“We did a lot of research, and consumers were quite dissatisfied that over time they had moved backward in audio quality from vinyl to CDs to MP3s,” says Tyler Goldman, Deezer’s CEO for North America.

As internet speeds improve, storage increases, and high quality headphones and speakers enter the mainstream, the arrival of high res audio is imminent. Sonos and Deezer Elite have joined forces to provide the ultimate high res, streaming, wireless solution.

On September 15, Deezer will be releasing their brand new lossless, 16-bit FLAC format at a standard of 1411kbps, which should produce audio quality five times better than other streaming services. Spotify for example currently stream at a maximum of 320kbps (for premium customers only), at a lossy format, which means compression is applied and quality lost. Lossless FLAC is a format that although compressed, maintains full quality.

Deezer currently hold a catalogue of 35 million track, 90% of which should switch to the upgraded quality on launch day. You’ll need a Sonos system to enjoy the experience for the time being.

Deezer Elite will run as a separate service for US$10 per month when signed up to a 12-month contract, or $20 on a month-to-month basis. No word yet on UK availability, pricing or release date. Spotify currently dominate the music streaming world, but will have to play catchup with Deezer’s offerings on the horizon.