Onkyo Music – The Hi-Res Music Store Comes To The US, UK and Germany
Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer Onkyo hope to bring hi-res music downloads to the world. Currently the company offer Japan 24-bit/44.1kHz-192kHz hi-res tracks and 16-bit FLAC files.
Starting by introducing the service to the US, UK and Germany, under the name ‘Onkyo Music’, you can give the service a test run online now at www.onkyomusic.com (currently in beta).
The store holds the same catalogue as their partner 7digital and it’s a download only service, with hi-res albums costing $15-$20 and single tracks around $3-$4.
Their is a sufficient lack of hi-res music stores. With Tidal hoping to secure the streaming region, Onkyo Music hopes to take hold of the download end.
Kevin Miyagi (president of Onkyo Entertainment Technology): “As one of the world’s leading hi-fi/home theatre manufacturers we can now provide music lovers with a full end-to-end hi-res audio experience. Whether customers choose to listen on the move via headphones or at home via their stereo system or AV receiver, Onkyo wants them to be able to choose from the widest range of music, delivered – with the highest fidelity – to the devices they want to use… that’s our mission.”
“Onkyo are striving to be the best in class for hi-res audio experiences. Positive collaborations with major artists, various industry partners, including 7digital and our position as early innovators on this superior sound initiative make us confident that we will deliver.”
Simon Cole (CEO of 7digital): “Onkyo has a history of being the first to market in Japan and a legacy of great innovation around superior audio systems. They are a fantastic partner to work with, and we are pleased to be a part of this new compelling offer for their customers. The marriage of such high-fidelity sound systems and this very easy to use hi-res download store has the chance to attract new digital listeners and satisfy even the most serious audiophiles.”
Dickon Stainer (president and CEO of Global Classics for Universal Music Group): “Hi-resolution audio is a perfect medium for listeners to explore the all-important nuances, detail and vibrancy of great classical recordings. Our Decca and Deutsche Grammophon labels are famous around the world for their incredible catalogues of music and we’re thrilled that E-Onkyo is now expanding internationally and making this amazing music available to even more fans in such high quality.”
