Streaming 24/192 streams to an Apple device? It's possible!
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Android smartphones have added built-in support for Hi-Res audio in recent years, but we've yet to see any hint that Apple is officially planning to do the same with the iPhone.
And this is very annoying, because in terms of sound, no other smartphone model can compare with the iPhone. They consistently outperform the competition in sound quality, and being able to play higher-end recordings would add to their value in our eyes.
Officially, Apple doesn't promise anything, but we were curious: is there a way to turn the iPhone into a Hi-Res player? Fortunately, there is one - but it is not, to be fair, simple, and you will need a compatible DAC.
If you are determined to listen to your music library in high resolution from your iPhone, our article will contain everything you need to do this.
What music formats does iPhone play?
| MP3 | A popular compression and lossy format with a small file size and low quality. Convenient for storing music on smartphones. |
| A.A.C. | An alternative to MP3, also compressed and lossy, but sounds better. Used to download files with a bitrate of 256 kbps from iTunes and broadcast from YouTube. |
| WAV | The standard 16/44.1 digital format in which all CDs are recorded. High quality and huge file size, poor metadata support. |
| FLAC | Lossless compression format with high bitrate and metadata support; The file sizes are much smaller than WAV. |
| ALAC | Apple's own lossless compressed format with high resolution, metadata support and half the size of WAV. |
| DSD | Format used in Super Audio CD. Not too popular; There are options with sampling rates of 2.8, 5.6 and 11.2 MHz. |
Let's start with what the standard iPhone can do. Apple iTunes and Apple Music are built-in software music players for all laptop and iPhone models, respectively, and are capable of playing audio files in MP3, AAC, ALAC, WAV and AIFF formats.
They don't support DSD, and although FLAC is listed in the specifications of all iPhone models from 8 to 11, Apple devices do not have FLAC support built-in.
You won't be able to play recordings in this format using Apple Music or the Files app.
Why AptX on iPhone
You can compare the sound quality of the two codecs endlessly. Graphs with frequency range comparisons, impressions of AptX and AAC head-to-head, subjective and objective opinions - all this is available in abundance on specialized resources. I want to talk about something else.
Your expensive headphones are not playing at 100% due to the lack of AptX HD codec in iPhone
The lack of other codecs greatly limits the choice of wireless headphones for my iPhone. They will work, of course, but communication will take place using the SBC codec with the worst sound quality. And what's the point of buying some Marshalls if you don't get their signature sound? If you want AAC support, buy the Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless, but that's a whole other expense. And for them you will not be able to get the highest possible quality paired with your iPhone (also not the most budget smartphone), since it does not support AptX HD. I'm not even talking about connecting the iPhone to a home stereo system. Not all receivers support AAC or AirPlay. It turns out to be some kind of vicious circle. In addition, cheaper Android smartphones (like the LG G7) are becoming more versatile than the iPhone in this regard. I hope that with the new, “revolutionary” iPhone of 2020, Apple will turn its face to the market and music lovers. After all, sometimes you want something more interesting than AirPods.
What do you think of Apple's approach to wireless audio? Let's discuss in Telegram chat.
How to listen to Hi-Res audio on iPhone?
The good news is that there are several ways to play high-resolution music on your iPhone. It can be streamed via the iOS app from a compatible streaming service such as Tidal or Amazon Music HD (if you're a subscriber). You can also save and play your own files using the dedicated iOS app.
First of all, you need to know that the lack of support for Hi-Res audio is not due to a hardware limitation, but to a software limitation. iPhones themselves are capable of playing such files, but proprietary iTunes applications and Apple Music software do not allow this.
This means you just need the right software - a compatible alternative app to play music. Sounds tempting, doesn't it?
As you might expect, in the case of Apple, things are not so simple. Listening to music on, say, an iPhone 11 Pro
via the Lightning connector, you bypass its built-in DAC entirely. One would think that thanks to this we would be able to playback Hi-Res files without any problems, but even then we would be in a difficult situation. When listening using the Lightning to 3.5mm adapter included with new iPhones, the output sampling rate is limited to 48 kHz.
The limitation can be bypassed by connecting an external DAC - for example, Cyrus soundKey
or
Chord Mojo
. Not the most elegant solution, but if you want to hear recordings in their original high resolution, a DAC turns out to be the best option.
An alternative is to connect Lightning headphones directly to your iPhone, but many headphones' DACs are limited to 24/48.
So, you have a DAC or headphones with a Lightning connector. Now you need an iOS application that allows you to play files in Hi-Res audio formats.
Over the past few years, dozens of apps have appeared in the App Store that claim to have this feature (and especially support for the popular lossless FLAC compression format), but we decided to limit ourselves to only those that are compatible with a wide range of formats, accurately read metadata, and, ideally, , demonstrate the format and sampling rate of the file being played back.
This last factor is critical, because if an application can't or won't display file options, how will we know what exactly sounds like?
To be absolutely sure that your Hi-Res audio file plays without modification, you should connect it to a DAC - such as the AudioQuest DragonFly Red, Chord Mojo or Chord Hugo 2: these models indicate the sample rate in one way or another.
For testing, we chose a fresh iPhone 8 Plus and an older iPhone 6S with the most current update to the iOS 11 operating system (at the time of writing this review it was version 11.2.6). We have compiled a selection of files in FLAC and WAV formats with parameters from 24/44.1 to 24/192, as well as DSD 2.8 MHz.
What are the differences between Bluetooth audio codecs?
As usual, I'll start from afar.
When transmitting sound via Bluetooth from a source to headphones or speakers, audio codecs are used. These are special programs “hardwired” into the transmitter and receiver, with the help of which data is encoded and decoded for better wireless transmission.
There are 5 main Bluetooth audio codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and LDAC.
- SBC – the most common codec, as it is an algorithm for transmitting sound via Bluetooth. The sound quality when using this codec is very mediocre, but sufficient for many. Actually, this codec was originally developed for voice transmission in Bluetooth headsets.
SBC is a codec, thanks to which any headphones will work with any smartphone. But the sound quality is not the best
It is because of this codec that for a long time wireless sound was considered terrible and unworthy of the attention of self-respecting music lovers. But he also became a pioneer in the introduction of music transmission via Bluetooth.
Pros:
- Supported by all wireless audio devices;
The most reliable connection.
Minuses:
AirPods are some of the best wireless headphones with AAC support
Pros:
- Good sound quality on iPhone;
Reliable connection.
Minuses:
- Sound quality is lower than most codecs;
- Relatively low prevalence outside the Apple ecosystem.
AptX is the second most common codec. Thanks to its presence, the iPhone could produce better sound with most headphones
The compression algorithm used in AptX was developed back in the 1980s. Qualcomm, the current copyright holder of the codec, claims that the codec provides quality comparable to CD. A controversial statement, it seems to me.
Pros:
- Reliable connection;
Wide frequency range;
Minuses:
- The sound quality in some cases is almost the same as SBC;
- With a large number of Bluetooth devices around, the connection reliability is greatly reduced.
Read more: How the iPad has impacted the music industry
Qualcomm stated that using this codec it achieves sound close to Hi-Res, but tests do not confirm this. It sounds really decent though.
Pros:
- High bitrate for audio transmission;
Wide frequency and dynamic range;
Minuses:
- Connection reliability is below average;
- Does not transmit Hi-Res audio in appropriate quality;
- Relatively low prevalence. Headphones that support aptX HD are not among the most numerous.
In addition, LDAC has three operating modes, and only in one does it provide quality that is truly superior to all other codecs. But in this mode, your devices are unlikely to connect by default; priority is given to the more stable and lower-quality option.
Pros:
- High sound quality;
Maximum bitrate among Bluetooth codecs;
Minuses:
- Default connection in 330 kbps or 660 kbps mode with poor sound quality;
- Unstable connection in 660 kbit/s and 990 kbit/s modes;
- Low prevalence. Headphones that support LDAC are not very common. They are mainly produced by Sony, of course.
What apps are best to use to play Hi-Res audio on iPhone?
Of the seven iOS apps we chose to test (Onkyo HF Player, Vox: MP3 & FLAC Music Player, TEAC HR Audio Player, Flacbox, Musicloud, FLAC Player+ and VLC for Mobile), two came out ahead: Vox and Onkyo.
We liked the Vox app the most. It combines a stylish interface, playback of all popular Hi-Res audio formats and excellent metadata support with ease of use. Navigation through the impressive menu is not satisfactory. You can even create new playlists, including files from your iPhone, SoundCloud, and Spotify Premium libraries.
What's more, the app is free to download and use—and if you want to take advantage of its unlimited cloud storage and other convenient features, there's a subscription option.
We put Onkyo HF Player in second place, mainly because you have to pay £10 for unlimited listening (the free version is limited to eight songs in Hi-Res formats). Don't be alarmed: it's not a subscription price, but a one-time fee, and the app is worth it: it's reliable, simple, and functional. The player has a variety of features and settings, including multiple upsampling modes, selectable DSD output views, equalizers, and more. The range of supported formats is huge - it even includes quad-capacity DSD - and Hi-Res audio files are stored separately from the iPhone's main music library.
We especially like the fact that the app shows both the original sample rate of the audio file and the actual one during playback. It was this that gave us the idea of using a DAC to get maximum resolution when listening through an iPhone.
The rest of the tested applications were either difficult to use, did not support metadata, or in some cases downsampled the file to CD quality. The exception was the TEAC player. Based on an older version of the Onkyo app (they are owned by the same company), TEAC HR Player does not provide very good sound, and the interface is not as user-friendly as the Onkyo app.
Does my phone support Ldac?
The number listed in this section is the version of Android OS your device is running. If you have Android 8.0 or higher, you will have access to the LDAC codec. ... Supported Bluetooth formats and methods of connecting to them.
| Platform | Codec | Support |
| Android | LDAC 44.1/48 kHz | Playback, 3D audio, head tracking |
| APT-X, APTX-HD | Not supported |
How to Transfer Hi-Res Audio Files to iPhone?
Now comes the fun part: you've got a new music app, and it's time to transfer your files to your iPhone. Luckily, this is the easiest step.
If the Hi-Res audio files are stored on your computer (which they most likely are if you download them from sites like 7digital and HD Tracks), then this can be done using iTunes.
Connect your iPhone to your laptop, launch iTunes and click on the small iPhone icon that appears in the top left corner to display all your phone and app settings. By going to the "File Sharing" tab (this option is only available in the latest version of iTunes), you will find a list of applications that allow you to transfer files to your iPhone.
Select the appropriate application and then drag the Hi-Res audio files from your laptop into its folder. Click "Done" and your files will appear in the software player on your iPhone.
There is an important limitation. Need a good Android smartphone
LDAC support is available in some Android smartphones and expensive specialized audio players. But its presence does not at all guarantee normal music playback in this mode. Unfortunately, most vendors don’t bother and don’t even check this point.
As a result, I was convinced with my own eyes: in order to listen to LDAC normally on a smartphone, you need a truly flagship model , which has a powerful Bluetooth module, effective drivers for it and, most importantly, the cleanest possible operating system, devoid of glitches and bugs in everything related with audio path.
Finding one is a pain.
I've been using the WF-1000XM4 for several months paired with an iPhone, which itself does not support such a codec. But I really wanted to try LDAC, and so I regularly brought editorial Android smartphones to my desk.
The conclusions after testing dozens of “androids” are disappointing.
First, many models do not support LDAC at all. This does not even depend on the price of the device. Secondly, smartphones that support LDAC almost always fail to transmit the stream not only in maximum quality (990 kbit/sec, let me remind you), but even in limited bandwidth mode. The Bluetooth module falls off, the music lags and is interrupted, player applications crash, and the entire shell collapses, causing the device to reboot. Horror.
As a result, I was already desperate and gave up this idea. Out of two dozen attempts, I found only two smart phones that I didn’t like at all, but at least they coped with the task.
And then it dawned on me.
I contacted Sony and asked them for the sake of all this to hand over the company’s flagship smartphone - Sony Xperia 1 III . I figured that the parent company LDAC would definitely check this point.
And so it turned out. Hooray.
Tidal Masters: Stream Music in Hi-Res Audio
Now you know how to save and play Hi-Res audio files on iPhone. But there is another way to get your hands on them - streaming.
In 2022, streaming service Tidal launched the Tidal Masters channel, making high-resolution MQA files available at no additional cost to subscribers of the £20-a-month HiFi package. At first, the channel could only be accessed through the Tidal desktop app, but later the option for hardware integration into select MQA-compatible devices (such as the Bluesound Node 2 network music player) was added.
In January 2022, Tidal announced support for the Masters channel in the Android app and later extended it to iOS software compatible with Apple devices running iOS 11 or later.
Just like the Android version, the iOS app can perform first pass decoding of MQA files, decoding them into streams up to 24-bit/96 kHz.
But there is a better option. To fully decompress the MQA stream for playback and thus get a more accurate representation of the file based on your system's specifications, you can connect your Apple device to an MQA-compatible DAC - such as the AudioQuest DragonFly Red - and thus transfer the decoding process from the program (iOS Tidal app) to a digital-to-analog converter.
However, even in the absence of an MQA-compatible DAC, Apple owners will be able to take advantage of having an application that supports 96 kHz (or lower) output sampling rates. Just keep in mind that you'll need either Lightning headphones compatible with Hi-Res audio or a DAC to do this, as the Lightning to 3.5mm adapter's output is limited to 48 kHz.
LDAC frequency range
Humans theoretically hear sounds from 20 Hz to 20 kHz . It has been proven that in order to quantize (digitize) an audio signal without loss, the sampling frequency (the number of segments into which an analog wave is divided during digitization) must be more than 2 times the frequency range of the original audio signal.
Therefore, CD quality at 44.1 kHz is quite sufficient; the creators of the format relied on this law.
Accordingly, the frequency range at which the codec transmits sound without changes should be about 22 kHz. For Hi Res (LDAC) 96 kHz is stated, respectively, the frequency range must be at least 48 kHz. Let's see if LDAC can handle this.
LDAC frequency range
The graph shows that in quality priority mode, LDAC reaches 47 kHz , which approximately corresponds to Hi Res. 660 kbps mode – only 30 kHz, which is enough for CD quality. But connection priority produces only 18 kHz, which is even lower than aptX. And, of course, lower than CD quality should be.
3.1 Intermediate output
From all of the above, we can conclude that LDAC transmits sound in 990 kbps mode in quality comparable to CD. The minimum quantization depth of 12 bits is only slightly lower than the reference 16, the bitrate is quite enough, and the sampling frequency is even higher than necessary.
But LDAC does not reach the Hi Res level . The bit rate varies greatly and reaches the stated 24 bits only in a narrow frequency band; the bitrate is clearly not enough. But the sampling rate meets high-resolution audio standards.
Sony WF-SP700N work via LDAC
How does music sound in Hi-Res audio formats on iPhone?
Of course, all these actions are meaningless if the high resolution of the music recordings is not noticeable when listening to it on the iPhone.
We're pleased to report that Hi-Res audio files in the Vox app offer significantly better sound quality than the same standard-definition music downloaded from Apple Music (AAC, 256 kbps), with finer detail and improved rhythmicity. and more expressive dynamics.
The difference between the Vox and Onkyo apps appears to be much smaller. In our opinion, the Vox has a little more refinement and energetic dynamics compared to the Onkyo; listening to his version is more exciting.
And most importantly, they both sound much better than Music, the built-in player on Apple devices.
We found that Masters tracks also became more interesting, offering the listener greater detail and a larger music scene; they sound noticeably better than their CD-quality counterparts.
What did you say about the application?
SMSL iCon has its own iOS program. It's simple as hell.
There are three sections: your iTunes/Apple Music library with track bitrates, HD music and device information. The first section is obvious what it is responsible for, so I will omit its description.
The second tab will display only tracks saved via iTunes, which means downloaded separately. Accordingly, high-quality compositions are stored there (at least 320 Kbps).
And the last thing - information about the gadget. It displays your product name, model, serial number, software version and the application itself. Let's immediately highlight the plus - the Chinese counterfeit is not recognized by the program.
