Qobuz HiRez streaming has finally hit the U.S. and it’s really really good

[GChief]

Ok. Thanks. Just wondering who will be eating the 30% App Store surcharge. Typically it's wise to sign up outside the App Store

I run tons of different apps and have never paid a surcharge, most are free apps. The few I have paid pocket change for ($.99, $1.99 etc) may have it in that cost, not sure. I would guess if there is such a thing that the subscription services would wrap that up in the monthly fee no matter how you join.

Just never heard of that as a thing. Doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

 

[DaveVoorhis]

But anything that goes through App Store, the Dev gets dinged 30%. Usually that fee is passed on to subscriber.

Some developers accept it as the cost of doing business. The app sells for $1.00 and the developer gets $0.70, which is better than getting $0.00.

 

[GChief]

I re-read your posts from earlier, and now understand your setup. MConnect Seems like a nice app...

With regard to my subscription itself, the price is $25 per month plus tax. I just assumed that it was the Euro to $ conversion that raised the price to $25 - forgot about Apple's surcharge.

But the key point is that the subscription tier is "Hi-Fi". Qobuz's website clearly says that "Hi-Fi" is limited to CD quality streaming. The "Studio" level offers higher than CD quality, but that wasn't available for selection in the Apple store.

Were you somehow able to sign up for the "Studio" tier?

What does your DAC tell you about the sampling frequency of the incoming data?

I put the app on my iPhone, made my account, went to My Qobuz, streaming, and set both Mobile Streaming and WiFi Streaming to HiRes. It was going to let me join at $25 if it was available here. Seems pretty straight forward to me.

 

[GChief]

Some developers accept it as the cost of doing business. The app sells for $1.00 and the developer gets $0.70, which is better than getting $0.00.

Still don’t understand why some think the people doing the work shouldn’t get paid

I don’t mind paying people and business for their work.

 

[richamor]

this on the website:

cart.orderCreate.error.country

and the "Oops There are no offers available at this time"

on the Iphone8.

IMHO it doesn't say much for their organization. I'll stick with Spotify. If I want "Hi-Rez" I'll put an LP on.

 

[GChief]

this on the website:

cart.orderCreate.error.country

and the "Oops There are no offers available at this time"

on the Iphone8.

IMHO it doesn't say much for their organization. I'll stick with Spotify. If I want "Hi-Rez" I'll put an LP on.

It hasn’t officially rolled out in the US yet. How is that saying anything about the organization.

If anything it shows their stuff works, it knows you are in the States and won’t let you sign up.

 

[DaveVoorhis]

Still don’t understand why some think the people doing the work shouldn’t get paid

I don’t mind paying people and business for their work.

I don't either, but then I made a living as a software developer for many years and liked getting paid, so it would be rather hypocritical of me to deny it to others.

Yet, there are developers who do just that, along with folks in general who begrudge paying anyone for anything. Except themselves, of course.

Miserly buggers, they are.

 

[GChief]

I don't either, but then I made a living as a software developer for many years and liked getting paid, so it would be rather hypocritical of me to deny it to others.

Yet, there are developers who do just that, along with folks in general who begrudge paying anyone for anything. Except themselves, of course.

Miserly buggers, they are.

If me paying an extra $1 gives someone a job that’s great!

 

[richamor]

The apps and program are available here. Apparently some people are able to sign up but not everyone. So "official" rollout or not it is apparently here.....for a select few. And everything I see is in French. So it seems an amateurish attempt to gauge interest without making much of a corporate effort.

That's the way I see it anyway. And really not a point of argument. If you get it, buy it, and like it that's great I'm happy for you.

 

[GChief]

The apps and program are available here. Apparently some people are able to sign up but not everyone. So "official" rollout or not it is apparently here.....for a select few. And everything I see is in French. So it seems an amateurish attempt to gauge interest without making much of a corporate effort.

That's the way I see it anyway. And really not a point of argument. If you get it, buy it, and like it that's great I'm happy for you.

No argument, just see it different.

The app and program has always been available here. I tried signing up last year.

 

[ashok]

I put the app on my iPhone, made my account, went to My Qobuz, streaming, and set both Mobile Streaming and WiFi Streaming to HiRes. It was going to let me join at $25 if it was available here. Seems pretty straight forward to me.

Yes, that is fine, I have selected the Hi-Res options in the Qobuz app. However, consider the following:

• First picture shows my subscription tier as "Hi-Fi"
• Second picture shows the Hi-Res option selected under WiFi streaming, but the small text below clearly states that streaming and purchases are limited to CD quality

As I said before, "Hi-Fi" was the only option available to me when I subscribed in the Apple store. Whether I stream on the phone using the Qobuz app, or use BluOS to cast to the Node, CD quality is the most I will get. This has been borne out by the "CD" indicators in both the Qobuz app and the BluOS app - not once have I seen greater than CD quality.

The "Studio" tier is required for greater than CD quality, and that does not appear to be available in the US just yet.

In any case, time to go and listen some more...

 

[Wildcat]

The app has been available here for many months--anyone who has an EU or UK subscription can download it and use it here. Not only that, the high-end industry has logins to test out the service and use it for demos at trade shows. The best way to distribute the app for this is through the official channels (like the Google Play Store), so we don't have to open up settings to allow apps from third-party sources.

I don't see how that is a problem. Qobuz has neither advertised nor announced an official rollout as of yet, so really, having us download it and not have a subscription to use it is on us, not them. We download it fully expecting it not to work, in other words. That isn't Qobuz's fault.

I don't either, but then I made a living as a software developer for many years and liked getting paid, so it would be rather hypocritical of me to deny it to others.

I know the feeling, as I did some development in the past. It kills me how some smartphone users complain about having to spend a dollar to pay for an app that they like. Come on, really? Even $5 is a pittance in the grand scheme of things. I also agree that some ads in apps can be obnoxious, but for others that place an ad out of the way, people really can't complain as that advertisement is what is paying their way and putting a few pennies in the developer's pocket.

In the forums I manage, I have to pay $10-$15 to renew each add-on if I want support for it. And I don't mind paying that for quality work, and knowing that the developer will not up and abandon it a year or two from now, to fix it if it quits working after a forum software upgrade. (I just wasted several hours trying to fix an outdated WordPress plugin that had not been updated in eight years...yet it was a central part of the site and brought it down almost entirely. That's time I can't bill for!)

 

[iramegdal]

The app has been available here for many months--anyone who has an EU or UK subscription can download it and use it here. Not only that, the high-end industry has logins to test out the service and use it for demos at trade shows. The best way to distribute the app for this is through the official channels (like the Google Play Store), so we don't have to open up settings to allow apps from third-party sources.

I don't see how that is a problem. Qobuz has neither advertised nor announced an official rollout as of yet, so really, having us download it and not have a subscription to use it is on us, not them. We download it fully expecting it not to work, in other words. That isn't Qobuz's fault.


I know the feeling, as I did some development in the past. It kills me how some smartphone users complain about having to spend a dollar to pay for an app that they like. Come on, really? Even $5 is a pittance in the grand scheme of things. I also agree that some ads in apps can be obnoxious, but for others that place an ad out of the way, people really can't complain as that advertisement is what is paying their way and putting a few pennies in the developer's pocket.

In the forums I manage, I have to pay $10-$15 to renew each add-on if I want support for it. And I don't mind paying that for quality work, and knowing that the developer will not up and abandon it a year or two from now, to fix it if it quits working after a forum software upgrade. (I just wasted several hours trying to fix an outdated WordPress plugin that had not been updated in eight years...yet it was a central part of the site and brought it down almost entirely. That's time I can't bill for!)

I have subscribed for the free trial. I requested CD quality, but get MP3 only. Also, when I cast, it continues to play through my iPhone. If I am stuck with these issues, will stick with Spotify.

 

[GChief]

I have noticed the year or so I have been reading all the streaming threads that the problems most are having seen to be operator error related. Just an observation, not saying it’s the case everytime, but it does seem to be most of the time.

 

[+48V]

Some developers accept it as the cost of doing business. The app sells for $1.00 and the developer gets $0.70, which is better than getting $0.00.

Yes. I am aware of that practice. The dev is free to set his price to whatever. So on one time sales it's not that obvious that there is a "store front" fee collected by Apple. Subscriptions, like streaming services, where you can buy outside the App Store make the surcharge more apparent and avoidable.

 

[+48V]

Still don’t understand why some think the people doing the work shouldn’t get paid

I don’t mind paying people and business for their work.

Huh. Who thinks the devs should not be paid? I cornfused by your comment.

 

[GChief]

Huh. Who thinks the devs should not be paid? I cornfused by your comment.

Sorry maybe I confused trying to get around a 30% surcharge as that.

 

[+48V]

Sorry maybe I confused trying to get around a 30% surcharge as that.

Oh. Indeed a misinterpretation. As far as a "Dev" is concerned it's actually the opposite. You would be saving them 30% by signing up direct.

In any event, the Qobuz, Spotify, Tidal, et.al Devs are not sole proprietors...they are contracted and/or salaried employees. So no one is working for free here.

As for the Apple surcharge, it's their store and I see nothing wrong with them collecting rent on their storefront either.

 

[Wildcat]

The only way around this issue, I would think, is to use a VPN to access Qobuz in one of the approved countries. Create a PayPal account there (probably having to use a bogus address), as you have to choose the PayPal country when creating an account. Then, perhaps add some funds to the account to cover the subscription cost (even though it is a free trial), as when you go through PayPal and there are not enough funds to cover a month, it asks for a credit card (which, of course, is US-issued, and we don't know if PayPal transmits that back to Qobuz). When accessing from a VPN, Qobuz automatically goes to the proper "home" for that country.

It's certainly possible, but not worth it IMHO. It will work here soon enough. I'm patient. I've lived X number of years without it and no bad juju has ever happened to me because of it. If I really like the trial, this is the one streaming service (outside of Pandora) that I will pay for.

 

[iramegdal]

I have noticed the year or so I have been reading all the streaming threads that the problems most are having seen to be operator error related. Just an observation, not saying it’s the case everytime, but it does seem to be most of the time.

Correct as far as I am concerned. Solved my issues, and am enjoying new album by Anne Akiko Meyers. Very enjoyable.