Best way to stream Hi-Res/HiFi Music to TV Soundbar

[DCMike]

I have a Sony TV with Android TV/Chromecast built in, and a Sonos Playbar.  Sonos is not yet technically capable of transmitting the higher resolution music offered by some music services using the Sonos S1 (or, in some cases, the S2) app.  My question is:  Can I instead use Chromecast to cast music from the music service's app on my android phone (e.g., Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer) to my TV and get high resolution audio from my Playbar?  Would it make a difference if, instead of using the built-in Chromecast in my TV, I used a Chromecast with Google TV device?  Or, finally, would it be better to use the Tidal or Deezer app on the Android TV platform?  It's hard to find answers to these questions from the music services or Sonos, and I'm guessing that Google or some of its users may know the answers.

[djtetei · Accepted solution]

You TV already has an optical audio output which you can use to send high resolution audio to your sound system.

My advice would be to not fall too much into MQA obsession, because, in my opinion, it is simply a hoax to fool people that they are enjoying high resolution audio.

If you really want high resolution audio use only uncompressed PCM audio and lossless FLAC audio material, at high sample rates (44..1 KHz and 96 KHz) with bit depths of 16 bit and 24 bit.

[djtetei]

If you enjoy listening to music so much, invest in a real high fidelity audio system (passive full range speakers and amplifier or a pair of high quality active speakers, with linear frequency response, and two subwoofers) and feed it a high quality analog audio signal processed by a standalone high quality DAC.

Soundbars, no matter how convenient they may be, will never match the performance of real speakers with dedicated woofers (over 6.5 inch) and tweeters.

[DCMike]

Thanks!  I know that's how to get the best, but it's an expensive approach, I'm already invested in Sonos throughout my house, and my old ears may not even appreciate the difference.  I've just been trying to figure out if any of the services that are now streaming hifi and high resolution music will appreciably improve the decent sound I get from my Playbar, Subwoofer, and surrounds.   I appreciate your answer and advice!

[JenniferV]

Hi there,

Thanks for answering, djtetei!

Please let us know if you have other questions and concerns, DCMike. We're here to help.

Thanks,

Jennifer

[Jeran]

Hey there,

Did you have any more questions or need any additional help?

Thank you,
Jeran
 

[Jeran]

Hey there!

We haven't heard back from DCMike, and it's been a few days, so I'm locking the thread. As always, feel free to make a new thread if you have any more questions or concerns.

Thank you for your help, djtetei and Jennifer!

Best regards,
Jeran