Qobuz: Music & Editorial 4+

Great music, less buggy since updates

Edit: I wrote the below review and then the buffering-type issue seems to have stopped, I’m guessing they’ve updated it. So I’ve upgraded this review from 3 to 5 stars. Overall I am very pleased and recommend this app to music lovers. My tastes are extreme wide and I the music selection is everything I need. I would like the ability to create my own stations but apparently that’s not the philosophy of this app.

The music quality is noticeably better than Apple Music Lossless and the music discovery and curation is excellent for knowledgeable music lovers who want to expand their horizons (far better than Apple Music). For example I get introduced to jazz and classical that don’t bore me to death with their self importance, and don’t get spoon fed faddish indie junk. But it routinely decides to not play songs, and often times will never play them again even if I restart my phone, as if the error is cached in memory. There’s no apparent reason for it, my phone, connection and storage are fine. This really isn’t acceptable considering these often are my favorite songs, clicked off quickly while sitting at a red light or when I need a boost at work. I don’t need the frustration and don’t think I’ll keep this once the trial expires unless someone can help me fix the issue.

Record Store Experience

Qobuz provides an unique experience in online streaming service similar to browsing through a physical record store. In contrast to a personalized front page like most streaming platforms, Qobuz puts the latest records on the front page while offering to select certain genres. Even though some of the genres are mislabeled, as I am a metalhead who is really cares about genres LOL, the categories are the most prestigious on the market by far. Another feature that I enjoy is being able to browse through the publications of each record company. There are some records that I really commend, so I am happy to easily see their collection without going to their website. I realize that I have yet to talk about the critical aspect of a streaming service- quality. Though many audiophiles prefer Qobuz to Tidal, suggesting that Qobuz provides more “natural” sound while the latter sounds a bit artificial. I do like the sound of Tidal for a little bit more since it sounds more detailed to me. Fortunately, after nearly a month of consideration, I decide to stick to Qobuz for several reasons. One of them is that it seems less stressful after long hours listening to the warmer sound from Qobuz than the sharper sound from Tidal. Another reason is that Tidal does not contain the soundtrack of “spirit: stallion of the cimarron”, which is coming from one of my favorite movies. Anyways,Qobuz, I’m back!!!

Developer Response ,

Hello, thank you for your loyalty and support! We hope to continue to satisfy you.

DRM-Free High Resolution Music

Some streaming apps require a subscription to rent access to their music catalog. Other high res music sites give you one-time access to high res downloads. Qobuz has a subscription tier for those who want access to the entire catalog, but it also sells DRM-free music that you can access anywhere, any time — on your phone, iPad, computer, you name it. And you can re-download your music in case your files are misplaced.

I have found Qobuz to be hands down the best place to legally purchase high resolution music. The price point is higher than non-high-res sites like the iTunes Music Store, but you’re paying for the added benefit of lossless/high res.

Only drawback as of now is that there is no support (yet) for Dolby Atmos or other Spatial Audio technology, likely because those are proprietary formats and are therefore not DRM-free. (And Spatial Audio is not lossless or high res either. Yet.)

Developer Response ,

Hello, thank you for your loyalty and support! We hope to continue to satisfy you.