Impossible to get Apple Music lossless to home theatre system (NAD M17) forcing me to go to Tidal? Apple Music and TV is broken.
Big fan of Apple music but the best I can get into a hi-fi system (NAD M17/M28) is CD quality (44-48K). Any insight would be appreciated. Here is what I have tried:
- Apple 4K - latest and greatest - downscales audio to 48K! It cannot do lossless which is bewildering (which means that Tidal on Apple TV is also useless) considering it is 4K and I have the latest 8K HDMI cables on it. It is a limit of the software?
- Streaming from a MAC Studio to the M17 (Airplay) will not go beyond 48K! (So illogical!) The music app on Studio does not stream lossless (so what is the point?)
- From an iPAD (latest Pro), same thing - drops to 48K! (When I select NAD M17 for output)
I ensured I was playing the "apple master" lossless version (I use Hotel California).
I cannot figure out how to get Apple lossless working on a NAD (which means any home theatre system).
But with Tidal:
- BluOS I can stream in 88K with their masters content to the NAD.
- From the Tidal app on the Mac studio - I can select M17 and it streams at 88K
- On the iPad - same - Tidal app streams just fine in 88K
And yes .. with a great set of speakers and a good amp/pre-amp, it makes a big difference. Way richer in lossless format.
So I am really confused .. what is the point of apple music lossless if it cannot be transported anywhere?
Mac Studio