Whole Home Audio Upgrades We Loved From CES 2017

If you’re a fan of whole home audio technology, you’re probably pretty excited right about now. CES 2017 just happened, and there was plenty of great news for audiophiles in Grand Rapids, MI. From improved streaming quality to the incredible speaker systems, every part of your chain can experience an upgrade this year. In this blog, we’ll highlight some of our favorite audio upgrades announced at the event. Read more after the jump.

See Also: Understanding 4K: What You Need to Know

Master Quality Streaming

One of the aspects of contemporary, portable audio that’s bugged music fans for years is the slow decline in quality. From vinyl to CDs and eventually MP3s, there has been a steady decline in audio quality for decades. Sure, portability has increased, but at the cost of the listening experience.

A few years ago, “lossless” audio files started making waves. These claimed that, unlike MP3s which remove bits of information to allow them to fit on increasingly smaller devices, lossless files preserved every bit. However, because they are larger files, storage was bulkier than your average iPod, so only the most dedicated users bothered with them.

Today, though, fewer and fewer listeners actually own their music, with streaming services beginning to dominate the scene. That’s why it was so exciting at CES 2017 when it was announced that Tidal would become the first streaming service to offer Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) files for streaming. This is big news for anyone with a whole home audio system, because it may mean that you could soon be listening to the best possible quality in your spaces.

Immersive Audio in Every Room

While immersive audio tends to get credit for making your movies sound better, it’s also amazing to listen to music with. And if CES is any indicator, we could be seeing a lot more immersive-compatible gear outside of the dedicated theater space.

A big announcement at the event was Sony’s foray into Atmos-capable sound bars with the Sony HT-ST5000. Sporting 7.1.2 channels, but forgoing the extra speaker components, it could be transforming the way your media room sounds before the year is through. It’s also designed to support wireless, lossless audio playback, so you’ll be able to enjoy all of your Tidal tracks as well.

Speaking of lossless streaming, DTS – which has been a dark horse in the immersive audio race – is making waves again. The latest update to their Play-Fi allows for lossless multi-room music playback across a wide variety of audio receivers (i.e. they don’t have to be “DTS-enabled,” like Atmos products).

Are you ready to enjoy better sound quality throughout your entire home? Contact Harbert Home Systems today for more information.