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Chasz99
Contributor I
April 16, 2020
Answered

Tidal now displays “MASTER” - does SONOS now support MQA?

I just noticed that Tidal displays “MASTER” now on MQA tracks where before it would kick down to “HIFI” - has SONAS started supporting MQA?  
 

my understanding before was that even if you were playing the master quality music, it would downgrade to hifi and this was reflected in the display.  What changed?  Audio Quality or just the display?

i have two gen 2 Play 5s with the sub in my office.  I enjoy the sound 😁

 

Thank you for any input!!!

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ratty
rattyAnswer
April 16, 2020

Sonos doesn't support MQA decode. It would make no sense to unfold lossy ultrasonics which could, if anything, damage the sound. Evidence does however suggest that Sonos is able to play the files by interpreting the top 16 bits, out of which some 13 bits evidently contain useful PCM music data. 

Where do you see the word "MASTER"? A screenshot would be useful. 

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jgatie
jgatie
June 10, 2020

Sales slogan, snake oil.  Tomayto, tomahto.

jorgen2a
Lyricist III
June 11, 2020

I concur with the observation about MQA CD.

Nevertheless with the full 24-bit version various commentators, some referencing the patents and, if I recall, some based on actual tests, have noted that the ‘baseband’ content does suffer some loss of resolution from the original 16-bits.

That’s possible.

 

However, I will say that I own a BUNCH of SONOS speakers, ports, and amps. One of the amps is connected to fairly nice Klipsch speakers + sub. I don’t think the resolution of SONOS systems is good enough to be able to distinguish any resolution higher than CD or thereabouts.

 

I really like the Sonos “ecosystem” and therefore I have hoked-up my connect to an external DAC. It’s a bit unfortunate that Sonos don’t put more effort in to the high-end market.

Bruno92
Trending Lyricist I
January 13, 2021

Finally I found the solution for Hi-res and MQA streaming compatibility. 

https://www.bluesound.com

    Bruno92
    Trending Lyricist I
    February 22, 2021

    No it does not. You need a Hi-fi system for that. 

    Bruno92
    Trending Lyricist I
    February 22, 2021

    Sonos can only handle up to 16/44.1 or cd quality, so Tidal masters/MQA files will be converted down.

    That said, I don’t really consider Sonos to be audiophile quality. They’re nice and all but there are far better options (although maybe not for wireless speakers) if you really care about high quality audio.

    ZinMe
    Trending Lyricist I
    February 23, 2021

    I’m pretty confused at what a Sonos Port running Qobuz or Tidal can support.   

     

    If i read the statements in the posts above, it sounds like Sonos S2 playing off a locally stored FLAC file can play 24bit/48kHz, but playing from a streaming service like Qobuz or Tidal, it is limited to 16bit/44kHz???    And no MQA period.   

     

    Is the answer different if the DAC in the Sonos Port is bypassed and goes straight over digital coax to a better DAC?

     

    Now that Spotify is announcing “HiFi” we’ll have to wait and see what format that will support, and whether Sonos will include it in a software update….   

     

    In the meantime, it appears that Bluesound 2i supports all of it, without limitation, including up to 24bit / 196 and MQA.   

    Bruno92
    Trending Lyricist I
    February 23, 2021

    I’m pretty confused at what a Sonos Port running Qobuz or Tidal can support.   

     

    If i read the statements in the posts above, it sounds like Sonos S2 playing off a locally stored FLAC file can play 24bit/48kHz, but playing from a streaming service like Qobuz or Tidal, it is limited to 16bit/44kHz???    And no MQA period.   

     

    Is the answer different if the DAC in the Sonos Port is bypassed and goes straight over digital coax to a better DAC?

     

    Now that Spotify is announcing “HiFi” we’ll have to wait and see what format that will support, and whether Sonos will include it in a software update….   

     

    In the meantime, it appears that Bluesound 2i supports all of it, without limitation, including up to 24bit / 196 and MQA.   

     

    Indeed, if you want no limitations Bluesound is a way to go. You won't have to worries about the future as they are real hi-fi speakers. The ones you buy today will still work tomorrow vs Sonos...

      Bruno92
      Trending Lyricist I
      February 23, 2021

      It’s conceivable that Sonos is taking delivery of a 24/48 stream from Tidal. After all, Sonos will play 24/48 files from a local library. However as of now the 24-bit file is apparently truncated to 16-bit. Maybe with the coming S2 developments Sonos will choose to handle the full 24-bit PCM depth.  

      Nevertheless Sonos doesn’t support the MQA encoding and, given historical comments that “the math isn’t there” for higher sample rates, it seems unlikely that they would license a proprietary MQA decoder to unpack ultrasonics from the lowest bits, particularly when it’s generally accepted that these could actually degrade the sound.

      FYI https://www.stereophile.com/content/mqa-tested-part-2-fold

      jorgen2a
      Lyricist III
      February 23, 2021

       

      If i read the statements in the posts above, it sounds like Sonos S2 playing off a locally stored FLAC file can play 24bit/48kHz, but playing from a streaming service like Qobuz or Tidal, it is limited to 16bit/44kHz???    And no MQA period.   

       

       

      I tried to play a flac file in 44/24 on a connect with S2 to an external DAC, but only got 44/16.  However, it has been a while since I tested this.

      jgatie
      jgatie
      February 23, 2021

       

      Referencing Stereophile in regards to the veracity of High Res audio is like referencing PT Barnum on the veracity of the Cardiff GIant.  They are both in on the hoax.

       

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