Like many people,I’ve used Spotify for provided that I can remember. In fact, longer than I can remember. I know roughly when I started using the music streaming service, but I struggle to recount the exact timings or the moment I first signed up to Premium.
The earliest memory I have of using Spotify is of my friend filtering through (and probably scoffing at) my Drum & Bass playlist while I was driving my Honda Civic: bass pumping, wheels screeching, smoke billowing from the car’s windows. That basically describes my entire late teens and early twenties, so I’m still at a loss. I’m now 33, though, so suffice to say it’s been a while.
For years, Spotify came bundled with my phone plan, giving me a hearty discount. I’ve used wireless earbuds or wireless headphones (so no need for hi-res). And I’ve had a decade of my own and other playlists to leverage. Even though I’m slightly ashamed to admit it, I’m not altogether that moralistic about artists’ rights either. So I’ve seen no reason to leave.
Then, a couple of years ago, I became the head of tom’s Guide’s in-house reviews team.My team and I test a lot of audio gear; a lot of premium, high quality earbuds, headphones and Bluetooth speakers; a lot of stuff with “Hi-Res” branding plastered all over it.
Given the last two aren’t necessarily synonymous,it’s our job to put “Hi-Res” products through their paces with high-resolution playback – until recently,of course,that was something Spotify couldn’t do.
I bandied around with Apple Music, Tidal and Deezer for testing purposes, but none of them pulled me away from ol’ Spotty. Th
Why Qobuz’s human curation is what makes it special – not just the hi-res audio
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I’ve been testing Spotify’s new lossless tier, and honestly, I’m not seeing a huge difference on my iPhone 17 Pro Max and getting no benefit from qobuz’s higher-res playback. So I’m not really too concerned about the Spotify lossless vs Qobuz high-res topic (Spotify offers 24-bit 44.1 kHz lossless, which isn’t as “good” as qobuz’s 24-bit 192 kHz playback).
Rather, this opinion piece is all about curation and recommendations…
The human touch
I dipped in and out of Qobuz for a while (primarily for testing purposes) without delving too deep or paying much attention, before really getting it. One morning,when listening to one of Qobuz’s albums of the week,Sad And Lovely World by mavis Staples,I noticed some blurb – ‘copy’ as well call it in the media industry – beneath her album info.
[Image of a screenshot from Qobuz showing recommendations and playback]
It wasn’t just a list of similar artists, or a ‘you might also like’ algorithmically generated playlist. It was a thoughtful paragraph,written by a real person,explaining why this album was special,and connecting it to other artists and albums in a meaningful way.It felt like a recommendation from a knowledgeable friend,rather than a cold calculation from a machine.
That’s when it clicked. Qobuz isn’t just about high-resolution audio; it’s about the human touch. It’s about passionate music lovers sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with others. And in a world increasingly dominated by algorithms, that’s a rare and valuable thing.
Spotify and Apple Music have improved their recommendation engines over the years, but they still feel… generic. They’re good at identifying patterns and suggesting music you might like based on your listening history, but they lack the nuance and insight of a human curator. They don’t tell you why you might like something, they just tell you that you probably will.
Qobuz, conversely, offers a wealth of curated playlists, albums of the week, and editorial content that goes beyond simple recommendations. It’s a place where you can discover new music and learn about the artists and genres you love.It’s a place where music is treated as an art form, not just a commodity.
I’m not saying that high-resolution audio isn’t important. It can certainly enhance the listening experience, especially if you have a good pair of headphones or speakers. But for me,the real value of Qobuz lies in its curation. It’s a reminder that music is best enjoyed when it’s shared and discussed, and that sometimes, the best recommendations come from a human being.
And that’s something that no algorithm can ever replicate.
Qobuz is changing the way I discover music – and I’m all for it
For years, Spotify has been my go-to music streaming service. It’s convenient, has a massive library, and integrates seamlessly with all my devices. But recently, I’ve been spending more and more time with Qobuz, and I’m starting to think it might be the better option for serious music lovers.
The biggest difference? Revelation. Spotify’s algorithm, while powerful, feels… limiting. It excels at creating playlists based on artists and songs I already like, and its “Discover Weekly” and “Release Radar” playlists are decent, but they rarely venture far outside my comfort zone.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with those two things, but I find it stifles my breadth of listening. With Spotify, I tend to just stick to what I already know because that’s all that I’m being shown during automated playback. Discover tends to show me a few new things, but plenty of stuff I’m already familiar with pops up, too.
browse sections, simultaneously occurring, are simply too broad to be of much use to me. There’s too much choice. You’re already familiar with this concept, I’m sure: it’s the same reason you find yourself endlessly scrolling Netflix at a loss for what to watch. Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.
In short, to properly discover
## Why I Switched From Spotify To Qobuz – And Never Looked Back
I never listened to jazz, nor would I have searched it out, so Spotify would’ve therefore never shown me it. Qobuz, conversely, did dare to show me. Little did I know, there’s a genre called “West Coast” or “Cool” jazz – slower tempo, more loungy, less avant-garde, all the opposite of the things I dislike about typical (East Coast, I guess?) jazz.One day, on my home page sat a West Coast Jazz playlist, with a calming beach in the image to highlight the collection’s relaxing nature. qobuz told me: this jazz is good for you,listen to it. And I did. And I fell in love.