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hmanaz
Contributor I
February 5, 2021

How to play high resolution multichannel/High res FLAC files on Sonos?

  • February 5, 2021
  • 13 replies
  • 5357 views

**Please no comments about what the human ear can or can not hear --  plenty of existing threads for that debate.**

I went down the rabbit hole of re-ripping my SACD/CD/Vinyl into higher quality files now that S2 supports 24bit - 48Hz.  I’ve found that these files play pretty well direclty in the S2 app even though some exceed the “1536 bit rate” mentioned here.    If there is a way to play even higher resolution files, I’d like to do so?

I also wondered if my 5.2 Home Theater Sonos setup with Arc, 2 Fives, and 2 Subs might play Multi-channel FLAC files.  I’m curious if others have tried this expirement and if so, what have you found? 


My Setup  AppleTV4k → Arcana (highly recommend) → Samsung TV and Sonos Arc
Surround Music Library running on the latest Plex Media Server

Here is what I have found:

  1. AppleTV using free VLC App with Plex Media: Plays up to 7.1 24bit/192Hz Flac files and displays as “Multichannel PCM 7.1” in System → About My System.  However, the UX sucks.  The rear channel is muted because the system thinks I’m playing video + no gapless playback.    
  2. Apple TV using Plex App: Will only play in “PCM Stereo 2.0” Known issue that Plex users have been complaining about and that has been fixed on other platforms: Android etc.
  3. Using Plex Apps on Windows/iOS with “airplay”: I can get the files to play in any room but I can’t tell if I am getting discrete channels or just stereo in virtual surround.  Support could not tell me.  No details in System → About My System.  I read somewhere that Airplay downmixes to 16 bit -- 44 HZ? 
  4. I also tried Infuse Lite and Pro ($$) and MrMC in Apple TV with no luck -- apparently if you rip to MKV it will work given that it views these as video files with Multchannel music.

With all that said does anyone have any tips or other solutions to try?  I prefer not to go down the Roon path but may consider that if it is the only way…

Any insight is appreciated. Some questions:

  • Does Plex Media Server downmmix/transcode streams when playing over Airplay?
  • Is there another player for AppleTV4K that plays Audio Flac Files in surround?
  • Is Roon the way?  Or something else?

Thanks in advance.

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13 replies

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ratty
ratty
February 8, 2021

I see you’ve been active on here since 2008 so you can’t be a spring chicken.   

Not exactly, no. I started with a BU150 bundle (ZP100, ZP80, CR100).

 

Yes Nyquist-Shannon - tried to avoid this rabbit hole… Yet I wonder why Dolby Atmos encodes using up to 192Hz sampling? What you are saying is that anything above 48Hz is discarded by Sonos speakers or irrelevant bc our ears can’t hear it or both or it doesn’t matter? 

I rather not discuss/argue about Nyquist-Shannon, but I am curious about how Sonos Arc/Play 5s, etc handle Dolby Atmos streams sampled at 192Hz…  

There’s capability and there’s actual usage. DD+ can handle 192kHz, which I’d guess is related to Arcana’s display: "bitstream 192kHz”. That said, it would make no sense for a movie, say, to encode ultrasonic frequencies that only animals can hear.

 

The reason I re-ripped all my stereo tracks to 24/48 was mainly Nyquist/Shannon plus the versatility of using Sonos as is.  They all sound great, some even sound better than some of the Atmos tracks available on Tidal, a few sound pretty awesome but the AppleTV app is buggy when playing these.

I dare say that lossless PCM rips to 24/48 (or the FLAC/ALAC compressed equivalents) would sound better than the Tidal Atmos content. The latter could well be lossy and quite heavily processed.

Also, the so-called ‘Masters’ from Tidal are generally regarded as having an effective bit depth of 13 bits when played on regular equipment.

 

The reason to play multi-channel FLAC files encoded in 48Hz or higher is that they sound even better to me.  Maybe the multiple discrete channels, maybe I’m fooling myself.  

Multi-channel would be a different experience certainly. There are many who prefer a conventional stereo soundstage, set out across the traditional 60 degrees in front of the sweet-spot. Each to their own. 

Doddsy1971
Contributor I
February 20, 2021

For streaming ive been experimenting with Tidal as they now hold a fair library of Atmos Content, you do need a Hifi account though.

Casting Tidal from Mac/Apple phone does play the Atmos content, but on the Sonos App @Dolby Atmos@  does not show up.

However, running Tidal on AppleTV and on my Sony Atmos android TV does work, as soon as you install the app tidal recognises the Atmos ARC device via the HDMI 2.1 signal. you are of course playing tidal though your TV which isn't ideal, but you do get some fantastic quality and subversive audio.. especially Kraftwerk…

On the SONOS app i go to my Zone and the @Dolby Atmos@ icon appears…

Cant find any info though on what Hz rates HDMI2.1 with E-arc can pass audio though...I believe its 192Hz

You can get a trial on Tidal which defaults to Premium but you can can switch to Hi-fi..

 

 

hmanazAuthor
Contributor I
February 21, 2021

Dodd - that’s my point. If you/we can play Dolby Atmos from Tidal (or Dolby Atmos from Prime) we should be able to play awesome multichannel high definition audio.   

 

Short answer:  You can

Long answer: it involves going down the road beyond Sonos towards High Def players/streamers.\

Sad that Sonos won’t lead us down this path it would be MUCH easier.

 

 

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