Since its introduction, wireless audio has been seen as a sub-par listening experience to those who truly cared about Hi-Fi. And the truth is, the first wireless audio solutions did in fact deserve that reputation. Streams over Bluetooth were compressed to fit over the tiny bandwidth restrictions, and even higher-end proprietary solutions were prone to large stream delays and their own transcoding inaccuracies. To put it simply: early wireless audio did not sound great.
Today, however, that has all changed. Modern wireless technologies—particularly DTS Play-Fi—can now deliver audio in bit accurate form, with no transcoding or compression in between. The result is a completely wireless audio experience that is indistinguishable from a hard-wired connection. Coupled with streaming services like Qobuz, Tidal, and now Amazon Music, anyone can easily enjoy over ten million songs in perfect lossless quality, with no ripping, labelling, or hefty storage. Gone are the days where streaming always meant lossy, low bitrate streams.
We asked Abt audio buyer Bill McMartin to weigh in on the topic: “Wireless streaming, while once considered a serious compromise to fidelity, has improved to the point where it has surpassed the sound quality from a conventional CD. It is one of the fastest-growing technologies in the consumer electronics industry, both in terms of individual products that allow its use as well as improvements in accuracy and quality. Streaming content is ubiquitous, and shows no signs of slowing; people have always wanted music in their lives, and the means by which someone can build a virtual radio station that is customized to his or her taste has no precedent like it.”
But we can do even better, can’t we? A select few of today’s wireless audio systems can provide support for Hi-Res audio, offering studio reference audio quality. Notably, DTS Play-Fi offers a Critical Listening Mode, in which you’re always getting perfect, bit accurate audio all the way up to 24-bit / 192kHz, without jitter or other artifacts inherent in other wireless systems. It’s as transparent as on a wired system, but with all the convenience of a smart wireless system.
Of course, none of this means anything if these wireless audio systems aren’t crafted by passionate brands that have been driving the audio industry for years, even before the advent of wireless. Thankfully, trusted names such as Klipsch, MartinLogan, and SVS have taken up the torch to deliver this wireless Hi-Fi future.
To assert their passion and commitment to innovating in this space, SVS themselves shared this with us:
“Critical Listening Mode is a game-changer that puts DTS Play-Fi and SVS Prime Wireless on another level sonically because it lets you enjoy the full potential of ultra high-resolution streaming from services like Amazon Music HD, Tidal, Qobuz and more,” said SVS President Gary Yacoubian. “Streaming is no longer relegated to compromised sound quality and background music. With DTS Play-Fi Critical Listening Mode and SVS Prime Wireless speakers; the clarity, dynamics, bass response and overall audio experience is at the pinnacle of what is possible wirelessly.”
To get the best, it’s easier than it’s ever been. You don’t need a massive configuration, large servers, or even fancy cables. Just get the SVS Prime Wireless speakers, Amazon Music HD, and enjoy listening like you never have before.
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