Article: Apple Music Lossless Mess Part 2: AirPlay

[The Computer Audiophile]

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[new_media]

Thanks, Chris.

 

I guess I will be digging out my 1st Gen AirPort Express. Pretty sure it still works.

[bbosler]

Seems like there would be software that can capture a digital audio stream on the receiving end and compare it to what is being sent so you don't have to rely on this HDCD method. 

 

Isn't is possible that the stream retains whatever it is that triggers the HDCD light but alters the data in other ways?

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

6 minutes ago, bbosler said:

 

Isn't is possible that the stream retains whatever it is that triggers the HDCD light but alters the data in other ways?

There is no common way to alter a file and still leave the 16th bit untouched. Sure, if someone wanted to hack a file to make it pass this test, but be lossy, it could be done. However, in the real world, all common ways of modifying data destroy the 16th or 24th bit with the HDCD information (Conversion to AAC or MP3, Convolution, Volume control, etc…).

[Bevok]

I think it’s great that this info is out there to see and ensure a good implementation of lossless for playback over hifi systems. We shouldn’t get too excited yet I think as the lossless rollout has only just begun and like any streaming service it will take a while for the hardware stack to catch up. Given we aren’t paying any extra I don’t see any issues with this. I think it’s worth also bearing in mind that on Apples official support page for lossless last updated June 10 there is no mention of Airplay as a method of listening to lossless. 
Still really appreciate this as based on the forums I assumed Airplay would be valid. That said my 2 main systems are Airplay 1 so in a way I am getting lossless anyway by the sounds of it! I bought an Apple TV for the spacial audio, wonder if that does bitperfect (specced up to 24/48 in the settings).

Thanks

[Bevok]

PS although Qobuz has quite a way to go with their music discovery and some aspects of their UI this is certainly evidence that they are committed to their USP of delivering untainted hires. Glad I moved to them when they became available in New Zealand around the time of the Goldensound MQA video.

[Marco Klobas]

Thanks for your time for this thorough testing.

 

What really surprised me (and disappointed) is the following part:

 

On macOS
Apple's Music App, lossless streaming content, AirPlay 1 to AirPort Express 1st Gen - NOT bit perfect.
Apple's Music App, lossless streaming content, AirPlay 1 to Sonore Rendu (ShairPort) - NOT bit perfect.

[Marco Klobas]

Ah, this is even more disappointing:

 

iOS Notable
Apple's Music App, lossless streaming content, USB output with CCK - not bit perfect at 44.1.

 

I forgot to ask: on macOS, did you always choose AriPlay within Music app? Have you tested choosing AirPlay through volume menu bar (system-wide) instead?

[new_media]

46 minutes ago, new_media said:

Thanks, Chris.

 

I guess I will be digging out my 1st Gen AirPort Express. Pretty sure it still works.

 

It still works! Pulled it out of a box in the attic, plugged it in, and it actually joined my network immediately.

[The Computer Audiophile]

18 minutes ago, Marco Klobas said:

I forgot to ask: on macOS, did you always choose AriPlay within Music app? Have you tested choosing AirPlay through volume menu bar (system-wide) instead?

 

Holy $#!+. I thought this would only be worse and less "exclusive mode type" of thing. I just tried it and it actually is bit perfect to AirPlay 2 devices from a Mac once setup this way!

 

I will update the article!

[The Computer Audiophile]

Article updated with several UPDATED notes. 

 

Thanks to @Marco Klobas for mentioning this. 

 

With the configuration this way, it's possible to send lossless to both AirPlay 1 and 2 from the macOS!

[Marco Klobas]

8 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I will update the article!

 

Thanks, Chris.

 

I know it's not AirPlay-related: don't you find the lossless streaming from iOS/iPadOS through USB CCK not being bit perfect particularly disappointing?

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, Marco Klobas said:

I know it's not AirPlay-related: don't you find the lossless streaming from iOS/iPadOS through USB CCK not being bit perfect particularly disappointing?

Absolutely!

[new_media]

36 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Article updated with several UPDATED notes. 

 

Thanks to @Marco Klobas for mentioning this. 

 

With the configuration this way, it's possible to send lossless to both AirPlay 1 and 2 from the macOS!

 

Now that is surprising!

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, new_media said:

 

Now that is surprising!

Totally. It's almost as if Apple made a mistake by allowing lossless this way, when it seems to have coded the Music app not to be bit perfect. Who knows. 

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

Excellent write-up, thanks. This must have taken quite some time to prepare. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

23 minutes ago, hopkins said:

Excellent write-up, thanks. This must have taken quite some time to prepare. 

Tedious. Then, five minutes after publishing Marco thinks of testing the system wide setting that changes a ton!

 

The power of the community. 

[new_media]

 

I had to 

6 hours ago, Marco Klobas said:

I forgot to ask: on macOS, did you always choose AirPlay within Music app? Have you tested choosing AirPlay through volume menu bar (system-wide) instead?

 

I had to try this for myself. When I change the system-wide audio device to an AirPlay 2 device, "alerts and sound effects" continue to play through they built in speakers, confirmed in Audio MIDI Setup.

 

I was thinking that I would need to do something to prevent email alert notification from interrupting the music, but as long as there are no other open apps with audio output, I assume the signal should remain bit perfect for 16/44.

[Marco Klobas]

3 hours ago, new_media said:

I was thinking that I would need to do something to prevent email alert notification from interrupting the music, but as long as there are no other open apps with audio output, I assume the signal should remain bit perfect for 16/44.

 

In macOS -> Preferences -> Sound -> Sound Effects you can choose where to play alerts, which can differ from the main sound output.

 

You probably have set to play on internal speakers.

 

I'm afraid that sound alerts not controlled directly by the operating system continue to play through the main sound output. For example, a Slack notification coming from a browser session could play via AirPlay.

 

Anyway, I remember @wklie suggesting to use Do Not Disturb mode (plus other things like disabling Sound Check, EQ, Dolby Atmos and set AirPlay volume to max).

[carlo]

Hi Chris,

 

thanks so much for the tests.

Regarding video 1, you wrote:

 

"At 0:35 into the video you can see what happens when I adjust the volume. As soon as the volume is not at 100%, bit perfection is lost and the HDCD indicator turns off. When I increase the volume back to 100%, the indicator illuminates blue once again."

 

So, if I understand correctly, does the AirPlay volume in iOS always have to be at maximum to be bit-perfect?

Since the AirPlay volume also controls the volume of my Naim UnitiQute 1 (shairport-sync + Raspberry + HiFiBerry Digi + UnitiQute Digital SPDIF or AirConnect on my Mac Mini) and it is not possible to keep the amplifier volume at maximum , how can I solve?

As for AirConnect (link to the post I created https://github.com/philippe44/AirConnect/issues/356) that I use with my Naim UnitiQute 1, would you be able to test with this too?

Compared to shairport-sync, this software receives from AirPlay and then sends to the receiver via UPNP. The program code is not the same as shairport-sync but both can only receive ALAC as per the AirPlay 1 standard.

[wklie]

50 minutes ago, carlo said:

So, if I understand correctly, does the AirPlay volume in iOS always have to be at maximum to be bit-perfect?

 

Depends on implementation.

 

AirPlay Sender sends the volume metadata to the AirPlay receiver, separate from the bit perfect audio data.

 

For some Lumin analog output products, AirPlay volume does not affect bit perfect transfer from the network to the dual or quad DAC chips internally.

 

For Lumin digital output, Lumin will apply digital volume processing according to the AirPlay volume to output a volume-adjusted digital bit stream.  This is no longer bit perfect.

 

For shairport-sync, unless the integration takes special care to handle the volume, I assume it will output a volume-adjusted bit stream by default.  I'll see if I can find anything on this when I have time, or you could just ask mikebrady.  Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

[vortecjr]

Chris, thanks for doing this research. Also, thanks to Peter and Marco.

[senorx]

So, Amazon and Bluesound it is. (Still.)

[Danny Kaey]

the game changer here is Spatial Audio via Dolby Atmos for headphones. Lossless playback was a simply add-on that, given how complicated it is to playback, is not Apple's priority. Spatial audio playback via headphones - if the music is done right - forever removes the in your head feeling and actually makes someone like myself, who isn't all that much into headphones, listen to more music via headphones, preferably the ANC kind. 

 

PS: here is a link to my review on my new channel, SonicFlare:

 

Apple Music now featuring Lossless and Spatial audio! *Dolby Atmos - YouTube

[Gus141]

I found this article interesting too. 9to5mac found that using system-wide Airplay2 via iOS control center also allowed lossless to Homepod (even though Hoempod doesn’t natively support lossless *yet*); but only via the system-wide setting, getting the arrow:

[quote]

• The icon must appear as “iPhone -> HomePod;” if it’s that way, you will see a little “lossless” icon above the Play/Pause button.
• If it only appears “HomePod” in the AirPlay, it won’t stream in Lossless audio quality. [/quote]

The comments (towards the bottom of the comments thread) for that article explain how to get that Airplay mode via the control panel. There are some niggles. Here are some excerpts from those comments, but I recommend reading them in full to find the tidbits that helped people get it to work:

—selecting the HomePod from the "Speakers and TVs" interface, not "Control Other Speakers & TVs”

—You need to do it [re-direct audio to Airplay device] while a song is already playing [on the iPhone/iPad]

—might need to download in Lossless and play the downloaded song vs Streaming it

 

Reference: https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/09/ios-14-6-airplay-lossless-homepod/

 

@The Computer Audiophile maybe this would get lossless from iOS to your test equipment too. They couldn’t confirm lossless was *actually* delivered to the Homepod, just that the Lossless logo was showing.