Apple Music Hi-Fi Tier

[Marco Klobas]

A rumor is claiming that Apple is going to introduce a Hi-Fi tier to its Apple Music streaming service, keeping the price unchanged:

 

https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=326262&title=APPLE-GOING-HI-FI?

[grinner]

Would be good news - anything that gets genuinely high quality audio out can't be bad. I personally don't have Apple Music mainly because there has been no "Hi-FI" option.

[Paul R]

Looks like it is real this time! 

 

Apple Music to get lossless music in June 2021...

 

 

[Pierre LeMonf]

Will it be world wide as well? Definitely I am curious, although I am quite happy with Qobuz.

[Marco Klobas]

I guess it will be available wherever Apple Music is available.

 

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212183

 

I was hoping for a June 1st rollout. We'll see if it will be available before WWDC or after.

[bobbmd]

@Marco Klobas @Pierre LeMonf @grinner @Paul RYuk yuk yuk...these people alive and dead never cared about HiRes streaming before why does any one think they might now except it means $$$ in their pockets(and mine as a long time stockholder and user of their macs and phones)—and ROON/Audirvana don’t indicate they will be allowed to use it (or Spotify either)—read our leader and founder remarks elsewhere he is somewhat more hopeful and optimistic if I remember correctly— I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole I love Qobuz/TIDAL ROON/Audirvana Studio and A+3.5.46 I don not like Music at all regardless of the format

[AudioDoctor]

It looks like tomorrow at 12pm PDT, immediately after the WWDC keynote, Apple Music has something to say.

 

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/06/apple-music-event-june7-after-wwdc/

[bobbmd]

@AudioDoctor I will be interested in what they say I am open minded enough to at least listen but I may have too much invested in Audirvana ROON TIDAL and Qobuz but I will listen especially if they include access to the above and easily give me back my iTunes library that I spent 2 full NFL seasons ripping to my hard drive and it disappeared somehow to iCloud when I upgraded to Catalina!!

[AudioDoctor]

8 minutes ago, bobbmd said:

@AudioDoctor I will be interested in what they say I am open minded enough to at least listen but I may have too much invested in Audirvana ROON TIDAL and Qobuz but I will listen especially if they include access to the above and easily give me back my iTunes library that I spent 2 full NFL seasons ripping to my hard drive and it disappeared somehow to iCloud when I upgraded to Catalina!!

 

How damned frustrating. I remember when that was going on. I made damn sure I had a solid backup before going ahead. I like you, don't see much utility for me if I can't use it inside Roon as easily as other services such as Qobuz.

[AudioDoctor]

So this was allegedly launched today but I'll be damned if I can even find a shred of evidence of that.

[bobbmd]

I didn’t make a backup but some of it showed up on studio don’t ask me how it migrated there including 163 of Dead’s original debuts/ first time they sang songs live— go figure?!!

[bobbmd]

I couldn’t either beware of Apples bearing gifts 🎁 

[AudioDoctor]

20 minutes ago, bobbmd said:

I couldn’t either beware of Apples bearing gifts 🎁 

 

ha, my music is on a Linux Server these days, only thing my Mac does is run the Roon control GUI. I learned my lessons well.

[AudioDoctor]

How on earth am I able to tell what bitrate is palying? Even an mp3 (aac?) would show as 16/44 so?

[AudioDoctor]

Curious

[AudioDoctor]

and finally.

[Marco Klobas]

It seems that Dolby Atmos and Lossless are both slowly rolling out for users on iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

 

Check in your Music's app preferences if the options to turn on are available: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212183

 

It hasn't appeared here yet. Be patient, right know it isn't available for everyone. Wait and check from time to time.

 

I've read that not the entire Apple Music catalogue is lossless yet. Minimum CD quality (44.1 kHz) for all songs is expected later in the year. That said, some users already spotted 96 kHz tracks.

 

Automatic sampling rate switching isn't available in macOS 🙄. Hope Apple will eventually improve this aspect: maybe with Monterey this fall? Who knows...

 

iOS/iPadOS sampling rate switching seems automatic.

[AudioDoctor]

I got it working. The trick is to just start toggling settings and it will appear. It worked for me on my phone and my Mac.

 

However... and it's a big however...

 

Audio Midi does NOT change sample rate. Now, when playing a file marked as "lossless" perhaps that's not a big deal, but...

[AudioDoctor]

And then it disappeared when I went to play the hi res lossless file...

[AudioDoctor]

I am not seeing many reasons to use this, while sitting at my Mini I can use the Qobuz desktop app just as easily, and it actually works as expected and desired.

[AudioDoctor]

38 minutes ago, Marco Klobas said:

That said, some users already spotted 96 kHz tracks.

 

I did, but the sample rate in Audio Midi did not change when I tried to play it, meaning the computer was resampling it down to CD Quality, and it sounded terrible.

[Stereo]

1 minute ago, AudioDoctor said:

I am not seeing many reasons to use this, while sitting at my Mini I can use the Qobuz desktop app just as easily, and it actually works as expected and desired.

As for sample rate switching I’d request it here:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/apple-music.html

 

along with any other features you’d like to get or feedback you wish to give. Apple Music’s features far surpass Qobuz currently. As for sound quality though how would you say Apple Music compares to Qobuz?

[Marco Klobas]

8 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

I did, but the sample rate in Audio Midi did not change when I tried to play it, meaning the computer was resampling it down to CD Quality, and it sounded terrible.

 

Yes, as I wrote, automatic sample rate switching isn't available. On Mac has been this way for years, unfortunately. Even for files played locally. BitPerfect app helps in the latter case.

 

Hope for a change on Apple's side with the next operating system Monterey. I'm not holding my breath, though.

[AudioDoctor]

2 minutes ago, Stereo said:

As for sound quality though how would you say Apple Music compares to Qobuz?

 

Qobuz kills it in sound quality. First of all, I am getting actual high res files that aren't being resampled by my computer. Second, I can set the Qobuz desktop app to use an output different than the one the computer itself is using, which means the music going to the DAC, my Modi Multibit in this case, is unmolested as much as possible. The High Res Lossless I found in Apple Music before it disappeared again sounded terrible for all these reasons.

 

[AudioDoctor]

22 minutes ago, Marco Klobas said:

 

Yes, as I wrote, automatic sampling rate switching isn't available. On Mac has been this way for years, unfortunately. Even for files played locally. BitPerfect app helps in the latter case.

 

Hope for a change on Apple's side with the next operating system Monterey. I'm not holding my breath, though.

 

If it doesn't, there is absolutely no need for hi res anything, even with an external DAC, unless they make it not only switch sample rate, but also make it so that the Music App can play to an exclusive output.

 

And this isn't even my main use case for Qobuz. When I stream it in Roon through the big rig its glorious.