Sonos has introduced Sonos Radio HD, an ad-free, high definition streaming tier of its radio streaming service that launched in April 2020.
Sonos Radio was designed to make listening to the radio easier and better for Sonos users, and the HD tier has now been introduced to offer users CD-quality 16-bit audio with the ability to skip, repeat and have no interruptions from adverts.
Sonos Radio HD will offer artist-curated stations that not only deliver playlists but interviews and commentary, with the first station being Dolly Parton's Storyteller Radio and the first show being Songteller Special.
The company said the station will continually evolve with Parton's hits, favourite artists, and commentary on songs and moments throughout her career. There are five other artist-curated stations lined up for early 2021.
The Radio HD subscription service - which will be available on the Sonos S2 app and offer a free 30-day trial - will also come with other original stations to promote mindfulness, productivity and relaxation including The Inner Now, Chill Beats and Mellow Morning.
There will also be deeper explorations into genres and music scenes, as well as sleep sounds with six dedicated sleep stations including White Noise, Brown Noise, Pink Noise, Rain, Rainforest and Piano. You'll be able to set these sleep stations to repeat, as well as set a timer to turn them off.
The Sonos Radio HD service will launch in the UK and the US initially before expanding to other countries. It will cost £7.99 per month in the UK and $7.99 per month in the US after the 30-day trial ends.
Sonos has also announced it is bringing new stations and content to the ad-supported Sonos Radio tier, whilst expanding availability to five more countries comprising Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, and Belgium, bringing the total to 16.