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Apple Music on iOS 26

I uploaded iOS 26 Beta on my iPhone 16 Pro Max yesterday. Along with my iPad I use this phone in conjunction with the EverSolo DMP-A6 Signature Edition (as streamer) feeding the digital signal via USB or Coax to an Auralic Vega DAC or Denafrips Pontus DAC. My hi-fi is transparent enough to allow me to experience subtle (or not so subtle) changes in associated upstream-downstream hardware and the music streaming service sound quality easily. As standard, I use both Qobuz and Apple Music streaming services. To date, I have found the sound quality of Qobuz to be, in general, a bit higher than Apple Music. I have two choices to stream either service, first is using EverSolo’s Control app therefore engaging EverSolo’s unique sample bit-rate algorithm. The iPhone / iPad has the EverSolo Control app which serves as the music selection interface, then signaling the streamer to retrieve the music from Cloud-based servers via Ethernet. Again, note that with this method everything is selected and controlled via EverSolo’s app.

The second alternative is to search and select via the Qobuz app or Apple Music app directly, then select sound out using wi-fi to connect to DMP-A6 streamer. 
 

I am greatly impressed with the evolved Apple Music streamer experience. Most important to me is that sound quality seems to my ears clearly better, or I should more correctly say, more musically engaging. The sound is subjectively bigger and soundstage more layered with greater separation (less homogeneous sound presentation) or as they say, more fully fleshed out. Dynamics are better. Overall a major step forward for Apple Music in my book. Important to note the sound I describe is only to be had by accessing music direct from the native music streaming app on mobile device, and not through EverSolo Control app. I am confident that this will be duplicated by the EverSolo team in a future software and firmware upgrade.

Why does it sound better? Not sure, but it could have something to do with a more universal adaptation of the Spatial Sound technology? What I can say is that it sounds better streaming Apple Music  in my hi-if system now.

in addition to sound improvement another very compelling feature is the Dj-like mixing of one song into another. Just brilliant! So engaging. 

 

Anyone else had a chance to try this out?

 

By the way, huge appreciation for the EverSolo DMP-A6 Signature Streamer / DAC. It is superb both as a streamer and a DAC.

Peace, out.
Aki

4afsanakhan
mahler123
3,648 posts
 

About a year ago Apple Music was launching some kind of enhanced audio option.  When the audio press pointed out that everything was limited to 16/48, with some spatial gimmicky thrown in, the Apple Veep essentially said that no one needs more than that, and mp3 was just fine.

  I dispute the Steve Jobs would have done it better—he was quite happy to turn out generations of iPod s.  High Res non compressed listening was available when he was alive, but Apple has long decided that there is no money to be made in catering to older audiophiles.  It’s easier for them to gimmick up compressed sound and market it to the younger crowd as an improvement over bog standard mp3.

soix
10,357 posts
 

Apple is now valued at 3 trillion. That sort of growth and success is not attributable to turning out less than great products. Not saying it’s the best.

We’re happily a 100% Apple household with nary a PC or Android in sight, but Apple totally lost me with music, which is an epic fail since they revolutionized music with the iPod and then totally dropped the ball despite having plenty of resources to have been the absolute gold standard.  That Qobuz and Tidal even exist is testimony to Apple’s failure to address or even care about a large and important part of the market.  Quality just wasn’t there — period.  Steve Jobs was fanatical about doing things right and making things work better than anything else, but that ethos didn’t seem to ever translate fully into Apple Music.  Maybe that’s changing, but it’s been a loooong stretch of continued disappointment so they’re gonna have to show me something real and substantial before I’ll even consider looking at them again.  

jetter
3,118 posts
 

I don't think that the music streaming market is a lucrative business in general and especially comparted to Apple's other endeavors.  

soix
10,357 posts
 

@jetter That is a very fair point, and I neglected to mention this could’ve been a conscientious, and maybe even a smart, business decision on Apple’s part, but as an audiophile it doesn’t mean I have to like it.  It’s like their headphones — they’re fun and functional but not geared toward high-end audio consumers.  I guess we audiophiles need to realize the world doesn’t revolve around us, although it certainly should. 😝

cleeds
6,272 posts
 
jetter

I don’t think that the music streaming market is a lucrative business in general ...

It isn’t. Spotify’s profits have been, uh, spotty. Qobuz (Xandrie SA) hasn’t earned a profit. Tidal is privately owned so it’s difficult to tell for certain, but its series of staff cutbacks suggest it isn’t profitable, either. 

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