Audio Video News

Onkyo Bringing Hi-Res Super Store to the States

Bob Ankosko  |  Feb 9, 2015

Onkyo today announced it is bringing its e-onkyo hi-resolution music download service to the U.S. The service, which has been operating in Japan since 2005, will operate under the “onkyo music” name and provide download access to hundreds of thousands of 24-bit/44.1kHz to 192kHz high-res tracks and millions of 16-bit CD-quality FLAC files, according to the company.

You can check out a beta version of the service at onkyomusic.com. The service will also be accessible via Android and iOS apps.

The site will cover all musical genres with a focus on classical music. Music will be available from Japanese labels as well as for categories in which high-res content has not been widely available, including rock, metal, and anime music.

Tracks and albums will be sold a la carte with a high-res album selling for $15 to $20 and individual songs going for $3 to $4, Onkyo said in a press release issued in Japan. Among the albums featured on the homepage are AC DC’s latest album, Rock or Bust and Bob Dylan’s soon-to-be-released Shadows in the Night; both albums are priced at $17.99 with individual priced at $1.99 each.

Music purchased at onkyomusic.com is stored in a “cloud locker” and ready for download to multiple devices, Onkyo said.

COMMENTS
dommyluc's picture
Submitted by dommyluc on February 9, 2015 - 10:51am

As long as we're dealing with hi-res audio and music streaming, how about finally giving a firmware update to recent A/V receiver lines so we can have gapless playback while streaming? I love my Onkyo TX-NR717 that I bought 2 years ago, but if I had known it didn't have gapless playback I would have looked elsewhere. And stop telling your consumers that this is a hardware issue and not a software issue, since other A/V companies have issued updates to alleviate the gapless problem. All of the newest Onkyo A/V receivers offer gapless, but I sure as hell can't go out and buy a new one. After all, I have to save my pennies to support Onkyo's new hi-res streaming service (*snark*).

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