HiRes Archives

Sony NW-ZX500 and NW-A100 series HiRes Walkmans

Sony unveils streaming and MQA compatible Walkmans

20/09/2019

Sony unveils streaming and MQA compatible Walkmans at the IFA 2019 consumer electronics show to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the very first Sony Walkman. The latest Walkmans feature support for a range of HiRes formats including DSD and MQA encoded files, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and the ability to store music on both internal and SD card storage. The NW-A100 series and its upmarket sibling the NW-ZX500 are available in 40th anniversary editions which […]

Amazon Music adds CD Quality and HiRes streams

18/09/2019

Amazon Music adds CD Quality and HiRes streams as part of Amazon’s new premium service, Amazon Music HD. Available in the US, UK, Germany and Japan subscribers will be able to access 50 million songs in High Definition (CD Quality) and ‘millions of songs’ in Ultra High Definition (HiRes). Subscriptions start at $12.99/month for new subscribers and current subscribers to Amazon Music pay $5/month plus their regular plan fee in the US. In the UK […]

Xiami brings MQA HiRes streaming to China

19/07/2019

Xiami brings MQA HiRes streaming to China making it the first music streaming service in China to adopt MQA studio quality audio. Xiami Music, a wholly-owned entity of the Alibaba Group, will become the audio quality leader in China, sending a clear signal to artists and creators that Xiami’s service is the best way to connect with their fans. MQA technology which delivers master-quality music in a file small enough to stream, will be introduced […]

Qobuz integrates with Yamaha MusicCast

14/06/2019

Qobuz integrates with Yamaha MusicCast app on a range of Yamaha home audio products, including a sound bar, wireless speakers and AV receivers enabling streaming up to 24bit/192kHz. Access to Qobuz is available through the Yamaha MusicCast app, which allows playback on either a single device or on multiple MusicCast devices throughout the home. The following Yamaha audio products have been updated. Users are automatically prompted to install the firmware via the MusicCast app. MusicCast […]

News

Japanese HiRes streaming service delayed

30/05/2019

Japanese HiRes streaming service delayed according to mora qualitas – a joint venture between Sony Music and Rhapsody International which was announced in December 2018. In a newsletter the mora qualitas team announced that progress had been delayed and that ‘the service start scheduled for early spring 2019 will be put off till the autumn.’ Apologizing for the delay the mora qualitas staff promised to keep newsletter subscribers updated with progress. To subscribe to mora […]

Neil Young writes about his quest to deliver high quality audio

12/05/2019

Neil Young writes about his quest to deliver high quality audio with the story behind the ill-fated Pono player and the development of Xstream high resolution streaming. In To Feel the Music co-written with Phil Baker and due to be published by Benbella Books on 26th September 2019, he tells the story of his efforts to improve the quality of audio that you hear. The book takes you through how the sound was and is […]

Over 1000 HiRes albums are released each month in US

07/05/2019

Over 1000 HiRes albums are released each month in US according to new data compiled by the RIAA, the US recording industry association. More than 33,500 albums representing nearly 400,000 tracks are currently available in ‘Studio Quality’ formats to stream or download in the US. These figures represent a 29% increase over a year ago, as major labels are now releasing some 1,000 albums per month in Studio Quality formats. The RIAA defines Studio Quality […]