iPad Pro Is there a way for the iPP to play the Hi-Res Lossless Audio?

[JSteele]

Hey,

I am attempting for the first time to replace my MBP upgrade cycle with a iPP 2021, and I was just wondering, after the announcement, if there is a way currently, once released, the new 2021 iPP will be able to play the Hi-Res lossless audio from Apple Music to a pair of my headphones.

Is it possible with the current offerings?

My guess would be a USB-C DAC, but do they work on iPP?

 

[cheekyjeremy]

If you have Sennheiser Momentum 3 for example, you can go USB-C from iPad into USB-C on the headphones and remain digital.

 

[DreamPod]

Yeah, you need a pair of digital wired USB-C headphones - if the wire is analogue (such as with the AirPods Max), it'll downsample the audio - it should still sound great, but not lossless. I guess you do need a USB-C DAC to go beyond 48khz.

I guess a USB-C DAC will work, according to this:
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/ftaonh
Keep in mind the 20201 iPad Pro has an actual Thunderbolt port, so if you can find any Thunderbolt DACs, that would probably be better.

 

[JSteele]

Hmm I will have to keep an eye out thanks, any idea if it will get the raw ALAC codec into it? Will it have to convert it in the DAC or will it receive a PCM signal?

 

[tkermit]

The DAC will receive a PCM signal, so the lossless codec doesn't really matter. I use an older Apogee Groove (192/24 max) with the latest USB-C iPad Air. Works great, although the Groove is pretty power hungry, so you may want to use a USB hub connected to power in that particular case.

 

[snipr125]

Yes I use my Fiio K1 USB DAC as an example on my Ipad Air 4 (via a USB C to A adaptor), and it works like a charm.

This is one of the best things about the USB C port on the Ipad Pro / Air 4, as on my Air 3 which uses a lightning port, I have to use the CCK to attach USB accessories and the whole set up looks like dog s%$t.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Keep in mind the 20201 iPad Pro has an actual Thunderbolt port, so if you can find any Thunderbolt DACs, that would probably be better.

Which Thunderbolt spec does the latest iPad Pro have? Thunderbolt 3?

 

[DreamPod]

Which Thunderbolt spec does the latest iPad Pro have? Thunderbolt 3?

Here’s what Apple says about the thunderbolt ports on their M1 computers:

• Charging
• DisplayPort
• Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s)
• USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s)
• USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)
• Headphone

The M1 iPad Pro will likely be the same

 

[musicpenguy]

I’ll be using this DAC as a starting point with my iPad Pro - https://helmaudio.com/products/boltdac

I will be using the Etymotic ER 4XR - got a pair for $150 on eBay. Had an older model of these in high school that I lost at some point and remember some remarkable experiences with those.

 

[elmarjazz]

Thanks for the Helm Bolt suggestion! This is a concern I've put on the back burner, but with 2021 coming to replace my 'jacked-up' ;-) iPP 10.5", this could be a solution.

 

[musicpenguy]

Thanks for the Helm Bolt suggestion! This is a concern I've put on the back burner, but with 2021 coming to replace my 'jacked-up' ;-) iPP 10.5", this could be a solution.

Yea when I jumped ahead to the USB-C iPads the headphone jack removal was the biggest bummer as I use that to record audio out of the device and the dongle way is not as ideal as the port, but no big deal really have just a cable that is usb-c to 3.5 that covers my needs.
Excited to try out the new DAQ - will be comparing to Apples adapter to see if I can tell

 

[elmarjazz]

And, wondering how this HELM BOLT DAC/AMP works with the new ALAC Lossless format in APPLE music?

 

[nicho]

new ALAC Lossless format

ALAC has been around for 17 years.

 

[mrklaw]

And, wondering how this HELM BOLT DAC/AMP works with the new ALAC Lossless format in APPLE music?

won't it be already converted to PCM or similar by the time it hits the USB-C port?

 

[Scarpad]

Hmm I will have to keep an eye out thanks, any idea if it will get the raw ALAC codec into it? Will it have to convert it in the DAC or will it receive a PCM signal?

I use a dragon fly black doc, and a Hiby F3 with mine they both do tidal hires fine and sound great

 

[elmarjazz]

ALAC has been around for 17 years.

Yes, of course, but ‘new’ to APPLE music, right

 

[TheRealAlex]

Hey,

I am attempting for the first time to replace my MBP upgrade cycle with a iPP 2021, and I was just wondering, after the announcement, if there is a way currently, once released, the new 2021 iPP will be able to play the Hi-Res lossless audio from Apple Music to a pair of my headphones.

Is it possible with the current offerings?

My guess would be a USB-C DAC, but do they work on iPP?

I use Tidal HiFi Free included with my T-Mobile Plan.

TIDAL Masters and Master Quality Audio

What is TIDAL Masters? TIDAL has partnered with MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) to create TIDAL Masters and deliver guaranteed master recordings directly from the master source to TIDAL members ...

support.tidal.com

The HiFi and Master Quality Audio are top shelf class.

 

[tkermit]

won't it be already converted to PCM or similar by the time it hits the USB-C port?

Yes. It’s like asking whether a DAC supports MP3 and AAC formats. It doesn't have to, because all it sees is the decoded PCM stream (at some sample rate/bit depth). The DAC will never even know what kind of file format is used and whether it was lossless, used lossy compression or any compression at all. People are probably confused because only some DACs fully support MQA-encoded content but that is a very different bag of hurt where the PCM stream requires another decoding step to extract additional information from it, which I would personally avoid at all costs.

 

[DreamPod]

I just got the Fiio Q1 Mark II DAC, works great with my Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones, though it's USB-B so I had to buy a USB-B to USB-C cable to plug into the iPad Pro (it actually comes in the box with a USB-B to Lightning cable for iPhones).

Hopefully the lossless audio quality is actually noticeable Otherwise a waste of $99 for the DAC...

 

[4sallypat]

I use Tidal HiFi Free included with my T-Mobile Plan.

TIDAL Masters and Master Quality Audio

What is TIDAL Masters? TIDAL has partnered with MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) to create TIDAL Masters and deliver guaranteed master recordings directly from the master source to TIDAL members ...

support.tidal.com

The HiFi and Master Quality Audio are top shelf class.

Hi,
I have T-Mobile but I don't see the offer in T-Mobile Tuesday app.

Is there a way you can tell me how I can get 90days of Premium service ?

 

[snipr125]

I just got the Fiio Q1 Mark II DAC, works great with my Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones, though it's USB-B so I had to buy a USB-B to USB-C cable to plug into the iPad Pro (it actually comes in the box with a USB-B to Lightning cable for iPhones).

Hopefully the lossless audio quality is actually noticeable Otherwise a waste of $99 for the DAC...

The Fiio Q1 Mk2 noticeably improves the audio of standard AAC/MP3 music in every way, so imagine what it will do with high res lossless music! I’ve got a Fiio K1 which is only £35, and it sounds excellent on my Air 4. I’ve also got a Fiio M6 digital music player which is a bit more expensive at £130, but again just sounds amazing. Fiio know their stuff when it comes to audio.

 

[TheRealAlex]

Hi,
I have T-Mobile but I don't see the offer in T-Mobile Tuesday app.

Is there a way you can tell me how I can get 90days of Premium service ?

I switched over from Sprint SWAC it’s not offered standalone on Tmobile

https://www.sprint.com/content/dam/sprint/north-america/usa/en/advantage-club/swac-overview-guide-4-5-19.pdf

But I do Highly recommend Tidal HD.