[DivinesGaming]

Background, I'm on a Windows PC - I want to use Apple Music with Lossless, but I do not want to put my amp/dac on an apple computer unless I can still play audio through my main Windows PC.

I have a main Windows PC that I use for gaming regularly and enjoy the benefits of a quality sound system with that. I also am getting fed up with Tidal deleting or greying out my favorite tracks... So I'm thinking about investing in a Mac Mini or Mac something to get Lossless Apple Music with.

Any recommendations ideas or suggestions?

Current Chain: RME ADI 2 Dac with Ferrum Hypsos/Oor Amp and Hifiman Susvara's

 

[Craft Ears]

Background, I'm on a Windows PC - I want to use Apple Music with Lossless, but I do not want to put my amp/dac on an apple computer unless I can still play audio through my main Windows PC.

I have a main Windows PC that I use for gaming regularly and enjoy the benefits of a quality sound system with that. I also am getting fed up with Tidal deleting or greying out my favorite tracks... So I'm thinking about investing in a Mac Mini or Mac something to get Lossless Apple Music with.

Any recommendations ideas or suggestions?

Current Chain: RME ADI 2 Dac with Ferrum Hypsos/Oor Amp and Hifiman Susvara's

Apple Music sounds great, I have tried it. On Windows, you have to use iTunes with it, which was a massive inconvenience for me. So, ups and downs. Maybe an Android-based DAP with a digital output is a better solution? They offer excellent sound quality, and you can use them portable too.

 

[edmerklein]

I've recently been on the deep dive of lossless music and I'm trying to find a way to play ALAC through my windows PC. I tried using iTunes and setting the playback to 24bit/96kHz (the max my Schiit Modi DAC can output), but when I view the properties of the Apple Music file being played, it always says it playing an AAC file maxed out at 256kbps. I have also tried using the Apple Music Preview app downloaded from the Microsoft Store and set the streaming audio quality to Hi-Res Lossless, yet the file properties still say it is playing back an AAC file as opposed to an ALAC file. When I insert a CD and use iTunes to play it back I get standard CD quality (16bit/44.1kHz or 1411kbps). So clearly iTunes can playback lossless audio, but not from Apple Music. When I do side-by-side comparisons between CD and Apple Music of the same song, I can clearly hear the difference, and I want to be able to use my Apple Music subscription to the fullest and stream lossless audio.



Does anyone else have this problem? could this also be happening when I stream from my iPhone or iPad?



If anyone has any tips to solve this problem please let me know. Thanks!

 

[DivinesGaming]

I've recently been on the deep dive of lossless music and I'm trying to find a way to play ALAC through my windows PC. I tried using iTunes and setting the playback to 24bit/96kHz (the max my Schiit Modi DAC can output), but when I view the properties of the Apple Music file being played, it always says it playing an AAC file maxed out at 256kbps. I have also tried using the Apple Music Preview app downloaded from the Microsoft Store and set the streaming audio quality to Hi-Res Lossless, yet the file properties still say it is playing back an AAC file as opposed to an ALAC file. When I insert a CD and use iTunes to play it back I get standard CD quality (16bit/44.1kHz or 1411kbps). So clearly iTunes can playback lossless audio, but not from Apple Music. When I do side-by-side comparisons between CD and Apple Music of the same song, I can clearly hear the difference, and I want to be able to use my Apple Music subscription to the fullest and stream lossless audio.



Does anyone else have this problem? could this also be happening when I stream from my iPhone or iPad?



If anyone has any tips to solve this problem please let me know. Thanks!

AFAIK only Apple laptops and iPads can playback lossless via Apple Music. Not even sure that iPhones can so I won’t include that. I think it’s messed up man. I want to use an iPhone and a windows pc, and be able to get the best of both worlds but I can’t and that’s aggravating the hell outta me. I just said screw it and signed up for roon instead - I’d still go to Apple Music if I could stream lossless tho. Hq player in room sounds so good tho.

 

[edmerklein]

AFAIK only Apple laptops and iPads can playback lossless via Apple Music. Not even sure that iPhones can so I won’t include that. I think it’s messed up man. I want to use an iPhone and a windows pc, and be able to get the best of both worlds but I can’t and that’s aggravating the hell outta me. I just said screw it and signed up for roon instead - I’d still go to Apple Music if I could stream lossless tho. Hq player in room sounds so good tho.

Man that’s so frustrating. I’m hoping it gets fixed when the real version of the Apple Music app comes out on windows.

 

[Revolution1]

AFAIK only Apple laptops and iPads can playback lossless via Apple Music. Not even sure that iPhones can so I won’t include that.

Not only can the iPhone transmit Hi-Res, but vjltn automatically switch the sampling rate, unlike the Mac OS.

In general, however, even Hi-Res streaming Apple Music loses to regular 16/44 local files.

 

[BS5711]

You can get an Apple Music app for Windows 11 but it is a work in progress and pretty average in its implementation as of a couple of weeks ago when I last tried it.

I am not sure how the management of the song file data will eventually be managed, in the current version the PC audio settings dictate what reaches the DAC.

At the moment an iPhone or iPad Apple Music app will work bit perfect as will the Android app on my FiiO M11 Plus DAP. On MacBook I have downloaded "Lossless Switcher" which does the change automatically so you are not in and out of the Audio MIDI.

 

[DivinesGaming]

Oh do you have to switch into Lossless each time on MacBook? With every new song? That would get super annoying. Great to hear that you can get bit-perfect on iPhones though. It's not as important to me as I'm not much of a mobile listener, but for futures sake with a decent mobile dac/amp added onto it and some IEMs that could be something I'd find value in. Thanks.

I'll have to check into the Apple Music app now that my desktops on Windows 11. There's no way it has WASAPI exclusive modes though... or can a boy dream...

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Maybe thru JRiver: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=130771.0

 

[BS5711]

Oh do you have to switch into Lossless each time on MacBook? With every new song? That would get super annoying. Great to hear that you can get bit-perfect on iPhones though. It's not as important to me as I'm not much of a mobile listener, but for futures sake with a decent mobile dac/amp added onto it and some IEMs that could be something I'd find value in. Thanks.

I'll have to check into the Apple Music app now that my desktops on Windows 11. There's no way it has WASAPI exclusive modes though... or can a boy dream...

On a MacBook the native Apple Music app doesn't set the file bit depth and frequency, that happens in Audio MIDI, normally manually.

But, download "Lossless Switcher" which piggy backs onto the Apple Music app (and shows nicely in the menu bar with a couple of options on what it displays) that app essentially changes the MIDI for you so aligns with the file data and does away with any manipulation that would otherwise render it something other than bit perfect.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Maybe thru JRiver: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=130771.0

Nah, WDM driver is just a proxy between streaming service and JRiver. It didn't make Amazon HD bit-perfect either.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Haven't used it so IDK. But as i understood that post and its description, its contrary to what you have said (not bitperfect).

 

[Revolution1]

But, download "Lossless Switcher"

that app essentially changes the MIDI for you

It changes so much that the track begins to play, then silence and a light click follows with a change in the sampling rate and further playback.
It should be noted that for the album being played, this only happens with the first track.

 

[BS5711]

It changes so much that the track begins to play, then silence and a light click follows with a change in the sampling rate and further playback.
It should be noted that for the album being played, this only happens with the first track.

Yes there is a slight glitch when a different sample rate is detected and the app makes the change. If all the songs in a playlist are 16/44 for example there won’t be any glitch.

A minor trade off in my opinion.

It works better than the native Tidal app does with some DACs where there is a similar glitch at the start of every MQA song when the MQA bit is recognised.

 

[DivinesGaming]

I'd definitely prefer a bit of a glitch at the start of an album over the start of a song.

I really enjoy Apple products in general, but how difficult could it be to provide a legitimate update to iTunes or Apple Music for Windows based computers that account for like 80% of the marketshare at least. With a ~150gb library on iTunes I had to spend like 4 hours trying to update it on Windows 10, three hours trying to sync my iPhone for a backup/savepoint/restore after that, and it still crashes post "update". It's rather detracting mores than enticing me from switching to their ecosystem at this point. If anyone finds a way to get Lossless Apple Music on PC that isn't a complete cluster-F I'll donate to their charity, lol.