How To Play Flac On Sonos

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Retired Community Manager
12372 replies
Answer

Hi SMB, S1 is unable to play 24-bit audio in any format.

As far as what's new for high resolution audio with S2, there are a lot of core foundation changes that were made, but for specific new features the following is what's new in the high resolution world to Sonos:

High Resolution Audio

With S2, Sonos speakers now have support for high resolution audio, 24-bit, 44.1/48kHz for FLAC/ALAC only. This support is for local music libraries shared from computers and network attached drives. We've updated the article on Sonos supported music formats here .

The Sonos Arc is a Dolby Atmos soundbar, and S2 brings support for that audio to Sonos for home theater and music. Dolby Atmos can be read from Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby MAT, and Dolby TrueHD.

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22584 replies

S1 played it by truncating back to 16 bits. S2 actually plays it (not that it makes a fiddler's fig of a difference).

Listener
3 replies

Are there any ways to downsample 24/192 to 24/48

Does it lose quality?

Is it easyvyhing to do?

Cheers

22584 replies

Are there any ways to downsample 24/192 to 24/48

Does it lose quality?

Is it easyvyhing to do?

Cheers

Most audio software will do it. I use foobar2000 - https://www.foobar2000.org/.

As to losing quality, audiophiles will say yes, scientists will say no.

It is a proven fact that the only thing raising the sample rate does is allow you to sample higher sound frequencies. The "makes smaller slices so the steps are less jaggy" stuff is nonsense. Per Nyquist-Shannon, a sampling rate of X gives perfect reproduction of all frequencies up to X/2 . Now, given that 44.1 kHz (CD sample rate) gives you perfect reproduction of frequencies up to 22.05 kHz, and no human being can hear above 20 kHz, one must ask to what benefit is sampling at 192 when all it gives you over CD is the inaudible sounds from 22.05 to 96 kHz?

Author
Listener
3 replies

So just foobar nothing else thst goes with it?

22584 replies

So just foobar nothing else thst goes with it?

Yes. Just use the converter component.

Author
Listener
3 replies

Ok thank you only reason I ask is i just looked at something and it said somrthjng about a plug in? Socks or something?

Lyricist I
1 reply

Sorry to revive a fairly old thread, but on a related note, will the Arc play Multichannel FLAC?

28568 replies

Sorry to revive a fairly old thread, but on a related note, will the Arc play Multichannel FLAC?

Not with any file Sonos can play directly. You might be able to find a smart TV music app that's able to deliver multichannel to the Arc.

Lyricist I
1 reply

this is sad, im using the S2 app but i still cant play high res flac