream to my samsung smartphone so cant comment on streaming via the mobile network. Love the fact you can change the background to dark on the app too, it just looks better.
The only small niggle I have at the moment is when you start to play music on switching on the app it plays on the smartphone before you can cast to the Lyngdorf. Not sure if that could be fixed in the Qobuz app or the Lyngdorf software or maybe its just the way Googlecast works.
Thanks, that's helpful. I think I'm going to kick off the free trial soon an see how I get on.
 
Qobuz streaming is fine if you have a good data connection. Obviously if you are streaming in high-res there is a lot of data to move. But you can download to the app via wifi for offline listening, and I actually find it to work better than Tidal in that respect. As with the Tidal app you can set different res for mobile data streaming v wifi.

For music discovery I much prefer Qobuz than Tidal, as it allows you to filter out genres, and can generate "what's new"' and "most listened to" style playlists with those filters set.

For example, I mostly listen to Classical, but also like rock/blues/electronic/folk/world.

Not keen on Jazz in general, and absolutely detest hip-hop/rap. Pretty much the entire Tidal "New Releases" and recommended stream is pure garbage for me. Qobuz lets me just set some filters and let people who like that music find it, but without intruding on my day.

+1 for Soundiiz to move playlists around.

Personally not a Roon fan. Good theoretical feature set for music lovers, but I really don't like the way the company conducts its business w.r.t licensing, certification, etc. Also it doesn't actually work with my hifi equipment, though it's fine on my PC. Everything about the company reeks of protection elitist lockdown approach to software which in my view is extremely short-sighted and almost guarantees that a "lifetime" subscription refers to the lifetime of Roon as a company not you as an individual.
 
Qobuz streaming is fine if you have a good data connection. Obviously if you are streaming in high-res there is a lot of data to move. But you can download to the app via wifi for offline listening, and I actually find it to work better than Tidal in that respect. As with the Tidal app you can set different res for mobile data streaming v wifi.

For music discovery I much prefer Qobuz than Tidal, as it allows you to filter out genres, and can generate "what's new"' and "most listened to" style playlists with those filters set.

For example, I mostly listen to Classical, but also like rock/blues/electronic/folk/world.

Not keen on Jazz in general, and absolutely detest hip-hop/rap. Pretty much the entire Tidal "New Releases" and recommended stream is pure garbage for me. Qobuz lets me just set some filters and let people who like that music find it, but without intruding on my day.

+1 for Soundiiz to move playlists around.

Personally not a Roon fan. Good theoretical feature set for music lovers, but I really don't like the way the company conducts its business w.r.t licensing, certification, etc. Also it doesn't actually work with my hifi equipment, though it's fine on my PC. Everything about the company reeks of protection elitist lockdown approach to software which in my view is extremely short-sighted and almost guarantees that a "lifetime" subscription refers to the lifetime of Roon as a company not you as an individual.
Thanks. I think I’m going to wait until the lockdown eases and I can actually be out and about using the app to play music on my phone and then put Qobuz through its paces properly. Good to know it’s better than the Tidal app at least!
 
Thanks. I think I’m going to wait until the lockdown eases and I can actually be out and about using the app to play music on my phone and then put Qobuz through its paces properly. Good to know it’s better than the Tidal app at least!
I am really happy with Qobuz via Roon, but find their mobile device software very poor compared to tidal. I am a very big Roon fan, but that is a different topic. The music quality and selection on Qobuz has been greater than what I had with Tidal.

Qobuz does not seem to have implemented offline listening in any sensible way. Their app allows you to download music for offline, but if you then try to play it from your downloads, it still won't play offline ("no internet connection available"). They seem to expect you to download and then play every single track online before they will be made available offline. It's almost like Qobuz does not understand why people download offline copies. I use both an android phone and and A&K player and both behave the same.

From Qobuz's website:
To enjoy offline playback, you’ll need to:
  • Click on the three little dots next to the albums or tracks and select “import”
  • Listen to the song once with internet connection. It will then be available offline. Please note, for this, the “cache” setting must be on in your settings.
 

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I am really happy with Qobuz via Roon, but find their mobile device software very poor compared to tidal. I am a very big Roon fan, but that is a different topic. The music quality and selection on Qobuz has been greater than what I had with Tidal.

Qobuz does not seem to have implemented offline listening in any sensible way. Their app allows you to download music for offline, but if you then try to play it from your downloads, it still won't play offline ("no internet connection available"). They seem to expect you to download and then play every single track online before they will be made available offline. It's almost like Qobuz does not understand why people download offline copies. I use both an android phone and and A&K player and both behave the same.

From Qobuz's website:
To enjoy offline playback, you’ll need to:
  • Click on the three little dots next to the albums or tracks and select “import”
  • Listen to the song once with internet connection. It will then be available offline. Please note, for this, the “cache” setting must be on in your settings.
Ah, that explains that then. I agree it's very stupid.
 
I am really happy with Qobuz via Roon, but find their mobile device software very poor compared to tidal. I am a very big Roon fan, but that is a different topic. The music quality and selection on Qobuz has been greater than what I had with Tidal.

Qobuz does not seem to have implemented offline listening in any sensible way. Their app allows you to download music for offline, but if you then try to play it from your downloads, it still won't play offline ("no internet connection available"). They seem to expect you to download and then play every single track online before they will be made available offline. It's almost like Qobuz does not understand why people download offline copies. I use both an android phone and and A&K player and both behave the same.

From Qobuz's website:
To enjoy offline playback, you’ll need to:
  • Click on the three little dots next to the albums or tracks and select “import”
  • Listen to the song once with internet connection. It will then be available offline. Please note, for this, the “cache” setting must be on in your settings.
Yeah, I’m struggling a bit with the mobile app. It’s also patchy at starting playback even with an internet connection. Sometimes it hangs or gives an error message. Better than tidal in this regard but lagging behind Apple Music.

They still haven’t resolved the issue I have with not all favourites being displayed in the iOS apps….

I’ve stuck with it mainly because it’s better than Tidal, but I can’t quite bring myself to cancel Apple Music yet, even though we hardly use it now.
 
I have downloaded one playlist of 450 songs into my phone for playing offline in my car. It is about 12Gb in size on my phone, as it has been previously on Tidal and Amazon. I went through a normal download process. I can shuffle any of those songs in the car without internet connection irrespective of whether I’ve played it online before. So I don’t get the “cached” stuff above.
 
I am trying the Tidal 1 month free again (just apply with different email) & delete & re-install the app gets you another 4 weeks free.
Wanted to try Tidal Connect thro the Node 2i then spdif to the Lyngdorf TDAI 1120.
I am liking what I hear, the impression that I get:-
The sound is more forward with more detail & snap than Qobuz, not a huge difference, quite subtle in fact , but on my system makes listening at low (wife friendly) levels more satisfying.
I have paid 1yr sub for Qobuz so will have a few months left, but I've got tired of waiting for Qobuz Connect to arrive.
Tidal Connect app looks good, early days yet , I'll see how I get on with it but 1st impressions are good.
It'll be interesting to compare sound quality Qobuz vs Tidal using chromecast & via the Node 2i / Tidal Connect etc.
 
Listening to Yello - Limbo - from the Toy album on Qobuz HR & Tidal MQA streams via the Node 2i fed digitally into the 1120, I just hear every last ounce of subtle nuance in Dieter Meier's voice on Tidal, which isnt quite so forward on Qobuz, but the difference is very small.
Qobuz stream is 24/48khz & Tidal 24/96khz according to the TDAI 1120 app.
Are the very small differences worth the extra money, not sure yet.
 

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