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Apple Music Beta for Android Confirms Lossless Audio Streaming in the Works
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Heh...Apple's finally found a way to get the rest of us to bump up to the larger capacity iPhones - most of us have been quite happy living with 64GB - but hi-fi lossless is doing to get many of us to bump up to 256GB or more, when offered, so we can have more music downloaded on our phones (if nothing more, to minimize the hit to our cellular data usage).
Never understood the 192 khz rate in HiFi audio. Human hearing is limited to about 22 Khz (if your lucky to be able to hear at that range) so you only need 44 Khz (Nyquist rate) to do the samples. 24bit is probably more important as will give a bit more fidelity but I think most people would be hard pushed to tell the difference unless have a very expensive home audio system.
On mobile devices it is pointless due to outside noise such as wind, traffic etc.
On mobile devices it is pointless due to outside noise such as wind, traffic etc.
Also the iPhone is limited to 24-bit/48 kHz currently if outputting audio via the headphone jack adapter so you would need another external DAC to go higher. Lossless audio is pointless over Bluetooth.
Although I personally am convinced that 90%+ of all music streamers don't ever use headphones or speakers that make above 256kbps audio noticeable, Apple would definitely get a leg up on Spotify if they offered the new HiFi option without adding additional costs to Apple Music subscriptions.
Also, the fact that this would probably launch this month would mean a lot in terms of market shares as this would also lessen a bit of the potential hype that Spotify's Hifi option might create.
Crossing my fingers that this isn't limited to certain devices or the next AirPods "3".
The thing that's keeping all of this from really making a serious impact is Bluetooth -So terribly limited in so many ways unless there's some new Bt 5.2 that just overhauls audio like nothing before. I bet that's the core of why we should care about the upcoming AirPods 3.
Also, the fact that this would probably launch this month would mean a lot in terms of market shares as this would also lessen a bit of the potential hype that Spotify's Hifi option might create.
Crossing my fingers that this isn't limited to certain devices or the next AirPods "3".
The thing that's keeping all of this from really making a serious impact is Bluetooth -So terribly limited in so many ways unless there's some new Bt 5.2 that just overhauls audio like nothing before. I bet that's the core of why we should care about the upcoming AirPods 3.
The whole strategy of offering the apps and various services free but "forcing" you to upgrade to the latest hardware to get access is very typical of Apple and absolutely something I can see happening for this Apple Music "Hifi" option.
My prediction is that AirPods "3" will just get a bump up to Bluetooth 5.1 or 5.2 but that it'll use the same H1 chip that we know from AirPods 2, AirPods Pro and Max. This will mean that 1st gen AirPods and many of the Beats headphones will be rendered incompatible with the new Hifi option for Apple Music.
The H1 was introduced with the AirPods Pro. So, assuming these AirPods "3" are a slight step down in features and price compared to the AirPods Pro, it's hard to see Apple upgrading all components of them as this would effectively cannibalise a lot of AirPods Pro sales.
A future "H2" chip would be reserved for AirPods Pro "2" launching in a year or two.
Maybe. I’ll have to try it to decide. In theory, the benefit to lossless when combined with Bluetooth is that the music would only be compressed as transmitted to your headphones, where as currently, as I understand it, AAC music (already lossy / compressed) is not passed through to your headphones untouched, but has to be encoded again on the way to your Bluetooth headphones. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how good this still sounds, and it’s entirely possible that the benefit over Bluetooth would be imperceptible. I’d still like to do some comparing though with those certain types of music / recordings / instruments that tend to suffer the most from compression.
AAC is, if your headphones support it, passed on unmodified, at least up to the usual bit rates. Only if you are on aptX or LDAC you will have to reencode, in which case it will be better if your source is lossless.
Will Bluetooth support it? Seems great for a hardwired ATV into an audio rack/AVR, but Bluetooth to my cars audio?
Amen to that. Not only useful for my AirPods max and pro. But would also like to see this coming to the Apple TV. Perfectly for my new loudspeakers. Hopefully it can make my Sonus Fabers sound sky high.
Was already slightly looking to Qobuz to test some hifi subscription. But would rather like to stay within Apple Music. Ever since I just got AM since last year. Before I was using Spotify, but got fed up with their whining about unfair business, etc. While they don’t really pay their artists enough.
Was already slightly looking to Qobuz to test some hifi subscription. But would rather like to stay within Apple Music. Ever since I just got AM since last year. Before I was using Spotify, but got fed up with their whining about unfair business, etc. While they don’t really pay their artists enough.
Wired CarPlay user and Qubuz subscriber here.
The system in my electric Hyundai is impressive and lossless Qubuz over lossy Spotify is clearly identifiable.
Depends on your car brand. If you drive a Maserati or some other Hi(if)-end brand than maybe you’ll hear the difference.
But on normal cars such as Hyundai, mazda, vw, Volvo and other brands I don’t think you notice the difference. Car acoustics are really difficult to get sound right.
Just my 2 cents.
I’m in exactly the same situation (except no Roon for me), and Qubuz has been a real ear opener for me.
I have Aspergers and am really finicky about my music and quality, so Qubuz has been a major plus for my life.
Ironically, the lightning headphone adapter is capable of way much more but apple have refused thus far to unlock it. Keep the low price & unlock the higher frequencies, it'd fly & take out half the aftermarket DACs with it.
Can the A8 handle 24/192, seriously? This isn't masses of computing power we're talking here, it's only because apple have convinced folk that less is more. Just have a look on the app store at the main player apps such as onkyo or korg as see how long they've been about for. I've had Hi-Res audio files on my iPhone for as long as I can remember at least as far back as the 5S, hell even iTunes has accepted/[played Hi-Res files in ALAC going back to the 2006 MB (granted the souncard only went to 24/96, not that any hardware isn't capable of playing it), if not longer, the prob being that the iPhone hardware refused to play it unaided by an external DAC, not that the 'chip' couldn't handle it.
If your headphones are above $300 it will be kinda obvious.
When I want the highest quality audio I try to get it from the artists directly, like .FLAC on Bandcamp. And even then I don't usually listen to it with my good equipment, that's when I'm recording/composing/producing. I can tell the differences in the audio quality but it's usually not worth it enough to replace my whole music library or bring my equipment everywhere.
I'm surprised apple haven't done this sooner tbh since they have their own lossless codec (albeit based largely on FLAC). I ripped alot of CD's in ALAC many many many years back!!! now i wonder if these will be matched properly in the cloud going forward.
However I do second some of the points on this thread about being able to tell the difference. Only wait to know is a blind listening test. However I'm all up for apple giving me more value out of my subscription, I do hope they don't charge extra for it ...
However I do second some of the points on this thread about being able to tell the difference. Only wait to know is a blind listening test. However I'm all up for apple giving me more value out of my subscription, I do hope they don't charge extra for it ...
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If you bothered to read my post you will see that is exactly what I said. Apple has obviously had this sitting in the wings ready to go for a while. You totally ignored my point which was they only pulled the trigger after Spotify announced their HiFi Tier. Without that we would still be left waiting. Try reading the OP before trying to be a smart ass.
We have no evidence to suggest that they waited for Spotify to announce first. Also, unless we get leaked emails, we don't even know which company started negotiating with or reached out to the record labels first, or if they record labels contacted streaming providers.
People would still complain if Apple announced theirs first
I don't see the problem. Is competition a bad thing?I didn't say it was. I'm saying most of the people who claim they can tell a difference - even with expensive equipment - can't. So even a good chunk out of the people with expensive headphones or listening gear will say they can hear a difference, but if were to test to prove it, would fail.