How to play Hi-Res music with iPhone using a DAC
You can enjoy the highest quality audio from your iPhone once you can play Hi-Res music. However, it is not an easy process. Although the iPhone offers a lot of music lovers, especially when paired to AirPods Pro or AirPods Pro 2, it does not have native support for Hi-Res Audio. Even the most recent iPhone 12 cannot play Hi-Res audio straight out of the box.
This is unfortunate, considering that most Android phones have this feature. But iPhone owners don’t have to worry. It will be necessary to purchase additional hardware such as the right headphones. But, before you know it, you’ll be enjoying lossless music in its full glory. How to play Hi-Res music with iPhone.
What’s Hi-Res Audio?
First, Hi-Res Audio, which is audio that has been mastered above the “CD-quality” bit rate and sampling frequency of 16-bit/44.1 KHz and 24-bit/96 kHz, respectively.
What does this all mean? It’s music that is less compressed than “lossy” files. This results in audio files that are larger but with better quality and more sonic detail.
These “lossless” files must be saved in a specific file type, typically FLAC. This presents an issue for iPhones as their default music apps can’t access FLAC files locally. WAV, MP3, AAC and WAV all work well. But FLAC? You will need to make some adjustments.
Why is my iPhone unable to play Hi-Res Audio on it?
Even though individual issues may seem simple, several problems could prevent you from listening to Hi-Res music on your iPhone. The first is the software. iTunes and Apple Music can’t open FLAC files. This is not a significant issue as you can use streaming services that support Hi-Res Audio like Deezer and Tidal.
Bluetooth headphones are not supported by the Bluetooth aptX HD codec. This codec only allows for “near-lossless” playback instead of true lossless, but it is much better than the iPhone’s AAC codec. You won’t hear true Hi-Res Audio in any case.
Using the 3.5mm to-Lightning adaptor to connect wired headphones will limit playback to 48 kHz. This is not High-Res Audio.
How to Play Hi-Res Music on iPhone
Connected your headphones is the first step to learning how to play Hi-Res music with iPhone. You can do this by simply buying a pair of headphones with a Lightning connector. However, many limit the sample rate and are not forthcoming about it. A DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) is safer but more complicated.
Even though this is a flawed solution, even portable DACs such as the AudioQuest DragonFly red or Cyrus soundKey require a USB to-Lightning adaptor to be connected to the iPhone. This will result in two devices hanging from your phone, along with a pair of wired headphones. Once everything is connected, however, the external DAC bypasses your iPhone’s internal DAC to let you enjoy Hi-Res Audio in the way it was intended.
How to set up a DAC for your iPhone:
1. Connect your headphones to the 3.5mm jack of the DAC unit. For more ideas, check out our top headphones list.
2. Connect the DAC via USB to the USB-to–Lightning adaptor. However, some DACs use USB3 instead. Make sure that your Lightning adaptor is compatible with the correct port.
3. Plug the adaptor into your iPhone. The result will be a lot trickier to carry around than, say, a pair of wireless earbuds, but it will enable Hi-Res Audio playback on iPhones.
4. Enjoy some Hi-Res music.
You can stream apps such as Deezer, Tidal, and Qobuz. However, music player apps can be installed on the iPhone to play local-stored HiRes Audio.
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