Perhaps in future headphones, Apple will switch to using a high-quality, wi-fi-based transmission system along the lines of AirPlay and move away from Bluetooth entirely. Hi-res music streaming services compared: which should you sign up for?.To some, it will feel like Apple has now rendered its own wireless headphones old hat. After all, Apple pioneered the global craze for true wireless earbuds with its AirPods in 2016 (look at the swathes of AirPods alternatives available now).
It’s an odd scenario and at best a mixed message from Apple – a company that prides itself on its direction and vision. The key thing to remember is that Bluetooth connections are not lossless – not even the highest-quality one around, Sony's LDAC.Īpple Music has evolved to a point where it can offer Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless tiers via ALAC Bluetooth, but the chipsets within Apple's wireless headphones support only the AAC Bluetooth codec, so they can’t deliver them. For example, Qualcomm’s popular aptX codec supports 16-bit/48kHz files, while aptX HD supports 24-bit/48kHz, and these are considered both streets ahead of 'standard' codecs such as SBC.īut the codec’s job is to determine how Bluetooth transmits from the source device to your headphones, and both aptX and aptX HD are lossy formats – so even if the audio you’re streaming boasts the same resolution as Apple Music Lossless, it isn't truly lossless. So, for example, a hi-res file can be 24-bit/44.1kHz, where bit-depth is higher than CD quality but the sampling rate is the same.Īs specified on its support page (opens in new tab), Apple defines 'Lossless' as having a maximum resolution of 24-bit/48kHz, and 'Hi-Res Lossless' as streams with sample rates greater than 48kHz, up to 24-bit/192kHz.Ĭertain wireless headphones not made by Apple claim to support hi-res streaming – but even then you aren't getting a lossless audio experience. Hi-res music is generally defined as any file with a higher sampling frequency and/or bit depth than that of CD quality, which is specified at 16-bit/44.1kHz. It’s important to remember that Apple's definition of 'Lossless' and 'Hi-Res Lossless' – the terms it has chosen to label its higher-quality streams – differs from the industry standard.
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