Apple high resolution streaming vs Tidal

With Apple's announcement of high resolutio audio streaming, is it time for audiophiles to abandon Tidal and Qobuz?

[@TPQ1235]

Paul, your comment regarding bit depth and sample rate being fixed as set via MIDI may apply to Macs but not iPhones or iPads. I believe both the iPhone and iPad OS adjusts bit depth and sample rate dynamically based upon each song’s recording rates. This is based upon my experience as an Apple Music subscriber who owns all three Apple devices.

[@TheDavo10001]

But depth is set in MIDI settings if you’re using MacOS to stream Apple Music, as mentioned in this video. However, if you use an iOS device (iPad or iPhone) you get automatic sample rate switching to match the source audio.

[@alganmiKhaled]

Thank you for the great information. I have a question about Bluetooth LDAC codec is it the appropriate approach for transmitting high-res audio

[@goborbobor4851]

Entertaining and informative as always. I just love listening to Paul. Thank you!! 😀😀😀

[@MonroeYohey]

I tend to listen to albums and change the midi settings to the specifications of each album so that is not upsampling or downsampling. I usually have subscription to all the services and will share my thoughts at somepoint. Thanks for your thoughts Paul.

[@dudexyt]

AAC is made by several companies and not Apple, but basically by companies in the MPEG group. It is better than MP3, which is why Apple uses it for iTunes/Apple Music. Apple Music does sound good on the Mac but it doesn't offer a way to auto adjust the bit rate to match what the DAC can do, so using the Audio Midi Setup program is a necessity. But you can use an iDevice with the appropriate dongles to get auto-switching for your DACS.

[@Andersljungberg]

But on the apple website it says something about you can get their ACC quality with beats headphones and apple headphones like they would he own unique ACC

[@Andersljungberg]

You can. Have a larger DAC.

[@TorToroPorco]

I’ve been using Apple Music primarily on my iPad and iPhone with an external dongle DAC and IEMs without the 48/24 limitation. Fortunately there are a number of compact lightning to USB C adapters on the market so I don’t need to use the bulky Apple camera kit cable. On Android phones the Apple Music app is still going through the Android audio subsystem which also limits the output to 48/24 and the app doesn’t recognize external dongle DACs. For comparison Amazon Music HD is capable of 192/24 on both IOS and Android with external dongle DACs. On top of that Amazon Music HD also runs on my Bluesound Node 2i so it’s definitely more capable than Apple Airplay at present.

[@Harald_Reindl]

and you think you hear anything above 44100 lol

[@smojphace87]

Qobuz through Audirvana is as good as it gets. The two companies are very close (both French) and cooperate to help deliver the best possible sound. Also worth noting that Audirvana was originally designed for (and sounds best on) Mac. Vive le French Connection!

[@pserup]

Should have said: The iPad automatically switches to the correct sample rate/bit depth if set to "Up to 192kHz/24bit" in the Apple Music settings.

[@SuperAmazingAnt]

What about imacs ?

[@justanobody4983]

@@SuperAmazingAnt imacs you have to choose sample rates.

[@mongo2044]

THX describes it best: “Apple Music for MacOS doesn’t have an exclusive mode, so the macOS audio output format is set by MacOS Audio Midi Setup. If you’ve chosen 24-bit 176.4 kHz per above, then all Apple Music playback will be upsampled to that rate” to your DAC. “We recommend 176.4 kHz because it’s an integer multiple of 44.1 kHz and 88.2 kHz, to ensure lossless upsampling for nearly all music.” iOS does not interfere like macOS (currently) does.

[@TaaviRannuLeierPro]

New iPad mini with USB-C with DAC best solution

[@thelawman4684]

Apart from that, would there be any difference in audio quality between using an iPad, iMac or Mac Mini as the source / streamer? Also, is there a difference in quality between a USB C out, and a Lightning out, as my iPad only has the lightning out?

[@anmolagrawal5358]

3:05 When you say, "and it does sound better..." , have you conducted a blind testing to conclude this? Because I've been scratching my head to successfully ABX between 160 kbps Opus and about 4200 kbps 24 bit / 96 kHz lossless streams with foobar2000 on M50X

[@rohitharsh100]

For me Amazon Music HD seems to have best value. For $12.41 one can get family plan for a year (if you are prime member). Stream is though BlueOS to my Dena Frips and I am all set. Cannot beat this value.

[@kalaskrille]

Not sure what you are talking about anymore.. Using a DAC set to 24/192 in the MIDI settings, Apple Music still gives you that output. Granted, very few tracks on Apple Music has got 24/192 but a lot of tracks have got 26/96. Apple Digital Masters follow a set standard and they usually sound far better than most older CD masters. Besides, the lossless catalogue provided by Apple Music far surpasses the Qobuz one. I know since I use both (I still prefer buying uncompressed albums over any streaming service, though).

[@alanklainbaum1473]

Are those Grado 325 head phones behind you I see? What do you think of them?

[@aceln7475]

What do you think of the Amazon offering he music?

[@ChoySekMunSimon]

Great view (and opinion) on the new streaming method from Apple. I have to concur that Apple's iron fisted controls over how their existing music media needs to be processed internally by their own devices (and software) seems detrimental to end quality of the file played back. That being said it feels like a parallel to how CD digital signals get modded from the I'squared S bus data into an optical toslink digital stream. Of late I have also been listening to KZbin's music streaming services and the music choices are not too shabby either. A plus point that it can be streamed into their Google home smart speakers and screens natively over WiFi.

[@waderyun.war00034]

Too bad the sound quality isn't there or they would be the best.

[@wouterkolkman]

Well balanced explanation - as an Apple user I concur with your findings.

[@nicovandyk3856]

Hu!? Have I missed something extremely obvious here? Is there any way to stream to an external DAC within the Apple ecosystem??? I mean, I am not aware of iTunes allowing streaming the digital stream ever leaving it (Would void their strong DRM) so iTunes can only output analog audio from the internal sound card DAC which isn’t great. Same goes for all other Apple devices and products; it always will output to analog out of the Apple stack??? Or is there something I do not know???

[@johnshifi]

if you using iPad its passing what ever is the resolution of the file to the dac, so 24bt 96khz is going to be the 24/96 and so on .

[@robertwang7825]

Paul it depends on the IOS device , with Iphones n Ipads the rate is set automatically. You set it in Music app

[@gordonrankin3995]

Paul, correct on macOS the sound will be resampled to the default sample rate specified unless it matches the songs sample rate. IOS and iPad OS on the other hand as indicated below by several people, does change the sample rate on the fly to match the tracks sample rate. I discussed this with my buddies at Apple and this is correct and they will probably at this time not give access in libraries or other software the ability to access down to the sample rate and bit rate level. They do have libraries to access the service for all their OS's and Android for developers as well as web access. But all of that will go through the operating systems mixer which may resample the track. My suggestion is a iPad Pro with USB-C as you can get some splitters to power the iPad and have complete USB access directly into the iPad Pro. At that point it would give you a complete sample rate = track sample rate for any song you play. BTW AAC is not Apple specific it is a standard upgraded version of MP3. Thanks, Gordon Wavelength Audio, ltd.

[@Butterking99]

placebo lol

[@Andersljungberg]

Apple Music also offers spatial audio. It can certainly become the new fashion there are several playlists of spatial audio That you can get with headphones from Beats and apple .You should be able to get dolby atmos if you have an Apple TV

[@rossmiller6554]

Not sure about Mac but on iOS and iPadOS everything in Apple Music plays bit perfect for me when sent to my ifi hip dac 2

[@googoo-gjoob]

i have 8000 songs in ALAC on an ipod Classic, for 1 year i subscribed to both Tidal & Qobuz. i did many many A/B/C comparisons. Qobuz was _always_ best. ipod freq beat Tidal, too. i discontinued Tidal. i almost never use the ipod anymore. Spotify said they were stepping their library up tp cd quality by the end of the year. now *_could be_* a game changer.

[@sqcaraudio]

My blind testing can differentiate between Qobuz and Apple Music Lossless. The dither does mask some depth and clarity. Master music files already contain dither so Apple add it in error IMO

[@gb3496]

Serious question.... what is wrong with Tidal's sound...? And how does Apple sound better...?

[@TunedInWithNikk]

Lol chances are if humans were even capable of hearing the difference between sample rates at such high numbers between these two.. at his age he wouldn’t be even be capable of hearing it 😂

[@robertk1276]

@@TunedInWithNikk wrong again grasshopper

[@photoipster]

I here ya re Apple. I’m an apple fanboy. But, how do you stream to a preamp? Isn’t airplay lower quality? And, when you use Roon and tell Qobuz to stream to your preamp (or other end device) the streaming is direct to Roon. This can’t occur, as I understand it, using Apple Music. Would appreciate clarification

[@philip3419]

Unfortunately where I live Qobuz isn't available. I use Tidal MQA but through Audirvana and Audirvana makes a big difference to sound quality. That said it also depends on the recording.

[@AmpsWatts4]

Hello fellow music lover, don't stress though Qubus does definitely sound better as I'm fortunate to have access to both. TIDAL is still great, it's just that Qubus tops it hands down. That being said don't get caught up in the technical stuff just sit back and enjoy your music, my friend. The world is in a mess we need our music to chill.

[@mrgee918]

Thanks for the heads up. Not heard of Audiovana. I use USB audio Pro player with Tidal and boy it improves the sound over stock Tidal. Plus it gives you all the meta data of each track.

[@benmmurray]

@@mrgee918 I believe this past summer the Tidal app (on Android at least) added the ability to bypass Android system audio processing and output bit-perfect audio. So in theory it should sound as good as UAPP now.

[@mrgee918]

@@benmmurray Wow. Thanks for the heads up. I just picked up Onyx THX amp for my S20+ and you're right, when I opened Tidal it gave me the option to use the Onyx. However, using the Onyx, Tidal via UAPP still sounds better than Tidal direct. Not by much but there's a difference.

[@alessiomencaroni9879]

Hi, I am a happy Apple Music user, with a good pair of IEM (Thieaudio Monarch MKII) and a couple of decent DAC/AMPs (Hidizs S9 Pro, Fiio Q3). I am very happy of my setup, but I am considering another possibility: a DAP capable to play lossless Apple Music (possibly including hi-res), with a good sound quality (possibly even better than my current dac/amps). Do you have any suggestions? Thank you

[@shahkhan110]

I tried some hifi sony daps (wm1a, wm1zm2) and found that difference in sound quality against dac dongles like M15, RU6, DC03pro etc. isn't worth spending $2k+ on these brick size daps. Do you find apple music better than tidal+UAPP?

[@alessiomencaroni9879]

@@shahkhan110 yes. In January 2022 I bought a ibasso dx300 second hand (used only for 2 weeks) for 750 euro instead of 1300. I added a microsd 1 Tb for offline listening. In July I bought amp13, an amplifier which has tubes to be inserted in ibasso dx300. This, paired with thieaudio monarch mk ii gives me a set which I like a lot. However when I am around I mostly use AirPods Pro 2. Of course not hi-fi but not bad sounding and really convenient and comfortable (and anc can be really useful)

[@chupaaachup4552]

If you have a dac no issues with up and downsampling. It will play bit perfect on my dac.

[@remic2902]

I just love your videos. Thank you.

[@samkumar3281]

For burning CDs first I need to have songs already in flac or wav file . Is there a way to get these wavs and flac free or do I have to buy them and then go and burn the CDs ??..

[@richardsmith2721]

I'm trying out Tidal. So far I like Amazon HD better and it's cheaper. How does Amazon HD fit into the mix in your opinion?

[@Standoffmuffin]

Yeah Amazon HD is great! Interface needs a lot of work.

[@PersonSuit]

You mentioned the issue Apple Music has on MacOS. Would Tidal also suffer from this if using the Tidal app on MacOS?

[@daveryandub]

The iPad & iPhone set the bit/sample rate output automatically for apple lossless I’ve heard on other videos on this subject.not on iMac (even my M1 imac) this makes no sense.I’ve to set manually for ever album with the midi controller 🤦 I would have thought this would be an easy fix for apple.another great video.thanks

[@donruzek6193]

Do Apple devices up and down sample Apple Music even with a DAC hooked up to them? I’m running an iPad with a Schiit Audio Modi 3+ and am getting 24/96 and up with Amazon HD

[@AutoDeerSlayer]

No, all IOS and iPadOS devices adjust the sample rate based on the source material. This is why I decided to switch to Apple Music. I am not using any other integrations like BlueOS or Roon so this works for me but needs to be part of your decision making process.

[@aaarsoe]

There is a way to get the correct bit output so that it matches what each track is recorded in. Just use either an iPhone (must be version 8 or higher) or an iPad (similar age) or iPad pro any model. Go to settings - then Music - Set audio quality to high-res lossless. Then connect the unit to a dac of your choice (or pre-amp with built in DAC) and you can see for yourself - if the DAC has a display - that the sample rate changes depending on the albums/songs you are playing. So minimum CD quality (44.1 - 16 bit) right up to 192, -24 bit and some even coded with Atmos on top. Yes, iTunes is horrible - Apple Music is better on Macs but have limited experience and it is so much easier just connecting the phone and then use my iPad to control everything from the chair.. Anyway hope someone can use this tip

[@rroc19]

So I assume you connect iPhone to DAC thru USB, but how do you control with iPad remotely? Thx

[@thefloop2813]

This works just fine on android phones, i use apple music lossless on an android plugged into a focusrite usb interface/DAC. I was authentically surprised when he said CD's usually sound better on their equipment. Im using a yamaha receiver, and some astonishingly good AR speakers, and apple music almost always sounds better then a CD when an A/B is done. At worst it sounds identical. At least with the music i listen to. Im using restored/modified acoustic research series 660 monitors with a 100hz high pass and dayton refrence 10" subwoofer crossed at 100hz, GRS ribbon tweets, i designed the crossovers myself with the specific inductance of each driver taken deeply into consideration.. I have smooth clean response from the bottom of the audible range to damn near 40khz. within 3db of flat from about 36hz to about 36khz Apple Music high res > CD, to my ears on my setup, basically always. Hate to say it, but sounds like PS Audio needs to seriously step up their DAC game if my $150 usb interface into (mostly) vintage equipment resolves more detail from a streaming service. I use the same interface/DAC for CD playback as well from a PC, and that performs better then most high end CD players or transports as well already. (Hell, just about any blueray player with optical or coaxial out will as well, really, its not hard at all to out perform a $1400 cd player, a visit to just about any thrift store can provide this) The new Tesseract (If you are an audiophile or fan of insane mixes, as well as incredibly artistic, but *very heavy music {its Prog}, check them out.. i havent heard a vocal performance like this since Freddy was around) i have on vinyl, CD, and in my apple music library. The vinyl sounds great, the CD sounds incredible, the stream is absolutely mind-blowing. I cant wait to hear it on a dolby atmos-capable surround system the way it was intended, because apple has it. You cant even put that on a CD, its just too much information, you need good blue ray player with an optical or coaxial out to even deliver that info from an optical disc to a receiver

[@tonyjedioftheforest1364]

I am a bit of a Luddite when it comes to streaming but I use Apple Music through my iPhone 11 and do enjoy it. My main format though is vinyl then CD as I like to have a physical copy and consider them both to have better sound quality in my system than streaming.

[@wb5mgr]

Has anyone streamed the new HQ apple audio on an apple TV 4k? I looked at buying one and they support FLAC,AIFF,WAV and apple lossless but don’t get specific on the sample rates.

[@FullAttach]

I remember using a free plug in on OS X that I thought too care of different rates and maybe depths (?)

[@steveb8967]

Interesting. I’ve tried em all. For me, one other important factor to be considered is how their auto play algorithms work. Begin with a Charlie Parker recording say, ‘My little suede shoes’ and 40 minutes later what will you be listening to? Spotify, Miles Davis. Tidal, Cardi B. Apple, Abba. Amazon HD, Portico Quartet. I have no great love of Jeff Bezos and his astronaut chums, but got to say Amazon HD sounds better than most and I just seem to end up listening to interesting new artists. All for £7.99 a month (I have a Prime account), that’s around 12 dollars US…

[@nebuchadnezzar6913]

Can you do a video on why the direct stream dac has been discontinued Paul?

[@insomnia9999]

I still purchase the digital albums (from Apple or Amazon). Still on the fence about subscribing to a streaming service.

[@noelfletcher1149]

Now that Tidal has switched to FLAC, are you warming up to them?

[@sqcaraudio]

The added dither can be viewed by playing a 16bit track on Apple Music Lossless and viewing the bit histogram in a pure digital chain like on a PC with VST software. See some of my investigations.

[@ianhughes100]

I spy a couple Sprout100's there. Definitely thinking about picking one up when they become available again!

[@blademan7671]

iPad and iPhone output at native depth and sample rate. Macs do output according to the midi setting. Threads on Apple forums discuss in more detail.

[@jackfalco5351]

Listen to stones Hi-Rez Apple Music last night iPhone to Denafrips dac. Sounds great

[@yogiwp_]

Apple Music does run on Android actually. Wondering if it still does the conversions, because a lot of players are actually able to get around the Android system conversion.

[@rl7487]

Apple on android is not playing in lossless

[@manulaverdiere]

@@rl7487 Yes, Apple Music is lossless (hires and cd quality) on Android (since end of July). It's on Windows that it's still lossy, which is stuck with iTunes.

[@bliiblaablue]

I tried pretty much all the available streaming platforms around a year ago and ended up choosing Qobuz because of its sound quality compared to others. I've been using it through the Roon software which for some reason I find sounds better than through it's native client. Also, I can't hear any difference what-so-ever when using a CD of the same track or the track exported to Roon or streamed through Qobuz inside Roon, so yeah, I would say it's a pretty safe bet at least by quality standards. Also the library is good enough, I'd say I find 98% of what I'm searching for.

[@labnine3362]

Qobuz is my favorite too. Better music discovery, especially for new releases. Not centered on RAP!!! A++

[@Butterking99]

if they all do lossless they are all the same period.

[@labnine3362]

@@Butterking99 Sorry to disagree but the software delivering the streaming is not all created equal. Also, sources for the music may vary.

[@Butterking99]

@@labnine3362 the software isn’t what your hearing and isn’t your equipment or lower quality its the stream service’s different luf ceiling’s

[@Butterking99]

@@labnine3362 and also a big misconception is that sample rate increases quality when really all it does it increase dynamic range and resolution as well as file size which nine times out of 10 is actually worse sounding because people don’t know how to mix 196Kbs because of the harmonic frequencies in a lot of audio files perceive the harmonic frequencies as higher quality when in reality, it’s distortion

[@defaultHandle1110]

Update on Tidal MAX quality ?

[@ioannisiordanidis3562]

Hi Paul, love your videos, thank you for sharing these with us! I think Amazon Music should also be included in the mix, they have the best pricing and all their catalogue available at CD quality and over. Re core audio resampling, with the Amazon Music macOS desktop app there is an audio setting called “exclusive” mode where coreAudio is bypassed and the app streams bit perfect music to the USB. Perhaps Apple Music does have such a setting as well? Not sure. On iOS with an USB OTG cable this is the only setting, that is no resampling, just bit perfect audio that comes out of the streaming app. Hope that helps!

[@rids657]

Amazon's version of exclusive mode is not bit perfect. I have the bit rate set in Windows to 384kHz and always select exclusive mode, yet everything I play is upsampled to 384kHz (my SU9 Dac shows the frequency). So exclusive mode does not bypass the Windows mixer.

[@arontoday8766]

I use Amazon music as well and pay for the high quality streaming option. The audio quality is fantastic. I use a Chrome Cast connected to my Anthem AVM60 via HDMI and then just cast from my phone to the Chromecast. The rest of my system consists of Bryston amplification and B&W 802Ds. It's super easy to use because it's all wireless from my phone and the audio quality is indistinguishable from FLAC files played from my computer through an external DAC.

[@levidos]

What about Amazon music?

[@thecompleation8891]

I use Apple Music on my M11 Pro LTD and it sounds great. I have Qobuz, and just resubscribed to Tidal yesterday to do a comparison. I will most likely keep a couple services. For example, I really like how David Bowies catalog sounds of Apple Music, but Qobuz edges out a lot of other music on other services.

[@chrissmith8010]

What are your thoughts on all 3, 6 months later?

[@labnine3362]

I love Qobuz for both the sound quality, higher selection of hires and especially new music discovery that isn't rap! So much great stuff...!

[@pserup]

I use a 2021 iPad Pro w. a USB C to A adaptor to feed Apple Music into my Holo Audio May DAC KTE. The iPad automatically switches to the correct sample rate/bit depth if set to "Up to 192kHz/24bit" in the settings. The iPad is powered by a "Magic Keyboard" simultaneously. The rest of the chain is ARC Ref 3, Electrocompaniet ASW600 NEMO monoblocks and Focal Sopra No3. Works and sounds like a dream. Qobuz is not available in Denmark where I live and I wouldn't touch Tidal with a firepoker, so Apple's recent entrance into CD quality and higher is great!

[@larskristiansen7735]

Qobuz has been available in the Nordic area (including Denmark) the last apx. six months, and it works great.

[@pablovi77]

Qobuz is not available in most of the world and it’s more expensive. I also use my iPad with an external DAC, and sound amazing.

[@manuzach]

I’m going to try the lighting hdmi adapter and send the hi res file directly to the AV receiver to do the rest …currently I’m sending it via USB adapter to the Schitt modi 3 DAC to the receiver via the Schitt Vali preamp

[@pserup]

@@larskristiansen7735 Thanks, didn't know. I signed up to be notified once they opened in DK, but they must have forgotten that... Anyway, Apple Music is less expensive

[@brain7178]

I use my MacBook Pro, and the Remote app on iOS works again on the latest update.

[@profilmwork]

Man just downloaded qobuz 👀 👂🏾 maaaan thank you. This is the quality I’ve been looking for. With these wired dual driver headphones 🎧. 👍🏾 🙌

[@KeithCopeland778]

Thank you Paul for another no-nonsense comparison!!! I'm considering signing up for Tidal's 30-day free trial.

[@robertk1276]

Through Best Buy you can get a one year subscroption for I think a $120 Hifi plus

[@dfj555]

How's Amazon Prime Music compare?

[@danielhomolka9459]

Paul, the biggest let down with Apple is that there is no way to bring it to your stereo comfortably. There is no steamer transferring Apple music with highest quality without a wired connection

[@GBennet]

Thanks for your advice. Wild that Qobuz is so unheard of.

[@OrganNLou]

I wholeheartedly agree with Paul on this one, Qobuz does sound MUCH better than Tidal, Deezer, and many other services. I found Tidal had "Compression" issues with some labels (may be due to licensing in United Music Group owned labels). I have found a few albums had compression issues in Qobuz, but few so far. When I talk of "compression" issues, I am referring to a "swirling" or blurring sound heard in the mids and highs of some files (United Music Group labels) which includes: Capitol, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Interscope, Island, Motown, Polydor, Republic and Virgin EMI, and Verve.

[@WalterReade]

100% agree.

[@Gnofg]

I think Amazon sounds better than tidal.

[@N0zer0]

What compression are you talking about? Tidal master should be uncompressed CD quality with no compression involved.

[@richardlast5850]

@@N0zer0 I had issues with the Tidal 'sound' also, on other forums it's been said that Tidal adds their own form of DSP, don't know if true.. Here in Australia to me it sounded bass heavy, thick and somehow 'recessed' or something. Perhaps the word 'compression' is being used in the post above to try and describe the experience of listening to Tidal, not the definition that's mostly used to describe a process in the recording studio. I might add that no matter what I used to hear Tidal it always sounded as I've described. My home system is either streamed from an Android device (or sometimes via a laptop/Jitterbug/USB to coaxial box) to a NAD M33, through Kimber cable out to GoldenEar Triton Ones (or via headphones socket out to Focal Clears). In car from Android either blue toothed or cabled to the car audio system. MQA versions just sounded louder more than 'better'. I can't figure it out, don't really know why..

[@Butterking99]

its a placebo lol

[@melgross]

Cook just said that they have 95 million songs. AAC isn’t from Apple. Apple licenses it. Unfortunately, Pure Music, which was designed to work with iTunes, bypassing Apple’s music output controls, and passing whatever file sample you’re playing out through whatever output port you’re using without change, doesn’t yet work with the Apple Music app. He’s working on it though, as he is with an Apple silicon version. The software is from Channel D. Hopefully he’ll have it finished soon, as it worked very well.

[@BorisQuasha]

Was on AM until start using Audirvāna. if you haven’t tried it yet (or Roon) you definitely should, cause it sounds amazing. much better than Tidal in bypass mode and even much better than AM which uses MacOS Core Audio and audio mixer system settings (the best performance in sound quality is 16/44.1, as Paul just mentioned. or you may set 32/44.1 without spoiling the sound; all above settings make sound worse in my experience). As an Apple-guy I really like AM’s UI/UX and functionality, but unfortunately afaik it still can’t be used with Audirvāna. When things change I would be happy to use it again

[@Butterking99]

placebo effect

[@BorisQuasha]

@@Butterking99 oh, don’t start. I’ve got ears ;)

[@Butterking99]

@@BorisQuasha well then id like to have an ear battle i bet you i can fool you someone who (mixes and masters)

[@Butterking99]

@@BorisQuasha if i spent thousands id justify my purchase to the death as-well and i bet id hear a difference too! i can also provide evidence to the reason you hear a difference and its not to do with your equipment or dac

[@BorisQuasha]

@@Butterking99 again, I hear obvious difference in sound. period )

[@69Muscle]

I subscribe to Apple & Tidal. Tidal MQA to my ears ( no one can argue we all hear differently) is simply astonishing on many songs. I listen thru my MacBook hooked up to Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200 M to Focal Clear Headphones.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

Try Qobus and compare Massive attack, mezzanine, first song. And listen to the bass distortions with Tidal and NOT with qobus. Was a nobrainer for me after that

[@AndRewUK24]

Update they support Android and Windows now. You might need a EQ program/ sound enhancement app if you want HiRes on Windows 11 as realtek don't support it. I also recommend an external DAC dongle for HiRes.

[@chuckuknowme5693]

I agree, Paul. Particularly about Tidal. MQA is compressed and then manipulated. Might as well get an old 1970s 10 band graphic equalizer and make it “smile” or “frown” depending on your mood.

[@Harald_Reindl]

my Linux system don't touch sample rates until it is forced to play more than one source at the same time

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

Yupp, play Angel from Massive attack and you'll hear the bass distort, where qobus is clean as a whistle

[@angelcb6104]

Have you ever considered Deezer HiFi?

[@sajida7305]

Best for Apple Music lossless is use iPhone or IPad since they dynamically switches bit rate unlike MacBooks

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

Support the bands and labels that make all this possible buy the albums in their entirity and also get the liner notes, art work and everything else with it. That will make it possible for bands and labels to do more stuff, there's not enough money in streaming and or single song downloads.

[@202One]

I agree with your reality. I don't get why folks pay to stream music, when it's best to buy the CD or Album etc then just stream from your own devices! ✌

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

@@202One on the music business level, it's not the way bands/labels make money (through streaming) so how can labels invest in new talent, or current bands continue to create more great music is people are streaming songs especially if it's just 1 song in a.very big play list. Also the way an album in sequenced invite the listener to listen from start to finish and feel out the whole album in it's entirety.

[@svenschwingel8632]

@@202One there is an even more compelling reason to buy physical media. It's called self-sufficiency. In times where slogans like "you will own nothing and will be happy" are hinting at the economic models that are about to come, taking ownership of something that can't be controlled might be a really decent idea.

[@202One]

@@svenschwingel8632 The new Facebook will have most living in his virtual reality world 24-7 (fake food-music-interaction).

[@donvittoriosierra]

When using IOS/Ipad OS, there are no issues with any transcoding/ downsampling/upsampling. It plays bitperfect to whatever the source is.

[@waderyun.war00034]

You just can't hear it. I hate bluetooth because if there are 4 cymbals being played you can only hear one sound for all of them and it doesn't sound right.

[@donvittoriosierra]

@@waderyun.war00034 not bluetooth. Wired to a DAC

[@Detailguy101]

Paul is correct, most music is 16 bit 44 kHz. Which to me sounds just right.

[@Detailguy101]

Good explanation paul!

[@natskar]

Heck yeah I love Qobuz that's my go to for hi res music too!

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

Same

[@boniccie]

Same here!

[@PeterbFree]

No idea what you are talking about. I have a lightning connected DAC and my phone sets the quality level automatically. How exactly are you listening to Apple Music?

[@Another_Audiophile]

My audio MIDI changes output sample rate to my dac according to what the Qobuz application reproduces. If I play CD quality is 44.1 16 bits and automatically switches to 24 96 when I play something of that resolution. It's not always constant. Now I am not sure if the Qobuz app is doing that or the MIDI.

[@MAELOB]

Your qobuz app is changing the MIDI automatically. Tidal does the same thing but Apple Music app on a MaC does not. At some point they will figure it out and start doing it

[@Another_Audiophile]

@@MAELOB thought so. Thanks for that

[@kalaskrille]

@@MAELOB I doubt the app itself will do it since Apple themselves have a hard time understanding consumer needs, but I wouldn't be surprised if Roon /and or Audirvana integrates Apple Music in to their apps, which would mean automatic sample rate switching. They already do it for Qobuz/Tidal.

[@SimonIvesAu]

What about Apple Music on the iPad Pro with USB C? This will output at the actual bit depth/sample rate without having to manually switch like in OS X.

[@octaverecordsanddsdstudios1285]

It's a good question of which I don't have an answer. Certainly you're getting digital audio but in most cases with Apple, certainly on Apple computers, everything is run through the core audio which sample rate converts. I am guessing it would be the same on any of their devices but I cannot say for sure.

[@HermeticAscetic22]

@@octaverecordsanddsdstudios1285 An iPhone or an iPad plays the song at the actual sample rate unlike the MIDI-setting directed playback on Mac.

[@Rangure02]

Where i can write to Paul? I don't find any email or something anywhere.

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

You can always go to www.psaudio.com or email me [e-mail]

[@TheBoomerPlace]

Apple Music has the family plan for up to 5 users for about 15 bucks per month. There are 5 in my family. It is now available for Android. I use my iPad to a dac to a tube headphone amp/preamp and I’m good to go. I have Sennheiser HD 600, Grado SR 325X and AKG K702 headphones 🎧 where I do most of my vinyl and digital listening. Great vid as usual👍.

[@spirituallyconscious7774]

Tidal has up to 6 for the same price

[@juicythedj750]

For anybody wondering: it seems like up until today, the only way to listen to Apple Music in high resolution without any resampling, is to connect a compatible DAC directly to an iOS device.

[@animedrummerboy]

They’ve gotten quite good in the budget space for these tho so it’s not far out of reach if you want the huge library and the quality

[@juicythedj750]

@@animedrummerboy yes plenty of good budget DAC's out there starting around the 100$ - 150$ mark... but the iPhone or iPad is the expensive part. My phone's a Google Pixel so that's no option with Android resampling everything to 48khz by default. My computer is a 2,5K MacBook Pro, yet still there's no way to have it stream Apple Music in original quality unless I manually adjust the sound quality of my audio output device in the Audio/MIDI settings to match the quality of the source files.

[@NewVisionLCS]

Tidal can't even get their payment system correct! It would not accept any updated payment information and they blamed my financial institutions! LOL

[@robertwang7825]

Apple Music works best on IOS devices - Iphone/IPad , it’s not really for MacOS yet ( too many bugs atm but knowing Apple , a fix is otw ) , use an IPad Pro connected via USB I guess is the best way. The quality and consistency is higher than Tidal IMO , dynamics , dark background , resolution etc. Abyss engineers have also done a comparison and confirmed the same. I just stream with my IPhone pro , using my Iwatch as a remote. Def no need for MQA.

[@Chapterrifik]

I use an Chromecast Audio puk, that they stopped doing, I stream Apple Music controling it with my android phone. Chromecast Audio with mini SPIDIF streaming at CD quality. Sounds beautiful. I'm puzzled how Google stopped producing that magic little thing.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

And yet, when you get yourself a streamer, it truly blows that puk out of the water. Got a bluenode, which isn't even that expensive, using the preamp dac. And qobus. And yupp. I also used to puk, and now internal chromecast in the tv. Day and night compared to a streamer

[@Chapterrifik]

@@CyberBeep_kenshi I agree, I heard the Cambridge Audio CXN and it's awesome but I only stream to discover New music and when I like I buy on CD or vinyl.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

@@Chapterrifik ye i love browsing new music! I do support my fav bands with cds. No idea how much they get when i play on qobus

[@Chapterrifik]

@@CyberBeep_kenshi no idea but I'm pretty sure it's not much as buying physical media

[@BlueSpirit.]

Looking forward to Spotify lossless coming soon.

[@thilofischer3552]

Soon (tm) 😅

[@Andersljungberg]

Lossless setting for apple music go up to 24 bit and 48 kHz . The next level is Hi-res setting. You can buy a DAC for iPhone . And I actually think the phone sends out exactly that data that the streaming contains to it. Shouldn't it also apply to iPod and an Apple Computer if you are connected external DAC

[@Nathan_Jay]

I switched over from Qobuz to Apple Music due to the cost and the fact that Qobuz was fairly laggy for me. I tried reinstalling it on multiple devices. Granted, iTunes absolutely sucks on even a high-end computer (RTX2080Ti, Ryzen 7, 32GB DDR4), but since I listen in my car 95% of the time, it makes sense to go with Apple Music for me.

[@TheKeggle]

The thing is Apple Music does not support direct cloud streaming to a third party device i.e. streamer and DAC. You either do this with funny USB to DAC cabling or AirPlay streaming locally from iPhone or iPad. Outdated but they kind of not succeeding to figure out how NOT to bypass Apple hardware. Spotify HiFi Connect is the name of the game. Hopefully soon.

[@Butterking99]

you don’t need a dac if your source is lossless every other change you think you hear is a placebo what your hearing is the LUF ceiling of the streaming service period.

[@Michael-xz1nk]

Paul, as usual, when you ask 5 people the same question, you get 4.5 different answers…the comments show this in spades. Nonetheless I enjoy your videos.

[@holliswong8519]

Me, buying CDs in 2021.

[@chriscutress1702]

YES !!!

[@maciejprzepiorka]

I am with you!

[@alvindawkins5700]

Ditto!

[@viincentfonkert2870]

Cheers to you, keep it going in 2023! Heading to a second hand CD event tomorrow

[@rodrigocordova3896]

Hi, where and how you find CD with hi res ? Or all of them sounds great? Thanks in advance

[@alvindawkins5700]

Paul, my understanding is that in the Apple ecosystem, for now, only the iPad and the iPhone connected to an outboard DAC offer automatic sample rate switching, therefore giving bit-perfect digital audio (including up to 24/192), without either downsampling or upsampling. I appreciate your videos!

[@rishabhbakshi]

That’s my understanding as well. In fact, I use the iPhone and iPad as my source for digital streaming.

[@MH-rl9ep]

It’s frustrating that iOS has automatic sample rate switching but MacOs doesn’t. I’m using BitPerfect with a Macbook Air and Apple Music, so think i’m getting sample rate switching but not 100% sure, as unlike BitPerfect with iTunes, the sample rate doesn’t display when hovering over the BitPerfect icon when using Apple Music. Apple needs to integrate with hifi companies like Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz do with a function like Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect (Apple Music Direct?) so we don’t have to tie up our phones using Airplay and unnecessarily draining their batteries.

[@machavez00]

Yes, I know the ATV resamples everything not 48 kHz to 48 kHz, for now. The iOS hi res tracks are 24/48 on tvOS. All devices are connected to a Yamaha TSR 700 via HDMI. I have over 200 CDs ripped using ALAC. I have compared listening to a CD on my PS3, HD DVD, and 4K player to the rip of that CD and the Apple Music version on my ATV 4K. I could not tell any difference. That was before Apple Music went full lossless Digital Masters. Now there is a noticeable difference, especially with the Beatles catalog. I have the original CD releases from the 80’s and new versions sound much better, the Giles Martin remixes are amazing. The Wall is another release where the newest Apple Music version sounds better than the CD, as does the rest of the Pink Floyd albums. One album I do not have the CD of, Marty Robbins’ iconic album “Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs,” sounds like it was recorded yesterday. There was something special going on at Colombia Records in 1959. Whoever was mixing and mastering was a genius. The jazz transfers are a joy to listen too. For a modern recording, give Bill Frisell’s “Valentine” a listen. You won’t be disappointed, as well as anything by Hiromi.

[@Milo_Molnar]

I love the sound of Amazon music unlimited.

[@goldenears9748]

Qobuz rules. Pink Floyd just landed which I’ve been waiting for soo long !

[@themoistgreenorganic]

How is their catalog compared to Tidal? I’m warming up to changing but Tidal has a lot of live albums that I like.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

@@themoistgreenorganic They got everything i ve ever looked up. Including pretty unknown small artists. Just have to look them up. The app can be better to be fair. But it does work. And through my streamer, with blue os app, sounds better the tidal. By a mile. Tidal is cool if you have a so so stereo. But for the serious hardware qobus is better

[@graxjpg]

The DAC inside of iPhones suck, and the dac in those thunderbolt to 1/8” are even worse. I’ve got an old iPhone 6s Plus and the dac and headphone in it are the best they made (still not very good). The 7 and beyond did not have built in dacs or headphone amps

[@ruvamsi]

I found the dongle dac pretty good, but could also be that the iPhone is a much cleaner source that a desktop computer

[@SantanKGhey1234]

Im ready to ditch Tidal because of MQA... Qobuz is not available in Canada so im waiting for a better alternative..

[@machavez00]

I listen to Apple Music with my gen 2 Apple TV 4K. It’s connected to my Yamaha TSR 700 via HDMI. On the ATV, the “hi res lossless ” music is 24/48, Apple Digital Masters. The lossless are either 24/44.1, or 16/44.1, and almost all are Apple Digital Masters.

[@edmaster3147]

I own a AppleTV 4k, the sound is very, very, very poor and it gets worse on higher res. Thats my opinion at least. Do yourself a favor and try streaming on a seperate streamer and a good DAC, right into balanced or RCA inputs. You'll have a great time. Apple TV's are great connectivity devices but very poor sound on and image quality.At least, to me.

[@justanobody4983]

@@edmaster3147 agree. Apple music on apple tv sucks. Its monumentally better going through ipad/iphone then to a separate dac. I just use apple tv with apple music for discovering new music or background.

[@machavez00]

@@justanobody4983 I guess in need to upgrade from the 35 year old Bose 301 II’s as my mains. 😲

[@machavez00]

@@edmaster3147 Odd, it sounds like I have John Coltrane standing in my room after I pulled my 301’s out of retirement for my mains.

[@justanobody4983]

@@machavez00 nah, dont blame the speakers. Its really just the apple tv doing it. Try connecting your iphone to a separate dac, it will sound so much better.

[@LunarLightLtd1]

Qobuz is great. But the library isn't big enough. It would frustrate me how often i couldn't find the song i wanted. Tidal for me.

[@klaasbolhuis1756]

I think Apple Music Lossless is great for reviewing music you might purchase on CD or vinyl. Please remind that for good quality playback you need the lightning to USB Camera Adapter and a good 'audio grade' USB cable to connect to your DAC. The real disadvantage is that you cannot remote control when your hifi system is out of reach from your listening position. Thanks for your great videos Paul. I'm now reading 99% true and will buy your audiophiles guide soon.

[@machavez00]

I listen with my Apple TV 4K and my home theater system.

[@Harald_Reindl]

Creep away with your cable voodoo

[@klaasbolhuis1756]

@@mrmaunz42 try and listen!

[@klaasbolhuis1756]

@@Harald_Reindl haha! try and listen. Maybe you don't need an expensive cable. A basic € 80,- Chord Company will do. I hear the difference immediately. There is no law that you have to buy one. You can make your own decision.

[@Harald_Reindl]

@@klaasbolhuis1756 lol

[@ianpeck2719]

Good to see Scott’s babies next to Paul’s right elbow, those little guys are awesome 😎.

[@Detailguy101]

Paul is correct, alot of tidal songs sound boomy muffled.

[@stimpy1226]

100% agree about Tidal. I had both Tidal and Qobuz and there is no question that Tidal sounded strange

[@mikeeygauthier2959]

Downloaded music Play back will outperform streaming music hands-down!!!