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                 Apple Clarifies Lossless Audio Support Details

   Josh Centers

   Apple's announcement of support for lossless audio in Apple Music was
   welcome but sparked confusion over what devices it would work with (see
   '[1]Apple Takes Apple Music Sound Quality to the Next Level,' 17 May
   2021). Apple has now published a [2]support article offering more
   details:
     * If you have already downloaded a song, you'll need to delete it and
       redownload it to get the lossless version.
     * On a Mac, you can listen to lossless audio with speakers or wired
       headphones, but you'll need an external digital-to-analog converter
       to listen to songs at sample rates higher than the 48 kHz that
       Apple labels as Hi-Res Lossless.
     * The Apple TV 4K will support lossless playback, but not at rates
       higher than 48 kHz.
     * The HomePod and HomePod mini will gain lossless playback in a
       future software update.
     * Lossless audio will play over Bluetooth but will not be lossless
       because, as some technical wags have noted, Bluetooth is inherently
       lossy. Sadly, this limitation includes the AirPods, AirPods Pro,
       and AirPods Max.
     * Apple's [3]Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter supports
       lossless audio up to sample rates of 48 kHz.
     * The AirPods Max can play lossless audio with the [4]optional
       Lightning to 3.5mm Audio Cable, but it will not be completely
       lossless.

   [5]Read original article

References

   1. https://tidbits.com/2021/05/17/apple-takes-apple-music-sound-quality-to-the-next-level/
   2. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212183
   3. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMX62AM/A/lightning-to-35-mm-headphone-jack-adapter?fnode=4c245c5065fc7d315bd8e0517dfc0b8074dfe9dafec0f8727a1339b9b377105b278f3afc0ea5be2e261eb52575a6201bf906db94adfdff074611473f707e3a43cfe4f179e6a8696b7aa062b1c1805d63737127cf6f912d19748161fd7f05f87c
   4. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MXK22AM/A/lightning-to-35-mm-audio-cable-12m-white
   5. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212183

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