For anyone here who is interested in the hi-fi audio experience and may be getting caught up in the debate over higher sampling rates and bit-depths, I'd like to suggest that any improvement Apple's hi-res audio is going to offer in sonic quality is nothing compared to the benefits of treating the acoustics in your listening space. Or conversely the destructive effects of NOT treating your room.
In an untreated room, moving your head to the side by a few inches will have a far greater effect on the frequency response of the recording. More than any gains you could get from upgrading to a hi-res streaming service. You have to have your speakers and your room in order before any of those differences will be appreciable. Additionally, if the reverb time of your room hasn't been controlled in the low frequencies a record with tight, articulate, bass is going to sound dense and muddy as those frequencies echo and build up in your room.
Just something to keep in mind when debating the merits of hi-res vs. a 44.1k mp3.
My "listening space" seldom exceeds an inch from my head. Either AirPods Pro or Sennheisers right in/on my ears. That's going to be the target audience of the majority of these changes.
I choose 'phones because my music taste diverges too much from my wife's to make open air play an option, if I want to maintain peace.
You're right that wearing headphones sidesteps that issue entirely. It's only an issue when there is an acoustic space for the waves to interact with.
I'd also agree that Apple's choice seems to be targeting headphone users as a result of their product ecosystem.
Interestingly, people in the other discussions are pointing out that Airpod Pros and Airpods Max are incapable of higher sample-rate audio due to their codec. So it seems for now that Apple headphone users aren't going to experience any difference and that the hi-res issue only applies to stereo systems that have the capability. But then I'd just reiterate my original point that there's functionally no benefit to hi-res audio if your listening space is working against you (which most people's rooms are).
I absolutely agree with your both posts. I would also claim that the differences between headphones is far, far greater than hi-res audio
vs high bitrate compressed audio, thus it's nearly pointless to even discuss hi-res even for headphone users.
In an untreated room, moving your head to the side by a few inches will have a far greater effect on the frequency response of the recording. More than any gains you could get from upgrading to a hi-res streaming service. You have to have your speakers and your room in order before any of those differences will be appreciable. Additionally, if the reverb time of your room hasn't been controlled in the low frequencies a record with tight, articulate, bass is going to sound dense and muddy as those frequencies echo and build up in your room.
Just something to keep in mind when debating the merits of hi-res vs. a 44.1k mp3.