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Why on earth would they convert analogue to digital in cable only to convert it back again to play? Even for Apple that’s overengineered nonsense.
 
Why on earth would they convert analogue to digital in cable only to convert it back again to play? Even for Apple that’s overengineered nonsense.
This is only referring to the case when you use the 3.5mm to Lightning / USB-C cable (which is obviously consuming an analog source). If you use a digital to digital cable (USB to Lightning / USB-C) then it's lossless.
 
Can anyone else confirm that the USB-C AirPods Max combined with the Apple 3.5mm to USB-C adapter does not work? Am I supposed to explicitly use the new 3.5mm to USB-C cable to get analog sources to work with the USB-C AirPods Max?

Updated my USB-C AirPods Max to the latest 7E101 firmware and tried connecting them to my MacBook Pro's 3.5mm jack via the 3.5mm USB-C adapter and can't hear anything. Connecting via a USB-C cable works fine. As far as I understand, the 3.5mm to USB-C adapter has both a DAC and ADC i.e. both directions of audio should work with it (although I did not see any proof of this on the official Apple product page, in comparison, the page for the 3.5mm to USB-C cable explicitly states that it is bi-directional).
 
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1) lossless can be played wirelessly with proper firmware update
Only wired via the USB-C input.

If you use a digital to digital cable (USB to Lightning / USB-C) then it's lossless.
(Wired) Lossless is only available for the USB-C AirPods Max, not the older Lightning one.

Lossless audio and ultra-low latency is only available for the USB-C AirPods Max, as lossless quality requires a USB-C connection (…)
 
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Oh right… so no matter how you look at it, cable will be needed to get lossless; not practical at all.
 
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I find this issue so confusing. It was much easier in the good old days of CDs.

Does this only work with Apple Music? If I download 24bit tracks from Qobuz can I play them on my iPhone using these headphones or do I need additional hardware such as a DAC converter?
Just reread article
 
Why is this still not available in the UK? Firmware page was last updated March 4, so it didn't even change to the broken 7E99, and now we don't have still the old 7A291 as the latest available instead of the fixed 7E101.

UK got the press release announcing it was going to be available in April, and is word-for-word the same as the US press release, yet we've got nothing.
 
Doesn’t it override the Bluetooth when you plug it in using the cable, you shouldn’t have to turn Bluetooth of
Yes, it also indicates this in the sound output menu:

Screenshot 2025-04-03 at 11.19.08.png


vs

Screenshot 2025-04-03 at 11.19.22.png
 
People saying the volume is very low when using lossless with usb c. That’s a huge let down
People can say what they want to say. It’s not true.

It got very very loud on my iPhone 16 Pro via the usb-c to usb-c wire that came with my USB-C Maxs.
 
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Nope. Loud enough to cause hearing damage on my iPhone 16 Pro. And it said USB audio in the audio output menu. Sorry to disappoint, it sounded good and I could hear the difference even though it was barely audible.

Hope everyone is using a cable that can transfer data and not just charge or something like that…
It’s low when connected to the iPhone, loud when connected to the Mac Studio, not sure why!
 
Can anyone recommend examples of good tracks to try on Apple Music they think emphasise the bluetooth / USB-C difference particularly well?
 
So over a wire, and only over USB-C despite no difference difference between these and the Lightning port models, you can still only pull 24bit/48khz?

An upgrade for folks who have them to be sure but I'd be disappointed. APM's are almost $800 CAD, sure I lack the head tracking and the option to go wireless but I have a FiiO KA1 and a set of Sennheiser HD599's I use with my Mac and iPhone and for $250ish I can do 24bit/192khz, of which there are some recordings in AM. The difference is negligible to most but it is there if you know what to listen for.

If the price were closer to earth I'd say who cares the difference is subjective at best but for almost four times the cost of a third party option with better specs you'd think they could at least support one of AM's headline features.
 
Can anyone recommend examples of good tracks to try on Apple Music they think emphasise the bluetooth / USB-C difference particularly well?

Not sure of your tastes but if you're into synthwave Neon Medusa by The Midnight is fantastic, and being 24bit/96khz in AM you should get a pretty noticeable difference switching to USB-C.

Prologue/Twilight off ELO's Time is great if prog rock is more your scene, it's also 24bit/96khz.

The jump to 24bit/48khz is going to cause a more profound change in dynamic range than it is overall detail so music that spans a range of intensities will bring that out more. Cloudbusting or And Dream of Sheep off Kate Bush's Hounds of Love 2018 remaster might be worth a listen too.

It's only encoded at 16/44.1 but The Legend of Ashitaka off of Joe Hisaishi's Princess Mononoke soundtrack is gorgeous and has a lot of back and forth between quieter and louder passages, might still be noticeably better over lossless.
 
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Can anyone recommend examples of good tracks to try on Apple Music they think emphasise the bluetooth / USB-C difference particularly well?
Dominique Fils-Aimé - Nameless
Dominique Fils-Aimé - Rise
Dead Can Dance - Rakim (Live) Remastered
Gidge - For Seoul Pt I
Superpoze - North
Childish Gambino- Terrified
Aurora - Runaway
Roque Baños - Asesinatos
Robyn - Honey
 
I can confirm very low volume when connected with USB C to iPhone. But more than enough volume when connected to my work PC.
 
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