Zp 24/96

For me all of this will get resolved when a major player will put out a 96+/24+ format up for grabs easily by anyone. Were iTunes now silently upgrading all their files to 192/24, I'm sure Sonos engineers would then try to find a way.

I don't see my Sonos system playing them at high frequencies. I wouldn't care less, I don't think that caters up to majority of users outside a small audiophile crowd. But not playing a file, even if downsampled, annoys me. I choose some files in the lib, they are getting skipped silently, and it bothers me to no end.

If you don't care if they are downsampled, then downsample them once and you are done. There are literally hundreds of downsampling programs out there, there is no sense in waiting for Sonos to incorporate downsampling when you can do it now yourself. Afterwards, move your originals, or tag them something different, and then you can then play all your music on your Sonos system. Easy Peazy.

This is one of the rare occasions I agree with jgatie. If you have 24/96 or better files then use XLD on Mac, or DBpoweramp on PC to downsample to 16/44 for Sonos to play.. BTW with either there's no need to retag, I would though keep the original HiRes files in the event that someday Sonos will play them.

If you don't care if they are downsampled, then downsample them once and you are done. There are literally hundreds of downsampling programs out there, there is no sense in waiting for Sonos to incorporate downsampling when you can do it now yourself. Afterwards, move your originals, or tag them something different, and then you can then play all your music on your Sonos system. Easy Peazy.

I have approximately 200 96/16 albums, a dozen 96/24, and a few hours worth in 192/24. They are all in ALAC in iTunes. They are fully supported by my iOS devices (thanks to the downsample checkbox -yes I vouch for convenience on portable devices!)... And whenever I play these songs in my main music room, using the proper DAC, I am glad I have them. What you are suggesting is already what I am doing, is to have a second folder with all these solely for Sonos, and add a [hd] flag in the album name of the original so I won't use them in Sonos, as they are silently getting skipped but still present in my Sonos library.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to have HD playback, although quality is good on the P: and C:A devices, I'm quite sure the difference between a 44 and a 96 file would be minimal if existent at all, so for these, a downsample would be perfect. Remains the Connect, with the Digital Out, and for that one, YES I would be very happy to have a 96KHz out to play on my Sonus Faber speakers. 🙂 but let's face it, at least recognising the files and be able to play them, even if 44KHz, would still be a huge improvement over the current "skip" situation.

We're enjoying our new Sonos system, and I am well into ripping our few hundred CD's to flac files. It seems clear that CD's are beginning to go away, and there are are already some sites that are starting to accumulate flac files for sale, with some excellent ones at 24/96 or higher. It would be REALLY nice if Sonos would move in that direction, at least as far as 24/96, which current network technology will support.

Joe

+1

Who else thinks that 24/96 playback is essential to stay on top of the market? With more and more people discovering high quality downloads, the need for a streamer that plays 24/96 resolution files becomes greater.
I wonder when Sonos will fill up this gaping hole in their system. I still prefer Sonos over the 'other ones' for ease of use and price.

Who else thinks that 24/96 playback is essential to stay on top of the market?
I don't.

http://forums.sonos.com/showthread.php?t=7951&highlight=24%2F96

http://forums.sonos.com/showthread.php?t=27793&highlight=24%2F96&page=2

In short, some do not see the "gaping hole" as a hole at all, considering 24/96 files are a niche of a niche product, and probably not the market Sonos is looking for.

I don't.

Me neither.

I wish that Sonos would support 9600 Hz and higher encoding. This would allow it to be a aficionado system rather that an alternate mp3 player. Presently higher encoded music from HDtracks and others cannot be played. This is unfortunate and it makes my Sonos installation unusable for great sound.

There are a fair number of current and would-be sonos users who need/want better digital quality. 24bit in particular gives huge advantages in dynamic range and signal/noise ratio. Anyone recording or mastering music on a mac already has this, and the pros have had 24/96 or better for a long time. Increasingly you can get high-quality digital audio for classical and even (gasp!) rock and pop, so the trend is well under way.

SO why hasn't sonos brought out a high-spec ZP?? I hope I am wrong, but it seems a bit like sonos are not investing much in product development and are too busy milking the cash cow to care if they they miss the high end of the market.

It would be a pity to see sonos, who really led the field and have a great product, overtaken!