Listener's 10-year experience with Apple Music highlights the desire for a high-resolution audio enhancement feature to meet their optimal listening experience.
AirPlay 2, the wireless streaming protocol developed by Apple, has been a popular choice for streaming music on various devices. However, when it comes to high-resolution audio, there are some limitations that set it apart from other streaming protocols like Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect.
AirPlay 2's main limitation for streaming high-resolution audio is that it does not support Apple Music's hi-res lossless audio formats; instead, AirPlay 2 downsamples all audio to 16-bit/44.1kHz AAC, which is a lossy format. Despite claims of lossless audio transmission in some contexts, hi-res (24-bit/192kHz) streaming is not supported natively over AirPlay 2.
In contrast, Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect are streaming protocols designed specifically to transmit high-resolution audio natively to compatible devices without downsampling or lossy compression, thus preserving full hi-res lossless audio quality (up to 24-bit/192kHz or higher). These protocols enable direct network streaming from the app to the device, avoiding intermediary encoding that can reduce sound quality. Unlike AirPlay, they do not rely on Apple’s proprietary transmission but use dedicated, often more audiophile-focused streaming standards that support true hi-res formats.
Here's a comparison of the key features of AirPlay 2 and Tidal Connect/Qobuz Connect:
| Feature | AirPlay 2 | Tidal Connect / Qobuz Connect | |-------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | Hi-res audio support | No, downsampled to 16-bit/44.1kHz AAC | Yes, native hi-res lossless (e.g., 24-bit/192kHz) | | Speaker flexibility | Improved in tvOS 26 to allow any AirPlay device as default | Dependent on device support, but generally flexible | | Connection type | Wireless (Wi-Fi, AirPlay protocol) | Network streaming directly to device (Wi-Fi/Ethernet) | | Use case focus | General consumer streaming within Apple ecosystem | Audiophile-grade streaming with focus on sound quality |
With the upcoming tvOS 26 update, AirPlay improves in terms of speaker connectivity by allowing any AirPlay-enabled wireless speaker (not just HomePods) to be set as a permanent default audio output on Apple TV devices. This enhances home theater flexibility, but the audio quality limitation remains due to the inherent downsampling in the AirPlay 2 protocol itself.
AirPlay streams songs via smartphone or tablet, not directly from the streaming service's servers, which can lead to interruptions during phone calls or video playback. On the other hand, Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect stream music directly from their servers to connected hi-fi products, providing a smoother experience.
Apple Music, which started in 2015, has over 100 million songs in its catalogue. The service's main individual tier costs £10.99 per month, and it introduced spatial audio and 24-bit hi-res lossless tiers. However, currently, AirPlay 2 downsamples hi-res files to the lossy AAC format, preventing the enjoyment of full CD-spec lossless quality.
The author desires a Connect-style version of AirPlay as a proper upgrade, allowing Apple Music's full quality to be heard through excellent hi-fi kit. The second update desired is full hi-res support over AirPlay, allowing the streaming of lossless hi-res (24-bit) quality songs. Apple users may prioritize seamless connection and integration, but a portion of users also care about getting the best sound quality. Therefore, the author hopes for better sound quality from Apple's audio products, including true hi-res (and hi-fi) audio quality in the future.
- In contrast to AirPlay 2, Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect support native high-res lossless audio, preserving full quality up to 24-bit/192kHz or higher.
- AirPlay 2 downsamples all audio to 16-bit/44.1kHz AAC, a lossy format, when streaming high-resolution audio.
- Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect enable direct network streaming from the app to the device, avoiding intermediary encoding that can reduce sound quality.
- The upcoming tvOS 26 update allows any AirPlay-enabled wireless speaker to be set as a permanent default audio output on Apple TV devices.
- AirPlay streams songs via smartphone or tablet, which can lead to interruptions during phone calls or video playback, while Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect stream music directly from their servers to connected hi-fi products.
- The author desires a Connect-style version of AirPlay that allows Apple Music's full quality to be heard through excellent hi-fi equipment.
- The author also hopes for full hi-res support over AirPlay, allowing the streaming of lossless high-resolution (24-bit) quality songs in the future.
