Spotify Lossless coming to Sonos next month!

Workaround works for me as well (for now with airplay and streamed to my Sonos amp). Now I need time to hear the difference… probably beyond my abilities😅

Are you certain it’s playing in lossless? When streaming from an iPhone to Sonos over AirPlay 2, the audio is typically converted to AAC at 256 kbps, so the original lossless quality may not be preserved.
 

You are probably right. Come on, Sonos😅 

Not sure if this is a work around until Sonos makes their firmware update but it appears I’m getting lossless Spotify by using Airplay from my iPad to Sonos Amp.

 

 

Your iPad and the Sonos Amp use AirPlay 2 (like all Sonos speakers that have AirPlay support), which transmits using 256kbps AAC.

In this case your iPad is downloading the audio in lossless from Spotify's servers, but is streaming lossy to your Sonos Amp.

It's the same when listening through Bluetooth headphones that use SBC or AAC for transmitting the audio. The Spotify will say the audio is lossless (which is correct), but because the headphone you're using doesn't support it, it's compressed lossy.

The change that Sonos will do for the lossless Spotify will be in the application level or firmware update? Do we have any indication when this will be out?

I think it will be a firmware update on the speaker, because -once started- Spotify Connect works independently from the app on your phone. The only indication they gave is that it will be released somewhere this month, so that could also mean the 31st…

ChatGPT’s ‘offer’ on the subject - don’t know anything about it myself :)

Both need to be updated, but for different reasons:

• The firmware on the physical Sonos devices needs to be updated because the speakers themselves (Amp, Port, Era, etc.) are the ones actually receiving and decoding the Spotify Lossless stream via Spotify Connect. Lossless playback uses new codecs (like ALC or FLAC), which older firmware simply can’t handle. Without this update, the speakers will downsample or reject the stream.

• The Sonos app (and the Spotify app) also needs to be updated because that’s where the lossless option becomes visible and where the new Spotify Connect protocol is handled. The apps act as the “remote control,” negotiating the higher-quality stream between Spotify and your speakers. Older versions won’t expose the new lossless toggle or connection handshake properly.

In short:
– Firmware = enables the ability to play lossless.
– App = enables the control and activation of lossless.

If you update only one side, you’ll usually either see the lossless option but not get actual lossless playback, or the reverse—your speakers are ready, but the app never gives you the option.

Evidently, neither does ChatGPT.

FLAC is not a new codec. The speakers can already handle FLAC playback.

Spotify Connect has no reliance on the Sonos app in order to work.

As to when Sonos will update the Sonos app/firmware to allow Spotify Lossless via Spotify in the Sonos app, that hasn’t been confirmed.

ChatGPT will be getting its head up its arse when it reads its own (not 100% correct) replies on public forums. 😀

The Spotify app already supports the lossless option for other ‘Spotify Connect’ speakers. As far as I understand Spotify Connect reports back to Spotify (mobile) what the speaker can handle, so I don't think a Spotify app update will be needed.