Qobuz is now offering DSD albums for download.
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Have seen the news. I really like Qobuz as a streaming service and a company but was wondering if they are not a few years late with their download shop activity.
It is a bit funny that they announce it the same month Chandos and the Classical Shop are going out of file selling business…
I wouldnt buy any DSD files from them. If they offer Dolby Atmos or Auro or surround files, i would be in.
As long as Qobuz exists (over 10 years) you can purchase downloads. New is that they offer DSD files
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I’m not seeing any DSD here (Canada), any albums in particular?
That’s horrible news about Chandos. I wonder if eclassical.com will still sell Chandos files.
I am grateful for Qobuz to introduce DSD files, as it always seemed silly that so many hardware DACs talked up DSD but the options to purchase files as incredibly limited in both titles and genres. I just relied on ripping SACDs.
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Don’t know if it’s worldwide.
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I’m a bit skeptical, but bought for testing a few.
See only real old recordings and don’t find in Discogs or Roon the correct metadatas.
So it can be, that here is only used something like merging or HQPlayer (which I’m also using)…
And: All of them seems to be only in stereo.
Unfortunately, Roon does not seem to pick them up. I checked a few albums, e,g, Counting Crows - August and everythin after - but no DSD format in Versions
Just bought and downloaded Nat King Cole’s - Love is the Thing. The metadata says Stereo SACD, so it’s probably the same master as a (presumably now rare and expensive) SACD. Initial findings here are promising and the repertoire seems to cover the DSD albums available on prostudiomasters (that of course aren’t available outside of the USA). Not cheap, as these things rarely are, but then I think what people (including me) sometimes spend on audiophile vinyl and I don’t worry about it.
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The Sublime membership discounts them like PCM HiRes, so that’s cool.
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I agree this is cool! Some of these are long out of print SACDs that now cost a small fortune on eBay or only found in Japan. Pretty small selection too…hope it grows! I picked up a set of Schumann symphonies with Kubelik and the discount is nice! Roon only recognized them as being added once I had physically moved the downloaded files onto my server. Whereas Qobuz added them to my online library as soon as I purchased them. Thought maybe roon would at least sync with the CD versions. Doesn’t really matter as I’m only going to play the DSD files anyways. It would be great if we could get streaming services to stream the DSD files they have or option to stream dsd, but I get it that may not work due to a bandwidth issue for some so hi res pcm for streaming and dsd downloads and physical sacds it remains!
Doug
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Not for streaming as far as I can tell. Only for purchase.
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Do you have some examples for the rare and expensive stuff that’s on qobuz now ?
For example:
- Keith Jarretts Köln Konzert SHM-SACD
- Some SACDs from the Rolling Stones
- Michael Jackson Thriller
- Bob Dylan Slow Train Coming
- Many Norah Jones SACDs
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Im a Sublime subscriber and as a test purchased Tales Of Another on ECM (Peacock, Jarrett, DeJohnette, 1977) an the price was the same as most Hi Res files on Qobuz with the Sublime discount. Worked really well and was recognised as DSD by Roon and my DAC.
Have to say for all the fanfare, its a pretty small selection and the searching/filtering leaves a bit to be desired.
I also had an expectation that new releases might start to be available in DSD but none are. I assume Qubuz dont get the files from the record companies with DSD encoding and have to go with what they get?
I bought several DSD from Qobuz yesterday, but it took me an age to find them as they were not showing up for me on the Qobuz website.
I eventually found this after a number of Google searches and it takes you directly to the DSD page. I am a Qobuz UK subscriber and currently in Lanzarote but I was able to buy and download though you can imagine that took some time.
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I think DSD is a decidedly and exclusively audiophile affair these days and new content primarily comes from independent classical labels like Channel Classics and Pentatone (see nativedsd.com for these, may also be available elsewhere), reissue content from independents like 2xHD and High Definition Tape Transfers and (hopefully) older content from Universal and Sony from their back catalogue and the continuing work of their Japanese arms on fancy SACD issues.
I don’t believe that the mainstream record in DSD as editing is awkward or impossible, and they don’t master for SACD or DSD as they’re not releasing it.
This is how I found them. I think 301 albums isn’t bad going - tiny of course - but then this is a niche market of a niche market.
There’s also a smattering of DSD albums available on highresaudio.com. (Hard site to search though.)
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I believe outside of a small number of studios (like PS Audios Octave) then DSD is pretty much non existent or converted PCM.
I wanted a few of the Norah Jones to augment the ones I already have in high resolution and DSD.
The prices were too good to leave on the shelf, plus who doesn’t want to own Blue Train on DSD as well 
I imagine I will return a few times
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DSD content on highresaudio depends on your location. But it’s possible to get around that with a VPN and get different content that way.
Also ototoy.jp and mora.jp sell region specific DSD files that you can buy with a VPN .
:)(also works to subscribe to KKbox )
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