I did a brief casual listening comparison streaming some albums from Qobuz using Qobuz Connect and streaming the same albums from Qobuz by way of Roon.... both to my Eversolo DMP-A8 streamer. The last software update for the streamer included Qobuz Connect.
I heard no difference in sound quality between Qobuz Connect and Roon but I did say "casual listening comparison". I wasn't in audiophile "critical listening mode" straining to pickout minor differences for better or worse. I will try some of that audiophile stuff over the weekend and report back.
To create a level playing field I disabled Roon features like headroom management, volume leveling, sample rate conversions, EQ settings etc. In other words all audio related feature tweaks in Roon were disabled. I was playing unadulterated bit-perfect via Roon and bit-perfect vs Qobuz Connect.
The setup:
[#1]: iPad running Qobuz App as Qobuz Connect 'controller'
Eversolo DMP-A8 as Qobuz Connect capable network streamer
[#2]: iPad running Roon App as Roon 'controller'
Eversolo DMP-A8 as Roon Ready network streamer
The Eversolo is attached to my home network via hardwired Ethernet and the iPad 'controller' goes wireless over Wifi on the same home network.
The Qobuz App and Roon App on the iPad are merely used for album navigation and selection - like a remote control. Music is NOT sent from the iPad to the Eversolo streamer. The music is delivered to the Eversolo directly from Qobuz or Qobuz "wrapped in" the Roon UI.
I think some people miss this point in their setup. One Inmate mentioned sending music from their iPad to their streamer using Qobuz and AirPlay thinking he was using Qobuz Connect. That's not really taking advantage of Qobuz Connect. You shouldn't be 'sending' any music from your phone or tablet at all - via AirPlay, Bluetooth, or otherwise if your streamer is Qobuz Connect capable. The Qobuz App on the phone or tablet is used only as a controller (think remote control) while the music stream is received by your streamer directly from the Qobuz streaming service.
iPad with Qobuz App and several others:
Launch Qobuz App on iPad. Choose the Qobuz Connect compatible nework device. In this case my Eversolo DMP-A8:
Navigate albums on the iPad to play on the Eversolo streamer:
Eversolo DMP-A8 streamer screen showing album playing via Qobuz Connect:
P.S. Like the Roon App, I can also run the Qobuz App on my Mac... and from the Mac I can control music playback to the Eversolo streamer much like I would from the iPad. In this case Qobuz on Mac has inconsistencies and slight differences vs the iPad, and some quirks or bugs on both. The Roon UI retains a consistent look and operation whether on the iPad or Mac/PC. And of course Roon can handle both local music files AND Qobuz selections in a "single pane of glass" view while the Qobuz App cannot handle local music files. The Qobuz UI is very good but it isn't as flexible with customizations to one's taste like Roon and has some catching up to do IMHO. However, if all you do is stream Qobuz the Qobuz App and Qobuz Connect is fully sufficient for most people. Again, I will listen more closely for any SQ differences vs Roon but I hear none at the moment. I'll try some so-called audiophile style 'critical listening' over the weekend along with the obligatory toe tapping ;-)
