(ready for) Hi-Res Audio on AirPod Pro & Apple Music

[DeepIn2U]

This got me thinking ...

AirPod Pro's have been a runaway success, I love mine and the convenience of smooth, reliable connectivity and non-complex operation. I've flip-flopped between the AIrPod Pro and the Sony WF-1000XM3's over the past 3mths ... settling on my second AirPod Pro's.

Would you prefer Hi-Res audio support from iTunes Music/Match/Apple Music?
Would you want Hi-Res Audio support in your AirPod's Pro's ... just like your HomePod supports? (FLAC currently)
Would you consider a slight premium for Hi-Res audio of your music and listening preferences?

Apple's iTunes music store, and now Apple Music, like their largest competitor, Spotify, use lossy audio compression codecs. It's been this way for a long time and for good reason up until Bluetooth 2.0 EDR (which supports 1Mbps audio streaming quality; 1.2Mbps to be precise yet 1Mbps is stable).

Recent technologies and quality of Bluetooth 5.0 along with true wireless headphones with ANC and our phones being so powerful enough, that only the streaming audio medium being the only thing to consider as any form of bottleneck. Yet LTE and Wi-Fi removed those bottlenecks.

audio codecs.
currently iTunes, Apple Music supports 128kbps, Apple has done great so far with the audio 'quality' we hear from their products. Personally all my owned audio is at AAC with 320kbps (stereo), 44.1Khz ... there are tracks I've compared to Apple's library and a certain warmth of range seems to be 'missing' or lacking something I don't know what to call it.

LDAC supports the transfer of 24-bit, 96 kHz (Hi-Res) audio files over the air via Bluetooth.
Qualcomm’s aptX HD, which supports 24-bit, 48 kHz.
Apple Lossless, ALAC, I'm not certain if it's the same as LDAC.

What’s interesting about LDAC is that it comes with three different types of connection mode – quality priority, normal, and connection priority. Each of these offers a different bitrate, weighing in at 990, 660, and 330 kbps respectively. So, depending on the type of connection available or the option you pick, there are varying levels of quality. It’s clear that the slower bitrates aren’t going to give the full 24-bit, 96 kHz quality that LDAC boasts though, so keep that in mind.

Sony's LDAC supports the highest 990kbps bit-rate ... shaving off only frequencies higher than 16-bit which is ok as it's barely perceptible or impossible to human hearing. We hear rates higher than that as noise. Still I want the higher quality and I hope Apple Brings it in 2020.

 

[Duncan68]

HI-Res is a waste of time on Bluetooth.

 

[Ralfi]

Would you prefer Hi-Res audio support from iTunes Music/Match/Apple Music?
Would you want Hi-Res Audio support in your AirPod's Pro's ... just like your HomePod supports? (FLAC currently)
Would you consider a slight premium for Hi-Res audio of your music and listening preferences?

Yes to all, but cellular data allowance/costs would go through the roof. I’d mostly make use of it (if it were significantly better than current lo-res audio) on wifi.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Yes to all, but cellular data allowance/costs would go through the roof. I’d mostly make use of it (if it were significantly better than current lo-res audio) on wifi.

Huh?

Most carriers in USA and in UK/Europe have unlimited data plans (even if throttled after a 7-15GB threshold on LTE like those of us in Canada experience. That said you're already using more than 9MB (typical for a 24-bit/196khz Hi Res audio track size) on updating apps or the amount of emails/imessages with attachments throughout your morning, surfing the web, youtube, etc. Still Apple can have downloads only over Wi-Fi only - a perk Starbucks or your employer I'm sure provides for free

I'm just hoping Apple brings out better music quality as an alternative.

 

[Lyn2012]

Huh?

Most carriers in USA and in UK/Europe have unlimited data plans (even if throttled after a 7-15GB threshold on LTE like those of us in Canada experience.

I don’t think this is true throughout Europe as in Spain the best I can get is 4GB for €20.

This is why I don’t stream anything and would really like a way to get music and more importantly audiobooks from my iMac library on to my AW. I know I can currently do music VERY slowly, but non DRM audiobooks don’t work.

 

[Ralfi]

Most carriers in USA and in UK/Europe

Unfortunately other nations aren't as spoilt for choice.

 

[DeepIn2U]

HI-Res is a waste of time on Bluetooth.

my answer to this is:

Sony Xperia XZ1/Compact+ WH-1000XM3’s with source library that has Hi-Res LDAC.
The codec, bitrate and the quality of a stable Bluetooth connection (Bluetooth 2.0 EDR supported Hi-Res LDAC, were on Bluetooth 5.0 now).

so many presume Bluetooth audio quality is poor, yet don’t realize it’s the music codec and the headphones and what they support that will play into their opinion on this. But you have a right to your opinion. If you get the chance give it a try (beyond the Android Ui frustration )

 

[HDFan]

Would you want Hi-Res Audio support in your AirPod's Pro's .

Waste of money. AirPod Pros have very poor sound.

Each of these offers a different bitrate, weighing in at 990, 660, and 330 kbps respectively.

HI-Res is a waste of time on Bluetooth.

If the upper limit is 990 kbps for Bluetooth that's pretty much CD quality. One of my hi-res tracks is 61212 kps, a lot of them are in the 11000-13000 range. And iTunes won't even accept a lot of my hi-res files.

 

[Duncan68]

My perspective that Hi-Res is a waste of time on Bluetooth is from a guy with 51 year old ears. I have a desktop audio system with an external DAC and separate headphone amplifier, going into Sennheiser HD600s. Even there, I can barely tell the difference between a well-recorded 16/44 FLAC and a 24/96 version.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Waste of money. AirPod Pros have very poor sound.





If the upper limit is 990 kbps for Bluetooth that's pretty much CD quality. One of my hi-res tracks is 61212 kps, a lot of them are in the 11000-13000 range. And iTunes won't even accept a lot of my hi-res files.

oh I know all about iTunes restrictions. I’m hoping a healthy dialogue of what could be possible I just don’t know the demand.
990kbps is much higher than CD quality bitrate (Super Audio CD that’s a different story).

@duncan I’m close to you age btw. We’ve lost the high pitch audio sensory sensitivity however I’ve heard some really good sound systems and in terms of bass I an feel it vs hearing it myself. I’m no audiophile. I just don’t understand why Apple and Spotify still remain as AAC/MP3 audio quality of the stream or downloads offered only.

 

[HDFan]

990kbps is much higher than CD quality bitrate

I have have hundreds of ALAC CD rips in the 800-1400 Kbps range as shown in the iTunes bitrate column.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I have have hundreds of ALAC CD rips in the 800-1400 Kbps range as shown in the iTunes bitrate column.

What software did you use to rip from CD's and did you have to manually set the 800-1400kbps bitrate therein or was it automatic? Also we're talking regular CD's purchased from Amazon, Sam The Record Man, HMV type stores right not SuperCD's right?

 

[Jdhommert]

I sed to have a pair of high end headphone back in the day which I've been missing lately. FLAC+high quality recordings+ballin headphones-yessss

So nowadays, if I wanted another pair give me a quick education.

I'm assuming cans are going to be way better than any buds? Wired certainly better than Bluetooth?

I'd be wearing these a lot while walking outside. I have AirPods 2 and they are ok. Lot of podcasts and love the usability of the AirPods, but would love something for listening to music. I use Spotify for listening to music now, but I could access my FLAC files again.

Any Cliffnotes on whats the best or any good sites to read? I hear some good things on Sony 1000 or Sein 600/800 but dont really know anything

 

[Duncan68]

I sed to have a pair of high end headphone back in the day which I've been missing lately. FLAC+high quality recordings+ballin headphones-yessss

So nowadays, if I wanted another pair give me a quick education.

I'm assuming cans are going to be way better than any buds? Wired certainly better than Bluetooth?

I'd be wearing these a lot while walking outside. I have AirPods 2 and they are ok. Lot of podcasts and love the usability of the AirPods, but would love something for listening to music. I use Spotify for listening to music now, but I could access my FLAC files again.

Any Cliffnotes on whats the best or any good sites to read? I hear some good things on Sony 1000 or Sein 600/800 but dont really know anything

I'm guessing you know about this site, but just in case:

Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

www.head-fi.org

 

[HDFan]

What software did you use to rip from CD's and did you have to manually set the 800-1400kbps bitrate therein or was it automatic? Also we're talking regular CD's purchased from Amazon, Sam The Record Man, HMV type stores right not SuperCD's right?

Automatic iTunes rips of various purchased CDs to ALAC lossless. Not SuperCDs.

Any Cliffnotes on whats the best or any good sites to read? I hear some good things on Sony 1000 or Sein 600/800 but dont really know anything

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[Erehy Dobon]

What software did you use to rip from CD's and did you have to manually set the 800-1400kbps bitrate therein or was it automatic? Also we're talking regular CD's purchased from Amazon, Sam The Record Man, HMV type stores right not SuperCD's right?

The bitrate is set automatically whether it be iTunes, XLD, or another converter when transcoding from Audio CDs to ALAC.

Note that Audio CDs contain uncompressed audio in AIFF format. 75 minutes of a Mahler symphony is the same size as 75 minutes of Bach Partitas or 75 minutes of Metallica or 75 minutes of one long note being played.

ALAC features lossless compression. The ALAC encoding algorithm uses higher bitrates when the music is more complex so the 75 minutes of one long note being played would be a smaller file than the Mahler.

And yes, these are regular physical optical media discs like you get at your local library, Amazon, Target or SecondSpin.com.

 

[vladi]

My perspective that Hi-Res is a waste of time on Bluetooth is from a guy with 51 year old ears. I have a desktop audio system with an external DAC and separate headphone amplifier, going into Sennheiser HD600s. Even there, I can barely tell the difference between a well-recorded 16/44 FLAC and a 24/96 version.

You have a very serious setup, you might not think it's anything special if you compare it to what some other crazy audiphiles have but what you have is one heavy hitter that very, very few ordinary listeners will ever experience. That's the reason why you can't hear the difference in compression, not because your old or anything but because proper audio production and proper listening hardware will always overcome "the lack of detail and digitization". That's what they call colored sound right?

Many kids think that their muddy sounding songs are actually the product of 128 mp3 transcoding so they jump to buy pricey FLACS only to be left disappointed once more.

 

[Minarets]

Tidal Masters sound very good on AirPods Pro. Not better than an analytical pair of cans but still damn good. Download them to the phone over BT and sounds pretty damn good.

 

[Nütztjanix]

[…]
audio codecs.
currently iTunes, Apple Music supports 128kbps, Apple has done great so far with the audio 'quality' we hear from their products. Personally all my owned audio is at AAC with 320kbps (stereo), 44.1Khz ... there are tracks I've compared to Apple's library and a certain warmth of range seems to be 'missing' or lacking something I don't know what to call it.

Apple Music as well as music bought from the iTunes Store is 256 kbps.

 

[cawgijoe]

Apple Music sounds good to me, however I would love to see a hi-res version. If you have a good audio system at home you will hear the difference between Tidal and Apple Music.