Sonos speakers are synonymous with high sound quality, but until now they have not had a built-in streaming service for 24-bit Hi-Res Audio music However, that is changing now that Qobuz has introduced this lossless standard to the Sonos family

It requires a Qobuz Studio subscription and the Sonos S2 app, but all current Sonos speakers should be compatible This includes the upcoming Sonos Roam portable speaker [Tidal and Amazon Music HD also support high-res audio

However, Qobuz is ahead of the competition, enabling that level of quality, especially with Sonos speakers; according to the Sonos support site, Qobuz can deliver FLAC files up to 24-bit/48 kHz, and tracks above 48 kHz can be delivered in 16-bit/44 1 kHz FLAC files, which are still lossless

Audiophiles of speakers like the Sonos One, Sonos Move, and Sonos Arc will be pleased, but the addition of 24-bit streaming may be an important pre-launch upgrade, especially for the Sonos Roam Even the best Bluetooth speakers do not truly focus on high-grade audio delivery, instead balancing sound output with other concerns such as size and water resistance

Roam is no stranger to such compromises, and it probably won't be as loud or rich sounding as its predecessor, Sonos Move However, its unusual support for Hi-Res Audio streaming may be another way in which it stands out

Lossless audio in general seems to be on the rise Last month, Spotify announced the launch of lossless "CD-quality" streaming with its new Spotify HiFi service, making Apple Music one of the few major streaming platforms without a higher quality subscription tier That said, "CD quality" probably refers to 16-bit audio, not the same level that Qobuz brought to Sonos