Recent content by as286

I do not know whether Ultra or CXA81 has a better DAC but I can tell you the following: - A streamer will pick up the highest quality your subscription allows (in this case lossless - CD quality - on Spotify). You will then be able to decide what to do with that signal. One option is let the...

PX8 are an excellent pair of headphones with a good onboard DAC. What would make most sense is for you to connect them to iPhone via a USB C cable. This ensures lossless transmission up to 24/48 from iPhone. It is not night and day but I notice a slight bump in quality compared to Bluetooth...

I can confirm I am still experiencing exactly what you are describing.

I have just been in touch with Tidal support about a problem I have been having with iOS 18.1 when directly connected to an external DAC. This is a problem that affects all iOS 18.1 devices apparently. What happens is that the DAC will only get 16/44.1 no matter what the declared sound quality...

My understanding is that it should play the files in the maximum resolution the protocol allows. This is one of the few instances when lossless functions without funny downgrades. BTW, the Airplay 2 on Apple Music is, contrary to some reports, still not lossless. On some streamers it shows...

You can see it as a less convenient approach, yes, I would agree with you completely and would prefer an "Apple Connect" solution any time. I use both Tidal and Qobuz with different audio devices and they are so much simpler than the uncertainty of what you get with Airplay. Having said that...

That used to be the case, you are absolutely right. You always had some control over it in that you could have the fortune of using Airplay 1, which was always lossless, see here and here (although, bit perfect is a better term to use, I think). The debate above is whether we can now be sure...

Thanks, Andrew, that is helpful. I agree with you, the fact that you cannot tell the difference on your good equipment probably means that it is finally lossless. Do you remember what your streamer was showing previously? This has been a problem for a lot of people for a while. A reasonably...

Reports are circulating that Apple Music now finally streams lossless over Airplay 2 (as opposed to AAC 256 as used to be the case). See here. If so, this would a new and welcome development. Is there anybody who could convincingly (i.e. on the receiving end) test whether this is true?

Nope. Even on Apple's own Airplay 2 with Apple Music, the signal will be converted to AAC256. This is not a problem for Qobuz, though, which will happily go to the max (16/44.1) Airplay 2 allows. There are two possibilities, though. One, if you have a Mac and you set your system output to...

You can use any streamer, e.g. Wiim Mini. This will bypass iPhone's internal DAC. Remember, though, you cannot stream lossless from Apple Music If you want lossless, you need a wired connection.

Rotel RA-1572 MKII is an excellent piece of kit. You can connect iPhone or iPad with a charging cable into Rotel's USB and you will get not only lossless but also hi-res from Apple Music. For Bluseound, set system output to Airplay on your Mac and you will get lossless on Apple Music. See also...

It is not possible yet, may never be. Only Sonos has Apple Music streaming (probably pays for it) but it is not lossless. If you use Airplay 2 it will be converted from lossless or hi-res to AAC256. It would still sound fine but lossless it is not. Only Apple Music has this problem, Qobuz etc...

No, there is no difference. Digital is digital and lossless is lossless. Older versions of iPhones cannot run newer iOS which enables lossless in Apple Music but we are talking iOS 14.6 and earlier. You will not gain anything if you buy a newer phone.

When you stream from Apple Music on a Mac, the MIDI App controls the source and the bit depth. It does not do so automatically, you have to manually enter it and change the bit/hertz settings every time your source quality changes. That means - when you switch from an album in 16/44.1 CD quality...