Can the Music Apps in My AVR Stream in Hi-Res?

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A I own an Integra DTR-40.6 AV receiver that is capable of playing Hi-Resolution Audio (HRA). Here’s what I want to know: If I were to upgrade my Pandora or Spotify account to stream HRA, would I be able to listen to it using the Pandora or Spotify app built into the receiver? My internet service plan is 50-Mbps FIOS, and I have the receiver connected to my router with an Ethernet cable. &Tony Held / via e-mail

Q Before I answer your question, let me take a moment to recap some recent HRA streaming news. At CES 2017, Universal, Sony, and Warner all announced they would make titles available for streaming in hi-res. Pandora, Napster (formerly Rhapsody), and hi-res download site HDtracks also announced plans to support streaming of hi-res music. The exact timeline for each service to make HRA content available wasn’t stated, but at least some are expected to make it happen by the end of 2017.

As for other music streaming services, Spotify and Apple Music have not yet made announcements concerning HRA. Tidal, meanwhile, has partnered with MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) to make HRA titles from Warner and a number of independent labels available to its HiFi level subscribers, but you’ll need to use the company’s Windows/Mac desktop application to access the content. When streamed using Tidal’s desktop app, resolution tops out at 96-kHz/24-bit. To get full 192-kHz/24-bit playback, you’ll additionally need to use an MQA-compatible digital-to-analog converter. Tidal has not yet announced MQA support for its iOS and Android apps.

So, my answer to your question is, you should be able to stream HRA using the Integra receiver’s Pandora app when hi-res titles arrive on that service later this year. If for some reason the Integra’s Pandora integration doesn’t support hi-res, you still should be able to stream it using Google’s Chromecast Audio, a $35 adapter with optical digital and stereo analog outputs. Chromecast Audio supports streaming from Pandora, Tidal, Spotify, and many other apps, and it can handle HRA formats with up to 96-kHz/24-bit resolution.

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