Nativ will give a free one-year subscription for Idagio’s classical music streaming service to consumers who buy a new Nativ Vita music player, announced the hi-res music system supplier Friday. Idagio’s catalog includes more than 1,000 music labels and more than 1 million licensed tracks. Most streaming services “ignore the unique characteristics of classical music” so enthusiasts can’t experience the full potential of the music, said Nativ CEO Michael Li. Idagio “understands classical music” and allows users to enjoy the genre in a way not possible before, he said. Vita’s 11.6-inch touch-screen interface can display enhanced metadata fields with information such as composer, conductor, performer, instrument, publisher/label and orchestra/ensemble, it said. The Nativ Vita also gives users access to Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal directly from the display and can stream music videos to a TV via HDMI or wirelessly with Google Cast, said the company. The Vita, starting at $1,599, supports Apple Airplay, Spotify Connect, Google Cast and Bluetooth aptX and plays music from a Mac, PC or NAS drive through its wireless and gigabit networking technology. Idagio entered the U.S. market last fall with a $10 monthly subscription.

Qobuz partnered with AudioQuest in a marketing deal, giving a month free of its Studio Hi-Res streaming service ($24.99 per month), and a free download of a Blue Coast Records audiophile sampler, to customers who buy the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt digital audio converter.

Hi-Res music service Qobuz is now available on the Control4 platform, said the streaming service Wednesday. It’s Control4’s first certified Hi-Res streaming music offering, enabling 24-bit/192 kHz music streaming over EA series controllers and the Triad One streaming amplifier. Control4 users with version 2.10.2 and higher operating systems have access to the service; those with OS3 will be able to see the quality of the tracks they're listening to by bitrate and frequency.

Following Master Quality Authenticated's Monday announcement it added Rhapsody’s Napster service to its partner list (see 1905060019), MQA said Wednesday Harman’s luxury audio group is adding more MQA-ready products. Harman brands Arcam and Lexicon will integrate MQA into future product ranges, joining the company’s Mark Levinson No. 519 audio player. Astell&Kern is launching the flagship MQA-enabled SP2000 at Munich High End this week, Onkyo will bow its TX-8390 stereo receiver, due to release this month, and Pioneer’s PD-50AE music player will be the first MQA-equipped CD player when it ships, said MQA. Lenbrook has integrated live concert recordings company nugs.net on its BluOS music management platform, said the company. Elsewhere in Munich, Brinkmann will launch its MQA-enabled Voltaire integrated sound system amplifier; Esoteric will demonstrate the Grandioso D1X digital-to-audio converter with the P1X transport and N-03T network audio transport; Hegel will showcase the new H390 integrated amplifier; and EMM Labs plans to unveil the NS1 Streamer, due out later this year, MQA said. Cocktail Audio will show the X50Pro, a reference music server with MQA along with the HA500H hybrid headphone amplifier and DAC. Matrix Audio is announcing its Element series, due to ship in several months, Pro-Ject will display the Pre Box RS2 DAC with MQA and Wadax is announcing new Atlantis Reference and Arcadia DACs, it said.

Reflecting growing priority record labels place on high-quality listening experiences, RIAA issued its first tally of available high-resolution music titles. Data from member companies shows more than 33,500 albums, close to 400,000 tracks, are available in Studio Quality formats to stream or download in the U.S. Major labels are releasing some 1,000 albums per month in Studio Quality formats, it said Monday. Those include Hi-Res Audio (48 khz/20-bit or higher) or the studio production format of 44.1 kHz/24-bit audio. Some 77 percent of RIAA’s top 100 Gold and Platinum-certified albums are available in Studio Quality, it said.

Rhapsody’s Powered by Napster format is available to partners in high-resolution and Studio Quality options, after an agreement with Master Quality Authenticated for its MQA format, said the companies Monday. Napster will offer MQA tracks on mobile, automotive and home platforms, they said. Under the partnership, original, high-res versions of music can be delivered and authenticated during streaming.

Questyle, known for headphone amplifiers and digital audio players and converters, will launch a wireless audio system at the Axpona 2019 audio expo next week in suburban Chicago, said the company Wednesday. The Wireless Eco system comprises the QP Master digital audio player ($1,999), SHB2 Super Source preamp/transmitter/dock ($1,999), CMA Twelve headphone amp/DAC and a pair of RX200 monoblock amplifiers ($3,500 per pair). The Eco System operates on its own closed 5 GHz FCC-approved frequency, converting the digital audio signal from amplifiers at the speakers rather than at the source, said the company. The system transmits a lossless signal to the amplifiers in audio formats up to DSD256 and PCM384, it said. Questyle plans to demonstrate the system on Revel’s $2,000 per pair Salon2 loudspeakers at the Questyle/Holm Audio Room, #740. Axpona opens April 12 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel for a three-day run.

Paris-based Qobuz, initially hoping to launch its hi-res music streaming service in the U.S. last fall (see 1810090025), officially launched Thursday after an extended beta test, the company announced. Its differentiator in an increasingly crowded space dominated by Spotify, Apple, Amazon and Google is “millions” of hi-res 24-bit/192 kHz tracks available in the premium-tier subscription. Qobuz, which launched in 2007 in Europe, is entering the U.S. now to take advantage of a growing audience looking for a “higher-level listening experience” made possible by improved bandwidth and internet infrastructure, and availability of more affordable speakers and audio gear, it said. Pricing is $250 yearly/$25 monthly for Sublime Plus, which includes full hi-res FLAC 24-bit/192 kHz files and discounts on purchases from the hi-res download store; $200/$20 for unlimited FLAC 16-bit CD-quality streaming; and $100/$10 for 320 kbps MP3 quality.

Setting the stage for its latest headphones, beyerdynamic calls the Xelento wireless headphones “an audible piece of jewelry” on its e-commerce site. The $1,199 in-ear headphones meet Hi-Res Audio specs, include aptX HD Bluetooth technology and are customizable via the company’s Make It Yours app, which uses Mosayc sound personalization by Mimi Defined: The app's short test identifies a listener’s hearing characteristics and the app then adjusts playback to fit the profile. The earphones have miniature Tesla drivers, silver-plated cables, an aluminum battery casing and engraved faceplates, it said. Xelento's detachable cable with micro-miniature coaxial connectors convert the earphones into a wired set that can be used for phone calls. The headphones come with a 3.5mm jack plug and a two-year warranty, a company spokesperson said.

Qobuz, after a soft U.S. launch at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in October, said Tuesday it’s registering initial U.S. market beta testers and accepting additional names for the waiting list. The Hi-Res streaming and download service has a track list of over 2 million titles available on Android, iOS and Mac. Pricing starts at $10 per month ($99 annually) for 320 kbps MP3-quality streaming, $20 per month ($200 annually) for 16-bit CD-quality streaming and $25 per month for unlimited Hi-Res streaming along with 40-60 percent discounts on purchases from the Hi-Res download store, it said.