FWIW I also experience inconsistent performance with 1.6 on a ROCK Core setup (UK) with no issues before. I’d say around 80% of the time it’s good enough (2-5 seconds for a search) but 20% of the time searches take forever (10 seconds - >30 seconds). This is particularly frustrating when just looking for a local album.
Edit: I use Tidal but not Qobuz