Is This the Era of Lossless Audio?

For the past few years, lossless audio has been slowly creeping into the minds of music fans across the country. First there were the lossless files like FLAC and DSD, but they were too big to store on easily-accessible hard drives. When high capacity hard drives began to shrink in size, streaming services began to dominate the market. For a long time, it looked like “better than CD-quality” sound was just a pipe dream. Today, two major streaming services, Tidal and Spotify, are competing to be the top lossless streaming service. Find out what that means for your Atlanta whole home audio system after the jump.

See Also: Is iTunes Gearing up to Replace the Movie Theater?

Spotify Hi-Fi         

First off, the big news from earlier this month: in order to compete with the announcement late last year that Tidal would be streaming lossless audio as part of its highest tier subscription, Sonos has unveiled their very own hi-fi streaming service, appropriately called Sonos Hi-Fi. According to The Verge, a number of Spotify subscribers were offered a chance to test the service in late February, including a new pricing tier for the upgraded subscription.

So it looks like Spotify is serious about the move to lossless streaming. That makes it the second service to offer high fidelity streaming after Tidal. Will this spark a new generation of streaming wars? And where does Apple Music fit into all of this? Only time will tell. Until then, it’s best to get your whole home audio system ready.

What You’ll Need to Enjoy Lossless Audio

Enjoying lossless audio is easy, all you need are a couple of working ears. But if you want to stream it to every corner of your home, you’ll need a system that can do more than just handle the tunes; you’ll need one that can really kick out the jams.

For inside, you’ll need expertly calibrated speakers in each room. Your integrator can determine exactly where to place each to optimize the sound quality. Essentially, you should hear the same sound levels no matter where you stand in the space. This is important for both in-wall and free standing speaker units.

Outside you’ll get the most out of a system that is designed to fire inward, creating a soundstage that encompasses your yard. Remember, your outdoor spaces don’t offer much in the way of sound reflection (an important aspect of indoor speaker calibration), so make sure you consult with your integrator to find the best speaker placements.

And don’t forget the amp! Many modern sound systems skip adding an amplifier because some see it as an extraneous piece. However, including one in your set up can greatly increase the power behind the music, which is something you’ll want when you stream lossless audio!

Are you interested in rocking out to lossless music via your whole home audio system? Contact Atlanta Audio and Automation today by filling out this form or by giving us a call at 770-977-9110.