After launch a high-resolution paid radio layer late last year, Sonos is strengthen his HiFi streaming capabilities by partnering with Qobuz, making it the first streaming service to deliver 24-bit / 48 kHz audio on the Sonos platform. Starting today, Sonos users can stream hi-fi audio through Qobuz, provided they have a subscription.
If you’ve never heard of Qobuz, that makes perfect sense. As for CD-quality (or better) lossless music streaming services, Tidal is probably the one you’ve really heard of. However, Qobuz has also been around for a hot minute. It first offered 16-bit FLAC streaming on Sonos in 2013 and launched as a service in the US in 2019. A monthly subscription costs $ 15. As for which Sonos speakers are compatible, any speaker compatible with the S2 app should work, including the upcoming Sonos Roam
In the field of music streaming, this is a pretty smart move. Sonos is a popular brand when it comes to WiFi speakers, but it needs to diversify beyond hardware to stay relevant as much as possible smart speakers don’t sound as crappy as they used to be. Meanwhile, Qobuz is more expensive than other streaming services and lacks the regular recognition of other major music services. The partnership feels a lot like a “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” kind of arrangement.
The timing also makes sense, given that Spotify recently announced plans to launch its own hi-fi streaming layer later this year. Spotify is clearly the big music streaming Kahuna, and launching a hi-fi service is likely to have similar music streaming services on the edge. At the moment, Spotify reaches a maximum of 160 kbps for free users and 320 kbps for Premium users. In comparison, standard CD-quality audio files are 1,411 kbps and the 24-bit / 48 kHz audio offered by Qobuz and Sonos is the equivalent of 2304 kbps. While it’s unclear what resolution Spotify HiFi will ultimately support, the company cryptically hinted that it partnered with “ the world’s largest speaker manufacturers ” to ensure its service can reach as many users as possible. We don’t know if Sonos is one of those speaker manufacturers, but even if it is, Sonos only benefits by opening up the hardware to as many third-party music services as possible.
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What remains to be seen is how many people actually bite. Audiophiles have been clamoring for hi-fi streaming for years, but the average user with a typical pair of earbuds probably won’t have too much trouble. Sonos users may be more prone to High-Resolution Audio, but then again, the desire for High-Fidelity audio can also come from a particularly vocal minority. In any case, it seems that 2021 could be a meaningful time for streaming hi-fi music.