Lossless All-Classical Streaming Service(s)

dB Cooper · « **on:** 29 Sep 2018, 03:33 am »

Hello classical fans- Thought this might be interesting to the Classical contingent here. There is a new (to me) streaming service called Primephonic whose 'hook' is that their content is exclusively classical/orchestral and search functions are more in line with how you would search for particular Classical music. They also have great curated playlists (by genre, instrumentation, composer, era, etc) and suggestions like their 'Hidden Gems' list, where I already discovered an amazing viola/organ duet album by Benedicte Royer. I'd never heard of the artist or the music. You can also compare different releases of the same piece easily which seems pretty useful.

One thing you can't do- yet- (and that I already wrote Primephonic about) is search by conductor, so if you like to listen to music conducted by, say, Bernstein, you need some other info. Primephonic says they're working on this. Overall, however, their search and discovery are already both better for classical than, say, Tidal. Background information is available for many works too.

They claim to have 'virtually' every classical recording ever made which is stretching it. But they're very new. They stream in FLAC 'up to hi-res 24 bit' and (apparently) DSD (not sure what max sample rate or DSD spec). Also haven't looked into 3rd party app support (they have a pretty good mobile app also.)

Rates are $7.99/mo. for 320k MP3 and $14.95 for lossless. They have a 14 day trial.
Check out the details at www.primephonic.com. One thing not as obvious as it could be IMO: If you do the trial and want to play through a computer and/or DAC, you do that from play.primephonic.com.

I'd be interested to hear what others think if they give the trial a go.I'd give them at worst a solid 'B' so far.

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #1 on:** 29 Sep 2018, 11:12 am »

Looks very interesting DB. I’ll investigate further. Thanks for sending.

Cheers,
Lester

Tyson · « **Reply #2 on:** 29 Sep 2018, 06:19 pm »

I did the trial a couple month ago. It was good but I let it lapse after the trial because I just didn't use it enough. I listen to my massive hirez collection when I'm at home and usually a book on tape when I'm out and about.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #3 on:** 8 Oct 2018, 03:56 am »

Updated because I just learned of another lossless classical streaming service: Idagio. They describe their content as 'CD-quality' whereas Primephonic claims content 'up to 24-bit' (without specifying sample rate) although like most 'high res' offerings, most of that probably originated as Redbook and was later transferred into a bigger bit bucket.

I haven't tried Idagio yet because I still have a few days on my Primephonic trial so no sense overlapping. But I will definitely try it before I commit to either.. As a plus, they are $9.99 a month as opposed to $14.95 for Primephonic. Don't know if there's much interest based on the thread but will report back anyway.

For anyone interested: https://www.idagio.com/

rpf · « **Reply #4 on:** 8 Oct 2018, 04:27 am »

Definitely interested here. Qobuz launching soon presumably.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #5 on:** 8 Oct 2018, 01:29 pm »

Qobuz is well behind their originally announced launch. Not sure why. They've been running in Europe for awhile.

One thing I like about Primephonic is that their artist payout model is based on playing time- good for classical where many pieces aren't three minutes long like they are in 'pop' music. Better deal for the musicians.

jtwrace · « **Reply #6 on:** 8 Oct 2018, 01:52 pm »

I've been using Qobuz and I must say it IS a game changer. I really didn't think it was possible to beat Tidal but this isn't even in the same league. The difference is hard to believe as it's so drastic.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #7 on:** 8 Oct 2018, 01:55 pm »

Where are you based? I thought they weren't 'up' in the US yet (I signed up for notification).

Different in UI, you mean? Tidal definitely has 'opportunities' there...

jtwrace · « **Reply #8 on:** 8 Oct 2018, 02:28 pm »

Quote from: dB Cooper on 8 Oct 2018, 01:55 pm

Where are you based? I thought they weren't 'up' in the US yet (I signed up for notification).

Different in UI, you mean? Tidal definitely has 'opportunities' there...

I'm in the USA. Free 30 day trial (for now).

dB Cooper · « **Reply #9 on:** 12 Oct 2018, 02:48 am »

I find nothing for the USA- no trial, no sign-up.... nothing.

HAL · « **Reply #10 on:** 12 Oct 2018, 03:09 am »

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/pages/preview

paul79 · « **Reply #11 on:** 12 Oct 2018, 04:03 am »

I am wondering a bit....
I have Tidal and got the trial of Qobuz, and in my system and using the same app for both (Mconnect), Tidal is WAY better than Qobuz. More air, much better focused, richer, you name it. I compared several albums, and every time, I liked the Tidal version better, and not by a little. Am I missing something? I verified the settings and I verified that I am indeed getting hi res streams.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #12 on:** 12 Oct 2018, 01:38 pm »

Quote from: HAL on 12 Oct 2018, 03:09 am

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/pages/preview

Works if you have a code, otherwise it just takes you to the update signup page.

I'll keep my ear to the ground I guess. Apparently full scale USA launch is not far off. I like Tidal but it could be better for 'discovery'. Search is also underwhelming. I'll listen to apple sometimes when I'm out and about and bookmark things I find on Tidal for when I'm listening more carefully.

paul79 · « **Reply #13 on:** 20 Oct 2018, 05:13 pm »

Update: After a couple days, like a switch got threw, Qobuz sounds terrific now. I chalked it up to them making the transition to the US, and had their streaming compressed for a bit. It is quite excellent now though, and I enjoy exploring the Classical albums not available on Tidal! Very cool.

paul79 · « **Reply #14 on:** 11 Nov 2018, 12:54 am »

Another update. After more time, comparing Tidal to Qobuz in my system, I find that Tidal is more ambient, resolute, although, less consistent. Sometimes Tidal sounds pretty bad. Qobuz sounds pretty good all the time, but not as good as the best times to listen to Tidal. Interesting stuff! Anybody out there? I think once Qobuz fully roots in the US, it will be an unstoppable force. It is too damn expensive though.

richidoo · « **Reply #15 on:** 11 Nov 2018, 01:23 am »

In mid October I had 5 guys over my house. One guy ran a pseudo-blind test on each of us separately. Playing the track of our choice on both Tidal and Qobuz, using their own apps he tested each of us one at a time. Everyone every time preferred the Tidal version. We did not choose audiophile type tracks, just whatever normal tracks we listen to. I chose Anne Sophie Mutter's Beethoven Violin Concerto on DG from 1990. It is an early digital recording, sounds good, but nothing super special. But I could clearly and easily hear how distorted the Qobuz version was compared to Tidal. Before the test I was biased that Qobuz would be better so I was surprised to learn what I thought was Qobuz during the test was actually Tidal and vicey versey.

Consequently, I did not extend my free Qobuz trial subscription. But I will try it again after they're up and running with Roon integration and the full library like they offer in Europe. I have plenty of other issues with Tidal but I think the SQ was better than Qobuz, at least at that time. ymmv
Rich

dB Cooper · « **Reply #16 on:** 11 Nov 2018, 03:43 am »

I have found a number of things that I have bookmarked on Tidal that are not on Qobuz but nothing (yet) that is on Qobuz but not Tidal.

I am also impressed with the Idagio classical-only lossless stream srvice. Their slection coud use some beefing up, but their search and discovery are better than others for classical listeners. And they're only $9.99'mo.

raiders4life7 · « **Reply #17 on:** 2 May 2020, 01:15 am »

Wondering if there are any advances on the Qobuz vs Tidal vs other debate. I’ve been a long time tidal subscriber and I wonder if There are any Qobuz user that report finding more albums on there than Tidal?

guildenstern · « **Reply #18 on:** 6 May 2020, 11:01 pm »

In the summer of 2019, I switched from Tidal to Qobuz. I haven't missed Tidal for a moment. For my main interests -- classical and jazz, in that order -- Qobuz provides a deep catalogue, with many recordings available in high-res -- up to 24/96 for the subscription plan I chose (called "Studio Premier," I think), and you can pay for even higher res if you choose.

Some reasons I prefer Qobuz:

* The interface lets me specify favorite genres. So when I open the desktop app on my PC, or the IOS app on my iPad, or the Android app on my phone, I'm greeted with a selection of new releases in classical and jazz. Exactly what I'm most interested in. And if I'm curious about other genres, I can change a setting and see what's new in them as well.
* The richness of the selection -- I've tagged so many favorites that I'm still behind in discovering them. In classical, besides the major labels, there are recordings from many smaller labels, and many reissues as well. Only a very few times have I not found an album that I read about in an online review.
* The "Press Awards" selection -- this feature highlights recordings that have received top ratings in some European classical music reviews (not Gramophone). I have discovered some surprising and enjoyable releases here.
* For many recordings, Qobuz makes the album notes available -- just click and the online booklet opens. That's nice to have, and I wish they could make it available on even more albums, but I appreciate what's there.
* The "Panorama" features -- these are, in effect, online magazine articles with embedded musical selections, on such topics as "Women Composers: A Secret History" and "Bruno Walter, Memories of a Departed Legend."

Of course there's room for improvement--some of the prefab playlists could be more creative, and the navigation could be improved with a couple more features. But all in all, I'm very much enjoying Qobuz, both for sound quality and musical selection.

Tyson · « **Reply #19 on:** 7 May 2020, 12:37 am »

I also listen to mostly classical and I am a huge fan of Qobuz - IMO it's by far the best service out there for classical music fans. And $15 a month for unlimited hirez is awesome.