Launched in 2020 in the U.S. and U.K., Sonos Radio HD is now accessible from any Sonos connected speaker or soundbar. If you already listen to some of the 60,000 local and international stations available for free from Sonos Radio, you may be excited about the new experience offered by Sonos Radio HD. The offer includes CD quality tracks, as well as exclusive programs, podcasts and thematic playlists. A more comprehensive offer only accessible by subscription.
Sonos Radio HD: a subscription service
Sonos Radio has been a staple for Sonos equipment users for several years. This service provides free access to over 60,000 web radios from the Sonos One SL, Sonos One, Sonos Five, Sonos Move, Sonos Roam and Sonos Roam SL connected speakers, as well as the Sonos Ray, Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and Sonos Arc soundbars and Sonos AMP connected amp. To complete this offer, the brand now provides Sonos Radio HD which brings many additional options for a subscription fee of €7.99 per month.
Sonos Radio HD: Music in High Definition
Sonos Radio HD brings the number of local and international radio stations to over 80,000, up from 60,000 in the free version. Another important change is that all stations are now offered in high definition and are commercial-free. The tracks are now encoded in FLAC with CD quality, that is to say a resolution of 16-bits/44.1kHz. While this is still a far cry from the 24-bit/192kHz tracks offered by Apple Music, Qobuz and Amazon Music or the MQA files of Tidal, the improvement compared to the standard offer is very appreciable.
Sonos Radio HD: artist selection
Unlike competing services such as Apple Music, Qobuz or Tidal, Sonos Radio HD does not have a catalog of tracks. The manufacturer relies exclusively on thematic stations created by its teams, but also by international artists. Thom Yorke, singer and main composer of Radiohead proposes his own station called In the Absence thereof in which you can find his shows, as well as playlists of his own songs or those of other artists. Many other artists like Bjork, FKA twigs, Dolly Parton, Ghostface Killah and M.I.A also have their own stations.
For the arrival of Sonos Radio HD in France, the brand is teaming up with a renowned partner, Brian Eno. This former producer of the Roxy Music studio has worked with the greatest artists, including U2, David Bowie and Coldplay. A true living archive, his The Lighthouse station features more than 300 unreleased tracks from his 50-year career. This station also features archives and upcoming music projects. “We’ve been working with Brian Eno for months to bring his vision of The Lighthouse to life,” says Joe Dawson, director of content at Sonos. “Fans can immerse themselves in decades of unreleased music. This project is a testament to how we approach working with artists, bringing exclusive content and continuing to evolve the experience for our listeners.”
Sonos Radio HD: themed stations
Sonos Radio HD also adds a variety of themed stations for everyday listening. Six soothing sound stations are designed to help you fall asleep. Some such as Pink Noise and Brown Noise use singular frequencies to lull the listener and eliminate distractions. Others will soothe you with the sound of rain, a piano or the rainforest, for example.
With Sonos Radio HD, the multi-room specialist offers a number of themed playlists and tracks that can only be accessed from its soundbars and connected speakers. A new way for the brand to stand out from the competition.
