The only DAC inside the iPhone drives the speaker/earpiece output. Unless, that is, you have an iPhone 6S or earlier. Even then, I don’t think you can see what rate that DAC is running at, so I’m assuming you’re talking about Apple Music not consistently switching the sample rate/bit depth for an external DAC.
It’s really down to Apple Music and the specific files being played.
Apple Music can, and does, change the sample rate and bit depth for external DACs … it just doesn’t seem to do it for every track. Some work, some don’t. I don’t know why; maybe there’s some hidden/weird piece of metadata (other than the rate/depth) in the track that tells Apple Music to change rates.
The DAC itself can influence this; some don’t support auto-rate switching. I think most of the worthwhile dongle DACs do.
Thanks @Torq. I didn’t like that @cunningham1105 ‘s question had been going unanswered, and I wasn’t solid on how to frame a response. Am I correct in thinking that when we go outside Apple Music to Qobuz. Spotify, Tidal, and so forth it depends on the app, and that most of them do change bitrates automatically for external dongles? I know that Roon and Roon Arc are solid, as I think Qobuz is. Those are the ones I generally use.
And on MacOS, I’ve been using your bit of software. I don’t know why this hasn’t been addressed by the OS itself.
If you want specific examples/combinations, there’s a headphones.com video on all the major streaming services and how they behave with iOS and macOS.
I suspect you’re using “LosslessSwitcher”, but that’s not something I had anything to do with.
I never released my app; stopped working on it when it did what I needed and have no real motivation to “finish” it. I’m all Roon at home, and 95% APP3 when traveling, so it’s a bit moot (for me).
It’d be the Apple Music app that would need to do it.
Nothing in macOS stops an app from switching sample rates/bit depths. But you don’t really want the OS doing it for you, willy nilly, because you often have multiple apps outputting sound to the same device, at different rates, and that’d cause all sorts of issues.
As to why they haven’t added it to Apple Music? Your guess is as good as mine. I’d assume they don’t think it’s worth it for a niche, of a niche, of a niche, of a niche of users.
Thanks for all the advice. I went with purchasing the synapse which helped quite a bit but unfortunately had some issues with the ifi nano BL when connecting from usb c in my laptop through the synapse and it seems the ifi had some known power issues (killed one of my cables) when not directly plugged via usb. So given I was in the market for a new dac/amp anyway I decided to make a purchase for the topping dx5 II and am waiting for that to arrive.
Also got my hands on a really good condition pair of Focal Elex’s which are great so far. But im not crazy about the ear pads and headband which seem to be one of the few criticisms of them online. Does anyone have any recommendations about how/what I can do or buy to change or make them more longer lasting?
What FR curve is ideal for critical / analytical listening? By analytical I mean imaging, detail retrieval etc. For this, should the FR be flat or treble emphasized? I ask this because when I search about it, there are two main set of suggestions I see - either flat sounding headphones like AKGs, Ollos, Sennheisers, Neumanns etc, or treble emphasized like Sonys and Beyers.
I am not an audio engineer, nor trying to produce music. This is not for studio purpose, just being curious. Not asking about specific headphone models, but about the frequency graph.
Regarding soundstage, this is a common thing I read, that most headphones do soundstage width well, but not depth. By depth I mean things like whether the singer is in front of guitarist etc. What are some headphones that do soundstage depth like this well?
Unfortunately, there is no universally correct answer to the question of sound quality, as it varies based on individual subjective experiences. Generally, an increase in treble levels is often perceived as an enhancement in detail.
Ultimately, achieving balance is key; however, what one person considers balanced may be perceived as overly bright by another.
I would argue that the concept of ‘soundstage’ - the sense of spaciousness - is something that most headphones struggle to reproduce effectively, lacking both width and depth. Having a proper frame of reference is crucial; if someone has not experienced high-quality speakers in a well-treated room, their perception of soundstage may differ significantly.
There are design techniques and frequency response adjustments that can influence perceived soundstage, but experiences will vary among listeners. To explore the soundstage effect, I recommend starting with a comparison between open-back and closed-back headphones.
Headphones struggle with soundstage per their inherent differences from live performances and speakers.
Natural music and speakers generate sound in front of you, their output is reflected in many different ways before it hits your ears, and the dominant sound comes from an oblique angle. The highly controversial Bose 901s took this a step further, and intentionally output most sound from the back of the speakers to the rear wall to “better” simulate live sound.
Headphones (and especially IEMs) project sound directly into your ears from the sides, whereby reflections can arise only from the cups and pads. They typically image in the middle of your head, not in front of you. The Sennheiser HD 800 (and 800 S) are correctly known for generating the perception of expansive width, but the stage still remains in the middle of the head.
There have been various attempts to angle headphone drivers or route sound from the front/oblique angles, but these are relatively rare. None of them have become standards. Some vendors (e.g., Apple) also use digital processing to simulate movement and positioning. This does work, but the processing required limits their overall quality.
Listen to @Nuance and compare open versus closed headphones. I think 95% of us prefer open headphones because, even though the stage remains in the head, they marry well to the room and environment. They don’t have the boxy and boomy reflections common with closed headphones.
Hey everyone,
I’m currently using the Hifiman HE400se and looking for an upgrade. I’m stuck between two options and would like to get some advice. Currently considering Hifiman Sundara ($160) and Hifiman Edition XV ($400).
I’m mainly wondering how big the jump in sound quality is between the Sundara and Edition XV, and whether the XV is worth the extra cost.
For context, I’m currently running a Fosi ZH3 and also have a KA15.
I faced a similar choice a few years ago. I had the HE-400i 2020, and I pondered whether I should go to the Sundara or leapfrog to the Ananda. I leapfrogged and I’ve extremely satisfied with my choice ever since.
I own an HE6 from used market now and I am looking to buy a headphone amp. But a common sentiment I see online is that it needs way higher power than what spec says
For e.g. I went to headphones.com power calculator and calculated for 77 db/mW at 50 ohm for 110 db loudness, and got a figure of just 2 W required. Let’s double it to 4 W for 2 W of undistorted power. But its still only 4 W.
But people say Watt is not for just loudness, to get the maximum sound quality (tighter bass, opening up of soundstage etc) you need way more power.
My question is, is Watt just for satisfactory loudness levels, or does more watt affect sound quality also?
Having more power than necessary to reach a desired SPL with a given headphone is mostly about keeping the amplifier from running close to its limits. Most amplifiers’ performance (distortion) falls off, progressively more rapidly, as you get closer to their power limits. And most are at their best at or below their operational mid-point.
In general, if you figure out what your average listening level is, add 20 dB/SPL for musical peaks, figure out how much power is needed for your headphone to reach that, and then double it, you’ll be in good shape.
Not sure where you’re getting 77 dB/mW for the HE6. It should be 83.5 dB/mW.
I just went with the worst case for my calculation. Let’s say 85 dB is my listening level. I added 25 dB to it, to make it 110 dB. Even then the power calculator suggests just 2 W. To ensure undistorted 2 W, let me double it like you mentioned which is 4 W.
But what confuses me is the countless posts about the likes of Susvara and HE6 requiring ton of power, some even preferring speaker amps. I checked some of the most suggested amps for Susvara and they are all in the 8 W - 16 W range. So I was wondering if more Watts than required (say about 4 W) adds more to sound quality rather than to just loudness.
Remember that the dB scale is logarithmic. Doubling the power adds 3 dB, and quadrupling the power adds 6 dB. And, perceptually, “twice as loud” means a gain of 10 dB, which means 10 times the power.
I have Cystic Fibrosis and use a Monarch Vest daily which makes approx 75 DBa. I have the original Bose QuietComfort 15 noise-cancelling headphones and am ready to replace them with something newer. I am using these for watching TV while doing the treatments.
Once or twice a year, I may use them for a long flight, but primarily it is for the daily application above.
What do you recommend?
Budget is flexible. Keep in mind that 75dBa is like a vacuum cleaner near my ears.
On a site note, I wish to go wireless (currently plugged into my TV) so need an adapter that will transmit
I like the Sennheiser Momentum 4 for TV also. I use Bluetooth to connect. If your TV does not support Bluetooth, you can find a Bluetooth adapter fairly easily.
This summer during cicada season, the Sennheiser did a reasonable job quieting the insects that measured 78-83 decibels on my porch.