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AirPods, AirPods Max and AirPods Pro Don't Support Apple Music Lossless Audio
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So just plug in your headphones to the standard 3.5mm jack. Oh, wait, you can't do that on Apple devices. Time for more dongles!
I’ve never seen an Apple service flop right at launch, yet here we are!
I don’t know if there will be updates to iTunes to support 192/24 and 96/24 but I’m guessing there will be?? I’m currently play dsf and FLAC files through a free 3rd party app. I use the HDMI output from my MacBook to my Denon receiver, which has an internal DAC. It also works with my Oppo Blu-ray player’s HDMI input. I’ll be curious to see how Apple’s format will work from an output standpoint. Intrigued by the possibility of accessing additional content
Spotify doesn’t have the same issue at all, because they don’t sell folks headphones. They publish High resolution music for folks who have decent hifi equipment or high-end wired headphones (actually medium end wired headphones will surpass wireless in most cases)…that will be the same for Apple. Difference is Apple has been peddling convenience over quality (wireless over wired) and for 99% that is a perfectly reasonable approach. It is somewhat ironic they now have decided to peddle music quality with none of their products able to benefit (I know an iPad and Mac can, but rather pointless given the crude speakers included, so again rely on decent wired headphones)Yes, but fortunately for Spotify, no one would care. They have the uncanny ability to “Not be a five letter fruit themed company with ‘A’ as the first letter”, so anything they do will likely get far less publicity
its not because of BT per se...there isn’t enough bandwidth to transmit lossless so what ultimately gets transmitted is lossy. aptX & LADC are compression algorithms that allow more data to be transmitted over BT so can get nearer to “CD like” quality....and of course BT is susceptible to noise and interference
Airplay uses ALAC for transmission so it has always supported lossless audio, but I don’t think it has been updated to adapt to multi-channel or above 48 kHz and 24 bit audio.
No 3.5mm jack, no lossless. iPhone Lightning dongles won't help here.
But Android users will be able to enjoy Apple Music lossless through 3.5mm. 🤣
They will probably release a iTunes update.
It's not a flop whatsoever if you use capable equipment.
Source? As not seen Apple state that, or anyone confirm Apple meant that.
Just cos you say the hardware can do something =/= that Apple will support it.
There is a workaround, FWIW. The Apple 4K camera adapter supports lossless, but you have to connect it to a DAC.
AH, yes, another reason why folks just won’t care as much. Good point.
Dragonfly makes a USB to 3.5 headphone DAC that you can connect to the 4K camera adapter. It’s far too complicated than it should be, but it works.
Virtually every decent review website on launch made it clear that the Max’s could not receive HR music unlike the Sony, Bose and Sennheiser units they were being compared to (all of which can use a 3.5mm Jack to listen to music even with flat batteries)
Definitely not, especially since it's a free add-on. There shouldn't be a single reason to complain. Airpods Max didn't support lossless 6months ago, so why would it suddenly support it today 🤷♂️
They should've marketed it a bit different though.
The focus (or atleast what MacRumors seems to focus on) is on lossless which is more targetted at the audiophile market. Meanwhile the feature that's designed for the mass-market (spatial audio + dolby atmos) and that people with regular equipment (airpods) will appreciate way more than lossless, seems to be pushed to the background.
Where's the 3.5mm jack on the Samsung Galaxy S20 & 21? The Pixel 5? Along with all the other Android phone makers also going the same route or removing the 3.5mm jack?
Interesting. So this is decoded on device—on the headphone side—I guess? I'm kinda surprised Apple doesn't have something similar, but maybe it's going to be a new feature of updated AirPods... Probably they didn't want to license the tech from Sony, and likely have their own version either in development or ready to go.
I've never had LDAC skip on me and it's always on 990kbps setting but I'm using it on either Sony's Xperia phone or Walkman portable player. After all it's Sony's technology much like how AAC is Apple's and it sounds best on Apples devices.
I listened to the Snazzy Labs take on LDAC and for an audiophile he claims he is, he intentionally is telling you there is no difference when you listen to the YouTube or Spotify on either AAC or LDAC. But there is. All Sony LDAC headphones come with on-chip upsampler known as DSEE specially made for YouTube and 128kpbs MP3 compressions and than use LDAC bandwidth to send that extra data. He is pretty much telling you that it's not worth to have top of the line UHD OLED TV if you will be watching Netflix instead of 4K BluRay, but he is missing the point that top of the line TVs also have flagship processing and upscaling chips on board that make 1080p stream look way better than on FHD LCD TV.
Yes it will. Lightning/USB-C to 3.5mm dongles support 16/44.1k. Which depending on your original source (e.g. CD rip) IS lossless.
They will not however support High Res audio.
So, your reply doesn't back up the other person's response either then. Nothing confirms that the AirPod Max's can will play lower quality lossless over it's cable, which is the point we're talking about.
Not to disappoint you further, but any €100 pair of wired headphones would likely equal or surpass anything over BT, so even had you been able to get HR music with your AirPods Max, it would still have been an expensive solution. However you chose them for their convenience, their looks, their noise cancelling (the brand / ecosystem?) and all of that is the same today as they were the day you bought them.
And this will be the same thing with the Apple headphones. The starting source is better, so the end result is better. When I listen to Tidal/Qubuz on my homepods or Max, it sounds better than Apple Music.
Apple TV plays ALAC fine, but it only outputs 48kHz, and so far there is not possible to change output sampling frequency and bit depth on its DAC.