Apple Music Hi-res

[Pwalder]

I have tried streaming Apple music and playing downloaded Apple Music files both in lossless (up to 24/48) and hires Lossless formats (>24/48). Lossless plays (24/48) streams and plays without issues but Hires Lossless cut out after a few seconds both when streaming and playing downloaded files. My setup in  dual Phantom 1 (103db) and I am playing over Airplay 2 from an iPad Pro (2nd Gen). Both Phantoms are connected by Ethernet. Hires files up to 24/96 play without a problem using UPnP from Qobuz via mConnectHD app.
Is there anyway to play Apple Muscpic 24/192 files from the iPad with or without some direct cable link or is 24/48 the ‘limit’?
I understand that there seems to be some debate that the Phantoms may down sample to some format such as 24/96 and that there is potentially some difference between optical input signals limit and Airplay 2 constraints. 
Any advice on how to optimise Apple Music streams/files with Phantoms would be appreciated. 
Thanks

[Pwalder]

This article addresses many of the questions raised in my previous post but as a Phantom owner would I need the Audioquest Dragonfly linked to the Apple AV to USB cable or would the Phantoms own DAC architecture obviate the need for the Dragonfly? If the Dragonfly DAC is not needed, what intermediate hardware would be needed between the Apple AV-USB cable to get the signal into the Phantom’s optical input?

https://darko.audio/2021/06/the-best-way...ple-music/

[alandbush]

If the Dragonfly DAC is not needed, what intermediate hardware would be needed between the Apple AV-USB cable to get the signal into the Phantom’s optical input?

https://darko.audio/2021/06/the-best-way...ple-music/

As a proof of concept there is this cheap USB to SPDIF converter.

More audio aware (read expensive) is this USB to SPDIF converter.

A step up(?) to a IFi converter.

Not forgetting the DevialetChat favourite the Mutec USB MC3.

[Pwalder]

If the Dragonfly DAC is not needed, what intermediate hardware would be needed between the Apple AV-USB cable to get the signal into the Phantom’s optical input?

https://darko.audio/2021/06/the-best-way...ple-music/

As a proof of concept there is this cheap USB to SPDIF converter.

More audio aware (read expensive) is this USB to SPDIF converter.

A step up(?) to a IFi converter.

Not forgetting the DevialetChat favourite the Mutec USB MC3.

Thank you. That is Very helpful.

[ogs]

This thread over at the Roon forum discusses Apple's view on lossy vs lossless: https://community.roonlabs.com/t/apple-m...dio/163347

[Confused]

This might be of interest to some:

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/bits-and-...lay-r1026/

At 16/44.1, AirPlay 1 appears to outperform AirPlay 2, which is a little curious.

[eniriop]

I have tried streaming Apple music and playing downloaded Apple Music files both in lossless (up to 24/48) and hires Lossless formats (>24/48). Lossless plays (24/48) streams and plays without issues but Hires Lossless cut out after a few seconds both when streaming and playing downloaded files. My setup in  dual Phantom 1 (103db) and I am playing over Airplay 2 from an iPad Pro (2nd Gen). Both Phantoms are connected by Ethernet. Hires files up to 24/96 play without a problem using UPnP from Qobuz via mConnectHD app.
Is there anyway to play Apple Muscpic 24/192 files from the iPad with or without some direct cable link or is 24/48 the ‘limit’?
I understand that there seems to be some debate that the Phantoms may down sample to some format such as 24/96 and that there is potentially some difference between optical input signals limit and Airplay 2 constraints. 
Any advice on how to optimise Apple Music streams/files with Phantoms would be appreciated. 
Thanks

I can stream 24/96 from Apple Music on a Macbook Pro with Airplay 2 to the Phantoms I or II without any cut out. You have to turn on the option in Apple music  audio quality settings menu : ALAC up to 24bit/192 khz.  If you choose instead ALAC up to 24/48,  that's what you get when Apple music streams. When you choose 24/192,  a warning sign comes that you need an external DAC to play higher than 24/48.  Switching from 24/48 to 24/192 in the Apple music lossless audio quality menu, I have noticed a marked improvement in audio definition and a wider audio scene playing a 24/96 file of this song: Elle m'appartient (Francis Cabrel, des roses et des orties). Therefore it seems that airplay 2 does indeed streams up to 24/96 at least to the Phantoms' DAC. I know get the same quality hires file as with Audirvana and Qobuz, but some hires albums are only available in Qobuz for the moment.

[eniriop]

How to stream hi-res music from apple music to Phantom I?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Check this:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212183
From a Macbook Pro you can play native Apple music files up to 24/96 via airplay 2 to a Phantom I or II.
On other Mac computers or IOS devices you are limited to 24/48 unless your external DAC supports higher sample rates, which is the case of the Phantom's DAC.
You have to enable "ALAC up to 24/192" in the audio quality preference menu for wifi streaming in Apple Music to stream sample rates higher  than 24/48. A music file available at 24/96 will be sent to  your phantom DAC, which downsamples it to 24/48 before converting it to analog. 
However, I have noticed that if you choose "ALAC up to 24/192" in the wifi audio preference menu of Apple Music, a good 24/96 file will sound better than if you select "ALAC up to 24/48",  even though the Phantom DAC is supposed to downsample it to 24/48 before playing it.

[frogster99]

What we actually need is for devialet to get off there arse and give us upnp directly from the devialet app. This then would mean if you are apple or android there is no divide,
its time now for devialet to pull there finger out.
if not they need to sort out chrome cast which is now capable of 48/96 for us android users. Every other speaker manufacture supports chrome cast.
Rant over.

[eniriop]

If the Dragonfly DAC is not needed, what intermediate hardware would be needed between the Apple AV-USB cable to get the signal into the Phantom’s optical input?

https://darko.audio/2021/06/the-best-way...ple-music/

As a proof of concept there is this cheap USB to SPDIF converter.

More audio aware (read expensive) is this USB to SPDIF converter.

A step up(?) to a IFi converter.

Not forgetting the DevialetChat favourite the Mutec USB MC3.

Thank you. That is Very helpful.

My old Macbook pro from early 2015 has an optical out headphone jack and can play up to 24/192 directly to the Phantoms I or II optical in jack. I can use Qobuz with audirvana, or roon, or now Apple Music to play hires files (with the streaming audio parameters set to ALAC up to 24/192).
If you can put your hands on one of these old Macbook or Imac/Mac mini (from 2013 to early 2015) you are all set:
https://support.apple.com/en-bw/HT202730
That said, it is hard to notice a difference playing hires files by UPNP or RAAT vs through the optical cable, and beyond  24/96 both methods lead to short gaps in the music in my set up with Macbook pro 2015.
But, since the last phantom update, no more gaps when playing 24/96 from Qobuz/Audirvana or Apple Music