Apple Music iPad vs Mac mini for USB DAC

[Yodalogger]

I've been irritated with the lack of ability of macOS to automatically switch USB audio output from Apple Music streams to the file native bit depth and sample rate. iOS is able to perform this feat so I replaced the Mac mini in my audio set up with an iPad Air4 connected to an OWC travel dock (link below). The Dock allows for power to the iPad, usb-A output to a DAC and an ethernet connection so I can turn off Wi-Fi. Seems to work fairly well so far, the DAC (Yggdrasil) shows that it is receiving the appropriate depth/rate. The Dock is a little quieter than a direct iPad usb connection to the DAC, but otherwise the sound quality seems unaltered. I'm interested if people have other iOS (or iPadOS) setups that are similar and what your experiences are like.

OWC USB-C Travel Dock E - 6 Ports of Connectivity

The best bus-powered dock to connect, charge, display, and import on-the-go. Compatible with any USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 equipped Mac, PC, tablet, or phone.

www.owcdigital.com

 

[Uofmtiger]

Yes, during the day, I sit in front of a screen with a Mac mini, but have switched to using an iPad M1 for audio. I use it with a BYEASY Stand and run the USB to a Topping DAC. It has HDMI out, so if I want to run this to a display and control across the room with a Bluetooth keyboard I can.

For some, it makes more sense to use an iPhone with a similar dock. It can be controlled by a watch, while the iPad is out of the loop, for some reason. I have a video on Youtube showing how I do this. However, in my main setup, I still mainly live with the 48k output of the AppleTV since my receiver can switch from stereo to Atmost (virtual) when the signal changes. I do have a dock for the iPad in the space just in case something comes out in HiRes that I want to hear on the main system, but 90 percent of the time, I just live with the AppleTV.

Hopefully, they will fill in some of these gaps down the road.