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Apple TV Won't Support Hi-Res Lossless at Launch, AirPods Max Wired Playback 'Will Not Be Completely Lossless'
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New things always start in messy ways. Relax people.
True. But with the pandemic along with component shortages and manufacturing capacity disruptions in full force, it's difficult to achieve 100% perfection 100% of the time. Especially with a relatively low volume product like HomePod that likely takes a backseat to more revenue producing products like iPhone.
I believe a successor to the original HomePod is coming.
So let’s get this straight. The only device that would really allow you to take advantage of lossless (Apple TV) doesn’t support it.
True. That‘s why I bought two homepods as long as some merchants had them available in my region. One has already arrived (and exceeded my expectations so far) and the other one should arrive at the end of june. However, although it might be quite unusual for Apple to discontinue a product just to introduce a new iteration six months or a year later, it could very well happen. Apple did behave differently in the last few years than I was used to…
By buying two original HomePods after their discontinuation I bet my money that they won‘t, but we‘ll see!
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Yes, this is a discussion that always turns up when discussing lossless. I'll say up front that I can certainly hear the difference, but only with what we audio snobs
call mid-fi and up quality equipment and music sources.And yes there are probably diminishing returns the more money you spend. That is why I draw the line at mid-fi. Others go full bore and pay more for some accessories cables, for instance, than I paid for a pair of Sennheiser HD-650 headphones. More power to them
. I'm just jealous I suppose.On the other hand Apple's recent release of the AirPodMax headphone's price are knocking on the door of some pretty nice wired headphones (that indeed can take advantage of lossless music).
You certainly give up mobility when you go from BT headphones or little wired earbuds when you use equipment that can take advantage of lossless music. Maybe Apple is so innovative that they can break the wireless barrier and bring even better sound by dialing up their music and equipment to lossless music streaming? Sign me up!
I currently use Tidal, vs. Apple Music (even though I keep the Apple account for use in the car via CarPlay). I can certainly hear the difference in quality using my collection of two different headphone amplifiers and DACs.
But is the outlay of money for this equipment worth it? To me it is, for many it is not. What mystifies me is that Apple's own equipment doesn't seem quite ready to take advantage of goin lossless. Surely their lossless streaming computers (who were their first) can't really be putting a dent in the Apple $$$$ green machine?
In the end, just enjoy the music from wherever you can get it!
Yes, the Apple TV support lossless up to 24/48. What it doesn´t support its high resolution lossless audio (192/24).
Lossless CD quality is 16/44.
The market has demonstrated over and over again that people are perfectly happy with some loss in fidelity.
While it’s technically possible to hear the difference between VBR and fixed, 256k and lossless, etc., the vast majority of listeners are happy with 160k as long as they can boost the bass to dostortion.
While it’s technically possible to hear the difference between VBR and fixed, 256k and lossless, etc., the vast majority of listeners are happy with 160k as long as they can boost the bass to dostortion.
Exactly the point made in the great movie Once.
Everything sounds great in the studio, but to hear how something sounds to most people, you need to listen to it coming across crappy car speakers.
I like my Schiit:
Schiit Audio: Audio Products Made in USA
www.schiit.com
Truly, their stuff is decent and not incredibly expensive and offers all levels of cost. I have owned their equipment in the past, and currently run the Asgard3 with built-in DAC card. Yes, I paid for it, and am not shilling for them.
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We're not talking about fidelity loss easily spotted with mid- to high end equipment though - 256 AAC and lossless will still be EXTREMELY difficult to distinguish even on the very best systems. That's how non-existent the difference is and the reason why I find the self-proclaimed golden ears so ridiculous.
Apple Music "will not be completely lossless" during wired playback with the AirPods Max
...or to put it another way "it will be lossless", someone went on a marketing double-talk course prior to releasing that little statement.
...or to put it another way "it will be lossless", someone went on a marketing double-talk course prior to releasing that little statement.
When Amazon and Spotify jumped on Losless, Apple Management decided they had to follow. The Marketing dep did what it does best and sold it as the nest best thing ever, even while Engineering pointed out nobody would hear the difference and they had no supporting hardware. As a result, it blew up in their faces as everyone believed the marketing spin over what the experts say.
So now they have to scramble with support documents and fussy language stating Lossless is amazing and great but undistinguishable, all their devices produce exceptional quality even when it’s almost lossless, …
Next month this will all die down when people realise they really can’t hear any difference and notice their device storage is full as ALAC files are huge.
So now they have to scramble with support documents and fussy language stating Lossless is amazing and great but undistinguishable, all their devices produce exceptional quality even when it’s almost lossless, …
Next month this will all die down when people realise they really can’t hear any difference and notice their device storage is full as ALAC files are huge.
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Typical apple. Introducing **** that won’t work with half of their products. Way to go Timmy
Most people can’t tell the difference because we’re all raised on compressed digital audio. I’m a professional orchestral musician and absolutely CAN tell the difference because I’m exposed to it daily.
You mean like this? https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality
Or this? http://abx.digitalfeed.net/
Once through the NPR test isn’t sufficient. I recommend people do all of the songs 30 times to have some sort of reliability in telling the difference. If someone is right 2/3+ of the time on average (6 song clips, each one is repeated x3 for different levels of bit rates, repeated 30 times), then I’ll start to believe someone might be able to hear the difference. Ideally this test is run by an independent third party for verification.
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Would it be 2 channel mono or multi-channel “spatial” audio? Many artists say mono is the only true way to master music, as all other mastering methods introduce false information that isn’t what you hear in an audience.
I record at 24/48. 24 bits for editing headroom, 48khz because it's direct compatible with video formats. (48 is required for Atmos, for example.)
Otherwise... comparing apples-to-apples, I've never heard a difference between 16/44 and 24/48.
Otherwise... comparing apples-to-apples, I've never heard a difference between 16/44 and 24/48.
Ohhh, wonderful... may I ask which is your instrument?.
And what’s so infuriating is that in the total price of a car and the volumes of speakers and amps they install, adding $20-50 would massively improve the sound quality in your average car. But instead, they spend money on ambient lighting or touch sensitive AC controls.
Have you done a long, blinded test like this?
Is your audio system really ready for lossless?
Do an ABX test in your browser, and see if you can tell the difference between lossless and lossy audio
abx.digitalfeed.net
I’m nowhere near your level, since I’m only an amateur musician (been playing and performing for 30+ years though), and I cannot tell the difference. I’m at chance level on the tests. Granted, I’m not using any professional level audio equipment but I used AKG K553 MKII headphones (not amazing but also not low end) and couldn’t tell lossy from lossless (at least for >=128 kbps).
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For AirPods Max the ideal situation would be to connect Max to the iPhone Pro with a Pro cable.
If I connect my Max to my 12 Pro Max with an adapter will I get lossless audio?
If I connect my Max to my 12 Pro Max with an adapter will I get lossless audio?
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