Deezer Elite gives you better-sounding music for the price of Spotify

Deezer
Deezer offers HD audio for less

Deezer Elite, a music streaming service that specialises in high definition audio, has now become available to all, following its initial launch in the US. You will, however, still need a Sonos system to use it.

Deezer is available in over 250 countries, including the UK, making it the largest high definition audio streaming service in the world, though Spotify still has it handily beat in the standard definition stakes.

However if you're a keen audiophile and want the best sound quality, Deezer is hoping to tempt you to switch, with the Deezer Elite service streaming audio in the FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files at 1,411kbps.

That's a huge increase in the quality of Spotify's streams which are 160kbps for free users, and 320kbps for Premium accounts.

Oh I want money, that's what I want

A rival high definition audio streaming service that has recently been making waves is Tidal, though at £20 it has struggled to compete with Spotify.

The Deezer Elite service is offered at a more competitive £14.99 a month, though this drops to £9.99 a month if you pay for a year or two years up front. This matches Spotify's Premium account, which costs £9.99, although it doesn't require you to pay up front.

With 35 million songs, Deezer Elite has its sights set on dethroning Spotify, hoping that a competitive price and the lure of high definition audio will be enough to sway listeners.

While you need a Sonos system to use it (both speakers and software), Deezer told us that this partnership will only last for six months. After that we can expect to see it more widely available.

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.