Sonos support for Apple Music's Lossless Audio

Me too! I know I should just be happy that it sounds amazing and no up charge from Apple for this but I just like the chase of getting the best stream possible through Sonos and convincing myself it sounds even better (as I’ve invested a ton inside and outside my home with landscape speakers to Amps and Ports and the like). So I’m fully committed to both Sonos and Apple at this point and love both companies. I just wish they’d merge already!!!

AAC is a well regarded lossy format so differences will be subtle at best. Apple always insisted on higher quality original as it was clear that bandwidth and memery would improve over time. Benefit should be Apple digital masters as recorded to be played on better quality equipment. A lot of popular music sounds awful on revealing Hi-Fi as it was recorded to sound goid on low fidelity equipment. 
 

i understand allowing Airplay to play 16/44 is a simple software tweak. Getting Apple to upgrade Airplay further and Apple Bluetooth which for me is poor quality will take time to match competition. Likewise will take time sind willing for Apple and Sonos to collaborate. But just as it was inevitable that Apple needed to react to Amazon and Spotify I think it is inevitable that Sonos will have to react at some point. 

Thanks.  Did see that but technical team at another manufacturer says Airplay only plsying AAC. Histotrically airplay only had AAC to play so was programmed to play AAC but Airplay is capable of playing 16/44 do hopefully shouldn’t take long to reprogramme the IOS software so that AirPlay plays 16/44. 

If I have a song on my hard drive ripped in 16/44.1 ALAC, and I send that song via Airplay 2 to my Airplay-enabled Denon receiver (or, for that matter, my Airplay-enabled Sonos speaker), are you suggesting that Airplay downsamples that ALAC stream to AAC?  I’ve been under the impression (for years) that Airplay was a method to stream CD-quality music losslessly.  If Airplay downsamples CD-quality files to AAC, then it’s no better than Bluetooth.

Im merely repeating another manufacturer technical team. So i ripped all my CDs onto iTunes a ALAC files and then Sonos cleverly automatically picks them up in my library and there should play at16/44 directly on Sonos. But they would only stream on Sonos via AirPlay from Apple Music on my Apple device as AAC.
 

Apple is silent about AirPlay on this Point but the software engineers at another manufacturer suggest it should be straightforward for Apple to Programme to play 16/44 on their Next  software release. They think the whole announcement was rushed for marketing event so the situation is very Dynamic so Situation changing very quickly. Apple Music only appeared for me at start of week and I see loads more content every day so whatever was doing or doing now don’t suspect will take Long either way. Sonos we know not so rapid. 

I’ve been looking at the other manufacturer’s board, and I think you’re right -- it’s annoying and disappointing that Apple Music doesn’t even stream via Airplay in CD-quality.  (I’m still trying to reconcile the many posts over the last few days that suggest you can use Airplay to get lossless Apple Music on the HomePod.)

Here’s another question:  If I have an Apple TV hooked up to a television with an attached Sonos beam, I should be able to get some lossless format (at least 16/44.1) on the Beam, right?  And if I use Sonos (not Airplay, but Sonos) to create a group with other Sonos devices, does Sonos, at least, send the lossless format to the other Sonos devices?

It is annoying but think 16/44 on AirPlay will not take long. Suspect 24/48 direct on Sonos as technology already there and a higher spec AirPlay 3 will come at some point  Apple and Sonos are about convenience not  spec  

I understand from Apple that Apple TV should play lossless at 16/48  Also understand if you have a 16/44 source direct on Sonos it will play 16/44 on other grouped devices so 16/44 soon, 24/48 at some point in future on Sonos and hi res not on Sonos anytime soon but USB to an external DAC  Not a bad result  As I now have hi res content and a hi res DAC a hi res bit perfect  Sonos port 2 with AirPlay 3 would be a theoretical nice to have that I would fall for  

I stuck with Apple Music because prefer UI over all the other streamers services and it was inevitable they would offer lossless after Amazon and Spotify  likewise I like the Sonos usesbility and it is now highly like that they will upgrade spec at some point  

So with my Apple TV connected via HDMI to a television with an attached Sonos beam, I should (assuming the track is lossless) be getting at least 16/44.1 on the Beam -- and if I use Sonos (not Airplay, but Sonos) to create a group with my other Sonos devices, shouldn't I have full house lossless audio today?

I really am not sure as not familiar with Apple TV  and  beam but as I read it that shouldwork. Apple TV does play lossless according to Apple - just need to switch it on in the Apple App then if you have a direct connection to Sonos Beam it should automatically transmit the signal to the beam at 16/48 and then the beam should be able to group with out Sonos products at 16/48 

I don't get Atmos with the Beam (it's down converted to DD 5.1), but I do have a few rooms that have Beam-based Sonos systems and when I group them all Sonos indicates they are all streaming DD 5.1 - so I seen to be getting not only full house lossless (when the source is lossless) but full house DD 5.1 (when the source is Atmos). I realize that what I've done here is to bypass Airplay (and its limitations) entirely.