Qobuz Launches DSD and DXD Download Platform

DSD64 "Thriller" for example, costs $24.09

Paris, October 10th, 2024 - Qobuz, the music lovers’ high-quality music streaming and download platform, has announced the launch of Direct Stream Digital (DSD) and Digital eXtreme Definition (DXD) audio formats on its high-fidelity download store. Since it launched in France in 2007, and in the US in 2019, Qobuz has consistently led the field in terms of the highest-quality music files, and its introduction of DSD/DXD continues that commitment.

Beginning today, listeners can experience the natural quality and tonal sweetness of DSD and DXD on the platform’s download store with more than 22,500 tracks now available, mainly in DSD format, adding to the more than 100 million songs already available.

Offering a unique approach to sound reproduction, DSD and DXD are high-resolution audio formats that are distinct from the traditional PCM system used in formats like WAV, FLAC, ALAC, and AIFF.

Traditional high-resolution audio formats, like PCM, sample sound at rates up to 192,000 times per second (192 kHz). DXD pushes this further, sampling at 352,800 times per second, offering even greater detail. However, DSD goes beyond both, with an astonishing 2.8 million samples per second, capturing an exceptionally pure audio signal. These formats are favored by creators aiming to produce and share music with unparalleled sound quality.

If you want the best out of the music you’re consuming, browse Qobuz’ titles available now in DSD and DXD formats including albums from prestigious labels including Sony Music, Universal Music, Columbia, RCA, Epic, ECM, Deutsche Grammophon and harmonia mundi, and watch out for more coming soon.

A quick taste of some of the iconic works now available in these formats are:

Thriller - Michael Jackson (costs $24.09 for DSD 64 download, for example)
Mahler: Symphony No.5, Kindertotenlieder - Christa Ludwig, Berliner Philharmoniker…
Blue Train - John Coltrane
The Köln Concert (Live) - Keith Jarett
Let It Bleed - The Rolling Stones
Surfin’ USA - The Beach Boys

Discover our DSD catalog on Qobuz: DSD catalog

Enjoy our selection in DXD on Qobuz: DXD catalog

To find out more about the DSD format: What is DSD, the premium quality audio format

Comments

2024-10-11 07:35:38 PM

bwb wrote:

"DSD goes beyond both, with an astonishing 2.8 million samples per second"

This is extremely misleading and shows a lack of understanding of how all of this works. DSD may sample at a higher rate, but each sample is only 1 bit whereas PCM and DXD both sample at 24 bits, so if you do the math, 192,000 x 24 = 4.6 million and 352,800 x 24 = 8.47 million is actually a lot more data than DSD with 2.8 million astonishing 1 bit samples. DXD is also PCM so not distinct from it as stated.

This release also implies that DSD sounds better which is highly debatable, and we even won't go into the ongoing debate about where you reach the point that higher rates are no longer audible.

other than that, you nailed it
- 2024-10-11 09:52:11 PM
  
  Come on wrote:
  
  Correct! But I thought that’s not a text from Trackingangle but taken over.
  
  Is there a debate that higher rates (then what?) are not audible? Can’t be right imo. In my experience any increase so far was audible.
  - 2024-10-11 10:45:49 PM
    
    bwb wrote:
    
    agreed, it is a press release from Qobuz, not from TA, but doesn't a site like this bear some responsibility for sorting through the hype and not just pushing it out as fact?
    
    The other elephant in the room is where are they getting the files? A lot (most?) of what they are offering was not recorded in DSD or DXD so how were the files produced? Upsampled Red Book? On the one hand, some will argue if it sounds good then what does it matter, but too many unknowns for me to pay $25 for a digital file of unknown origin. I'll buy a record instead and stream the digital.
    - 2024-10-12 01:20:23 PM
      
      Come on wrote:
      
      Yes, but as this is an analogue site here, they can’t be that deep in digital technology ;-)
      
      Oh and if this is the case (most was not recorded in DSD/DXD), then it’s not worth anything in such cases. For SACD’s alone it’s a mess how few are recorded in DSD at all. If one cares for original formats (which I do), it’s quite hard to get the right ones for a certain recording.
    - 2024-10-12 06:25:19 PM
      
      Michael Fremer wrote:
      
      Sometimes I editorialize on press releases and sometimes I don't. It depends on the press release and especially how much time I have to devote to it. In this case I was seriously pressed for time and felt it was okay to just present it as delivered knowing, as this thread proves, readers would be there!
      - 2024-10-12 08:07:54 PM
        
        bwb wrote:
        
        I assume my email is on file, feel free to Venmo me my remuneration for my editorial contribution :)
    - 2024-10-16 03:46:11 PM
      
      Malachi Lui wrote:
      
      from what i can tell, all the DSD stuff that qobuz is selling has been available on other sites for a while. a lot of the more renowned titles available in DSD64 are from SACD masters in the early days of the format. they've held up well, albeit i'll save my excitement for when/if more stuff becomes available on the format.
2024-10-11 09:52:45 PM

Come on wrote:

Great news that they offer the higher resolution now!
2024-10-11 10:31:51 PM

tim davis wrote:

This is all new to me as I'm mostly an analog guy but still, I hope someone can clarify my confusion. My budget level pc DAC - a Fiio KA3 - supports up to DSD 512 yet the highest rate I found on the Cue Buzz (wouldn't that be a great name for a pool hall that also was a dispensary?) on any title I was interested in was only DSD 64.
- 2024-10-12 08:29:38 PM
  
  bwb wrote:
  
  64 is the norm. SACD is 64. There are various programs that will upsample it. HQPlayer is a fine example. A few specialty labels have limited offerings of DSD above 64, but overall it is a small fraction of what is available. If you find DSD above 64 there is a strong possibility it wasn't recorded at that rate ,and many SACDs as well as DSD streaming files started life as PCM then converted to DSD.
  
  SACD was introduce in 1999 so you can be pretty sure that anything recorded before that was analog or PCM. However, even if recorded as DSD, you can't edit one bit DSD , so it is routinely converted to PCM, edited, then converted back to DSD. There are a few rare files recorded direct to DSD and not manipulated afterwards, but as I said.. rare.
  - 2024-10-13 09:21:43 AM
    
    tim davis wrote:
    
    bwb, thank you for the info. I think I'll continue to focus on analog for now as most of my favorite music was recorded way before 1999 & what newer stuff I have gotten into is usually from smaller poor indie bar bands who almost certainly are limited to lesser digital studio recording formats than DSD.
  - 2024-10-16 03:44:29 PM
    
    Malachi Lui wrote:
    
    ...which is exactly why DSD kinda sucks. you lose something every time you convert back and forth between DSD and PCM, and i think PCM technology is so much further developed while DSD still has too much coloration. even if those higher DSD rates are good, we've no way to really hear it cos there's almost no actually worthwhile music publicly available at that resolution. i like a few SACDs but i'll usually take a good 24bit PCM file any day of the week. and yeah, there's a reason why basically no one with common sense works natively in DSD, even tape is more flexible.
    - 2024-10-16 08:31:09 PM
      
      Michael Fremer wrote:
      
      Malachi and I are on the same page re: DSD vs. PCM.
      - 2024-10-17 08:28:10 PM
        
        Come on wrote:
        
        It would be interesting how you and Malachi came to the opinion that DSD sucks and PCM is further developed. How you compared, which DSD resolution and especially which of the various and different sounding ways of DSD production you used for the comparison. I think among professionals, as long as we speak of resolutions higher than DSD64 and the non-DXD production ways (3 other options available), you’re quite alone with this opinion. My experience is, most with whatever opinion neither compared a suitable parallel recording, nor did they differentiate the various ways of DSD production. That the result also depends on the DAC used and should be done on at least two different ones, is another topic.
2024-10-16 08:32:21 PM

Michael Fremer wrote:

lol plus 2 additional characters (The Comment must be at least 5 characters).
2024-10-23 11:58:35 AM

Paul Skalka wrote:

Before you rush out to buy those sweet DSD files, check to make sure your device actually decodes DSD natively rather than convert to PCM... Manufacturers aren't usually very keen on sharing this information readily.
2024-10-25 12:02:19 PM

Steven Segal wrote:

Back in 2016 Qobuz sent an email advance notice of DSD streaming to commence around that October and it never happened. I seem to remember another classical download site was going into streaming and I'm wondering if this is a protective measure. There seem to be plenty of jazz tape transfers (likely pure DSD). The obvious classical label is Channel Classics, who use DSD extensively. I checked their bestseller (Tutta Sola), still only listed in PCM.