Connect comes to French streaming service
The French-based streaming service Qobuz, known for its vast catalogue of audiophile-quality music, has finally come of age as online hi-fi forums buzz with excitement. After years of repeated promises, Qobuz has finally released its Connect feature and joined the ranks of those it has lagged behind for so long.
Currently only a soft-launch, the official fanfare will be at the Munich High End event next Thursday. In anticipation of the move, manufacturers including Hegel and Auralic have released updated firmware for their products and we can expect many more to follow in the coming days.
The change makes streaming from Qobuz so much simpler; now it’s just a case of opening the latest update on the already rather good app and selecting the appropriate network end point. The phone or tablet running the app then hands off the stream to that endpoint, just as the likes of Tidal and Spotify have for years.
The music stream continues even if the app is closed because, unlike Airplay, the stream is being sourced direct from Qobuz servers in the cloud and not via the smart device. With its new feature, there’s no reason that Qobuz can’t join the big boys who monopolise streaming services but without such a vast array of hi-fi quality material.
As the currently rather limited Connect page on Qobuz’s website puts it, there’s now no need to rely on another app or use Airplay or Bluetooth to access its library. “This ensures the highest audio quality and allows you to take full advantage of all the features Qobuz has to offer,” they say.
We have tried it on Hegel’s mighty H600 streaming amp and Qobuz Connect seems flawless, without any expected teething troubles. Similarly, when used via an Auralic Aries G1 streamer Connect allows musical selection direct from the Qobuz app and without the need to open the manufacture’s Lightning DS app.