How do I know which tidal is reproduced in Hifi quality?

What if it’s MQA or hi res or Atmos?

In the Sonos S2 app, it may not explicitly display the quality of the music being played from Tidal. However, there are a few ways you can ensure that you are playing Tidal music in HiFi quality:

1. Tidal HiFi subscription: Make sure you have an active Tidal HiFi subscription. This subscription tier specifically offers high-quality audio, including CD-quality lossless streaming.

2. Audio settings in Tidal app: When using the Tidal app on your Sonos system, ensure that the audio settings within the Tidal app are set to HiFi. Open the Tidal app, go to Settings or My Collection, and look for an option related to audio quality or streaming quality. Select the highest quality available, which is typically labeled as HiFi or lossless.

3. Sonos settings: Check the settings within the Sonos S2 app to ensure that it is set to stream Tidal in its highest quality. Open the Sonos S2 app, go to Settings, and navigate to the Tidal section. Look for any options related to audio quality or streaming quality, and select the highest available setting.

By following these steps, you can maximize the chances of streaming Tidal music in HiFi quality through your Sonos system. Additionally, it's worth noting that Tidal also provides a Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) option for some tracks, which offers even higher-resolution audio. However, not all tracks on Tidal are available in MQA format.

If you want to confirm the quality of the audio being played, you can refer to the song or album information displayed on your Sonos app while playing Tidal music. Look for any indicators, labels, or icons that may suggest high-quality audio, such as "HiFi" or "lossless." Keep in mind that the specific display of quality information may vary depending on the app version or updates.

Regards;

David Johnson.

Wrong.  But thank you for your reply.  😃  (And yes, yes, I know all about audio.  Just so you know my background, I’ve been a headphone audiophile/enthusiast since 1996, have a $165K headphone system with $30K in dynamic and planar magnetic headphones, built and designed my own $80K balanced headphone amp from scratch, build and solder with dual Weller WX2 solder stations and 4 irons along with $15K in other soldering gear my own cables and power cords with my two kinds of custom manufactured American wire which I designed and was insanely pricey and not that fake Chinese junk that most cable companies try to extort money from you for, I solder my own PCBs, design chassis for myself and other companies, etc.)  I only wish I had that kind of money nowadays for my hobby or I wouldn’t be going with a Sonos rig.

So now that you know all that, I obviously have the Tidal Hi-Fi subscription (along with Apple Music and Amazon Music).  In Tidal, you DO NOT SET IT TO HIFI.  You set it to MASTER.  So again I ask, how do I know in S2 which file type it is?  Is it regular 16/44.1, MQA, 360° Spatial Audio (Sony format), or Dolby Atmos?

And if it won’t show me those things, how about Apple Music which is what I use the most, because it tells me if it’s 16/44.1, 24/44.1, 24/48, 24/96, 24/192, or Dolby Atmos?  And does it display song lyrics in the S2 app?

I have a feeling I’m going to be using AirPlay 2 most of the time with my Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set (plus an extra Sub; just waiting for June 8 for the Era 300 mounting brackets to set it all up) unless I’m watching a movie, in which case I can stream it via AirPlay 2 or Chromecast directly to my first new TV in 16 years, a Sony Bravia 65” XR-65A95K 4K QD-OLED (soon to be replaced when released with the A95L and if I want I can pay the difference to upgrade to the 77” which I’m contemplating because I got used to the 65” real quick coming from a 46” and I also hate letterbox – replaced by Sony, due to receiving two brand new TVs from Abt Electronics with defective coatings and my current one has a crooked stand so I had to remove the Torx screw and one of the permanent black screws to fix, as the internal drill holes are too low on the left side; these were obviously manufacturers defects but Sony claims I used chemicals on them, those idiots, so I’m glad I had purchased their ridiculously expensive Protect Plus plan after the first bad one arrived, or they wouldn’t be doing this.  Since everyone you speak to is foreign and won’t do a damn thing I wanted a VP at their San Diego location so I contacted every Sony VP on LinkedIn and Twitter and fortunately one of them referred me to a secretary to the President in Canada who is helping to manage the situation; I might even be able to keep my current one which is perfect if wall mounted and no light reflects off a wall behind you 6 months out of the year). 

If you want to see the bitrate of a Sonos stream, try my Windows app (see profile), it shows it on S2 systems.

As a graphic artist of 28 years, I hate Windows and would never run Sonos from a computer as I want portability.  That’s why I have a 1TB iPhone 14 Pro Max (and upgrade yearly).  Do you have an app for iOS and if so, what’s it called?

Found it.  Does it display bitrate (or type) for each song?

My iOS app does not, but I should fix that. Thanks for the reminder.

My pleasure.  And once you do, I’ll buy it (once I install my system in a month or two which is currently still boxed up in the basement).  Also, add lyrics like Apple Music does, but make them work horizontally, too, when you rotate your iPhone so it looks like the iPad and AppleTV version.  The reason they won’t do it on the iPhone (I’ve been asking for 7 years) is because they want to force you to buy and use AirPods and not the internal speakers (which sometimes I prefer using).

The official Sonos app already has lyrics support, but Apple don’t send any (in fact I don’t know anyone that does). https://developer.sonos.com/build/content-service-add-features/add-lyrics/