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scobihughes
Trending Lyricist I
May 19, 2021
Answered

Airplay 2 Hi Res and Sonos

  • May 19, 2021
  • 15 replies
  • 3237 views

With Apple confirming that Airplay 2 will now be capable of streaming 24/192 to an end point with a capable DAC will Sonos be making plans to support this?

My own end point is a Sonos Amp which i believe at the moment is only capable of 16/44 through Airplay 2.

Does Sonos have any plans to support Apple Music’s 70 million customers who from June will be able to stream in Hi-Res?

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Best answer by James L.

Hi @scobihughes,

 

I’ve answered this in the main thread for this topic here: 

In short, we’re unable to confirm when/if this feature is coming to Sonos. It’s up to the music service provider (Apple in this case) to work with us and decide which features are/are not available on Sonos products. :slight_smile:

15 replies

James L.
James L.Answer
Retired Community Staff
May 19, 2021

Hi @scobihughes,

 

I’ve answered this in the main thread for this topic here: 

In short, we’re unable to confirm when/if this feature is coming to Sonos. It’s up to the music service provider (Apple in this case) to work with us and decide which features are/are not available on Sonos products. :slight_smile:

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
    scobihughesAuthor
    Trending Lyricist I
    May 19, 2021

    Hi @scobihughes,

     

    I’ve answered this in the main thread for this topic here: 

    In short, we’re unable to confirm when/if this feature is coming to Sonos. It’s up to the music service provider (Apple in this case) to work with us and decide which features are/are not available on Sonos products. :slight_smile:

    I don’t understand what this has to with Apple deciding what features are / are not available on Sonos products. 

    As things stand you can already stream to Sonos via Airplay 2, Apple will now make Airplay 2 capable of streaming Hi-Res files. So the question is, will Sonos products adapt to be capable of playing Hi-Res streamed through Airplay 2?

    Apple have already confirmed to Bluesound that as long as their receiver has a DAC capable of Hi-Res then they are capable of playing Apple Music at Hi-Res. 

    Example: I can stream via Airplay 2 at 16/44 to my Sonos Amp at the moment, as of next month through Apple Music and Airplay 2 i will be able to stream up to 24/196. As far as i know Sonos products including my Sonos Amp will not be able to play at 24/196. Will Sonos update to be able to play these Hi-Res files that 70 million Apple Music customers will have access to next month? 

    James L.
    James L.
    Retired Community Staff
    May 19, 2021

    Hi @scobihughes,

     

    I’ve answered this in the main thread for this topic here: 

    In short, we’re unable to confirm when/if this feature is coming to Sonos. It’s up to the music service provider (Apple in this case) to work with us and decide which features are/are not available on Sonos products. :slight_smile:

    I don’t understand what this has to with Apple deciding what features are / are not available on Sonos products. 

    As things stand you can already stream to Sonos via Airplay 2, Apple will now make Airplay 2 capable of streaming Hi-Res files. So the question is, will Sonos products adapt to be capable of playing Hi-Res streamed through Airplay 2?

    Apple have already confirmed to Bluesound that as long as their receiver has a DAC capable of Hi-Res then they are capable of playing Apple Music at Hi-Res. 

    Example: I can stream via Airplay 2 at 16/44 to my Sonos Amp at the moment, as of next month through Apple Music and Airplay 2 i will be able to stream up to 24/196. As far as i know Sonos products including my Sonos Amp will not be able to play at 24/196. Will Sonos update to be able to play these Hi-Res files that 70 million Apple Music customers will have access to next month? 

    Sure, I understand. What we can’t confirm for sure is whether Apple will unlock this higher resolution for Airplay streaming to Sonos products. The announcement was made only 2 days ago, so we need to get that confirmation from Apple before being able to give a definitive answer on this.

    On the Amp’s capabilities - Amp can currently support up to 24 bit/44.1/48KHz from selected sources such as music library and Qobuz, so if this higher rate is unlocked for Airplay 2 it’s likely that it would be downscaled from 24/196 to a supported bit depth and sample rate.

    Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
    scobihughesAuthor
    Trending Lyricist I
    May 19, 2021

    Hi @scobihughes,

     

    I’ve answered this in the main thread for this topic here: 

    In short, we’re unable to confirm when/if this feature is coming to Sonos. It’s up to the music service provider (Apple in this case) to work with us and decide which features are/are not available on Sonos products. :slight_smile:

    I don’t understand what this has to with Apple deciding what features are / are not available on Sonos products. 

    As things stand you can already stream to Sonos via Airplay 2, Apple will now make Airplay 2 capable of streaming Hi-Res files. So the question is, will Sonos products adapt to be capable of playing Hi-Res streamed through Airplay 2?

    Apple have already confirmed to Bluesound that as long as their receiver has a DAC capable of Hi-Res then they are capable of playing Apple Music at Hi-Res. 

    Example: I can stream via Airplay 2 at 16/44 to my Sonos Amp at the moment, as of next month through Apple Music and Airplay 2 i will be able to stream up to 24/196. As far as i know Sonos products including my Sonos Amp will not be able to play at 24/196. Will Sonos update to be able to play these Hi-Res files that 70 million Apple Music customers will have access to next month? 

    Sure, I understand. What we can’t confirm for sure is whether Apple will unlock this higher resolution for Airplay streaming to Sonos products. The announcement was made only 2 days ago, so we need to get that confirmation from Apple before being able to give a definitive answer on this.

    On the Amp’s capabilities - Amp can currently support up to 24 bit/44.1/48KHz from selected sources such as music library and Qobuz, so if this higher rate is unlocked for Airplay 2 it’s likely that it would be downscaled from 24/196 to a supported bit depth and sample rate.

    Thanks, that’s all i wanted to know, 70 million Apple Music customers will not be able to stream anything above 24/48 to Sonos. 

     

      Kumar
      May 19, 2021

      Thanks, that’s all i wanted to know, 70 million Apple Music customers will not be able to stream anything above 24/48 to Sonos. 

       

      Since you said this a second time: how many of the 70 million use Sonos? 

      scobihughesAuthor
      Trending Lyricist I
      May 19, 2021

      Thanks, that’s all i wanted to know, 70 million Apple Music customers will not be able to stream anything above 24/48 to Sonos. 

       

      Since you said this a second time: how many of the 70 million use Sonos? 

      I’m afraid i wouldn’t know that as fine you know.

      Out of Sonos 6 million customers though i’d be willing to bet quite a few.

      Everyone i know who has Sonos uses Apple Music and until Apples announcement had no interest in Hi-Res music but that’s now changed. 

      With Apple and Spotify now entering into higher resolution streaming a lot more people (not audiophiles) are taking an interest. 

      I was curious to find out so i could tell my friends who have been asking that Sonos will cap off at 24/48. 

       

        Kumar
        May 19, 2021

        I’m afraid i wouldn’t know that as fine you know.

         

         

        To summarise my response in another thread: I don't know either, but be sure that Sonos knows this very well via the data collection devices embedded in the Sonos app. They will do a prioritisation of their actions based on that very granular knowledge that they have.

        scobihughesAuthor
        Trending Lyricist I
        May 19, 2021

        I’m afraid i wouldn’t know that as fine you know.

         

         

        To summarise my response in another thread: I don't know either, but be sure that Sonos knows this very well via the data collection devices embedded in the Sonos app. They will do a prioritisation of their actions based on that very granular knowledge that they have.

        Fantastic news, and what could the possible outcomes of that be do you think?

        Kumar
        May 19, 2021

        Fantastic news, and what could the possible outcomes of that be do you think?

        Your guess is as good as mine would be. And I doubt Sonos will let either of us know until they are good and ready. But I am pretty sure they won’t act just on what our friends feel.

        scobihughesAuthor
        Trending Lyricist I
        May 19, 2021

        Fantastic news, and what could the possible outcomes of that be do you think?

        Your guess is as good as mine would be. And I doubt Sonos will let either of us know until they are good and ready. But I am pretty sure they won’t act just on what our friends feel.

        You mean what everyone’s friends feel, lets face it 70 million people are about to become aware of Hi-Res music not just Audiophiles.

        The market for Hi-Res is about to get bigger. We have already seen Sonos react to this by making Hi-Res available for Qobuz users via the S2 app.  Just a shame that it’s restricted to 24/48.  

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