I know DCS are a small company and they do their best with Mosaic but (sorry team), I just hate it.
Ideally I want the Qobuz app control the stream directly in the same way Spotify does. I want the polish, the lack of glitches, the way it helps me discover new music, keeps playing etc. But a ‘Qobuz-Connect’ functionality never seems to be on the horizon.
The only way I can see to get what I want is to use the Qobuz app on a tablet inputting to the DCS via a USB cable trailing across the room.
So before rush out and buy a tablet and USB cable, can anyone who has direct experience tell me if I can expect there is a significant sonic sacrifice by not using the ethernet source? I suspect a source that derives from WiFi, goes through a tablet, and then a USB cable can never be as good as the direct internet connection, but I am hoping someone can tell me otherwise. TIA.
Thanks Struts. I didn’t realise there is a Tidal Connect. Can anyone tell me if that has been implemented on DCS? I may switch providers if that’s the case.
Yes, Tidal Connect is already supported by dCS but Qobuz Connect should be coming shortly. I wouldn’t switch just for that if you are otherwise happy with Qobuz but your call.
Keep in mind that even after Qobuz implements their “Qobuz Connect”, it will take awhile for dCS to implement it on their system. IIRC, it took about 6 months after Tidal Connect was introduced before we saw dCS support it with a firmware update.
Btw, just in case you had missed it I should point out that you can do this today via Airplay (of course that limits you to CD-resolution but one could argue that is still better than Spotify Connect). In the Qobuz app just press the “cast” icon top right and then Airplay & Bluetooth and your Bartók should pop up on the list…
There is potentially a sound quality loss in using a USB rather than ethernet connection. dCS ( and most contributors here), hold that network connection is preferable. However its significance to you is down to your personal tastes and the type of music that you listen to. Some may find the loss unacceptable, others may not even notice it. The matter is complicated by the effect of the connection cable where I think most will agree that respective brands and items do not give identical results subjectively.
As for using AirPlay ,although this can be very useful, there is also a potential loss of quality as although the signal is nominally 16/44.1 or 14/48, that is the specification of the file ( think of it as a container), rather then its contents which may be lossy. See the link.
Just for interest, this evening I compared ethernet (Mosaic) with Qobuz app (laptop and cheap USB cable from an old scanner!). The resolution was there on the USB but it was lacking the richness of the ethernet.
So I look forward to Qobus Connect. Like energy from fusion and hi-res from Spotify, it is just over the horizon
Actually, Airplay is more like a lingua franca for audio. It is supported by almost all services and endpoints (although, per Pete’s post above, not always at full (CD) resolution). The only problem is that it doesn’t support hi res.
As a footnote I have checked Vivaldi using AirPlay and that seems to be AirPlay 1 so there is no conversion to AAC. However Vivaldi is, of course, now a 12 year old model and I do not know what version of AirPlay is available in later designs.
For AirPlay 2, as well as the conversion to a lossy codec, there is also the question of the rate used for which I have no information. I can say that my experience of AAC 320kb/s is positive and highly enjoyable. Not as good as FLAC at full CD resolution but without direct comparison, would I even be aware?
I use Roon through a Roon nucleus and don’t notice any difference in sound. The interface is superior to Qoboz or Tidal and you can download your own music to the internal HD.
Then make playlists with streaming and downloads.
