Airplay 2

This is my concern. If he played from the Blue app, I dunno. He needs to send this via Apple Music on iOS to really know. But then, he could not use this test web site. So someone with the right high end audio DAC needs to do this with something minimal like an Airport Express v2 with firmware updated to latest. Then we can be sure.

BTW, you can downgrade an Express v2 to an older firmware to force other sources to send only Airplay 1 to it. I do that. Until Apple fixes this. I also use Airfoil which shows, it is possible to send 16/44 to Airplay 1 and 2 devices at same time (from a Mac, at least). I think it runs in exclusive mode, which may be what Bluesound is doing as well.

Rob_F1: I'm not an engineer, like Steve, so your graphs are gibberish to me. :-)

I use Apple Music. I solved it by downgrading my Airport Expresses v2 to last Airplay 1 firmware. No matter what resolution is sending, it is always 16/44 lossless (as that is all I own in my collection or play from Apple Music).

But yes, you have discovered what many have found. Airplay 2 depends.

Since I play to better office or living room or bedroom systems individually, the Expresses is fine in there (with a little better AKM DAC on each). I have some MusicCast speakers and some HomePod minis and for those, Airplay 2 is fine for multi-room. The Apple Music app or iOS will not let you play to Airplay 1 and 2 at same time. A check mark in circle is Airplay 2 for iOS. Just a checkmark (only possible one at time) is Airplay 1.

Also, if you use iTunes Remote (AKA Remote app) on iOS, it will play your own music library from a Mac 16/44 lossless. But, Remote has been buggy lately.

If you use Airfoil on a Mac, all of this is gone. It will play both to Airplay 1 and 2 devices at same time and is 16/44. While Apple Music for MacOS doesn’t have an exclusive mode, Airfoil is exclusive. It bypasses the Apple audio processor - the cause of much of this. But, Mac only.

So, no fix yet for this. :-(

I also play CDs… :-)

I'm confused. Does this reduced streaming occur only with music streamed through the Apple Music subscription service or does this also occur with music that resides in your computer as digital files? I realize Rob_F! says everything is up to CD quality again, but I want to clear up if this was just happening with music streamed from Apple Music or with files stored on the computer.

Same basic question as esumsea. If I download Apple Music files in "lossless" quality to my iPhone and then use Airplay 2 to play them on an external speaker, are they being played losslessly, or are they only played in lossy AAC quality?

If the check mark for Airplay Speakers & TVs is just a check mark, it is lossless 16/44. If the check mark is in a circle, it is probably AAC 256. The Airplay receiving device matters more than the sending device since an Airplay 2 sender must match reciever type.

But, I would not fret over it. It is impossible to tell the difference. The quality of the recording is a much bigger factor in the quality of playback versus lossy or lossless.

Files played from a Mac to an Airplay 1 receiver, like ripped CDs or downloaded lossless music bought online (not from Apple except if you download lossless file from Apple Music streaming subscription [rental music, essentially, you do not own it]), will play 16/44 lossless, the max that Airplay 1 will send.

I play my rips all the time from my Mac to my DAC via Airplay and they play 16/44 since the DAC gets its data from an Airplay 1 receiving device. I control my Music library using Remote app on iOS.

If you run a wire from your playback device, and it has a higher resolution file on it, and your DAC is capable, and the recording is high resolution (few are), then you can do whatever you want.

But, I would not fret over any of this audiophile nonsense. It is impossible to tell the difference. The quality of the recording is a much bigger factor in the quality of playback versus lossy or lossless.

Thanks for the answer, Ataraxy01. One little follow up / clarification, if I may:

My sending device (iphone) is using Airplay 2. The receiving device (external Naim wireless speaker) is also using Airplay 2, which I have confirmed based on the check mark in the circle.

The files I am playing from the sending device are downloaded lossless files from Apple Music. Even though they are downloaded and not being streamed, will they still be downgraded to AAC, based on both sending and receiving devices using Airplay 2?

Is there any news on this ? has apple updated, addressed or maybe even solved that issue ?

To the best of my knowledge it is exactly as you stated. That's really sad by Apple

Really disappointing

Hi Rob!

Thx for your info! What about Dolby Atmos? Will I get it over AirPlay 2?

If that is correct those are great news.

No. From phone will be 16/44.

From a source like an Apple TV via HDMI to TV, it will be 24/48. So if you use Control Other on phone, that would then be possible.

what is the Bitrate?? the 44100 is the sampling and 16 is the bits.

what is the bitrate when playing this over airplay.

at present i see only 256kbps.