Configuration issues with CMBlockBuffer for AAC Audio

I am trying to acheive AAC playback, I have stripped off the ADTS header using a function. I am not being shown any errors by the Apple API however I cannot hear any playback.

Here is my asbd My sample is definitely 44.1KHz and AAC_LC. Here is the file for reference: https://dl.espressif.com/dl/audio/ff-16b-2c-44100hz.aac

Here are some relevant snippets of the code:

AudioStreamBasicDescription desc = {0};
desc.mSampleRate = 44100;                // Sample rate
desc.mFormatID = kAudioFormatMPEG4AAC;   // Format ID for AAC
desc.mChannelsPerFrame = 2;              // Stereo audio
desc.mFramesPerPacket = 1024;            // AAC typically uses 1024 frames per packet
desc.mBitsPerChannel = 0;                
desc.mBytesPerPacket = 0;               
desc.mBytesPerFrame = 0;  

OSStatus status =
        CMAudioFormatDescriptionCreate(kCFAllocatorDefault,
                                       &desc,
                                       inlayout_size, //32 corresponding to stereo
                                       inlayout_buf,
                                       kAudioFormatMPEG4AAC,
                                       nil,
                                       nil,
                                       &_fmtDesc);


const CMBlockBufferCustomBlockSource blockSource = {
        .version = kCMBlockBufferCustomBlockSourceVersion,
        .FreeBlock = customBlock_Free,
        .refCon = block,
    };

    OSStatus status;
    CMSampleBufferRef sampleBuffer;
    CMBlockBufferRef blockBuf;

    status = CMBlockBufferCreateWithMemoryBlock(kCFAllocatorDefault,
                                                (block->p_buffer),  // memoryBlock
                                                (block->i_buffer),  // blockLength
                                                kCFAllocatorNull,  // blockAllocator
                                                &blockSource,     // customBlockSource
                                                0,                // offsetToData
                                                (block->i_buffer),  // dataLength
                                                0,                // flags
                                                &blockBuf);          

const CMSampleTimingInfo timeInfo = {
        .duration = kCMTimeInvalid,
        .presentationTimeStamp = CMTimeMake(_ptsSamples, _sampleRate),
        .decodeTimeStamp = kCMTimeInvalid,
    };

    status = CMSampleBufferCreateReady(kCFAllocatorDefault,
                                       blockBuf,             // dataBuffer
                                       _fmtDesc,             // formatDescription
                                      1024,  // numSamples
                                       1,                    // numSampleTimingEntries
                                       &timeInfo,            // sampleTimingArray
                                       1,                    // numSampleSizeEntries
                                       &_bytesPerFrame,      // sampleSizeArray
                                       &sampleBuf);     

The renderer then handles this sampleBuf which is working correctly as I have tested it for other formats. I have verified the hex dump of the p_buffer and it matches with that of the .aac file having removed the ADTS header.

Here is an output example

Hex dump of p_buffer(which is being passed to CMBlockBufferCreateWithMemoryBlock):
4CFE1DE0: 21 1A 8F 20 63 E7 FF FF 11 72 A3 20 C5 E3 B7 E9 
4CFE1DF0: 42 F5 3D 9A D1 77 D2 F0 9A 00 00 B2 32 53 84 8C 
4CFE1E00: E8 24 ED DF 23 04 3D CF A6 51 A8 D2 8F EE B3 FB 
4CFE1E10: F4 CC 17 F9 7C 8B 75 06 29 8D D6 95 98 78 9D 87 
4CFE1E20: 9C B4 9D 8E 2B 6C D2 90 D7 E3 C4 37 05 97 85 C1 
4CFE1E30: F7 5E 7F D8 F3 DD 20 B5 73 31 C5 EC 3D 6F AC 5E 
4CFE1E40: 45 AF CC 38 0D 5B 98 F5 F9 3B 3E D7 C3 8E 1B 38 
4CFE1E50: F8 F1 9A 6F 96 05 15 CE 39 D6 2B 06 60 33 8A C4 
4CFE1E60: EE 4F 6B B3 C9 CF F2 BF 3F B1 96 69 B9 62 34 62 
4CFE1E70: CD 41 1C 08 CF 80 5F A4 60 BD 45 36 AC 66 00 40 
4CFE1E80: 42 F6 95 F4 89 8A A2 24 11 01 74 08 82 33 94 D1 
4CFE1E90: 0B 24 51 4A 55 28 06 21 78 85 D4 B5 13 49 1D AA 
4CFE1EA0: 44 02 32 E9 42 61 8C 59 4A 65 96 4D BC BC AE D2 
4CFE1EB0: F1 D0 00 00 D4 A2 F8 87 A0 FD C8 93 87 59 A2 CB 
4CFE1EC0: BE B3 AB 49 C6 37 60 2B 50 26 D3 0C 1D 29 45 81 
4CFE1ED0: D9 4E 62 5E 29 8E 27 19 75 FB 62 0B 3B C0 B9 E6 
4CFE1EE0: EB A0 3F B8 D5 7E 77 90 C1 E2 9C D9 4E 5B 82 ED 
4CFE1EF0: CF BC 55 1C 55 1B F2 DE CC B2 13 25 CB ED F5 B5 
4CFE1F00: 6E F9 EF 38 DE 8C C4 38 C2 60 CF DA F3 F2 1F 80 
4CFE1F10: C5 23 0C 3E 57 31 0D 5E EB 63 58 1A 28 38 7B B2 
4CFE1F20: 0B F3 5B 33 96 59 55 44 4A 09 55 73 EC 94 A0 F3 
4CFE1F30: FC F4 70 F9 76 FB FF 8D AD 13 01 30 05 C0 90 01 
4CFE1F40: B2 37 27 24 44 B9 F0 24 4E C5 D4 25 D6 F7 20 4D 
4CFE1F50: 39 92 5D 31 71 5B 4A B2 A4 C1 59 D4 42 60 1C 00 
4CFE1F60: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 
i_buffer: 383
CMBlockBufferIsEmpty check: 0
Block not null in wrapBuffer
CMBlockBufferCreateWithMemoryBlock status: 0

I did try multiple configurations, I am shown no errors by any log however I cannot hear playback. Please help me identify what is wrong here.

I have used this as a reference, which seems to be based on previous Apple documentation https://github.com/UFOooX/iOSAACStreamPlayer