I am thinking about upgrading my storage and streaming scheme. Being a Mac fan since 1990, I have been building my music library in iTunes - now Apple Music - since 2003. About the only thing I’m good at organizing is this music library, now with 1,169 artist and 2,665 albums (this doesn’t include the shelves of 78 and 33 rpm records, CDs, and reel-to-reel tapes). Currently I play my digital files using a MacBook’s USB into my DAC. I’ve worked hard to maximize this system running the BitPerfect app, using a really good USB cable, noise-reducing connectors, and the MacBook rates well on lack of output noise. My current DAC is a Schiit Lyr with multi-bit DAC built in and a tube output to my Stellar M1200 mono blocks. I love this sound, but people I trust with better ears than mine are suggesting I upgrade my DAC - so I’m looking at the new Stellar. I figure while I’m at it, I might as well upgrade how I’m getting music TO the DAC, so I’m looking at the AirLens and porting my digital files over to a network server. I should be OK with continuing to use Apple Music to manage my library, however here are my questions:
It looks like the preferred interface app is Roon, which can pull from my preferred streaming app Qobuz and go through AirLens to the DAC.
Similarly, I understand that Roon will also be able to locate and play the digital files on my network server, right? I looked on the Roon site and it will work well with the extensive metadata tagging I have done over the years in iTunes/Apple. I sure hope it can access the Lyrics field because I’m a jazz fan and that’s where I’ve copied my personnel lists.
Because it is more comprehensive, I am also an Apple Music subscriber. I prefer the sound of Qobuz, but I can find more stuff on Apple and use it from time to time. I looked on the Roon site and it says it does not support streaming via Apple Music, but I read somewhere here that the AirLens does do Apple Music. How? I know I can still stream Apple Music from my MacBook over USB, but that’s what I’m trying to get away from.
Any help or advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.
The Airlens can’t do anything as it has no software system. Streaming Apple Music or any other service will have to come from the software you chose to use. Not sure if any currently available aftermarket allows streaming from Apple. The software package from the Airlens board designer doesn’t allow Apple Music either.
The Eversolo software allows you to stream from Apple Music to some extent but I’ve never tried it. Also Wiim, Bluesound and I would guess also NAD.
Thanks very much - I’ll look into your suggestions. After writing all that I realized that when I use Apple Music’s streaming, it’s playing “second fiddle” to Qobuz anyway, so I guess the tiny bit of loss by going directly from the MacBook won’t be any worse than it is now (better anyway because of a better DAC).
I’ve done a little more research and still have a question: it looks like what I’d have to do is continue to stream Apple Music through my Mac - there’s no way to get Roon to send the Apple data to the AirLens. However, the way I stream Apple Music now is via USB and my DAC comes up as an output device in my system settings sound window. If I have the AirLens on the same ethernet network with the Mac, will it see the AirLens and be able to send data to it via ethernet? I did find that the Mac can send audio over internet (AoE) if the device can do AoE and I assume AirLens can do that. Anyone know?
Hey Paul, that’s a great idea! So in the case of Apple Music streaming, I could just use Airplay? Would there be any disadvantage of using that for sending ANY data from my Mac? Currently when I send audio out through my USB, I use Bit-Perfect to bypass any possible messing with the data that my Mac might do - software or hardware. Bit-Perfect will not work with Apple Streaming, just the physical files, but gosh, if I could continue using my MacBook for both streaming and playing digital files, I could avoid Roon altogether. Now I need to do some Airplay research… but thanks very much.
Uh-oh. I Googled “does mac airplay affect audio data?” and got this: “In certain circumstances, AirPlay compresses the audio down to a lossy format before sending it across to the network streaming endpoint in the hi-fi rack. In other words, **AirPlay sometimes discards audio data” and it does so without telling us." I read elsewhere that it might not do this if there are no bandwidth issues, but sounds to me like I’d be safer sticking to ethernet. So back to my original question: will AirLens come up as an audio device if it’s connected via ethernet? There’s something about using the Mac’s MIDI app to do the recognizing - maybe I’ll post the question to Apple’s community - I might get a response.
Don’t apologize - I think I read somewhere that a synonym for “audiophile” is “grouch”.
When you say “middle-man,” are you talking about those little white AppleTV boxes? Or are you referring to the AppleTV technology that is now built into all Apple devices? I’ll admit that I had to go to the Apple website to make sure they no longer make those boxes, but I read their description: “AirPlay lets you share videos, photos, music, and more from Apple devices to your Apple TV, favorite speakers, popular smart TVs, and even in select hotel rooms. Of course, what you share always stays personal and private.” (and it doesn’t require a lot to speculate that they added “personal and private” after “hotel rooms” to really say, “On a business trip you can watch all the porn you want for free and nobody will know”).
I do see value in being able to play whatever is on your screen directly to a TV. My problem, as you reiterated, is how AirPlay will compress data as needed, which 99.4% of people wouldn’t notice.
If I understand your question correctly, AirLens does support AirPlay. However, the issue is that it has been shown that AirPlay is not always Lossless, that for many reasons, the Apple device will “dumb down” lossless in order to minimize any problems between sender and receiver. The article referenced by @kerosene (if you want something really tedious to read) confirms this.
Connect Services
Mobile device (app) tells the service to stream directly to the playback component (active speaker, network streamer, super integrated).
The music stream never reaches the controlling device (smartphone, tablet where the app is installed).
Furthermore, the stream is not transcoded; the actual lossless or high-res stream remains untouched (Cloud to Component) so the apps are just remote controls - elegant.
Airplay
Music is not streamed directly from the service to playback components but first to the controlling device (smartphone, tablet, other where the service’s app is installed).
The Middleman.
The stream (often transcoded to a lossy codec) is then streamed again from the controlling device to the playback component. Cloud to phone/tablet (converted) finally to component.
If the controlling device is powered off or leaves the Wi-Fi network, the stream stops.
When using Connect capabilities, if one powers off their smartphone or tablet, the stream continues.
Apple likely sees zero value in offering Connect types of capability because, of the billions of users, only a niche would deviate from Airplay. A niche for Apple might be the size of the entire TIDAL subscription base but, for them, that’s niche.
I would like nothing more to use Apple Music in my Hi-Fi but I no longer keep a MacOS or Windows machine in my system (running Apple Music) connected to a DAC in order to get the lossy/hi-rez streams.
Thanks for the further info. I guess I’ll just have to wait until I get the AirLens to see whether I can get the Mac to recognize it as a destination. @hotsauce says the Mac doesn’t see the AirLens over WiFi, but maybe over ethernet, it will, or maybe I can link to it through the Apple Midi interface. Either way, the worst case scenario would be if there’s something on Apple Music I can’t stream on Qobuz, I could just buy the dang thing. I still buy and download stuff pretty regularly.
It’s not AirLens, but Sonos does AppleMusic natively, works with Roon, does have AirPlay, and is pretty affordable. A Sonos Port would do the trick and is under $500. You could feed that into your DAC and at least have native AppleMusic in the Sonos app (which is nowhere NEAR as bad as the hype would have you believe)
Hi again Mike. I took a look at Sonos and it appears it’s trying to do what AirLens does, but maybe with more flexibility because unlike AirLens, it actually has its own software. So the Sonos software forms a bridge with the Port and I’d stream Apple Music through Airplay, right? The only problem is that AirPlay compresses data, so you’re never sure whether you’re getting true lossless data. Roon would control the Sonos similarly to how it controls the AirLens. I really want to take advantage of what the AirLens offers, so I think I’ll cross my fingers and hope I can get to it via ethernet directly from my Mac.
No, Sonos is the sole third-party hardware that integrates Apple Music (the cloud service) fully into the app. You’re gonna see a LOT of bad reviews right now because of the app debacle. Take them with a grain of salt because things have improve dramatically since the rollout. They also have a 45 day return window if it doesn’t suit you.
I’m not gonna come out here and call Sonos “high end”, but if you want a way to get Apple Music into your DAC short of buying another computer and directly connecting it into your DAC, Sonos is the only way. The Apple Music integration isn’t the quickest, but it works pretty damn well and will feed lossless up to 24/48. If you want more than that, you’ll need to connect a Mac via USB I think.
That being said, at $499 education pricing, a Mac Mini connected to the DAC via USB isn’t a terrible option. The control aspect is the hardest thing, but you could easily add a cheap monitor and use the Apple Music app you’ve been using. That’s not much more than you’re paying for the Sonos Port, and it will get you a good source I suppose.
In the end, AirPlay just isn’t up to snuff. John Darko has several videos on how AirPlay falls way short of audiophile goals and how it both compresses and screws with the signal.
If one wants authentic / original bit and sample rates to a DAC from Mac OS, a plug-in such as LosslessSwitcher is needed. Otherwise, the MIDI utility has to be used - kind of stupid.
I know at one point, Apple Music on a Mac to a DAC via USB wasn’t bit perfect, if that even matters.
Darko covered this in detail as well and using an iOS device via USB to a DAC is bit perfect without add-ons.
I just explained why I have stuck with TIDAL even though I would prefer to use Apple Music.