AirPods Max Won't Directly Support Lossless Apple Music Over Lightning

[ignatius345]

…felt like i was scammed by Tim Apple getting the Airpods Max

This is disappointing, but I think "scammed" is taking it a bit far. I bought a pair too, and they do everything they said they'd do when I bought them. They sound great, the noise cancellation is incredible, they're built like a tank and they've got a ton of Apple-specific features that make them seamless to use with my devices.

That said, I do think it's disappointing that a pair of Apple's new(ish) flagship headphones don't support audio in a format released only 6 months later. I'm under no illusions Bluetooth can carry that kind of bandwidth, but it sucks they couldn't figure out how to do it via a wired connection.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Let me know if there’s a lossless codec supported over bluetooth, on any platform.
This is not an Apple issue, it’s a tech issue. The tech is not there to begin with.

Don't AirPods Max come with a cable that doesn't play lossless either? Has nothing to do with BT...but again most people are not engineer and don't care WHY...

 

[scheinderrob]

i feel sorry for people who bought an airpox max, that really sucks

 

[hatchettjack]

One thing I found odd from the original AirPods Max launch was that the APM can't be used with a USB-C -> Lightning cable plugged into a Mac or iPad. To me this seems like an obvious solution, but I guess Apple was greedy and wanted to sell more Lightning -> 3.5mm cable's for the wired use case.

My MacBook Pro has a 3.5 mm headphone jack

 

[bobmans]

This is disappointing, but I think "scammed" is taking it a bit far. I bought a pair too, and they do everything they said they'd do when I bought them. They sound great, the noise cancellation is incredible, they're built like a tank and they've got a ton of Apple-specific features that make them seamless to use with my devices.

That said, I do think it's disappointing that a pair of Apple's new(ish) flagship headphones don't support audio in a format released only 6 months later. I'm under no illusions Bluetooth can carry that kind of bandwidth, but it sucks they couldn't figure out how to do it via a wired connection.

The ALAC format was released in 2004 and open sourced in 2011. Not "6 months later".
What got released today is nothing you couldn't have known 6 months ago... Now you're just able to stream lossless instead of playing it from your downloaded library (if you owned lossless audio)

 

[Bandaman]

Hey, did you hear that Apple will be releasing an Audiophile quality streaming service next month?
Did you also hear that Apple's brand new Audiophile headphones can't play it?

It has nothing to do with entitlement, it's called common sense.

Yeah this is pretty stupid.

 

[Bandaman]

High end audiophile headphones are NOT bluetooth, never have been.

Which is why not allowing the option of having them plugged in is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[mariusignorello]

I would’ve expected them to have some sort of Apple-innovative built in DAC for this reason. Odd that they left this out.

 

[Kazgarth]

In the end, that's the technical limitation of Bluetooth technology. And I'm pretty sure if they somehow increase the bandwidth it will decrease the battery life. I'm fine with how crystal clear the sound is on my Airpods Max.

 

[Koni17]

I can‘t believe there are people in here trying to defend Apple. This is absolutely embarassing. Apple has a release roadmap that is years, not months. They absolutely knew that releasing lossless audio right after the AirPods Max release would eat into the sales of the devices, so they timed the release after the original hype for the APM‘s has died down, and the return window is over, otherwise they would have sold a LOT less APMs.

This is pretty scummy, even for Apple standards. I feel like development for the AirPods Max was extremely delayed, this just confirms the hardware was outdated when they released it, but decided to release them anyways instead of delaying again for updated hardware. I‘m glad I returned my APM‘s(for other reasons), but I feel really bad for the people now stuck with them.

 

[ipponrg]

i feel sorry for people who bought an airpox max, that really sucks

I don't really feel feel sorry for people who bought an airpod max. They didn't really do the proper research beforehand.

Which is why not allowing the option of having them plugged in is absolutely ridiculous.

This sounds like more of a technical limitation on Apple's part:

"Apple's AirPods Max headphones are equipped with a Lightning port, but it is limited to analog output sources and will not natively support digital audio formats in wired mode. Apple has not yet said whether the AirPods Max support lossless audio over Lightning with a digital to analog converter."

Don't worry, there will probably be another dongle for your dangle

 

[deebinem]

Shooting in the dark here, but maybe because most people aren't engineers?

Neither am I but I am pretty good at researching.

I gave up on having hi-res FLAC/ALAC while on the go since I wanted to save space firstly but also realized that once I switched to bluetooth, there was no reason to use ALAC when a 320 AAC worked just as well. Saved the lossless stuff for the home system. Besides, there is no ANC in the world good enough to drown out every single loud crazy roaming the platforms on the A/C line here in NYC.

 

[smulji]

I wonder if the Lightning connector just can't handle ALAC at the bit-rates Apple Lossless works at?

That could explain why the Air Pods Max are not able to support it even wired.

Apple knows their roadmap well in advance. That the APM, a $549 pair of headphones, don't support lossless over Lightening is plain dumb.

 

[ralphthemagi]

nope. they don't have an analog input. only digital.

What is this for then?

Lightning to 3.5 mm Audio Cable (1.2m) - White

This cable allows you to connect your Beats Solo Pro headphones to 3.5 mm audio ports. It can also connect your iOS or iPadOS device to 3.5 mm audio ports.

www.apple.com

 

[ignatius345]

Let me know if there’s a lossless codec supported over bluetooth, on any platform.
This is not an Apple issue, it’s a tech issue. The tech is not there to begin with.

Of course. But there is a wired connection on the APM which Apple was apparently not forward-looking enough to make compatible with a service they must have been working on when the APM were released.

Now, there may well be technical reasons for not providing a way to pipe in an analog signal, but I have a less expensive pair of headphones (Grado GW100) that manage to have Bluetooth and an analog in, so it's weird Apple didn't manage it, particularly at a $550 price point.

The APM do everything they did when I bought them, sure, and I like them a lot. But this feels like a pretty weird omission!

 

[Rigby]

It seems a reasonable assumption to me. Not to mention, before ripping-off customers $600 for the headphones

You're talking about a company that sells a $350 keyring ...

 

[Wildkraut]

I find it odd that the people at Apple responsible for working on high resolution streaming apparently don’t collaborate with the software and hardware engineering teams responsible for HomePod and AirPod products

They do, but then an Apple Monetising Genius a.k.a. Tim Cook joins the chat and say: "Wait a minute - you both know it's a walled garden, right? We'll sell extra amazing magic gorgeous lossless devices for this, for >999$!" ?

 

[KrispE00]

AirPods Pro Max+™️©® - Coming June, 2021

 

[now i see it]

Nothing to fear, they'll undoubtably come out with a pair of $750 Headphones Pro that will work just fine

 

[ignatius345]

What is this for then?

Lightning to 3.5 mm Audio Cable (1.2m) - White

This cable allows you to connect your Beats Solo Pro headphones to 3.5 mm audio ports. It can also connect your iOS or iPadOS device to 3.5 mm audio ports.

www.apple.com

That's a digital cable. It's there so that you can use the APM with a device that has only a minijack connection.

 

[CaTOAGU]

But it supports Spatial Audio right?

Yes it does

 

[smulji]

I’d love to know who was in the product meetings when the HomePod and AirPods Max were being discussed. I still don’t know who these products were/are for. An audiophile is going to want a wired connection and if you’re not an audiophile these products cost more than most would be willing to spend.

My hunch is that with respect to audio, Apple has bet its future on Dolby Atmos / Spatial Audio so the HomePod / AirPods should provide the best possible experience for that codec. Lossless / Hi-Res Lossless is for those demanding audiophiles who want more than what the HomePod / APM can offer. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, that's just how I see it.

 

[hajime]

Don't the AirPods Max support analog input via a 3.5mm to Lightning cable? What's the problem?

I contacted Apple Support today. First the so-called Specialist said there is no port for any cable to be plugged into the AirPodsMax. Then, when I asked about Atmos support, he said that there would be support and through a cable to the Max!

 

[deebinem]

You're talking about a company that sells a $350 keyring ...

You talking about Apple or Hermés? The latter has been known to sell $4700 backpacks

 

[smulji]

And, what WIRED headphones support ALAC? Aren't wired headphones analog? I'm not getting what ridiculous pairing of an iPhone and headphones you need to make this Lossless service actually work?

Great question.