Can digital audio playback be improved by resolutions greater than 16/44.1?

I still think it is a gimmick. But I haven't used it, and ten years ago, I may have said the same thing about Sonos. In fact, I stayed away from wireless/internet audio for few years because I thought the loss of sound quality would be unacceptable to my discerning tastes in music!

So I will reserve a final judgement on voice until it matures fully and I have had a chance to test it. I believe that your question of talking over the music - as one example - has been addressed to quite a degree via the mic tech in use, and it will only get better in the right direction in future.

I will keep an open mind too, but I am seriously concerned I will no longer be able to play "what song is this" :)

By the way, I am currently listening to my only Hi-res DD5.1 recording on my Sonos 5.1 system. It's "Selling England By The Pound" by Genesis. It sounds great to be surrounded by sound (and the vocals stay up front while other instruments come from the rear, so genuine 5.1). The quality is excellent. I wouldn't know if the hi-res makes a difference or not, it doesn't matter. But what makes an enormous difference is Trueplay tuning the system. It really brings the sound to life!

Trueplay and even better versions of it are the future of sound quality improvements. But are you sure that it is Trueplay that is pulling of this trick - easy to determine by toggling it on/off. I suspect that the made for 5.1 master may be the one to assign most of the credit to.

And don't equate hi res with genuine mixed for surround sound audio. That isn't apples and oranges; surround sound mixes have a lot more audible content in the first place compared to 2 channel hi res. Somehow it never took off; perhaps because it can't be heard on the move?

I toggled it on and off. The sound went from vague to focused. It was a dramatic difference. I guess the mastering also makes a difference. The disc has stereo and 5.1 versions. I haven't compared them - I was just enjoying being surrounded by good sound. Interestingly, the disc doesn't have DD5.1, but has DTS 5.1. I'm having to play it on a Playstation to get it to work.

Based on what you found till now then, it would appear that Sonos is focusing on just the right places for improving your listening experiences!

By the way, I am currently listening to my only Hi-res DD5.1 recording on my Sonos 5.1 system. It's "Selling England By The Pound" by Genesis. It sounds great to be surrounded by sound (and the vocals stay up front while other instruments come from the rear, so genuine 5.1). The quality is excellent. I wouldn't know if the hi-res makes a difference or not, it doesn't matter.
I had to smile. "Hi-res DD5.1" is pretty much an oxymoron. The maximum bitrate for DD/AC-3 is 640kbps. And that's for six channels (albeit the LFE is band-limited).

Does this all not help to illustrate the point that the 'quality' is in the mix and the mastering? And, let's not forget, the composition and the artists' rendering? Oh, and a bit of adult beverage to enhance the memory of the original live performances, though as I recall the scent in the air then was of something rather different....

Given the era that record was recorded, I would be surprised if the original masters had the range to even fully utilize CD audio.

By the way, that was always one of my favourite albums when I was growing up, and Firth of Fifth is probably one of my favourite tracks ever.

Off topic, if you want a treat, check this guy out: https://youtu.be/-V7Dqf-FQL4

Cheers,

Keith

The Bard's words about a hoist and a petard suddenly come to mind. ;)

And yes, that is a great album.

The Bard's words about a hoist and a petard suddenly come to mind. ;)

Lol. But it was a good discussion.

Of course, till the next country is heard from, when this will start all over again. That is the nature of the internet forum beast; even where the search function works well, few will read what is there in the knowledge base.

Does the legendary wapping high thread need to be a sticky?! So we can just point the next person that chugs along with the same claims to the beginning of that discussion?!