---
title: "Set the sample rate — Kapell docs"
description: "Want some of that Hi-Res Lossless audio? Make sure your Mac is really outputting it."
canonical: "https://kapell.fm/docs/set-sample-rate-audio-midi-setup/"
---

Docs / Audio & playback

# Set the sample rate

Want some of that Hi-Res Lossless audio? Make sure your Mac is really outputting it.

## Why this matters

macOS runs each output device at a single [sample rate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_(signal_processing)#Sampling_rate) and [bit depth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_bit_depth), its **format**. Everything that plays through that device gets converted to that format first. So if your [DAC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital-to-analog_converter) is set to 48 kHz and you play a 24-bit / 192 kHz Hi-Res Lossless track, macOS [downsamples](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downsampling_(signal_processing)) it to 48 kHz on the way out. The file is Hi-Res. What reaches your speakers *isn’t*. Oopsy.

The format is a system setting, and in macOS it lives in **Audio MIDI Setup**, a utility that ships with every Mac. Sorry about the name. You don’t need anything MIDI to use it. I don’t work at Apple, don’t blame me.

Kapell shows the format. It can't change it.

App Store apps are not allowed (hey Apple!) to change your audio hardware's settings, so Kapell can't do this for you. I'd love to! What Kapell *can* do is show you: the Signal Path readout shows the rate and bit depth your DAC is running at, plus every rate it supports.

## Set the format

01Open **Audio MIDI Setup**. It's in **Applications ▸ Utilities**, or search for it with Spotlight.

02If you don't see the **Audio Devices** window, choose **Window ▸ Show Audio Devices**.

03Select your DAC or output device in the list on the left.

04Click the **Output** tab, then pick a rate and bit depth from the **Format** menu, for example **2 ch 24-bit Integer 192.0 kHz**.

Easy, kinda. The change takes effect right away, even mid-track, and Kapell’s Signal Path readout follows along. The setting sticks until you change it or unplug the device.

### Did it work?

Kapell’s Signal Path readout tells you what your Mac is *sending*. Whether your DAC tells you what it’s *getting* depends on the DAC. Some have a screen that shows the incoming rate, or a light that changes color with it. Plenty show nothing at all, and you’re left trusting the Mac.

So it might take some trial and error. If you hear clicks, dropouts, or silence after a change, step down a rate and try again.

## Which rate to pick

- MAX**The highest rate your DAC supports.** Nothing gets downsampled, and lower-rate tracks, like the 44.1 kHz of a CD master, are [upsampled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upsampling) by macOS. Most people should do this.
- BIT**Match the track.** For [bit-perfect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit-perfect) playback, set the format to the rate of what's playing: 44.1 kHz for a CD-quality track, 96 kHz for a 24-bit / 96 kHz master. The catch: you have to change it by hand every time the rate changes. Purists only.
- 24**Bit depth:** pick 24-bit if your DAC offers it. That's as deep as Apple Music goes.

## Good to know

- LL**Turn on Lossless first.** None of this matters if Hi-Res isn't coming in. See [Enable Lossless audio in Apple Music](https://kapell.fm/docs/enable-lossless-audio/).
- DAC**The menu lists only what the device supports.** A Mac's built-in speakers stop well short of 192 kHz. For the top of Hi-Res, you'll want an external DAC.
- BT**Bluetooth has no Format menu.** AirPods and other wireless headphones use their own [codec](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_codec), and there's nothing to set.
- ALL**It's system-wide.** Every app playing through that device uses the same format, not just Kapell.
- RMT**Using Remote? Set it on the receiver.** With [Remote](https://kapell.fm/docs/remote/), the Mac wired to the speakers does the playing, so its format is the one that counts.

## Source

- APLApple Support — [Audio MIDI Setup User Guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/audio-midi-setup/welcome/mac). Apple's guide to the app, including setting up audio devices.