Qobuz News and Correspondence [closed thread]

Given Qobuz’ business plan to replicate Roon within its own software rather than integrate with Roon, the Qobuz Integration thread has been closed as it was creating the misleading impression that posting here might advance Roon/Qobuz integration. Roon is and always has been keen to discuss integration with Qobuz or any other service provider. If you want to advance Roon/Qobuz integration, you need to change Qobuz’s current plans.

This thread is for news or correspondence regarding Qobuz, simple expressions of support for Qobuz integration will be periodically removed as they clog up the thread, add nothing and are pushing against an open door. Go talk to Qobuz !

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Sad, but true.

There is another train of thought though, as discussed here (and I’m sure elsewhere previously) of having a ‘basic’ integration for services where a full Tidal style integration isn’t possible. Qobuz aren’t blocking their integration using their own API, just not opening up their doors for full access to their data - and for all we know there may never be another provider willing to go that far.

A more basic integration may be enough to give a lot of users what they want - it would at least let them access the music, queue it, and play it, even if not access all the metadata richness of Roon. It seems there are even potential open-source software available that might get a lot of the way there.

You could even have a banner that says ‘your Roon experience with X service is severely limited for reasons beyond our control. Click here to ask the provider for a better integration’ :wink:

It’s definitely an approach worth considering IMO.

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Doesn’t a limited service give benefits to Qobuz in improving its own apps but doesn’t showcase the roon full on integration for roon?

If Qobuz are so set on their own model, let them create it, as a long time previous user their apps were very poor and installing again last week after 8 months away, they have not changed at all.

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Is Qobuz intent on replicating Roon including local file cataloguing? If not then their intentions are misleading.

All I have seen is reference to “Roon like features”. I think it’s a top down directive that some poor software team will be tasked to turn into reality.

Agree with the limited service…

But I don’ understand how this is all that important. When Roon reads my local library, it has very little information in my metadata (in fact to a great degree conflicting information as I like to override some values like “Album Artist”) and yet it can catalogue all of it so far.

If you look at Soundiiz for example, it can access all my playlists in Spotify, Tidal, and Qobuz, so there should be enough metadata for Roon to work as well as it does with my local files - unless Soundiiz has a special deal with all these people, but I doubt this is the case.

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Qobuz files (… at least those they sell) do have plenty of metadata
Tagging quality actually is quite inconsistent (among labels?) but all do have UPC number

Never seen a single glitch, though, accessing Qobuz streaming either from an Auralic Aries, my Sonos system or Audirvana. Latest Aries’ control app (Lightning DS) as well as Audirvana do even show “editorial comments” and (pdf) booklets when available

Both Lightning and Audirvana do keep Qobuz stuff separate from local files but… I actually do like this behaviour best than having everything mixed up

So, once more: please Roon guys, “lower” your metadata requirements and give us Qobuz streaming :wink:

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@pl_svn The API they provide is not enough to do deep integration… we must ingest their database in its entirety, cross-licensing-regions as well to do this right.

Otherwise you will just get a me-too integration search or lame browse interface that everyone else does – which we are not willing to do.

There are 2 major issues we have here:

  1. Development time is not free, so spending it on “the wrong product” is very wasteful on moving Roon forward.
  2. A wrong implementation both hurts both the Roon product and the Roon brand.

Either we do it right, or we don’t do it. It’s not worth the substantial effort it would take to do it wrong.

Qobuz has made a public statement to bring Roon-like functionality to Qobuz in 2017. Vote with your dollars. If they bring the functionality, leave Roon. If they don’t, leave Qobuz.

We are finding more and more people leaving Qobuz, because Roon provides so much more than just streaming content: high quality local network streaming, multiple-rich-experience-remotes, DSP, etc… and we aren’t done yet.

Anyway, I’ve said all I can say on the subject.

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@danny I do understand, though… looks (afaik) your approach, so far, lead to only having Tidal as integrated streaming service in Roon :expressionless:

and pity it brought you and Qobuz to a wall against wall situation with no possible escape left other than one of the two parts…

I’m still sure both Roon and Qobuz would benefit from integration. even from a “mee too” one
btw 1… “mee too”? Lightning DS (Auralic) since v4 is going pretty far than just “mee too” :wink:
btw 2… first thing that got on my nerves during my Roon (and Tidal) trial was… couldn’t get anymore what was mine and what Tidal’s

anyway… since I have an Aries not a big deal to me. just… what a pity! :frowning:

The new Roon is here:

http://try.qobuz.com/new-qobuz-en/

Somehow they did not quite manage to make good on their promise. ‘Millions of booklets’ are a nice touch though.

Did you try it and is Roon miles ahead ?

Does anyone know how to change the Qobuz app language? My French isn’t up to the task.

I do like the fact that you can view booklets (i.e. PDFs) within the Qobuz app directly, rather than having to spawn out to another OS handler as Roon currently does. Other than that, Roon wins hands down on all fronts.

I’ll continue to view Qobuz as a potential source for purchasing downloads, but will I subscribe to one of their streaming services? No.

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I do not have any Windows or Apple machine to try the Qobuz out now, but based on the description of their website it seem to be just a desktop/gui interface for the service, nothing more.

If it is their intended product, eventually, it could be integrated in Roon as something like a add-on, a third party addition.

looking forward to subscribe to roon and still evaluating. Currently using Audirvana with Qobuz. The main roadblock is giving up Qobuz and be forced to switch to Tidal…such a pity Roon only integrates with Tidal…I understand Qobuz API is not opened as Tidal but at this point I would rather prefer to stream Qobuz content even with far less integration. It will be a win win situation for Roon (not rely only on Tidal for streaming) and for Qobuz (not lose customers switching to Roon). There must be a common ground for both parties. Hoping to see Qobuz and Roon reopening discussions and meet halfway. And one more time Qobuz integration wouldn’t need to be the same as Tidal…

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definitely!

and despite what many are posting in the “roon” Qobuz feature requests thread, I only subscribed a Roon lifetime license because I have an Aries (and a Sonos system) that lets me stream Qobuz

Tidal doesn’t do it for me in the slightest! (plus I just hate having my streaming service so tightly integrated with my local music). Sorry!

Such a pity Qobuz won’t let Roon use their data.

Choice! Choices? :blush:

Having supported Qobuz all through their troubles and loving the new desktop app interface (which is receiving constant updates and tweaks) here’s what I think. Qobuz are so nearly there, metadata obviously is not as rich as Roon, but I have had two Roon trials now and I am still not impressed enough to fork out a subscription on top of my Qobuz subscription - the added value is simply not enough. Now, if I have a vast local library that would be different, but for the 7000 tracks (500 odd albums) I have bothered to rip Audirvana is proving more than adequate and it has basic Qobuz integration which does keep your libraries separate and sounds great into the bargain.

Next up is Auralic Lightning DS, and again their app has come on leaps and bounds, and integrates Qobuz with full access to booklets, artist bios and album notes if there are any (Aurdirvana access booklets and bios but it is pretty basic to say the least) Lightning DS its pretty swish and I like it - but its not as rich as the new Qobuz desktop app and it doesn’t do bio/album metadata for local files (I have asked, they won’t pay for metadata).

The Qobuz Discovery features and articles are expanding rapidly to the point where Qobuz player interface is starting to look like Tidal Play and Read.Tidal all in one - I think that’s impressive because I believe curation is going to be the key deciding factor as streaming services mature. I don’t personally like Tidal, the emphasis is not on my musical interests so their curation is way off for me. For those looking for Qobuz to integrate their own local library in software I think that is beyond a streaming services remit and sort of defeats their purpose really doesn’t it? But who knows - that would be grand!

What it boils down to is metadata, both for local files and for streaming media, and that is surely a shrinking problem as labels and distributors really must take responsibility - after all that data is on file for every album they record/produce/distribute!! Once that metadata is in the file the problem is much reduced, and what then of Roon, their entire business model seems to be based on collation of basic metadata, links out to rich metadata, both for integration into local file storage - is local file storage going to exist in 5 years time? Lots of apps do library management - iTunes is free regardless of what we think of it and it works just fine for tons of people? Rich metadata is the extra icing on the cake and Roon could leverage that for sure, working with their existing sources and collating simple linkages that streaming services could access (for a fee) if required to save them doing the whole deal themselves with all the licensing involved.

To my mind, and I agree it maybe a pretty weird mind, Roon is taking an opposing stance against Qobuz and that is not a sensible option in any business environment. If Auralic and Audirvana can integrate Qobuz with the current state of the API then Roon is being picky and pedantic for the sake of competition - albeit competition it sounds like Qobuz initiated. But guys Qobuz are French, we must need forget that - English is not their first language or their chosen culture - they are lovely sweet and French, and this must be factored in! Judging from my conversations with Qobuz operatives at various levels they don’t have a damn clue what Roon is (France is a very big local market we must not forget and if its not on the radar its not on the radar). When the marketing department (if that’s why it was) say they are implementing Roon like features it is simply because they have heard the name mentioned by users like me in encouragement to expand their metadata presentation.

Qobuz will never be Roon because Roon is primarily a local file manager, with links to streaming services as a added bonus - I think Roon’s attitude is sad but it’s fine with me as my streaming service requirements are far in access of my local file requirements. However, I think the real reason Roon are not using the existing interface API and refuse to do any less than a full deep data access is an excuse, and the real reason has more to do with the size of the Qobuz user base, versus development cost, even when compared to Tidal.

So - now that Spotify are going lossless I wonder how soon Roon will be looking to integrate with them - 50 million paying users - oh yes! But if Spotify won’t play ball with this deep access Roon go on about (and I doubt they will) then what? Interesting times… :blush:

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definitely… :popcorn:

LOL!

This for me is the clincher. I really like Roon and the eager professionalism of their development team. But I would like alternatives to Tidal. I did use Qobuz and enjoyed their Classical/jazz selection but their customer service leaves a lot to be desired and their Roonilike features are far short of the Roon experience, regardless of what was said above… Spotify would be an ideal partner and I’ve always had a soft spot for their service and it’s user friendly interface. I’d also like to enjoy some of the features offered by the brilliant LMS community, like IOS playback and IPlayer integration etc.I have almost committed to further yearly subscription in the optimistic hope that this is achieved. DSP features etc are great but I really just want to play and listen to good music without faffing. Having choice will be a great thing.