Android apple music

[timattrn]

Searching the forum has hits on my question but no definitive answers (that can find).
I can chromecast apple music from my pixel to the wim pro but I don't see bitrates above 44.1khz.
I can also cast to a Google ultra chromecast receiver and run the HDMI output through a splitter to get digital optical output, which I can then feed into the WiiM pro.
This sounds like higher quality audio but I can't see the bitrate being received.

Is it possible that the Chromecast receiver implemented on the WiiM pro is not capable of the higher bit rates that the Chromecast ultra is capable of?

 

[Brantome]

Thé WiiM pro can accept ChromeCast up to 24/192 as I confirmed way back when I first received a beta unit in this post
https://wiim.community.forum/threads/wiim-pro-just-arrived.75/

It’s more likely in your case that Apple Music is downsampling when chromecasting as even airplay has great difficulty in transporting hi res as per this link https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/bits-and-bytes/apple-music-lossless-mess-part-2-airplay-r1026/

 

[Brantome]

See this link from a respected informed member on ASR (who also regularly posted in the WiiM Mini thread there) - looks like Apple/Google dumb it down to AAC as ChromeCast doesn’t support ALAC

Apple Music Hi-Res on Android - playing to Chromecast Audio

So Apple Music on Android looks nice and Hi-Res is working well. Qobuz on Android can 'cast' up to 24/96k reliably to my Chromecast Audio - cool. Apple Music casting works fine to my Chromecast also. So Apple have allowed Chromecasting - cool. But you would also assume we should be able to...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[timattrn]

And still hold in mind the very questionable CC handling of gapless playback

Amazon HD became available in Australia, which I didn't realise, so I'm trying that. As everyone here already knows, casting from the Amazon app clips the stream, but inside the WiimPro app, you get the max. For me, this is the first time I am hearing streaming audio at SACD quality. I am very happy. The Amazon Music app has a wonderful display of what it's doing: the quality of the source and the quality of the output.

Apparently the Chromecast protocol will go up to 96K and I guess 24 bit, but Apple chromecasting just gets stuck at 16 bits/44.1 KHz

However, I bought a USB C to Toslink optical out, and with that, Apple Music streams (or "outputs" since I guess a phone tethered to the DAC is not streaming) at high quality, so does the native Amazon app.
This is a clunky solution though. Clearly something bad about Apple's streaming approach. The shame for me is that Apple Classical is very good. Hopefully Apple allows an Wiim Home in-app client like Tidal and Amazon etc. The Apple Music situation is very disappointing.

 

[Brantome]

As everyone here already knows, casting from the Amazon app clips the stream, but inside the WiimPro app, you get the max.

On the contrary , I’d say everyone here knows that casting from the amazon music app using AlexaCast doesn’t clip the stream, but delivers a bit perfect stream up to 24/192 to the WiiM devices which has been their USP. You're perhaps still using chromecast.

To enable AlexaCast, make sure you’ve linked Alexa in the WiiM Home app and have selected hd/uhd via the cog icon settings page there.

 

[Brantome]

Apparently the Chromecast protocol will go up to 96K and I guess 24 bit, but Apple chromecasting just gets stuck at 16 bits/44.1 KHz

Chromecast will go up to 24/192 as I said in my first reply.

 

[Brantome]

Hopefully Apple allows an Wiim Home in-app client like Tidal and Amazon etc.

As has been mentioned before in the forums, native Apple support is only available from a select few companies like Sonos and Tesla who no doubt have thrown money at Apple, and WiiM have tried to get Apple to allow full 24/48 airplay2 from Apple Music but with little luck. Apple seem to go out of their way to make playback of their hi res offering very difficult

 

[Brantome]

However, I bought a USB C to Toslink optical out, and with that, Apple Music streams (or "outputs" since I guess a phone tethered to the DAC is not streaming) at high quality, so does the native Amazon app.

While the Amazon Music app may appear to playing at high quality, it's well documented that its output to an external device is not bit perfect in that it plays all tracks at the maximum resolution of the device it's connected to. The "wonderful display" can be misleading in that respect. There's a very long post on Reddit on this, although the author has a slightly jaundiced view (in my opinion) of WiiM devices due to some issues with its firmware and their interaction with WiiM last year - YMMV as does mine

https://www.reddit.com/r/AmazonMusic/comments/xnr2h9