Apple Music HiFi Tier incoming?

My assumption here is that when Apple included multiroom from iOS devices in AirPlay 2 they decided that it was safer to limit it to AAC to make it an easier load on the network.
AirPlay 1 could only do multiroom from OSX so I guess a wired network should be able to cope quite easily.

2 Likes

Also donā€™t forget dealing with devices that handle different rates is something they have never had to deal with as AirPlay has always been fixed to one rate. It opens up big compatibility issues between all Airplay2 devices and likely multi room sync. That and they donā€™t really believe in as they are so invested in AAC and been pimping it for years to just turn tail and leave it would not look good.

1 Like

Iā€™ve often wondered in practice how often people actually use multiroom?

3 on right now. 2 is fairly normal on a day to day basis

I very rarely use it - generally only with adjoining rooms/spaces if Iā€™m going back and forth - any more than that and Iā€™m probably not really listening to the music anyway.

Ah, serious listening is always one room, but daytime listening is mostly between two rooms across a lobby area. Today as we were sitting outside French doors that room was also on.
Daytime can be random playlists from my nas or Amazon, or the radio stream.

1 Like

I tend to use AirPlay multiroom rather than Naim multiroom for BBC radio quite regularly as the Sounds app is so much better to use than the Naim app.

Rarely ever use more than one room at a time but often Mrs Gipsy in one room me in another listening and I move zones as I move from office to in the house.

ā€¦I do not use Apple Music, no interest.

I just renewed my Qobuz annual subscription for Studio Premier which now costs $129.99/year here in the US. The daily cost of using the service works out to be 35.6 cents per day.

A great price for the service to be able to listen both HiRes and CD quality music. Their database of available music suites my needs and supplements the 2000 or so CDā€™s I have on my NAS.

Since I retired and now in my 70ā€™s I have cut back on buying new music on hard copy material but do down load an occasional HiRes version of an album to my NAS.

I find streaming music to be my main source of listening and enjoy the ease and comfort along with the high quality that it provides.

Life is sweet and so is the musicā€¦

5 Likes

I rarely use it and would not really miss it but I think younger family members would as the content/features are more in line with their musical tastes than Qobuz.

Even at just under Ā£180 per annum Qobuz Sublime is better value than when I first subscribed many years ago with a CD quality plan but discounts on purchases. We really are fortunate to have these vast catalogues of music available to enjoy for the cost of a new CD releasse or two each month.

3 Likes

I also think Apple wanted to limit the quality of AirPlay 2 streaming due to the network stress caused by multiroom.

However, I think Apple could allow the user to decide whether or not to use multiroom by adding an option in the AirPlay settings.

Those who use multiroom can only send in lossy AAC.

Those who do not use the multiroom can send in lossless ALAC

Even if only up to 16 / 44.1, as already happens in AirPlay 1, that would be a great thing.

2 Likes

Nice idea, but I think those of us who are bothered by this are too few to be on Appleā€™s radar.

2 Likes

Iā€™m really struggling with multi-room.

On my 4K ATVā€™s I have the TV outputting to a Nova and a NDX2. If I select the Airplay multi-room on the ATVs, then I loose sound to the connected streamer. So on iOS, I just canā€™t seem to get multi-room working on any Airplay2 device. It seems somewhat flaky.

What I can do, is multi-room the TV audio output from the Nova or the NDX2 to the other device, or even the Uniti2, using the Naim app. But I get a lip-sync delay for any configuration of source (TV, ATV or Blu-ray), to any combination of earlier generation and current generation streamers, which rather defeats the purpose.

I donā€™t think Iā€™m doing anything wrong here, I just wonder whether the technology is not quite there once you introduce video with the audio multi-room function?

I had the same problem just using the Naim amp, I could multi room TVs, the lip sync was out by more than I could adjust.

1 Like

Did you ever find a solution Pete?

Yes, unplugging it :grin:

1 Like

As in, not using it?

Yes think youā€™ll find the problem is the tv not your Naim stuff.

1 Like

Looking at Topping to be the DAC from my Sky and Blu Ray player , are they as good as people say ?

No idea I donā€™t have one myself but I know lots that do and they swear by them. I have an SMSL SU9 and RME ADI 2 in constant use. @WeekendWarrior switched his whole system to Topping so something in it.