iMac M1 audio fidelity: Bluetooth/AirDrop vs. Cambridge CXN streamer

christopherfromsausalito wrote:

I'm asking is there a fidelity improvement from streaming using the iMac M1 via AirPlay compared with the Cambridge CXN? I'm assuming the CXN connects via ethernet. E.g. Apple Music streaming over M1-AirPlay 4/5 stars vs. Apple Music over CXN 5/5 stars.

There are more variables than just AirPlay vs. the Cambridge that would affect your perception of "fidelity."

While you could cherry-pick specific technical specs such as Airplay2 supports 16-bit/44.1kHz up to 24-bit/48kHz ALAC @ 256Kbs and in some cases AAC ... while the Cambridge CXN2 supports a wider range of bitrates (up to 192Khz via S/PDIF) and additional audio formats ... that's not the entire story.

You also have to consider the audio quality of the source material, whether or not the Cambridge unit is doing upsampling (which it does) and what your downstream devices are capable of ... including your preamp, amp, speakers and even your ears.

So, no, there is no categorical way to claim that the Cambridge CXN might "have more fidelity" than Apple Airplay. It's very dependent on your entire setup.

AirDrop is for transferring files, it is not an audio streaming service. Did you mean AirPlay?

How are you comparing them?

Still, what are you trying to compare?

Airplay from a Mac to some (unidentified) device ... vs ... Some (unidentified) source to the CXN to some (unidentified) analog or digital output device?

Mac Airplay to the CXN to some output device vs. some other input to the CXN to some output device?

Specifics will help.