Amazon Music HD/UHD Confusion

But let’s go ahead and grant temporary shyster status for those who represented for months certain components of their equipment were capable of UHD when they never were, and couldn’t have been properly tested to make such a representation in the first place, only to later quietly change their website to reflect that incompatibility with no further explanation. 😂

That has been my issue all along.  Being told certain equipment was compatible when it was not.  So now I know.  And I won’t let it take away from what I actually hear through my Sonos speakers, which sounds great to my ears.

The last part quoted is the right way to look at things. I have not used the 3 units, but going by how my play 1 units still perform, I am sure that the 3 units are still very decent speakers capable of giving a high quality sound when stereo paired and well placed. So, hopefully in the case of the OP, “ditched” does not rule out redeployed to another space/room to expand music delivery to more parts of the home.

I don’t know the facts about the compatibility you refer to, but if it is to Sonos marketing claims, they don’t set any standards higher than what the rest of the industry does, so they may have been just as culpable there as they continue to be in calling their radio service HD.

@Kumar: Just to clarify, the compatibility issue I raised is that Sonos for months represented that the Gen 1 sub and Gen 2 sub were compatible with UHD when they were not. When I initially called Sonos support months ago because my Gen 2 sub that was bonded with my Gen 2 Play:5s were not getting UHD (even they were identified as compatible), I was told it was simply a badge display issue and they were working on a fix.

Others on this forum were told it was more than a dsiplay issue, and that it was a compatibility issue related to differing DRM capabilities across different components, but they were also told a fix was in the works: 

https://en.community.sonos.com/music-services-and-sources-228994/amazon-ultra-hd-not-showing-badge-on-play-5-gen-2-6863358

Much later, @Corry P confirmed the Gen 1 and Gen 2 subs are not compatible with UHD and there is no fix expected:

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/amazon-ultra-hd-playback-display-issues-6868114

Only recently did Sonos update their website to reflect the UHD incompatibility of the Gen 1 and Gen 2 subs, noted here:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3248?language=en_US

(Note: If a Gen 1 or Gen 2 sub is bonded with an Arc/Beam, the Arc/Beam will handle the DRM and UHD will be possible, but that will not be the case if a Gen 1 or Gen 2 sub is bonded with a single speaker or a pair in a non-HT set up.)

This does sound like misrepresentation by Sonos and should entitle you to a return/refund beyond the normal 100 days period for this.

But here is the thing - of all the good things that the Sub does, being able to play silly numbers that make up Hi Res Audio would still be a useless feature even if it could. So why return it and cut your nose to spite your face would be the thing to think about.

Note that all I write refers to just music - TV audio with Atmos etc are a different beast that is of no interest to me and I see no need of Sonos products in my home for that use case. So I can’t comment on that side of things.

That adds to my confusion. Your link explains the difference, but not the Amazon limitation. It is also isn’t mentioned in the support page (https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3248?language=en_US). Mine is h/w version 1.17.5.5-2.0 so the older Gen 2, C100. It was selected specifically because the support page confirms it isn’t incompatible. Sonos support also stated it was compatible when I chatted with them. I can easily swap this Connect for a newer one though. They are roughly the same price. But even if what you say is true…it also doesn’t explain why I’m not getting UHD on the Ones. I have another internet link and wi-fi network here so I’ll be testing on that next.

As it goes, Sonos support have just now said it doesn’t do UHD. Contradicting themselves from a few days ago and making their support page misleading. However, at least I know why the Connect won’t do UHD...

Stepping back for one moment, how were you intending to connect the Connect to your HiFi? Analog or digital? And were you going to use a Fixed or Variable output level?

The reason I raise this is that the lowest bits of the desired 24-bit depth could have disappeared anyway, either below the DAC’s noise floor or by truncation on the S/PDIF.

It is already connected, via analogue to aux in on my amp. Set up for variable output level currently. You are clearly more knowledgeable than I about the sonic details here. But when all said and done, I’m just a consumer looking for the UHD badge reassurance from the service I’m paying for. I fully agree my hearing isn’t up to the job but I wanted the UHD badge anyway! However, I’m glad I started this thread because it’s now answered my question and can also be found by others. You have all been very helpful. 

The Amazon Music Unlimited service costs the same, whether you listen to UHD, HD, or SD. So with or without the UHD badge you wouldn’t be losing out.

And, given the practical resolution of the Connect’s DAC, the signal-to-noise ratio of the analog stages from there onwards through your amplifier, and the ambient noise levels in the average domestic listening environment, you’d not miss those extra 8 bits anyway. So, my recommendation would be to simply enjoy the music and sleep easy.