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iPhone 10 as a high-end streamer

Tangband

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As iOS 14.6 has unlocked iPad and iphones to play 24 bit 192 kHz material it has become a high end streamer, soundwise.

All you need is apple music high resolution and a USB camera connection cable, plus an external USB dac.

With a dac like Topping D10s you can then enjoy true highend sound with a SINAD of 112 dB . You can even regulate the volume digitaly for Topping D10s, making it a preamp as well. You can connect it to active loudspeakers or directly to a power amp.

I use my IPhone or iPad with a USB-spdif bridge ( ”sky song” 0,1 ppm clocks ) digitaly to the digital input of my Genelec . With this solution I get a slightly better sound than using the digital output of my Yamaha wxc50 from spdif out.

The iPhone can also act as a 24 bit digital volume-control with the usb bridge.
 

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NiagaraPete

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I've been using my iPad like that since Apple made the upgrade. Any iPhone /iPad with 14. software and up will work.
 
OP
Tangband

Tangband

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Yes, and we have done a listening test with a very good streamer to compare with, an Akurate katalyst Exakt Dsm.
We let the Akurate do the volume regulation, thus only using the iPhone and USB bridge as a digital drive, with spdif to the spdif input of the Akurate DSM.

The difference with the different digital sources, Akurate DSM with TIDAL and iPhone USB/bridge with Apple high resolution was very small. Where the Akurate dsm usually outclasses most other digital sources such as laptops or cd-players with music, this was like comparing apples with pears. Really good both of them.
 

Wes

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A friend of mine was visiting a field site way out in the desert. The director of the station is a Maggie guy, so my friend's iPhone got connected to a set of 4 30.x Maggies in a giant warehouse...
 

FrantzM

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Yes, and we have done a listening test with a very good streamer to compare with, an Akurate katalyst Exakt Dsm.
We let the Akurate do the volume regulation, thus only using the iPhone and USB bridge as a digital drive, with spdif to the spdif input of the Akurate DSM.

The difference with the different digital sources, Akurate DSM with TIDAL and iPhone USB/bridge with Apple high resolution was very small. Where the Akurate dsm usually outclasses most other digital sources such as laptops or cd-players with music, this was like comparing apples with pears. Really good both of them.
We’re on ASR and statements like this :
Where the Akurate dsm usually outclasses most other digital sources such as laptops or cd-players with music,
are subject to our collective scrutiny because it flies in the way of Science. Any numbers ,aka , measurements to back this claim? Else ….
 
OP
Tangband

Tangband

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We’re on ASR and statements like this : are subject to our collective scrutiny because it flies in the way of Science. Any numbers ,aka , measurements to back this claim? Else ….
Its good to be critical. :)
There IS the oportunity to have good computer sound but the traps are many in the way you must shut of a lot of windows gadgets like upsampling, sample rate conversion, beware of 8 kHz USB packet noise and other bad things, not done well.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../8khz-usb-noise-how-do-i-get-rid-of-it.10211/

The same with some cd-players as digital driveunits with bad clocking and bad electrical isolation, but you must hear the difference compared to a really good digital source for yourself.
Yes - there are sometimes important but small differences soundwise if the digital stream is somewhat corrupted.
The older Linn Akurate dsm has been tested at audiosciencereview with really good measurements.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ements-of-linn-akurate-dsm-dac-streamer.6272/
 
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