Is Qobuz A-Must Try Music Streaming Platform? (Review)

Music is a big part of our lives. Through music, we can express our creativity and generally enjoy everything that it offers. It is also considered as something universal because no matter the culture, we fully appreciate music. And thanks to today’s technology, we can share this experience easily with streaming platforms like Qobuz.

This streaming platform offers quantity and quality when it comes to their online streaming service. They have tons of audio content, including millions of songs, podcasts, ASMR, and more. This is done without compromising the crispness and quality of the audio. But how can you tell if this platform is really for you?

What is Qobuz?

Qobuz is the first music streaming platform to offer hi-fi streaming. This ensures music that sounds even better than your average MP3 track or even your high-res CDs! Imagine really listening to the slow beat of the drums, the sweet melody of the violin, or the heart-pumping dance beats that can even get the laziest person to pop a dance move or two! With all this, you can probably get the picture of why people want their music on high-res.

Developed by Yves Riesel, Qobuz started its humble beginnings in France back in 2007. Over time, it began to gain traction and spread over other European countries like wildfire. Eventually, the service expanded over to the United States, where it is beloved by a larger user base.

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What Does Qobuz Offer?

Aside from hi-fi music, Qobuz has much more to offer. Here are some of the cool features that Qobuz offers:

Big Music Catalog

Qobuz offers over seven million tracks, so you are guaranteed that Quboz will most likely have music of whatever musical genre you are interested in. This service offers the biggest musical catalog that the world has ever seen when it comes to offering CD and Studio or High-res quality. They have partnered with the hottest artists, so you are guaranteed that you will have access to their newest releases anytime and anywhere.

What is even better is that Qobuz supports cross-platform listening. It doesn’t matter if you’re using your computer, your tablet, or your phone – with Qobuz, you can truly experience your music at the highest possible quality.

Offline Listening

If you’ve often had to wonder why your internet is so slow, then streaming might be a pain to deal with sometimes. Thankfully, Qobuz allows for offline listening so that you can listen to your favorite tracks and albums anywhere, anytime.

What’s more, you have a choice whether to download the CD version of your music or if you truly want to enjoy your most favorite tunes, you also have the option to download it in its studio quality for a better music experience through the very comprehensive music and album lists that the Qobuz store offers.

Audio Quality Options

What Qobuz offers is something unique and unheard of when it comes to the music streaming platform industry. The platform lets you choose between three different kinds of audio quality. Here are the audio quality types that Qobruz offers for you:

• MP3. This is your standard type of audio quality found in most music download sites. However, MP3 lacks the all-important tones that set your music apart from CD quality or studio-quality music. That said, lowered quality means it takes up less disk space, making it perfect for any mobile device.
• CD Quality. The CD’s audio quality is already high-quality in itself, but its drawback is it can be pretty bulky due to its high quality. What Qobuz does is transforms the files into more bite-sized pieces without losing their music quality. This way, you can have more selection when it comes to CD-quality audio files.
• Studio Quality. Studio Quality is the highest sound quality you can find on Qobuz. This sound quality is even more superior than the already high quality that CD-quality tracks offer. This is mainly attributed to the 24-bit resolution that is typically used in a recording studio. With the right pair of audiophile headphones, you will get to maximize your listening experience.

Creative Playlists

Because Qobuz offers over seven million tracks and counting, you can mix and match your songs to create a unique playlist fit for your tastes. The site is one step ahead of that because it offers creative and unique playlists guaranteed to help you discover new music.

Some fun playlists to try are Women of Outlaw Country, Death Metal: Origins, ECM Atmospheres, and Winter Blues. Do a bit of exploration and discover the perfect playlist for you!

Digital Booklets

Another interesting feature that Qobuz offers are digital booklets. Here, you get exclusive content about your favorite artist. This may include everything from their history to industry trade secrets and finding music inspiration. This is carefully curated for you in the form of articles, interviews, and videos compiled into a digital booklet.

Exclusive Artist Interviews

Aside from these collectibles, Qobuz also offers exclusive interviews with your favorite artists. The Qobuz creative team has partnered with not only the newest and hottest artists of this generation, but they also have a network of classic artists that can give you the inside scoop on what they are brewing in terms of new music.

Panoramas

Qobuz is probably the only streaming platform that has a Panorama feature. This feature allows a panoramic view of your favorite artists’ history and background, including how they were discovered and how their love for music came to be.

Qobuz focuses on giving loyal listeners an insider view of their favorite songs and artists. Thanks to the Panorama feature, you can get more insight into a lot of these and more.

How to Register for Qobuz

Now that you know all about Qobuz and how it works, where do you start? First, you have to register for a Qobuz account. Just follow these quick and easy steps.

Step-by-Step Registration

1. Go to the Qobuz website login page.
2. If you have a Facebook account or an Apple account, you can opt to log in with your existing accounts. If you do not want to do that, you need to fill it out by putting an active email, nickname, birthdate, password (you can also choose to use the recommended password generated), and gender. Be sure to check the “I want to benefit from discounts and special offers from Qobuz’ partners.” and click register.

Once you have everything ready, you already have a Qobuz account. You can enjoy everything that this music streaming platform has to offer!

Is Qobuz Free?

You can enjoy Qobuz and all the studio-quality music you want for free for its trial period. Afterward, you are encouraged to pick through the offered subscription tiers to enjoy unlimited high-quality music anytime and anywhere.

Subscription Plans

Qobuz offers two subscription plans that offer a pretty good music streaming platform deal for all music aficionados out there. The subscription plans are as follows. Do note that there is no difference between the features they offer for the Studio Premier subscription plan. The only difference is that you have the option to be billed either on a monthly or on an annual basis.

1. Studio Premier (Annually Paid)
   • Cost per year: £149.99 or £12.99 per month
   •  Features:
     • Studio quality streaming
     • Original editorial content
2. Studio Premier (Monthly Paid)
   • Cost per month: £14.99 per month
   •  Features:
     • Studio quality streaming
     • Original editorial content
3. Studio Sublime
   • Cost per month: £20.83 per month or £249.99 per year
   • Features:
     • Studio quality streaming
     • Original editorial content

Accepted Payment Methods

The accepted payment methods of Qobuz differ a bit when it comes to your country of origin. However, it is important to note that most of the countries where Qobuz is offered accept major credit card lines such as Visa and Mastercard, and Paypal.

Pros of Using Qobuz

A One-Stop Shop for Any Audiophile

The main marketing standpoint of Qobuz is that it is a one-stop-shop that offers over seven million high-res or studio tracks that will make you and your soul happy. Imagine having access to seven million tracks anywhere you are in the world. If that does not make your music-loving self happy, we do not know what will.

Eclectic Catalog

Because Qobuz has many tracks to choose from, you can mix and match your playlist to your heart’s desire. Should you want to try and get a feel of other music, the site also offers you pretty unique and creative playlists.

Class-Leading CD-Quality Streams

Aside from studio-quality audio music, you also have access to class-leading CD-quality streams. Though they are not in a studio-quality format, they are also pretty good for sound quality. Like the high-res audio, you can have access to these tracks anytime and everywhere.

Cons of Using Quboz

A Bit Pricey

The quality services Quboz offer unfortunately come at a big price. The high asking price may become blatantly obvious if you compare it to competitors that offer similar services for less. These rates may sway some music lovers with budget constraints away.

However, it’s still a worthy investment for an audiophile although the streaming service comes with a pretty steep subscription. With Quobuz offering you a broad library of tracks that you can stream it anywhere, you would expect that you will get value for your money.

Qobuz vs Other Music Streaming Platforms

Tidal

Tidal is a Norwegian-based online streaming service that operates very similarly to Qobuz. A little late in the game, Tidal was only established back in 2014. While it also offers high-res music, its catalog of music tracks available is no way close to Quboz’s seven-million track library. However, it does have other things to offer. Check out this Tidal streaming service guide if you want to learn more.

Spotify

Spotify is probably one of the most well-known online streaming apps that is available globally. While you can stream their music for free, it is filled with many annoying ads that you have no choice to purchase their Premium plans to have a seamless music experience with their platform.

Deezer

Deezer was established right around the time that Qobuz also launched in France. This French-based streaming platform offers nearly everything that Qobuz also offers. However, like Tidal, it only streams fewer tracks compared to Qobuz.

Is Qobuz a Must-Try Music Streaming Platform?

With everything that it offers, you would get value for your money. Imagine being able to have ready access for over seven million tracks, the latest scoop on your favorite musicians, and being first in line to hear the newest and latest albums. Qobuz offers all of this and more!