Tagged: streaming
19 articles we've published with this tag.
Roon vs UPnP vs proprietary apps: which streaming protocol actually sounds best?Theo Mensah cuts through the forum noise to explain what Roon, UPnP/DLNA and proprietary apps actually do differently — and whether any of it affects the sound.By Theo Mensah
NAD's C 589 CD player revives MQA with QRONO d2a processing and an ESS Sabre DACNAD's C 589 CD player pairs MQA Labs' QRONO d2a reconstruction technology with an ESS Sabre DAC — here's what that means for serious listeners.By Theo Mensah
Antipodes spins out Oladra as a standalone brand with the $35K Sentia and $58K Presence music serversAntipodes Audio has established Oladra as its own super-premium digital brand, debuting the Sentia and Presence servers at AXPONA 2026.By Sofia Laurent
Spotify gates lossless behind a new three-tier Premium structure in emerging marketsSpotify's new three-tier Premium structure in India, Indonesia, UAE, Saudi Arabia and South Africa gates lossless 24-bit FLAC behind the top Platinum tier. Here's what it means for AU listeners.By Theo Mensah
Qobuz posts 45.7% revenue growth, outpacing the broader streaming market by a factor of fiveQobuz's June 2026 annual results show 45.7% revenue growth in 2025, dwarfing the market's 8.8% rise, with profitability now targeted by March 2027.By Marcus Vale
Apple Music VP says most listeners can't hear lossless — so why does it matter for serious audio?Apple Music VP Oliver Schusser says most fans can't tell lossless from standard quality. Theo Mensah unpacks what that means for serious Australian listeners.By Theo Mensah
Qobuz Draws a Line in the Sand: An AI Charter and Detection Tool to Keep Human Music HumanQobuz has published an AI Charter and a proprietary detection system to tag fully AI-generated music, pledging to keep human curation at the heart of its catalog.By Theo Mensah
Dolby Atmos Music hits 150-plus car models across 35-plus automakers at CES 2026At CES 2026, Dolby confirmed Atmos Music is now built into 150+ vehicles across 35+ automakers. Here's what it means for spatial audio's mainstream moment.By Theo Mensah
How Spotify's Lossless Launch Shook, Then Ultimately Helped, QobuzQobuz MD Dan Mackta says Spotify's lossless rollout caused only modest cancellations before the hi-res streamer's user base grew — here's why that matters.By Theo Mensah
Pioneer's SPHERA brings Dolby Atmos spatial-audio music to any car via CarPlayPioneer's SPHERA DMH-WT8000NEX is the world's first aftermarket in-dash receiver with Dolby Atmos via Apple CarPlay — and at $1,299.99 USD, it's a genuine game-changer.By Dave Okafor
HARMAN absorbs Sound United, putting B&W, Denon and Marantz under one roofSamsung's HARMAN completed its $350M acquisition of Sound United in late 2025, reshaping premium audio and raising hard questions for serious listeners.By Marcus Vale- Sonos returns to profit and innovation under permanent CEO Tom ConradAfter a catastrophic app rebrand and leadership turmoil, Sonos has swung to its first positive Q2 EBITDA in four years. Marcus Vale analyses what it means.By Marcus Vale
Why GaN specialists like Orchard Audio still lead the technology's edgeOrchard Audio's Starkrimson 25 monoblock launch confirms that gallium nitride amplification's real advances still come from dedicated specialists, not the mainstream brands.By Theo Mensah
Hegel keeps Class-AB alive with the H150 'Prodigy' streaming ampThe Hegel H150 'Prodigy' arrives with Class-AB SoundEngine 2, a new USB-A input and MM phono — a deliberate statement against the Class-D tide.By Marcus Vale
AKM's Comeback Completes: The Flagship AK4499EX Arrives in a $450 DongleAKM's recovery from its 2020 fab fire reaches a milestone as the AK4499EX lands in Astell&Kern's $450 HC5 — the first portable DAC to carry the chip.By Theo Mensah- R2R versus delta-sigma: what the Gustard R30 says about discrete ladder DACsThe Gustard R30's Darko.Audio review reignited the R2R debate. Theo Mensah unpacks why discrete ladder DACs are serious contenders at AU-friendly prices.By Theo Mensah
- The end of the MQA era: where QRONO, FOQUS and AIRIA landedMQA's successor technologies are finally shipping in real products. Here's a clear-eyed account of what survived the collapse — and what's still missing.By Priya Anand
- Spotify Lossless finally arrives — eight years late and freeAfter an eight-year wait, Spotify began rolling out 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC to Premium subscribers in September 2025. Here's what it means for your system.By Priya Anand
- Apple TV 4K gets 24-bit/192 kHz hi-res lossless in tvOS 27 — five years late, but finally worth talking abouttvOS 27 unlocks Apple Music Hi-Res Lossless at up to 24-bit/192 kHz on Apple TV 4K — closing a gap that has frustrated serious listeners since 2021.By Priya Anand