Via a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), a wealth of interesting news about Qobuz has emerged. There’s clearly a lot in the pipeline.
We came across this article on eCoustics.com, and it’s particularly interesting for EU readers, as it focuses on our homegrown streaming service: the French platform Qobuz. During a Reddit AMA, users were able to ask managing director Dan Mackta anything they wanted to know about the service.
Among the more notable revelations is that a Linux version of the software is currently in development, and that Apple CarPlay functionality is set to receive a complete overhaul. As far as CarPlay is concerned, the first results are expected to appear early this year. Mackta also indicated that Qobuz is exploring various systems capable of identifying and filtering out AI-generated music.
Also of interest: Qobuz is in discussions with Dolby regarding Atmos and surround tracks. Progress on that front appears to be slow, however, as offering such content would involve costs for the streaming service that may not be recoverable through subscriptions—even newly signed ones. Let’s hope this doesn’t result in a subscription price increase. Or, if it does, perhaps an optional Atmos add-on for the relatively small group of enthusiasts would be a fairer solution.
No Atmos, no serious audiophile is going to run a multi channel setup beyond 2.1 or 2.2. It would be much more valuable to offer original masters and multiple versions of songs or even masters that were made for audiophiles, not for bluetooth ear buds.