The IT Nerd

TIDAL, the first high fidelity lossless music streaming service with HD music videos and curated editorial, is now available on the Sonos Wireless HiFi system after a successful beta program. With a TIDAL music subscription and Sonos smart speakers, music lovers can stream more than 25 million songs from your favourite artists in HiFi quality to any room in the home.

Since launching in October, one in five songs from TIDAL have been played on home audio products – with Sonos representing the majority. TIDAL now appears within the “Add Music Services” menu of the Sonos app. Playing TIDAL tracks on Sonos is simple: just select the service and enter your login credentials. Once logged in, navigation of TIDAL is fully and seamlessly integrated in the Sonos Controller App, available on iOS and Android mobile devices as well as PC/Mac computers.

As an ad-free, lossless, CD-quality music and music video streaming service with extensive curated editorial expertise, TIDAL is available now for a monthly subscription of $19.99 CDN.

To experience high fidelity streaming, visit the TIDAL website at www.tidal.com.

Sonos today announced the availability of Deezer Elite’s high definition streaming library for their listeners around the world which follows its launch in the US last year.

Exclusively on Sonos speakers and components, Deezer Elite not only offers millions of songs on-demand like its Premium+ plan, it also provides the music in CD quality, high definition audio (16-bit, 44.1kHz, FLAC lossless). Music files with higher bit-rates allow for more depth and clarity – it’s like being in the room with the musicians.

Here are a few things to try with Deezer Elite on Sonos:

• Access more than 35 million tracks, now in FLAC
• Listen to curated playlists; They have chosen a few to get you started:
  • SxSW 2015
  • New Releases – 2015
  • Remixed: Old And New Favorites
• Discover and listen to more music:
  • Create custom radio stations based on your favorite artists
  • Explore new music through editorial recommendations, top playlists and friends

To add Deezer Elite to your system, open the Sonos controller and click ‘Add Music Service.’ Deezer Elite joins the growing list of more than 60 services available on Sonos—all providing a personal audio experience for everyone in your home.

Sonos 5.3 is now available for all supported iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. The update introduces some new things for your Sonos and fixes others. You’ll enjoy simpler room control, an improved design for the tablet app, and a quicker way to move back and forth between screens.

Here are a few tips to get acquainted with what’s new:

•  Three taps to party mode. Put the finishing touches on your party prep with a playlist to set the mood throughout the house. Use the new drop-down at the top center of our app to easily group or ungroup rooms in just a few taps.
• Retrace your steps. Change your mind on what you want to play? Swipe down to instantly go from Now Playing to browsing. To go back one step further to the menu, swipe right from the far left to view all of your music sources.
• Distractions welcome. If you want to go back to listen to a part you missed, the track progression bar is now more prominently displayed in your Now Playing screen, just below the album art. Drag it to whatever point in the song you want to play.

Start using it today by selecting ‘update now’ at the top of the home menu in your Sonos app.

For more information on controlling all of your music on Sonos, visit: http://www.sonos.com/app.

The Blue Note PLAY:1 features a custom design and music experience inspired by more than 75 years of the finest in jazz and an iconic record label that continues to inspire modern music.

If you are among the few thousand to get your hands on the Blue Note PLAY:1, you can enjoy an exclusive Blue Note channel built into your Sonos app with curated music from the greats including favorites from Don Was.

Pricing and official on-sale times vary depending on where you are in the world. Get yours while supplies last for $250 USD, $280 CAD, €250, and £220 starting Thursday, March 5 at:

• North America (US + Canada only): 10am PST / 1pm EST
• Europe: 10am CET / 9am GMT

Only 2000 have been made. So if you want one, act fast at sonos.com.

To commemorate 75 years and counting of Blue Note Records,  a record label founded on creating a timeless experience with music that captures the energy and emotion of a live performance, Sonos unveils the Sonos PLAY:1 Blue Note Limited Edition.

Crafted with a custom color developed through hand-painting techniques and strategic use of robots, the speaker’s finish features a vertical fade from dark navy to cerulean blue, reflecting the deep bass to the richly detailed highs and lows that people know and love about the PLAY:1.

The Blue Note PLAY:1 comes with the Blue Note on Sonos radio station built into the main menu in the Sonos app, powered by TuneIn. Enjoy a year of Blue Note programming with three curated channels within the station:

• Artist Selects: Available exclusively on the Blue Note PLAY:1, listen vinyl-style to handpicked selections from the greats like Robert Glasper, Jose James, Terence Blanchard, Ambrose Akinmusire, Lionel Loueke, and Don Was himself, who has curated 125 of his personal favorites.
• Born in Blue:We bring together legendary Blue Note artists and those who have sampled them for mixes that celebrate the intersection of modern music and legendary jazz.
• Blue Note 101:Starting with the inception of Blue Note and following its progression to becoming an iconic label, listen and learn about jazz and its evolution over more than 75 years.

You can enjoy the Born in Blue and Blue Note 101 channels on your Sonos at home today and also on your other devices via TuneIn.

The Blue Note PLAY:1 will be sold exclusively on Sonos.com for $250 USD, $280 CAD, €250, and £220, while quantities last. Timing for when you’ll be able to purchase this collector’s speaker will be released in the coming weeks. Only 4,100 have been made and I expect them to sell quickly.

For more, visit: http://www.sonos.com/BlueNote.

Sonos today announced via their blog that they were making some improvements to the Sonos app. They’ve taken some user feedback in terms of the user experience and have made the following improvements:

• A faster way to manage all the rooms in your home: Effortlessly move your music around your home with a more accessible rooms menu, now available by tapping the top of any screen in the Sonos app.
• Improvements to the tablet app: New dedicated screens for what’s playing and music discovery on iOS and Android tablets makes toggling between screens more intuitive.
• Quickly switch between screens: Using your phone, swipe left to right to open the music menu. Swipe up to go straight back to what’s playing.
• Want to hear that verse again? The track progression bar is back in your now playing screen, just below the album art. Drag it to whatever point in the song you want to play.
• Easier to mix it up: Shuffle mode and crossfade are back where they belong. From the now playing screen, simply press the info button.

You can try Sonos 5.3 in beta today on any Android mobile device. An iOS beta version is available via a media VIP beta which means it is not open to the public at this time.  The full release, including the updated app for iOS devices will be available in the coming months.

Earlier this month I wrote about the availability of Sonos Software version 5.2 in beta form. Today, Sonos has announced via their blog that it has been officially released. It’s got a ton of new tricks that you or your guests can use to make the holidays fun. If you’re a Sonos user, you should download the updated version today. If you’ll be going to the home of a Sonos user, grab a copy and join in on the fun.

Sons today via their blog announced Sonos version 5.2 which is used to control their impressive audio gear. This update when it ships will add this functionality:

• Control your Sonos from the lock screen of Android smartphone or tablet to play, pause, and skip tracks in an instant.
• Easily find the music you love by searching across all your music sources, now inclusive of songs stored directly on your device.
• Enhanced sound for music on Playbar, as well as multiple-user music account support.

Sonos 5.2 will be released later this year. Try it today in beta on Android devices and through the Sonos Desktop Controllers for Mac and PC. Simply surf to www.sonos.com/beta.