For Apple, support for lossless audio on AirPods is not a priority

Despite improving sound quality from generation to generation, Apple AirPods still do not support lossless audio formats. An engineer-acoustician from Apple explains the reasons for such a deficiency in an interview granted to a site specializing in sound.

In an interview with Whathifi, Esge Andersen, acoustic engineer at Apple, talks about the design of the AirPods Pro 2 and the choices that had to be made when marketing them, because as he says: “at the end of the account, there is always a compromise to be made, we do not yet know how to make the perfect product for everyone”.

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In-ear headphones have become objects as iconic as the iPhone or the iPod in its time. However, in the opinion of true audiophiles, the in-ear headphones from the Apple firm were far from offering the best sound quality. At least until the arrival of the AirPods Pro. According to the sound engineer, the objective set by Apple for its teams was to ” bring everyone pocket AirPods Max “.

With AirPods, Apple’s goal is to provide the best listening experience for all audiences.

If the result of the work of Me Andersen and his colleagues is indeed heard in the new generation of AirPod Pro 2, the most demanding listeners still regret thelack of support for lossless audio formats in the company’s wireless headphones. This is all the more surprising given that the company’s music streaming service, Apple Music, offers its music catalog with lossless audio compression.

When the journalist asks him if Apple intends to soon offer lossless in its wireless headsets, Me Andersen kicks in and replies: “we do not think that the codecs and the Bluetooth standard currently used are limiting factors for the audio quality of products”. According to him, Apple prioritizes the stability of its products. Lossless content consumes a lot more bandwidth, and since not everyone has a very fast connection, the most important thing is to “provide the best possible experience for as many people as possible…regardless of the hardware available” .

Source: WhatHifi