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Article: Apple Music Lossless Mess Part 2: AirPlay


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This is a 192 kHz track:

 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/blues-to-elvin/962196097?i=962196098

 

What Apple Music displays is what Apple Music offers, which is not necessarily what the user hears. For example I can listed to the above 192 kHz song with my AiPods Pro. The app shows 192 kHz even though I clearly can't listen to 192 kHz due to the limitation of AirPods Pro.

 

AirPlay audio (1 and 2) is a 44.1 kHz protocol. Everything over 44.1 kHz is downsampled.

 

It's not clear if your Yamaha WXC-50 is AirPlay 1 or 2. You stated "using Airplay2 to Yamaha WXC-50, Airplay1".

 

Is it 1 or 2?

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Indeed.

 

The same video was shared on Roon forum and I replied that he showed the sample rate matching which is automatic on iOS and iPadOS.

 

The bit perfect issue isn't covered.

 

Moreover he claimed two times that 48 kHz is possible via AirPlay which isn’t true for audio only streams.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Just to inform that the recently released macOS Monterey changed nothing (as expected 🙄...) about automatic sample rate switching in Audio MIDI Setup.

 

Actually, I guess that it's specifically the Music app that should be updated to offer the exclusive mode rather than the operating system.

 

An interesting added feature is that a Mac can now act natively as an AirPlay receiver.

 

I've not tested yet the bit perfect side of this new feature.

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A follow up from Roon's forum: I made the usual Apple Music AirPlay recording/comparison test with a Mac acting as a receiver (via macOS Monterey) and the result is still not bit perfect. The AirPlay receiver in Monterey is seen as version 2; thus the result is unfortunately expected.

 

Interestingly, another user claimed that the bit perfect test is passed when a hi-res audio is sent through AirPlay to Monterey with Audio MIDI Setup properly set (Apple Music is not involved in this case). He used an RME ADI-2 DAC to prove it.

 

@The Computer Audiophile, have you already installed Monterey? Could you verify if a hi-res AirPlay audio is really possible with macOS Monterey?

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  • 1 month later...

Speaking of bit perfect playback, AirPlay 1 – as you have noticed from the tests – is somehow the least worst choice right now. AirPlay 2 is even more compromised.

 

I guess Auralic offers AirPlay 1. Lossless streaming is achievable, hi-res no.

 

AirPlay – or I should rather say Music app/iOS/iPadOS  – is lately showing other annoyances:

  • Gapless playback sometimes is broken
  • After ~8 minutes of an AirPlay session I experience sometimes a short hiccup in the audio stream

Now, I don't hold my breath waiting Apple offering hi-res audio via AirPlay or even fix the bit perfect issue. I hope Apple will fix the gapless and the hiccup issues eventually, though. It worked fine before the latest software updates...

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  • 2 weeks later...

As Chris said:

 

Quote

macOS Notable

  1. Apple's Music App, lossless local content, AirPlay 1 to AirPort Express 1st Gen - bit perfect at 44.1.
  2. UPDATED: Apple's Music App, lossless local content, AirPlay 2 to Bluesound Node 2i - bit perfect at 44.1 only if the system-wide AirPlay device is set. If AirPlay device only selected in the Music app, the output is NOT bit perfect.
  3. UPDATED: Apple's Music App, lossless local content, AirPlay 2 to AirPort Express 2nd Gen - bit perfect at 44.1 only if the system-wide AirPlay device is set. If AirPlay device only selected in the Music app, the output is NOT bit perfect.
  4. Apple's Music App, lossless local content, USB output - bit perfect at 44.1.

 

It means that your old AirPort Express – which is AirPlay 1 – will always get bit perfect local ALAC playback. The bit perfect is lost when an AirPlay 2 device is used and when the AirPlay is chosen within Music app.

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