Stream Apple Music Lossless

Streaming Audio
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Let me give it a shot. OK. Lol…I stumbled around and did figure it out. So the Nova plays through the Mac on internet radio. I also got Apple Music to play, but do I need to manually adjust the rate or something/. And for each selection of a different rate?

OK. Just was on with Apple Support. With the Mini you do need to change the bit/ sample rate. But once you do the midi (?) of the Mac tries to convert everything to 192 (or whatever setting). Apple music does say Hi res lossless but not the sample rate. So one way to determine is to plug into the iPad and see the rate displayed…oy. Thye Apple tech said tho, there will be a minimal change in the output if the rates are mis-matched. So…my thought is to download all the hi-res to the mini and only use it for those. Otherwise stream Qobuz.

Now, about the Topping and Qobuz: through the Mac the rate remains at the Midi setting. I wondered if it would change to reflect the rate…no…remains at the mini’s midi setting.

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Qobuz will rate switch if you enable Exclusive mode in the app.

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Where is that? Ah…you mean the Qobuz and not the Naim app I presume…hmmm…don’t see “exclusive mode.”

Ah…my stumbling around is yielding some…something. (Though I never found exclusive mode.) Lol. So. With Apple music the output from the Mac Mini M1 is set at whatever you choose (192/32…) And whatever you play in Apple music shows on the Topping D10s as the rate you set (I chose 192/32). But. After playing with the Qobuz app and allowing it to control my Mac, now, when I play through the Qobuz app, the different rates DO appear on the Topping, unlike when using Apple Music.

Anyone that understands what I said please explain it to me! Lol…but that’s what I’ve just discovered. And that, after searching play Hi Res on the Mac. Apparently Qobuz requires a wired connection as does Apple Music?

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So, is this correct that you need a wired connection for hi res with Qobuz also? It seems like that, at least the Topping works wired and does display the rate when wired which is cool…

Hmm…and when playing through the Naim app the rate does not change…yes.

Sheesh. OK…if I choose a song from an album using the Naim app the Topping display remains what I have the Mac set at. But when I play that selection through the Qobuz app then Topping display changes to reflect the rate.

When I play through the Naim app the sources indicator isn’t lit showing a choice. When I stop the selection in the Naim app and go to the Qobuz app and play the same song, the display on the Topping does, as I said, change to reflect the source rate, and though the selection is playing there is no sound. You need go back to the sources and select the digital input for the Topping. Then you have the sound and display once the source is selected. I have the Topping in Digital 3. If I then go back from the Qobuz app to the Naim app and play, the rate I selected in the Mac settings again displays regardless of source. And then the “digital 3” source tab is no longer lit.

Ah…another thing, when playing Qobuz wired through the Toppping our lovely screens no longer display artwork…just the source selection (digital 3 for me)

So. This does change the Qobuz vs Apple Music argument. With Apple Music the Mac output forces everything to decode(?) at the set rate whereas Qobuz automatically sets…

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That’s the version I have downloaded. I prefer the original releases, at least the ones with the original number tracks. So Bubble is a 3rd party? Oy…more scary stuff (to me…)

And as for the way I’m doing it, I want to see the rate on the Topping…

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I may get a Topping to try - is it the D10s you have rather than the one with balaced outputs?

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Yes. Around $100 US

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A bit more expensive in UK, but I think it looks quite stylish.

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The one with balanced outputs is more expensive.

Higher end models seem to offer some benefits (higher DSD rates) but probably not in the context of feeding a current Naim streamer.

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Now I’m confused again tho. Someone on the Facebook Naim owners page just questioned why I’m doing any of this, as Qobuz streams into the Nova at hi-res? So there is nothing gained wiring the Nova to the Mac? But the Qobuz site says this “ The cables and adapters previously cited will allow you to listen to Qobuz in Hi-Res with a compatible DAC.” Connection between an iOS or Android smartphone/tablet and a DAC, let’s focus on the connectivity..

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Caveat: when playing through the Mac, the artwork is not shown. The Topping there is merely displaying the last source I cued up. Now I’m streaming from my iPad. When using the Topping the display says “Digital 3 (or whichever you use)”

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Apple Music is the issue (and Amazon Music) as there don’t seem to be easy ways to get better than CD quality stuff to the Nova with wi-fi without compromises - Chromecast might work for Amazon Music, but I’ve not tried recently and disliked the ‘HD/hi-res/whatever’ trial last year.

I’ll take a look at Qobuz app again (which I rarely use after it lost a load of local downloads) - The UPnP output setting was in Beta previously and didn’t always work but ought to allow up to 24/192 to Nova with no faffing around (best Qobuz quality AFAIK despite them saying they’d offer DSD high rates a few years ago).

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It didn’t originally, firmware/app updates brought native Qobuz support to the new streamers early last year:

Apologies for being pedantic, was doubting my own memory!

Roon’s RAAT was not supported originally, Spotify was, Tidal may have been.

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You are correct, Qobuz support was added by firmware update. Prior to that there were ongoing attempts to find workarounds to get it to work, especially after they released a Hi-Res tier - just like there are now to get Amazon, Apple Music or whatever other service to work. People always want the new must-have thing.

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I primarily remember as I had early Atoms/Novas and was an early Qobuz user in the UK.

Chromecast promised much but infuriated me as you could not do gapless playback from the Qobuz app which ruined playback for classical/prog and similar genres. There were fiddly workarounds, but they were simply too fiddly for me!

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Qobuz Chromecast was an abomination! Maybe it’s better now, but thankfully we don’t need it.

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I think you have to remember that audio DACs only support audio, not artwork etc. even if they relay the digital audio signal (which is all the Topping is really doing), metadata/artwork will not be supported.

That’s why you only see the input and potentially the bit depth/sample rate.

Protocols such as Airplay allow additional data so that’s why you see album art with those.

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Thanks, just ordered one - it’s a cracking looking little unit.

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If so probably guilty too, but the thread title relates to Apple Music and there is no way to do that without significant jiggery pokery. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Well…you need the hardware to play Apple hi res…

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Sure, have been. One thing cool with the Topping tho is it displays the Qobuz rate when played through the Mac. I like to see the rate. Another thing, I’m wondering if accessing Qobuz through the Naim app (as in clicking Artists with the Qobuz logo in the Naim app) plays hi res? The Qobuz app defaults to the source and I choose my Naim, and then the screen shows “Chromecast built in” *when accessed through the Qobuz app. When I play Qobuz content through the Naim app that screen (Chromecast built in) does not appear.