How do I play Apple Music?

[Brantome]

What about wired connection? I used to connect my phone directly to my amp aux with a 3.5 to RCA (through lightning adapter). I recently changed to an older amp without built in DAC (still works but I assume it’s using the crappy iPhone native DAC). I thought I could just plug in my phone to the line in of the Pro Plus and use it as a DAC but no sound comes out - any idea?

And any idea if, once fixed, it would be hi res or AAC as through Air Play?

If you use the line in of a WiiM device, you’re not using its DAC as you’re feeding it an analog signal output from the the device connected to it.

That’s assuming you’re using an iOS device that has an analog/ headphone socket. If you’re using a lightning connection, the output will be a digital stream that would need to be connected to a DAC with a usb input which a Pro plus doesn’t have.

What iOS device do you have?

 

[Entrigo]

If you use the line in of a WiiM device, you’re not using its DAC as you’re feeding it an analog signal output from the the device connected to it.

That’s assuming you’re using an iOS device that has an analog/ headphone socket. If you’re using a lightning connection, the output will be a digital stream that would need to be connected to a DAC with a usb input which a Pro plus doesn’t have.

What iOS device do you have?

Right OK mmmm not what I had hoped to hear haha.

I’m simply using an iPhone (13).

So there is no way for me to utilise the Pro Plus DAC to convert the signal / will I have to use an external one (I guess connected to the iPhone lightning port with the 3.5 - RCA feeding out of it and into the Pro Plus line in?

Sorry but quite a novice in terms of digital music reproduction - I just upgraded from a simple casting to a Google Chromecast Audio plugged in straight into my amp set up - and still very much training my ears to appreciate hi res…

P.s. can’t remember if it was on this forum but the wired connection is what someone had suggested as the only way to get lossless - they spoke about using an iPad but I guessed it would be the same with an iPhone?

 

[Brantome]

What music service are you using? I feel having to use a wired connection from your phone rather defeats the point of a wireless streamer like a WiiM device tbh

 

[jxrxme]

As far as I know the Apple Lightning to 3,5mm headphone jack adapter has a built-in DAC which does 24bit/48kHz to analog. This connected to the line in of WiiM Pro Plus should work. The WiiM device will convert this analog back to digital (at max 24bit/192kHz) in order to feed to the standard signal processing pipeline.
Actually I used my iPad like this today (iPad has a dedicated headphone jack though).

 

[Entrigo]

What music service are you using? I feel having to use a wired connection from your phone rather defeats the point of a wireless streamer like a WiiM device tbh

Yeah. It’s just I have free Apple Music (as in paid by someone else haha) so I feel I should really make the most of it. I also have Spotify which I am a bit loathe to lose as I really like the UX, suggestions etc.

So, still in terms of wired connections, would it be worth me buying an external DAC - found a Dragonfly red at £80 - as in, would it make a discernible difference from using the iPhone one? I have been thinking about buying one for a while, also to use with my PC and Headphones. But though my Kanto Yu PC speakers already have a DAC and I listen through my headphones only on the go, so not quite optimal listening experience anyway.

 

[Entrigo]

As far as I know the Apple Lightning to 3,5mm headphone jack adapter has a built-in DAC which does 24bit/48kHz to analog. This connected to the line in of WiiM Pro Plus should work. The WiiM device will convert this analog back to digital (at max 24bit/192kHz) in order to feed to the standard signal processing pipeline.
Actually I used my iPad like this today (iPad has a dedicated headphone jack though).

Tha

As far as I know the Apple Lightning to 3,5mm headphone jack adapter has a built-in DAC which does 24bit/48kHz to analog. This connected to the line in of WiiM Pro Plus should work. The WiiM device will convert this analog back to digital (at max 24bit/192kHz) in order to feed to the standard signal processing pipeline.
Actually I used my iPad like this today (iPad has a dedicated headphone jack though).

Well, my adapter is not actually Apple. It was a cheap knockoff one (like £5 for two on Amazon). I mean music still plays, but…

 

[QuarryHunslet]

I use a different method to extract up to 24-bit 192 KHz audio from my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

The photo shows the Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter, a generic USB A to USB C adapter, and UGREEN USB-C to 3.5mm Audio Adapter which contains a Hi-Res 32-bit 384 KHz DAC Chip.

The other set up has the Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter, connected to the same devices mentioned above. The benefit of this set up is that you can charge the iPhone whilst playing music.

The second photo shows the same UGREEN Adapter, connected to a USB C OTG Adapter which I use in the USB C port of my iPads to achieve the same 24-bit 192 KHz output, and also the ability to keep my iPad charging whilst listening to music.

I realise that this set up is not very elegant, and not suitable for playing music when you are out and about.

 

[Entrigo]

I use a different method to extract up to 24-bit 192 KHz audio from my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

The photo shows the Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter, a generic USB A to USB C adapter, and UGREEN USB-C to 3.5mm Audio Adapter which contains a Hi-Res 32-bit 384 KHz DAC Chip.

The other set up has the Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter, connected to the same devices mentioned above. The benefit of this set up is that you can charge the iPhone whilst playing music.

The second photo shows the same UGREEN Adapter, connected to a USB C OTG Adapter which I use in the USB C port of my iPads to achieve the same 24-bit 192 KHz output, and also the ability to keep my iPad charging whilst listening to music.

I realise that this set up is not very elegant, and not suitable for playing music when you are out and about.


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Yeah. I kinda decided it’s too much faff - and as Apple Music doesn’t really have all my music, started a Tidal trial.

Though, truth be told, even Spotify with its “meagre” 320kbps sounds pretty good through the Wiim now. And to my untrained ears (and my wife’s) not a night/day difference from that and Tidal Max - my wife actually couldn’t tell the difference. Might actually try the same with Tidal and Apple through Air Play today.

 

[jxrxme]

If you don’t need Apple Music for special usecases (e.g. HomePods) I would recommend Spotify or Tidal over Apple Music since it’s possible to easily integrate in the WiiM Home App.

 

[Entrigo]

Nah don’t need it, just get it “free” as part of a family subscription and thought it would be silly to pay extra for another subscription (well two - I already have Spotify). But it is extremely annoying so now went for Tidal. I will see how I get on - I love the user experience of Spotify, will decide whether to keep both or just pay for Tidal and keep Spotify free…

 

[Achim2025]

Just an idea. Found my way bringing Apple Lossless into my HiFi. Not very sexy, but it works. A second iPad with USB-C out via an (Audioquest) USB-C to USB-B cable into my old Cambridge M200 and via RCA into my amp. Together with a cheap stand on the shelf. (Touch)screen inclusive . And hopefully sooner or later Apple will produce their own streamer one day.

 

[adias]

Just an idea. Found my way bringing Apple Lossless into my HiFi. Not very sexy, but it works. A second iPad with USB-C out via an (Audioquest) USB-C to USB-B cable into my old Cambridge M200 and via RCA into my amp. Together with a cheap stand on the shelf. (Touch)screen inclusive . And hopefully sooner or later Apple will produce their own streamer one day.

For max quality I do that, connecting an iPad to a DAC directly. However, for background music, I Airplay to a WiiM device and when I want to listen to the system where the Ultra is located I group the Airplay WiiM device to the Ultra. Apple’s AAC is actually quite good.

This may stir a controversy (I hope not) but to my ears, in my system, Apple Music sounds better than Qobuz and the app is much better organized with track information done right.

 

[Achim2025]

And Apple Music and Apple Classical are eventually more future-proof than Qobuz. (Joke, but with a grab of Chilly )
To be honest, if the stuff is wired I am absolutely not able to hear even a tiny difference. It was only a trial to bring the lossless Apple content to my amp.
Dedicated AM headphone listening I do since a few months with an A&K dongle DAC. For convenience and for the absolute senseless but fun Atmos thing the AirPods do a tremendous good job. And yes, in my ears AAC beats all the dubious "HiRes" BT codecs by a complete straight. Let them advertise the fantastic digits as long as Qualcom and Sony want to do.