本文翻译自“What you need to listen to losslessaudio and Dolby Atmos on Apple Music”，By Ted Kritsonis and Simon Cohen，June 2, 2021，文章末尾可跳转原文阅读

Apple Music is adding spatial audio support with Dolby Atmos Music, plus lossless tracks at up to 24-bit/192kHz, andall subscribers will get access to these new formats without paying an extradime.

Apple Music新增由DolbyAtmos Music提供技术支持的空间音效，以及最高达到24-bit/192kHz的无损音轨，而且所有的订阅用户无需额外付费即可获取这些全新的格式。

That sounds like a sweet deal, right? Solong as you have the right equipment to actually make use of that improvedaudio quality, then sure, your ears should feel the serenade. But it may not bequite as simple as grabbing your existing headphones or earbuds — there are afew caveats that go with all the new sonic goodness.

这听起来非常不错：拥有恰当的设备，正确地还原这些经过提升的高品质音源，音乐自然会变得更加动听。不过比直接用手边的耳机耳塞去听，实际上可能会复杂些——对于大部分的新兴声音技术来说，有几条注意事项依然值得关注。

Here’s what you’ll need to take advantageof lossless audio and Dolby Atmos tracks in Apple Music. If you don’t want thefull explanation and just need to know what your current hardware can handle,scroll straight to the bottom for a cheat sheet.

以下几点将会帮助你更好地使用Apple Music中的无损音频和Dolby Atmos音轨，如果想直接看结论，亦可直达文章底部的快速总结表，核对手头设备可以到达的表现力水平。

Lossless: It’s all about ALAC

无损：事关ALAC

ALAC, or Apple Lossless Audio Codec, is thefile format Apple Music will use to stream lossless audio tracks. The AdvancedAudio Coding (AAC) codec that Apple Music uses for its standard (lossy) audioquality, enjoys wide compatibility among wireless headphones, speakers, andstreaming devices. But ALAC is a different beast and has some specialrequirements.

ALAC是苹果无损音乐编码（AppleLossless Audio Codec）的缩写，是Apple Music在流式传输无损音乐时的文件格式。更常见的则是用于普通（有损）品质的AAC（Advanced Audio Coding），广泛兼容无线耳机，扬声器以及流媒体设备；但是独树一帜的ALAC则有更多特别的要求。

Most devices that can run the Apple Musicapp — including all current Apple iPhones, iPads, and Macs running the latestsoftware — will support lossless ALAC audio. But just because your phone orcomputer can work with ALAC doesn’t mean you’ll be able to actually hear theextra quality ALAC offers through your normal speakers or headphones.

Apple Music可以在大部分设备上运行，包括iPhone, iPad以及Macs等，在最新版本的软件中支持无损ALAC。不过，仅仅是软件能够在手机或是电脑上运行是不够的，包括寻常的耳机和音箱，其实都不能确保你能享受到ALAC所带来的额外提升。

Let’s break it down so you can see if yourcurrent gear will work or if you’ll need to make some additional investments.

下文将会逐步分析，看看你手中的设备是可以直接使用，还是需要些额外的投资。

Listening to lossless via headphones

通过头戴式耳机聆听无损音乐

Focal Celestee Headphones

Dan Baker/Digital Trends

Apple Music’s lossless audio comes in threetiers: 16-bit/44.1kHz, 24-bit/48kHz, and 24-bit/192kHz. What’s the difference?Well, the first tier (16-bit/44.1kHz) is considered CD-quality, which means youshouldn’t be able to tell the difference between listening to these tracks andlistening to an actual CD. The next two tiers are considered better-than-CDquality. Not everyone agrees that they can hear the subtle improvements thesetiers offer, but since other streaming services have started to offer them,Apple has decided to follow suit.

Apple Music的无损分为三档：16-bit/44.1kHz, 24-bit/48kHz, 以及24-bit/192kHz。他们的区别在哪里？第一档16-bit/44.1kHz，被认为是CD级别的品质，即在聆听时几乎难以与真CD分辨。接下来的两个级别则被认为是比CD品质更高，不过并不是所有人都能分辨出这个层次的细微提升；然而其他的流媒体服务已经开始提供这个品质的音乐了，苹果自然从善如流。

Regardless of the tier you choose, mostwireless headphones and earbuds won’t let you hear that extra quality.Bluetooth (the technology all wireless headphones use) doesn’t have enoughbandwidth to support streaming lossless audio.

尽管无损音质的级别有上述三种，大部分的无线耳机以及耳塞并不能让你听到音质提升的部分。无线耳机所应用的蓝牙技术并不能为无损流媒体传输提供足够的带宽。

This isn’t necessarily a black-and-whiteissue. Some wireless headphones (like Sony’s WH-1000XM4) support veryhigh-quality Bluetooth codecs like LDAC or aptX HD. When paired with a phonethat also supports these codecs, you’ll get to hear more of Apple’s lossless quality,but even then, it won’t be perfect. Even the best Bluetooth codecs still stripout some audio info as they pass the signal along to the headphones.

好像也不能一概而论——一部分型号的无线耳机，比如索尼的WH-1000XM4，就能支持非常高品质的蓝牙传输协议，如LDAC或是aptX HD。当与支持以上协议的手机匹配时，你能更好地获得苹果的无损音质。不过即便如此，它也不是完美的：即使是最好的蓝牙传输协议，在将数据传输到耳机时也会损失一部分声音数据。

Unfortunately, Apple’s own devices andwireless headphones don’t support these codecs, so even if you own a set ofAirPods Max headphones, most of that lossless quality will be compromised.

令人遗憾的是，苹果自家的设备以及无线耳机并不支持上述协议，即使配合苹果手机使用AirPodsMax，大部分无损的内容的品质还是妥协的。

So, how exactly are you supposed to hearApple Music’s lossless audio?

那么正确打开Apple Music无损音乐的方式是什么？

For now, Apple recommends that you use awired set of headphones or earbuds, something that isn’t so easy now thatApple, Google, and Samsung have eliminated the headphone jack on their phones.

就目前而言，苹果推荐使用有线的耳机或是耳塞，但就目前各大厂商取消手机音频接口的趋势看来，这并非一件易事。

Don’t worry — you’re not going to be leftout of the lossless party, but you will need an accessory or two, the mostimportant of which is an external DAC.

不必担心，无损党不会抛弃你，只需一两个附件——其中最重要的就是外置DAC。

Attack of the DAC

来势汹汹的DAC

You may not realize it, but if you’ve everlistened to digital audio from a phone, tablet, or PC, you’ve been using adigital-to-analog converter, better known as a DAC.

你可能没有意识到，但它确实时时刻刻都在发生。无论是用手机，平板或者是电脑等设备听歌，都必须经过数字—模拟转换，这个过程所使用的数模转换器，就是广为人知的DAC。

DACs convert a bunch of ones and zeroesinto an electrical signal that speakers can reproduce as audible sound. Everlistened to music using your phone’s built-in speakers? It was the phone’sinternal DAC that handled the conversion.

DAC将二进制中的0/1转换为电信号，驱动音箱能发出人类能够听得懂的声音。你肯定用过手机的外放喇叭听歌吧？这其实就是手机内置的DAC完成数模转换的过程。

While virtually every device that iscapable of playing digital audio possesses a DAC, not all DACs are createdequal. Some are limited as to the kinds of digital audio they can process, andthere can be huge differences in overall sound quality from one DAC to another.DAC specifications are the kind of thing that audiophiles love to argue about.

尽管几乎每个设备都配备了DAC来播放数字音乐，但是DAC本身不是完全一样的。有一些受到所能处理的音频类型限制，另一方面，DAC之间的音质差距也是巨大的，所以DAC的参数细节、性能表现，也都是影音爱好者所津津乐道的。

If you head over to Amazon and search for“lightning-to-3.5mm adapter,” you’ll find dozens of short cables that costanywhere from $7 to $35. These tiny accessories let you plug a wired set ofheadphones into an iPhone’s Lightning port because hidden inside their plastichousing is a DAC.

假如在亚马逊上搜索“lightning- 3.5mm适配器/转换头”，搜索结果会展示数十上百款，价格从7$到35$不等的线材。这些小小的附件让耳机上的3.5插头得以和Iphone上的Lightning相连，而隐藏在塑料外壳中的DAC才是音频转换的关键所在。 

The DACs in these “made for iPhone”adapters share a common trait: They can convert lossless digital audio filesinto analog signals, but they can only handle up to 24-bit/48kHz and no higher.That’s sufficient for you to hear the first two tiers of lossless audio fromApple Music, but it won’t get you the third and highest quality level(24-bit/192kHz).

这些“为iphone而生”的适配器具有一项一致的特征：他们可以将无损的数码音频文件转化到模拟信号中，不过上限只到24-bit/48kHz，更高品质的音源则无能为力了。这足够让你享受到AppleMusic中前两级无损的音乐，但是却不能带你领略最高级别24-bit/192kHz的魅力。

Android users, you can get in on theadapter party, too. There are just as many USB-C-to-3.5mm adapters out there,and these DACs can usually go a little higher in their support for losslessaudio — up to 24-bit/96Khz. That’s still not going to cut it for Apple Music’stop lossless tier, but you’ll definitely get to enjoy lossless music.

安卓用户同样可以加入适配器大家庭。USB-C转3.5mm适配器也有许多选择，通常情况下对无损音乐的支持可以更高一些：最高可达24-bit/96Khz。虽然还达不到Apple Music的最高音质，不过肯定可以让你畅享无损的快乐。

For most iPhone and Android owners, theonly way to experience Apple Music’s top lossless tier is through the use of anexternal, hi-res DAC. These devices are essentially the same as the Lightning orUSB-C adapters, but they contain more powerful DAC chipsets that can handledigital audio formats as high as 24-bit/192kHz and beyond.

对于大部分的苹果和安卓用户来说，想要体验Apple Music的最高音质的唯一方法就是使用一款外置的hi-res DAC。它们基本上跟lightning转3.5mm转换头类似，不过搭载的DAC芯片组更加强力有效，足以驾驭24-bit/192kHz级别甚至更高的音源。

There’s a wide variety of external hi-resDACs ranging in price from $50 to well over $2,000. For the most convenient andportable solution, look for products that can be powered from either aniPhone’s Lightning port or an Android phone’s USB-C port. These include Astell& Kern’s USB-C Dual DAC, Linsoul xDuoo Link, Maktar Spectra X2, and THXOnyx Portable DAC.

外置Hi-res DAC的价格范围变化非常大，从$50 到超过$2,000都有。就便携性而言，购买时要关注这款产品能否直接通过iPhone’的Lightning或者Android的USB-C接口直接供电，比如Astell & Kern’sUSB-C Dual DAC, Linsoul xDuoo Link, Maktar Spectra X2, 以及THX Onyx。

Some Android owners will get to sidestepthe whole adapter/external DAC hassle because select Android phones have both aheadphone jack and a very high-quality internal DAC. The LG V60 ThinQ and the AsusROG Phone 5, for instance, both have DACs capable of playing up to32-bit/384kHz — more than enough to handle Apple Music’s top lossless tier. Ifyou own a phone with these features, you don’t need anything else. Just plugyour cans or buds straight into the phone, and that’s it.

一部分Android用户则无需为转接头/外部 DAC烦恼，因为一部分Android 手机既有3.5mm耳机插孔，同时配备高质量的内置DAC，例如LG V60 ThinQ 和华硕 ROG Phone 5，都具有支持最高32 bit /384kHz的DAC，处理 Apple Music的顶级无损音源自然不在话下。 

One thing to keep in mind: Just because youown a phone or tablet with a headphone jack doesn’t mean the device’s internalDAC can keep up with all of Apple Music’s lossless tiers. The iPhone 6, forinstance, had a headphone jack, but Apple limited the DAC to 16-bit/44.1kHz.That’ll work with the first tier (CD-quality) but not the other two tiers. If you’renot sure what your phone can support, Google the specs. GSMArena.com is a greatresource for this.

不过也要注意一件事：手机或平板有耳机插孔，并不等同于该设备的内部DAC可以支持 Apple Music 的所有无损级别。比如iPhone 6，手机上有一个耳机插孔，但实际上内部DAC 只支持 16 bit /44.1kHz，这支持第一级（CD 质量），但不适用于其他两个级别。假如不确定你的手机可以支持什么，可以上网查一下具体的规格：GSMArena.com 非常好用。

Hi-res headphones

Hi-res耳机

We’re now venturing into heavy audiophileterritory, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that some wired headphonesand earbuds are considered “hi-res” capable, while others are not.

接下来进入发烧领域。如果不提及有线耳机和耳塞是否具有“hi-res”的特性，那这篇文章就是出现偏差了。

The difference between these so-calledhi-res products and non-hi-res products is the frequency range they’re capableof reproducing. Technically speaking, only the frequencies between 20Hz and20kHz are audible to the human ear, and this is what the vast majority ofheadphones are designed to work with.

是否hi-res，其区别在于耳机所能够再现的频率范围。技术来说，人耳只能听到20Hz到 20kHz范围内的声音，这也是大部分耳机的设计初衷。

But hi-res headphones go further, offeringup to 40kHz or even higher. Is there any point to these headphones? All otherthings being equal, audiophiles would say yes. Losslessly encoded music at24-bit/96kHz or higher can contain audio information that resides above the20kHz threshold. So if you’re in pursuit of Apple Music’s top lossless tierand want to be certain that every ounce of that extra detail will make it toyour ears (whether you can actually hear that detail or not), hi-res headphones(along with a very high-quality DAC) are required.

hi-res耳机当然不止于此，能够提供40kHz甚至更高的频率响应。意义在哪里呢？控制变量的前提下，发烧友会给予肯定的回答。24 位/96kHz 或更高的无损编码音乐，其实包含高于 20kHz的音频信息。所以，如果追求 Apple Music 中最高级级别的无损音乐，并希望确保一丝一毫的额外细节都逃不出耳朵（无论是否真的能听到这些细节），那么hi-res耳机（以及真正高质量的DAC) 是必需的。

But given that all things rarely are equal,we’d argue that you will be much happier with a set of wired cans or earbudsthat have exceptional performance within the 20Hz-20kHz range over an inferiorset of cans that promise to reproduce those extra-high frequencies.

但是世事无绝对，所有事情很难做到一样的平等；因此我们推荐毫无水分的，在20Hz-20kHz范围内具有卓越性能的耳机或耳塞，而不是不省心，“号称”能再现那些超高频率的耳机。

Listening on your connected speakers

通过扬声器聆听

Bluetooth speakers will never be able to joinin on the lossless audio party for the same reason as Bluetooth headphones andearbuds. But Wi-Fi speakers are a different story thanks to theirhigher-bandwidth wireless connections.

蓝牙音箱跟蓝牙的耳机耳塞一样，不能加入无损大军。但是用Wifi链接的音箱因为链接的带宽更广些，还有了不一样的故事。

Apple’s HomePod and HomePod Mini weren’tpart of the initial Apple Music lossless audio announcement, but the companyhas since said that a software update will bring them into the loop to supportlossless playback. When that happens, you can expect to hear 16-bit/44.1kHz and24-bit/48kHz lossless audio, but 24-bit-/192kHz is unlikely to ever make it tothese products.

苹果的HomePod以及HomePodMini并不在Apple Music无损音乐的首发名单中，不过苹果在表示，日后会通过后续软件更新将他们加入无损回放的行列中。听到16 bit /44.1kHz和24 bit /48kHz的无损音频未来可期，但24 bit /192kHz搭载到这些产品上的可能性并不太高。

Other Wi-Fi speakers will likely supportsome tiers of lossless audio from Apple Music but not necessarily all threetiers.

其他的Wi-Fi音箱可能支持苹果音乐的部分无损级别，但不一定支持全部三个层级。

Sonos, for instance, recently added supportfor lossless audio up to 24-bit/48kHz when streaming to its speakers from theQobuz streaming music service. It would make sense if these speakers couldsupport the same tier from Apple Music.

例如，Sonos最近在Qobuz流媒体音乐服务中增加了对高达24 bit /48kHz的无损音频的支持。如果能够支持苹果音乐的同一等级，那就非常有意义了。

But none of Sonos’ products are currentlyconsidered hi-res capable, so it’s unlikely they will ever support24-bit/192kHz.

不过目前Sonos的产品都不支持hi-res，因此不太可能达到24 bit /192kHz。

Other Wi-Fi speakers from companies likeDenon and Bluesound are considered hi-res devices. They can natively decode24-bit/192kHz digital audio from personal libraries as well as services likeAmazon Music HD and Tidal. Will these products gain access to Apple Music’s toptier?

像其他来自Denon和Bluesound等公司的Wi-Fi音箱被认为是hi-res设备，可以从本地以及亚马逊音乐高清（Amazon Music HD）和Tidal等流媒体服务，原生解码24位/192kHz数字音频。问题来了，这些产品日后能否进入苹果音乐的最高级别？

As long as they’re allowed to streamdirectly from Apple Music, the answer is likely yes. However not all hi-rescapable Wi-Fi speakers can claim this. Both Denon and Bluesound lack nativeApple Music support. To hear Apple Music via these products, you’ll need to useApple AirPlay, which is currently limited to 16-bit/44.1kHz but might beupgraded to allow 24-bit/48kHz. AirPlay probably won’t go as high as24-bit/192kHz.

只要允许他们直接从苹果音乐推流，答案很可能是肯定的。不过，并非所有支持hi-res的Wi-Fi音箱都能做到这一点。Denon和Bluesound都缺乏对苹果音乐原生支持。想要通过这些产品收听苹果音乐，需要使用AppleAirPlay，目前仅限于16 bit /44.1kHz，可能会升级到24 bit /48kHz，不过可能达不到24 bit /192kHz。

If you own a great set of powered bookshelfspeakers and don’t mind a few extra cables here and there, you can plug theminto a Mac (or an iPhone or Android device) with an external DAC connectedbetween them. Depending on the DAC and the speakers, this setup should let youhear full lossless audio from Apple Music.

如果你拥有一套性能不错的书架音箱，同时不太在意增加几根连接线，就可以通过一款外置DAC跟Mac, iPhone或者安卓手机相连。运用得当的DAC和音箱，这套设备应该能让你体验真正的Apple Music无损音乐。

Turn the feature on

效果全开

Apple won’t necessarily have lossless onby default because of how much data hi-res tracks need when streaming fromApple Music servers. To turn it on, go to Settings > Music > AudioQuality. When you toggle Lossless on, you also have the option to adjust thequality. You can go to the standard lossless resolution at 24-bit/48kHz orhi-res lossless at 24-bit/192kHz.

在默认情况下，苹果不一定会开启无损播放功能，因为从Apple Music服务器流媒体播放高分辨率音乐时需要更多流量。手动开启的话，从设置-音乐-音质中进行选择；启用“无损”后，同样可以选择调整质量，如24-bit/48kHz标准无损或24-bit/192kHz hi-res无损。

Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio

Dolby Atmos以及空间音效

Dolby Atmos Music offers a more immersive,3D way to listen to music. Thousands of tracks on the Apple Music library willget the Dolby Atmos treatment via Apple’s support of spatial audio.

Dolby Atmos Music带来更沉浸、立体的方式聆听音乐，Apple Music曲库中的上千首曲目将会得到Dolby Atmos的加持。 

If you have an iPhone or Android phone anda set of headphones — yes, even wireless ones — you’ve already got everythingyou need to experience Dolby Atmos Music.

如果你有一部iPhone或Android手机，以及耳机——没错，甚至是无线耳机，就已经拥有了体验Dolby Atmos Music所需的一切。

If you’re using AirPods or Beats headphoneswith an H1 or W1 chip, Atmos versions of your selected tracks will be chosen bydefault. For other kinds of headphones, you may have to select Atmos manually:Go to Settings > Music > Audio and set Dolby Atmos to Always On.

假如是使用带有H1或者W1芯片的AirPods 或者Beats， 所选曲目将会默认选择Atmos版本。其他类型的耳机可能需要手动选择：设置>音乐>音效，并且选择默认打开Dolby Atmos。

Atmos will also work automatically on thebuilt-in speakers for select iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers. Support for thisis a bit uneven. For example, the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air from 2018 and latersupport it, whereas the 2019 iMac does not. Any iPhone 12, 11, and XS modelworks with it, along with iPad Pro models starting in 2018. The later yourdevice, the more likely it can work with Atmos.

Atmos还将自动适应部分iPhone、iPad和Mac电脑的内置扬声器。支持的机型有新有旧，例如，2018年及以后MacBook Pro和MacBookAir都支持，而2019年的iMac则不支持；从2018年之后的iphone12、11和XS以及iPad Pro都能与之配合使用。设备越新，就越有可能与Atmos配合使用。

Unfortunately, this rule doesn’t apply tothe Apple Watch: Dolby Atmos Music tracks can’t be downloaded to or played froman Apple Watch.

可惜，Apple Watch并不在此行列中。Dolby Atmos Music的曲目不能从苹果手表中下载或播放。

You can also hear Dolby Atmos from AppleMusic if you own an Atmos-capable soundbar or A/V receiver, but you will needan Apple TV 4K to act as the arbiter. The Atmos signal will pass throughApple’s set-top box and play through the receiver or soundbar that way.

如果你拥有支持Atmos的soundbar或功放，也可以用Apple Music听听Dolby Atmos，就是需要一台Apple TV 4K来当播放器。Atmos的信号将由Apple tv输出，由功放或soundbar播放。

Some TVs can passthrough Dolby Atmosvia their HDMI ARC or eARC connection. If your TV is among them, you canconnect the Apple TV 4K to one of your TV’s non-ARC HDMI ports, and the TV willtransfer just the audio to your connected audio gear.

一部分电视可以通过HDMI ARC或eARC直接输出Dolby Atmos。如果你的电视也具备这个功能，就可以将Apple TV 4K连接到电视的一个非ARC HDMI端口，电视则只将音频传输到连接的音频设备。

We know that Apple’s HomePod can do DolbyAtmos when you have two of these speakers paired to an Apple TV 4K in a hometheater setup, but Apple has yet to confirm if you’ll be able to stream DolbyAtmos Music tracks directly from Apple Music without the help of an Apple TV4K.

众所周知，两个HomePod配合AppleTV 4K可以支持Dolby Atmos效果，但苹果方面尚未确认，在没有Apple TV 4K的情况下，能否直接通过Apple Music 流式传输杜比全景声音乐曲目。

The HomePod mini can’t do Dolby Atmos in anApple TV 4K-based home theater setup, which makes us suspect it won’t be ableto support Dolby Atmos Music in any configuration.

在基于 Apple TV 4K 的家庭影院设置中，HomePod mini无法支持杜比全景声，这让我们思考，它在任何设置下是不是都无法支持杜比全景声音乐。

Your best bet for Dolby Atmos Music outsideof the HomePod or a dedicated home theater speaker system is Amazon’s EchoStudio. It can stream Dolby Atmos Music from Amazon Music HD, which means itshould theoretically be able to do the same from Apple Music, but this has yetto be confirmed by either Apple or Amazon.

在HomePod或专用家庭影院扬声器系统之外，杜比全景声音乐的最佳选择是亚马逊的 Echo Studio。它可以在 Amazon Music HD 流式传输杜比全景声音乐，理论上它应该能够在 Apple Music 执行相同的操作，不过这尚未得到 Apple 或 Amazon 的证实。 

Apple Music playback format cheat sheet

Apple Music 播放格式速查表

Catch all that? If not, here’s a quick lookat different hardware combinations and how they affect what you can hear.

太长不看？很好，以下就是不同的硬件组合以及适配的无损音源级别速查表。

Happy listening!

原文链接：https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/how-to-listen-to-lossless-and-dolby-atmos-on-apple-music