Music Services: add Apple Music?
Answered
Hi,
Just thought, let's drop the question again.
Does Bluesound expect (short term) to add Apple Music as a "Music Service" in the Node 2i?
NOT via Airplay2, but as a Music Service in the Node 2i.
Thanks!
Danny
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Nope, not going to happen. Sonos have a legacy agreement with Apple, BlueSound doesn't. Plus Apple is re-launching the HomePod, so there's no real reason for them to want to play ball.
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Richard Wilson - it's easy to call us "naysayers" but if you look at the original date of the question - 3 years ago! - you may understand why nobody holds out any hopes of native Apple integration with BlueSound. I don't share your belief or optimism that BlueSound is doing "everything they can" to make native Apple playback happen - I don't see any indication of any progress toward that over the last 3 years. When you factor in that Apple have just (re-)released their own streaming speaker there's zero hope of Apple wanting to embrace another rival in the field.
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Well, next to Sonos, TVs, cars, there seem also to be some HiFi manufacturers who integrated Apple Music recently …
https://eng.hifirose.com/RS520
This is an Android based system though and not BluOS, but still lets me hope that it is not actually Apple hindering further integrations.
Cheers, J.
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No comments from Bluesound team?
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Thanks Johann, though I don't see any new streaming speakers with native Apple Music integration (ie a speaker that would compete with Apple's Homepod). Far as I know, Apple doesn't manufacture TVs, cars, HiFi...
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Thanks, Stephen, for the passive aggressive lecture. I'll use your format to get across the salient points you've missed or just plain got wrong.
- We're entitled to direct our queries to the company we've bought our devices from, rather than contacting Apple.
- Contacting Apple or contacting social media influencers is not our responsibility.
- I've yet to see anyone "beating up" BlueSound.
- Giving BlueSound our feedback is the only way that BlueSound will understand how many people want native Apple integration, and encourage them to seek a solution.
- Android is a red herring, as is people talking about car integration etc. This is about smart speaker native Apple integration, and so far that seems to be limited to Sonos and Apple's own devices.
I hope that clears up the reasons why we will continue to lobby BlueSound for them to push for native Apple integration in their devices.
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Richard,
I appreciate your reply and we both want the same thing. However I have noticed comments from others (not you) in this long 3 year thread beating up on BluSound as well as specific direct mention of HiFi Rose and Tesla along with Sonos.
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Stephen
Thanks for the reply - I sense we're all frustrated by the lack of movement on this issue, with a 3 year old thread seemingly no further along than when it was raised.
We differ on approach - the only way I see this changing is if BlueSound apply (or continue to apply, as they've said over the years that they're working on it) pressure to Apple, and the only reason they'd do that is if their customers continue to be unhappy. I could lobby Apple and say I won't sign up to Apple Music until they give the keys to BlueSound - however, I think the £15 a month lost revenue to Apple is worth far less than customers telling BlueSound they won't buy their devices until they sort out their issues.
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Tesla vehicles do NOT run Android. They run Ubuntu.
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I think they may run an Android container on top of that.
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I’d be happy with some statement from Core or Bluesound about their plans - actively try to get Apple to work with them or just wait for full 3rd party support. Either way I’d like to hear they will put resources against their Airplay support, because it’s marginal now, IMHO. I bought a bunch of players pre-2i and swapped out a Node 2 for a 2i specifically to act as a bridge to Airplay 2. But it is very unreliable getting that all to work smoothly and a terrible experience setting it all up. At this point I feel I need to upgrade all the Nodes and Pulses I want to group together and bypass Bluesound’s app altogether, and if I’m doing that, I have many other Airplay 2 compatible choices in the market, or can choose to buy the new bigger HomePods, which can stream Apple Music directly and stream audio to each other over Airplay at high resolution.
Some clarity from Bluesound would help keep me in their camp. Yes, they have said “Airplay is the official way to support Apple Music” but that says nothing about how much they care about making it a great way to use their players, especially a mix of older and newer players.
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I agree with Jeff,
Four years ago, I also asked what blue sound was doing in this area, but it didn't come up other than keeping an eye on a statement on social media.
Do you have any update on applemusic,? My system consist of a NAD MDC BluOS 2 module (not a 2i) where are you working on? can you inform me/us. ill hope to hear from the support team. gr Robert Jan.
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- Robert jan
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HI Jeff
Please select Help, Send Support Request in your BluOS App so we can review log files and help troubleshoot what is happening in your environment. From your symptoms, the issue sounds network traffic related and unfortunately direct integration won't fix this but troubleshooting your network should.
As for an updateon direct Apple Music integration, all we can share at this time is we continue to work very closely with Apple as a Premier Partner with them but have no other information at this time.
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Hi Tony
Good to see the development of this issue over the last 3 years from no Apple integration to no Apple integration. Consistency is key.
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Thanks Tony. I can try that when I’m at that house.
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Have anyone tried doing a direct wired connection to get the high-res lossless from Apple Music?
Through my Node N130, I'm trying to use my macbook pro 16'' 2019 model as the source playing apple music hi-res lossless. Using a Douk Audio U2 as DDC to hook up macbook usb out to my node's optical 3.5mm input. Then from the node RCA output to a pair of Genelec G3 speakers on my office desks(for near field listening only during work).
I can see in apple music that the playback res exceeds 16 bit and 44.1khz. The sound sounds fine to me but I didn't have too much experience comparing it with Airplay2 or direct integration with services like Tidal.
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Any news on this topic? Maybe with the release of BluOs4.0?
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Hi Jurgen (et al)
No - BluOS 4.0 does not change that the only current way Apple Music can natively work is through Apple AirPlay. Though Apple AirPlay when used on a MacBook to AirPlay speakers (such as your BluOS devices built after 2018) it can support 16-bit lossless playback (CD quality), iOS devices such as the iPhone or iPad have yet to allow for this. A few boutique products out there that are offering direct integration are in fact Android-based products using the Android-based Apple Music App from Google Play. Being a more complete full-on Operating System, BluOS does not do this.
All that being said we continue to work with Apple on this goal.0 -
@energyd yes, I dumped the Node a long time ago, and am using a Douk Audio U2 Pro to connect my iPad to it, then to the digital (either optical or coax) input on my Anthem, thereby letting the Anthem DAC do the conversion. I get bit perfect output all the way to 192 and it sounds fantastic. I also have and AppleTV where everything gets up/down sampled to 48/24. I've done a lot of comparison and the difference is stark. I highly recommend the iPad Douk set-up if you're after Apple Music loseless.
If using an older ipad, then you have to use a lightning to usb dongle, but with a new ipad, then a usb-c to usb-b cable works. I've tried both and they both work.
The advantage of using a iPad instead of a Mac is that the output bitrate is same as source. On the Mac, the output bitrate is fixed (though changeable) and everything gets up/down sampled.
If what you're after is Apple Music lossless, the Douk setup is the way to go. If you have a better DAC (either standalone or in a receiver or pre/pro) downstream, then you can even dump the Node and to directly to that.
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Tesla is not android based…
maybe you can contact them and ask them how they have done this ?
Maybe it will be quicker than your discussion with Apple that have done no progress in the past few years ?0 -
There is an interesting article on the Darko-Audio explaining Airplay functionality,
https://darko.audio/2023/10/apple-airplay-isnt-always-lossless-sometimes-its-lossy/
According to this we would be able to get at least CD-quality when streaming Apple Music with Airplay 2 from an iPad, iPhone or Apple TV IF we could have a choise to configure a Powernode to act as an Airplay 1 or Airplay 2 receiver.
Airplay 1 - ALAC quality and no multi room
Airplay 2 - AAC quality and multi room0 -
Hi Sven
Blueosund Players manufactured after 2018 (Gen 2i or higher) support AirPlay 2. You will only get AAC using an iPad or iPhone. Using a MacBook or iMac, you can get ALAC 16-bit AND Multiroom. Here's how; https://support.bluos.net/hc/en-us/articles/4403218953495-Does-BluOS-Support-Apple-Music-Lossless-streaming-
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Hi Tony
I know that my Gen 2i support Airplay 2, but is it technically possible to make act as an Airplay 1 receiver?
You mention iPhone and iPad, but what would I get if I use an Apple TV 2k to stream to my Powernode 2i using Airplay?0 -
Since I've been kicked over to this thread and it has been referred to a lack of an Apple Music SDK, that is simply not true: https://developer.apple.com/musickit/
Also, Sonos has native Apple Music integration, although they are lacking HiRes for the time being. Don't tell us it is not possible. Maybe it is not possible for you. It might be that BlueOS is not compatible with any of the SDK offerings of Apple but that's where I would have expected that the 'long-standing partnership and collaboration with Apple' might have made a difference, at least with 4.0. I would hate having to jump ship but I will have to as soon as there is a hardware HiRes solution. I will not buy another BlueSound product for as long as this is sorted out.
For many of us, there is no way around Apple Music. I have a family, we use exclusively Apple devices, we need the iCloud, we like their TV+ services and I would be very hard pressed spending money on yet another service.
Bluesound crew, you should realise that being the first to offer Apple Music HiRes integration would be a game changer and a USP.0 -
Bluesound crew, you should realise that being the first to offer Apple Music HiRes integration would be a game changer
We absolutely do - why we continue to work with them. The Apple Music Kit you cite actually does not provide playback - just how to look up information.
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You continue to work with them but do they still continue to work with you ?
I don’t see neither a roadmap neither any date to deliver
What concrete progress have you done this past 2 years exactly ? And when you estimate a release ?
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This thread has been open for 4 years. In less than 1/4 of that time, they could’ve developed a HUB or HUB type device that ran Android, ran Apple Music, and integrated into BluOS ecosystem of products.
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My workarounds while bluesound and apple get their sh1t together:-
Powernode room one is attached to tv with an apple tv box, this gives 24/48 lossless.
Powernode room two is attached to an ifi zen dac 2 which needs a wired cable to get lossless 24/192.
To be fair although we dont get lossless via ios airplay the sound quality is decent, I suspect a lot of us would not know we were not getting lossless via airplay if it wasn't for the likes of darko keeping us updated, especially as the ios reports lossless from the music app (being converted to aac).
I would love to see a handover like spotify connect to bluesound so we are not using our phones for a constant wireless connection. This can be done as digital trends spotted on youtube, I believe also lossless. I accept the sound quality would not be up to hifi levels.
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It's time to move on, folks. Tony said it quite succinctly, 4 years ago:
"Apple's third-party integration model is AirPlay 2. They have no plans to develop an API for products such as Bluesound."
There is no chance that's changing with the current series of BlueSound devices - maybe it's something future generations of devices will incorporate, but legacy and current models, not happening.
I also don't buy the "well, I wouldn't have invested in BluOS if I'd known!" - BS have been quite clear for over 4 years that AirPlay is the only way to play Apple music on their devices - if you were too daft not to understand that, then it's your own fault. They were completely upfront about it - the only gripe we have is that BS have told us they continue to work with Apple, which is clearly not the case, so they've kept our hopes up - it doesn't take 4 years to resolve something that could be resolved, but if you bought a BluOS product then you bought it on the currently available specs, not on some nebulous "we're working on it" promise.
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Tony, rumours claim that Apple will enable an IOS device to act as an AirPlay receiver in the upcoming IOS 17.2 release now in December. Can we expect a similar feature in BluOS?
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