Sonos support for Hi Res Audio - Revisited 3 Years Later

  • 23 April 2020
  • 7 replies
  • 835 views
K

Three years ago I initiated a thread called, “Sonos support for Hi Res Audio” and was entertained then by some of the rationalizations and, arguably, programmed responses as to why Sonos did not support Hi Res Audio.   

 

Today, I read from Sonos that in June of 2020, “Sonos S2 will enable higher resolution audio technologies for music and home theater.”

 

WHAT? Did Sonos cave to the marketing pressures?

 

Or is it more likely that they were controlling the narrative 3 years ago to buy time until their HW and SW Platforms were ready to roll out Hi Res Audio?  I suspect this is the real story AND applaud Sonos for managing their customers until they were ready for a major platform release as these things take quite awhile (about 3-4 years) to develop, integrate and test.  

 

As I wrote then, to the astonishment and backlash from some in that forum, there were people (one called me a Unicorn) who could discern the difference in digitized formats.  

 

Perhaps, three years ago there were more Unicorns in the world than some people realized or were willing to admit.  Or, perhaps, some people were just parroting the narrative.

 

Regardless, I am very happy that Sonos has joined the Hi Res Audio party...

 

 

 

 

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7 replies

jgatie

Sigh.  

Prove your unicorniness by a level matched double blind ABX test, and I will gold plate your horn for you.  Until then, you’re a plain old horse, just like the rest of us.  

 

And yes, it was marketing pressure.  

K

I’d be happy to submit to the test, but, unfortunately, given constraints with current world affairs, this is a future endeavor.

 

Come June, this prancing horse will have to be satisfied with the availability of higher music quality throughout my house...

 

jgatie

Download foobar2000, take your High Res files, do a straight downres to 16/48, hook up any headphones/DAC you choose, then load the files into the ABX function which performs the test for you. 

Be sure to post screenshots of your files, downres settings, and results.  If you did a clean downres and can identify the High Res files in a statistically significant manner, you will indeed be a unicorn.  Because you will be the first ever.

So c'mon little horsie, let's see that horn!

jgatie

5 hours later . . .

*crickets*

ratty

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=6928

when someone posts on a FB group or in a YouTube video that it’s easy to tell a hi-res audio tracks or album from a standard-res version, ask the person if they participated in the HD-Audio Challenge II. If they haven’t, you might gently suggest that they download the files and see if they can tell them apart.

S

That’s great news.  Good luck with the whole Unicorn thing.  Harder to find a mask that fits.

airforceteacher
Userlevel 6
Badge +15

Recognizing the proliferation of “Hi res” downloads, or that fact that many remasters (which can genuinely improve quality) and then wanting to support owners of those files so they don’t have to go through conversion, is not the same as admitting that Hi res matters.

I’d love to believe in Hi res - but the science and the testing doesn’t bear out.  I’m still happy for the new support though, because the remastering that comes with the hi res is often definitely worth it.

 

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