Hi-res Music Apps For Mac

13-05-2021

Hi-res Music Apps For Mac

Read definitive guide by audio software developer Yuri Korzunov about:
• free and commercial hi res audio player software apps on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS and other [computers, laptops, mobile phones, tablets],
• online for audiophiles,
• Frequently Answered Questions,
• what is the best music player app,
• supported formats (WAV, FLAC, DSD [DSF, DFF, SACD ISO], MQA, m4a, ....) and others.

HD audio file conversion

Hi-Res Music Playback Software Comparison Choosing the right audiophile playback software can be a daunting task. While audible differences can occur in going from an entry-level software like iTunes to one of the audiophile playback engines mentioned below, the transition between high-end software boils down to a preference between real cherry.

Watch and share: Hi Res Audio [How it works. Sound quality. 7 Myths]

High-resolution audio player software

Hi res music player software for audiophiles (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, online) for WAV, FLAC, DSD (DSF, DFF, SACD ISO, DoP), MQA, m4a, ....

WARNING: This table can contain errors. It is not an offer or advertising. We are not affiliated with listed products. We guarantee nothing. If you found wrong information, contact us, please. To get exact information, contact with the software developers and/or vendors.
Supported sample rate and bit depth may depend on a file format.

Audio player	Operation system	License	Supported file types	Sample rate	DAC interface	Description
Audio players Windows, Mac, Linux
AIMP	Windows	Free	CDA, AAC, ac3, APE, DTS, FLAC, m4a, ogg, mp3, WAV, WMA, WavPack, DSF, DFF, other, web radio	DirectSound, ASIO, WASAPI
Album Player	Windows	Free	WAV, FLAC, APE, WavPack, ALAC, AIFF, TAK, MP3, MP4, OGG, CD, DSD, DVD-A, other	ASIO, Kernel Streaming, WASAPI
Amarok	Linux, Unix, Windows, Mac	Free
Amarra Luxe	Windows, Mac	Commercial	DSF, mp3, AAC, MQA, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, streaming service, other	DSD to PCM
Audiogate	Windows, Mac	DSF, DFF, WAV, FLAC, BWF, WMA, ALAC, mp3, other	up to DSD128	DAC limitation for the software activation
Audirvana	Mac, Windows	Commercial	DSF, DFF (including DST), SACD ISO, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, WavPack, APE, MQA, streaming service, other	DoP, DSD to PCM	Windows 10 compatible
Audacious	Linux, BSD, Windows	Free
Channel-D Pure Music	Mac	Commercial	up to 384 kHz / 24 bit, up to DSD128	DSD to PCM, DoP, streaming	Gapless and memory playback
Daphile	Run as firmware (Linux based) from flash stick memory	Free	DSF, PCM	up to 384 kHz / 24 bit, up to DSD512	Music server. Stereo only
Foobar2000(with sacd input plugin)	Windows	Free	DSF, DFF (including DST), SACD ISO, FLAC, WAV, mp3, ALAC, WavPack, AAC, other	up to DSD512	ASIO, DSD to PCM
Fostex Audio Player	Windows, Mac	Free	DSF, DFF, WAV, FLAC, mp3, AIFF, ALAC	up to DSD128, up to 192 kHz / 24 bit	ASIO, DoP	Demands certain playback hardware
Gom Audio	Windows	Free	cda, MPL, mp3, ogg, WMA, APE, FLAC, WAV, m4a, WavPack, AIFF, DSF, DFF
iTunes	Mac, Windows	Free	WAV, ALAC, AAC, mp3, AIFF, CD-audio
JRiver	Windows, Mac, Linux	Commercial	DSF, DFF (including DST), SACD ISO, mp3, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, other	ASIO, DoP, DSD over DLNA, DSD to PCM, PCM to DSD	Gapless playback
Hi-Res Audio Player	Windows	DSD, PCM	Require certain hardware
HQ Player	Windows, Mac, Linux	Commercial	DSF, DFF (non-compressed DSDIFF), CD-audio, FLAC, AIFF, other	up to DSD1024	DSD to PCM, PCM to DSD, ASIO, DoP
Hysolid	Windows	Free	DSF, WAV, FLAC	up to DSD256, up to 384 kHz	ASIO, DoPWASAPI	To work on music server PC with smartphone app control
Logitech Media Server	Windows, Mac, Linux	PCM, DoP PCM files	Bit-perfect PCM output of DoP	Need additional hardware and pre-conversion DSD files to PCM DoP files. How to adjust and use the software.
Media Player Classic	Windows	Free	PCM, DSF, DFF
MusicBee	Windows	Free	ASIO, WASAPI
moOde audio player	To run on Raspberry Pi	Free	Here information about DSD settings
Pine Player	Mac	Free	mp3, FLAC, APE, AAC, m4a, WAV, AIFF, ogg, WMA, DSD, SACD ISO, other	up to 768 kHz / 32 bit
Resonic Player	Windows	Free, Commercial	WAV, AIFF, FLAC, WMA, mp3, ALAC, WavPack, MID, DSF, DFF, other	up to DSD512
Roon	Windows, Mac; the server on Windows, Mac, Linux	Commercial	Audio files and streaming service	Bit-perfect, DSD to PCM	The server may be installed on network area storage (NAS)
TEAC HR Audio Player	Windows, Mac	Free	DSF, DFF, PCM	up to DSD256, up to 384 kHz / 32 bit	ASIO, DoP
Technics Audio Player	Windows, Mac	DSF, DFF, WAV, FLAC, mp3, ALAC, AIFF	up to DSD128, up to 384 kHz / 32bit	USB driver	Read the software license agreement about using limitations
Volumio	Run as firmware from flash stick memory on PC, Raspberry Pi, other	Free	MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, ALAC, DSD	UPNP DLNA, Airplay, DoP	Open source music server
VLC	Windows, Mac, Linux, other	Free	mp3, AAC, MLP / TrueHD, DTS, WMA, FLAC (including uncompressed), ALAC, ATRAC 3, WavPack, APE, WAV, other
Vox	Mac	Free	DSF, WAV, AIFF, FLAC (including uncompressed), ALAC, mp3, other, network radio
XMMS	Unix	Free
Wtfplay	Linux	Free	WAV, FLAC, DSF	up to DSD128; DSD256, DSD512 are experimental, up to 384 kHz / 32 bit	DoP
Audio players Android and iOS (mobile applications)
AIMP	Android	Free	APE, mp3, WAV, ogg, AAC, FLAC, mp4, m4a, WavPack, DSF, DFF, other
Amarra Play	iOS (iPhone, iPad)	Free, In-App Purchases	AIFF, AIFC, MP3, ALAC, FLAC, MQA	MQA Decode up to 96 kHz with Amarra Luxe license	No DSD. Amarra Luxe unlocks some features. Amarra Play must be running on the same wireless network as the computer
FiiO Music	Android, iOS	Free	DSD, PCM	up to 384 kHz / 24 bit	Raw DSD output	Support HWA (LHDC) Bluetooth transmission
Foobar2000	Android, iOS (iPhone, iPad)	Free	MP3, MP4, AAC, Vorbis, Opus, FLAC, WavPack, WAV, AIFF, Musepack	Gapless playback, playback / downloading music from UPnP media servers
HibyMusic	Android, iOS (iPhone, iPad)	Free	DSF, DFF (including DST), ISO, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, M4A, AAC, mp3, ogg	up to DSD256, up to 384 kHz / 32 bit	net driver (Dropbox / DLNA / LAN) native DSD, DoP, DSD to PCM
Hi-Res music player-NePLAYER	iOS (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch)	Commercial	ALAC, FLAC, WAV, mp3, AAC, HE-AAC, DSF, DFF	up to DSD256, up to 384 kHz / 32 bit	DSD to PCM, DoP	Check DSD replay issues at the online store page
HYSOLID	Android, iOS	Free	WAC, FLAC, DSD	up to DSD256, up to 384 kHz	ASIO, WASAPI, DoP, native DSD	Music server control application
Neutron Music Player	Android, iOS (iPhone, iPad)	Commercial	mp3, ogg, FLAC, AC3, AAC, M4A, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, ALAC, APE, WavPack, WAV, AIFF, other, DSD	UPnP / DLNA, USB DAC, DoP, native DSD, DSD to PCM	There is evaluation version 'Neutron Music Player (Eval)' on Android
Onkyo HF Player	Android, iOS	Free, In-App Purchases	DSF, DFF, mp3, ALAC, AAC, WAV, AIFF	up to DSD256, up to 384 kHz	AOA 2.0, DoP, DSD to PCM	Some limitations of the free version. Sample rate depends on the format and In-App purchases.
TEAC HR Audio Player	Android, iOS	Free, In-App Purchases	FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, ogg, DSF, DFF	up to DSD256, up to 384 kHz	DoP, DSD to PCM
USB Audio Player PRO	Android	Commercial	WAV, FLAC, ogg, mp3, AIFF, AAC, m4a, APE, DFF, DSF, other	up to 384 kHz / 32 bit	DoP, DSD to PCM, native DSD playback
VLC	Android, iOS (iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch)	Free	ogg, FLAC, WavPack, AAC, other
Vox	Free, In-App Purchases	FLAC, ALAC, mp3, DSD, other
Online audio players (hi-resolution streaming services)
High Res Audio	Free trial, Commercial	up to 24 bit
Primephonic	Free trial, Commercial	up to 24 bit
PrimeSeat	Free trial, Commercial	PCM, DSD up to 11.2 MHz
Qobuz	Free trial, Commercial	up to 192 kHz / 24 bit	streaming and downloads according to purchased plan
Tidal	PC/Mac, web-player, iOS, Android	Free trial, Commercial	FLAC 44.1 kHz / 16 bit, MQA	supported with audio players (details)
Online audio players (streaming services)
Amazon Prime Music	Free trial	Allow listening online and offline
Apple Music	Free trial	Music platform
Datpiff	Audio platform for musicians and music discovering
Google Play Music	Free trial	Music platform with the store. Offline listening is available
Jamendo Music	Free trial	Audio platform for musicians and music discovering. Free and paid stuff
Noisetrade	Audio platform for musicians and music discovering
ReverbNation	Audio platform for musicians and music discovering
SoundCloud	Audio platform for musicians and music discovering
Spotify	Music platform
Яндекс Музыка	Free, Commercial	Music site 'Yandex Music'. Offline listening is available

What is the best hi-res audio player software

Which high-resolution audio player has the best sound quality is your personal choice rather. Some audio players may playback qualitative audio files without altering (bit-perfect). In general, there is no matter, that player is use for it, but some nuances are there. Below how to make the choice is discussed.

Sound quality

Playback modes

An audio player may works in 2 base modes (depend on the software abilities):

bit-perfect (transmitting data from an audio file to DAC without altering);
processing mode (resampling, room correction and other).

In bit-perfect mode, the sound quality is defined by DAC and next audio devices.
This mode consumes minimal computing resources and is desirable for non-powerful computers.

Processing mode sound quality depends on the player and/or processing plug-in.
This mode may consume many computing resources (more quality = more resources), and, sometimes, can't work at lower-performance computers. Also, this mode consumes more electrical energy for calculations and cooling, than a bit-perfect one.
When fans work in intensive mode, they cause more noise.

Read also: How to improve sound quality >

Gapless playback

Some albums (operas, live concerts, etc.) should be played back as a continuous stream.

Some players can begin the next song without DAC re-initialization.
This ability is called as Gapless playback.
It may be applied for as bit-perfect as processed modes (see 'Playback modes').

Also played back audio files may be pre-converted in gapless mode too.
This mode has a sense when audio files are resampled or DSD files are processed.
Gapless conversion has a sense, when the audio player works in gapless mode.

ASIO

ASIO is a kind of audio drivers by audio interface vendors, that provide low latency and use of specific properties of the audio interface. ASIO SDK (programming tools) is provided by Steingberg.

As rule, ASIO driver is provided together with a sound device. Specific functionality management is supported via a special software control panel.

There is universal ASIO-driver ASIO4All. But, as rule, DAC-vendor driver is more recommended.

Latest MacOS versions use their builtin drivers (Core Audio) instead ASIO. So, you no need special drivers to works with a DAC. However, audio device vendors may provide Mac's ASIO drivers for some devices.

Read more:

How to configure foobar2000 for DSD playback >

WASAPI

WASAPI is builtin Windows drivers to direct access to audio interface without operating system processings. May be used instead of ASIO.

WASAPI may use exclusive access to an audio interface to render sound stream directly to the DAC's audio buffer without mixing of audio streams from several applications. So, no operating system's audio processing is there.

Native DSD

Native DSD is sending DSD audio stream from audio file to DSD DAC without conversion to PCM.

ASIO drivers under Windows may support it. Under the latest MacOS version, DSD audio stream should be packed in DoP format. The packing is lossless. Also, DoP format may be used on Windows.

Read more:

How to configure foobar2000 for DSD playback >

DSD to PCM

DSD audio stream may not be played on PCM DAC. Before sending the stream to the DAC, this stream should be converted to PCM.

It consumes processing resources. In the general case, better sound quality depends on amount of computing resources.

Some computers may have a lack of computing power to realtime DSD to PCM conversion. It may be solved via offline DSD to PCM conversion. Also, it saves free space at hard disk (HDD) of an audio player (allow more songs on the disk). It may be very useful for portable/mobile devices.

Read more:

Functionality

One of the widespread demands to players are:

album artwork displaying;
text metadata displaying;
search in song database;
web radio/streaming playback.

Audio player software F.A.Q.

Can Windows Media Player play high-resolution audio?

Yes. Windows Media player is capable to play high resolution audio files. If your file iss not played back, you can try other players...

Do audio players have different sound quality?

It depends on the mode of playback. In bit-perfect mode, a music player app just transports audio data from a sound file to DAC without audio processing.

When audio player software process audio data (resample, alter bit depth, apply dithering, EQ, etc.), it causes different distortion levels. If consider psychoacoustics, distortions may have a different character, which also impacts the final perception of the distortions. Also, the interaction of the distortions with a playback system (DAC, amplifier, speakers) is matter.

EXAMPLE

Some apparatus can cause the audible level of intermodulation distortions, that generated by ultrasound components.

Practically it can cause audible noise.

You can:

try low sample rate 44.1 kHz, or
apply ultrasound cut in hi-res audio file.

Watch and share: How to remove noise into hi res audio file

General recommendation:

Do a sound check of different players in various modes and audio resolutions on your music equipment. Read details...

Does hi-res audio sound better? Is hi-res audio better than CD?

Hi res audio allowing solve some issues of analog filters of ADC or DAC. But actual result is matter of implementation of an audio equipment and software. Read definitive guide...

Read more:

What is the best music player for Windows 10?

As rule, it's personal choise.

Read common rules how to choose the best audio player...
Try and choose own player...

Where can I buy high resolution music?

See list of sites with high-resolution audio...

Does memory playback improve audio quality?

Memory playback doesn't improve 'transparency'. But the mode can get rid of pauses if file played from slow/overload network or album player in gapless mode.

Do gapless playback is helpful?

If an audio player re-initialize DAC, it can cause quiet clicks.

When files played back without re-initializing, there is no kind of clicks.

Do computer digital hardware interface (HDMI, USB, SPDIF, etc.), its cables impact sound quality?

Digital audio interfaces don't impact sound quality, which may be defined as 'sound transparency'.

Also, digital interfaces have sample rate and bit depth limitations.

Operating system built-in driver can additionally process sound and impact to sound quality.

But pauses, clicks, serial interruptions are possible when an audio interface doesn't work properly (poor cables, grounding, shielding; hardware issues, etc.).

General recommendations:

Buy thick cables in the mid or higher price range. It is fairly for longer cables especially.
Ferrite rings/barrels can give some advantages. But it's recommended, that measurement tools are used.

Read more:

Do analog audio cables impact to sound quality?

Analog inter-module cables (linear inputs and outputs) can impact the noise floor, crosstalk and frequency response.

General recommendation:

If you hear the hum at 50 Hz or multiple frequencies (power high voltage network), try to use other analog cables or use digital inter-module connection instead.

Is jitter a real issue for audio playback?

DAC clock source can impact to analog output jitter of a digital-to-analog converter . But all other factors, including memory playback, cables and interfaces - no. Read details...

General recommendations:

Don't bother about jitter, when DAC is clocked by its internal source.
Don't use synchronization by SPDIF digital audio input.

What is the best audio format for sound quality?

To achieve maximal sound quality, lossless audio file formats are recommended: FLAC, WAV, AIFF, DSF, DFF, SACD ISO. Read details...

What is 24 bit / 192 kHz audio?

It is resolution audio with sample rate 192 kHz and bit depth 24 bit in PCM format (modulation). Read details...

Is WAV better than FLAC?

In audio resolution 384 kHz/32 bit and lesser, there is no difference between FLAC and WAV by the sound quality. Watch video...

If you need a higher resolution, WAV can provide it. When file size is more 4 GB, WAV RF64 format may be applied.

Read details about:

WAV;
FLAC.

Is DSD better than FLAC?

Both DSD and FLAC are high-resolution formats, that try solve issues of 44.1 kHz / 16 bit. But, actual result depend on implemengtation of your audio system. Read details...