Apple Joining the Atmos streaming game!

[fredblue]

I think that one may have shown up more recently.

popped up in 360 Reality Audio recently but think the Dolby Audio version's new?

 

[Bob Romano]

some earache-inducing high pitched whining going on in We Love Each Other that i don't remember being on the Dutton Vocalion SACD..?

I just listened to this track and didn't hear anything like a high-pitched whine.

 

[fredblue]

I just listened to this track and didn't hear anything like a high-pitched whine.

thanks for the feedback, i'll try it again in a bit and the DV SACD as well

 

[natiahs]

Hey folks, I've seen some people saying that you have to use an Apple TV to stream Atmos from Apple Music to your receiver. You can do it directly from your iPhone or iPad assuming your receiver supports Bluetooth. Here's how to enable it in iOS:

Settings - Music - Audio - Dolby Atmos - Always On

The default is Automatic, which will only send Atmos to AirPods, Beats, or other Apple devices. Otherwise, your device will assume it is connected to a stereo device and default to the stereo track.

On my receiver, I can only stream Atmos if I use Bluetooth. For some reason, AirPlay still defaults to the highest-quality stereo mix available. But it definitely works through Bluetooth! Both the phone display and the receiver should indicate Atmos.

(Weirdly enough, I can only stream 360 Reality Audio from Tidal using ChromeCast. It defaults to stereo when using Blutooth.)

 

[adamschoales]

For some reason, AirPlay still defaults to the highest-quality stereo mix available. But it definitely works through Bluetooth! Both the phone display and the receiver should indicate Atmos.

(Weirdly enough, I can only stream 360 Reality Audio from Tidal using AirPlay. It defaults to stereo when using Blutooth. Totally opposite!)

I believe this is because the AirPlay protocol only supports Stereo. Just like it only supports up to 1080p (so no AirPlay 4K/Dolby Vision content even if that's what the phones now shoot). I could be mistaken though.

 

[Bob Romano]

My receiver doesn’t show ATMOS using Bluetooth and it only plays stereo. It’s a Pioneer VSX-90

 

[fredblue]

Hey folks, I've seen some people saying that you have to use an Apple TV to stream Atmos from Apple Music to your receiver. You can do it directly from your iPhone or iPad assuming your receiver supports Bluetooth. Here's how to enable it in iOS:

Settings - Music - Audio - Dolby Atmos - Always On

The default is Automatic, which will only send Atmos to AirPods, Beats, or other Apple devices. Otherwise, your device will assume it is connected to a stereo device and default to the stereo track.

On my receiver, I can only stream Atmos if I use Bluetooth. For some reason, AirPlay still defaults to the highest-quality stereo mix available. But it definitely works through Bluetooth! Both the phone display and the receiver should indicate Atmos.

(Weirdly enough, I can only stream 360 Reality Audio from Tidal using AirPlay. It defaults to stereo when using Blutooth. Totally opposite!)

which Receiver are you using?

i tried both Apple Music Atmos tracks via Bluetooth and 360 Reality Audio tracks via AirPlay through my Yamaha Receiver and all played back in Stereo only

 

[notfer]

The new Dolby Atmos mix of Road Apples from The Tragically Hip is now on Apple Music.

Road Apples (2021 Remaster) by The Tragically Hip

 

[fredblue]

thanks for the feedback, i'll try it again in a bit and the DV SACD as well

the whine's still there on the Apple Music Dolby Audio offering, not there on the DV SACD.

 

[fredblue]

The new Dolby Atmos mix of Road Apples from The Tragically Hip is now on Apple Music.

Road Apples (2021 Remaster) by The Tragically Hip

Apple Music is saving me a few quid and shelf space by not having to get some of the box sets to hear the Atmos! its a nice album, shame the Surround's so underwhelming but you can't have everything..

 

[Tornado Red]

Apple Music is saving me a few quid and shelf space by not having to get some of the box sets to hear the Atmos! its a nice album, shame the Surround's so underwhelming but you can't have everything..

Exactly!

 

[Tornado Red]

The new Dolby Atmos mix of Road Apples from The Tragically Hip is now on Apple Music.

Road Apples (2021 Remaster) by The Tragically Hip

One of those (seems to me anyway) rare ones on Apple Music that has both Dolby Atmos AND hi-res lossless.
Edit: Funny, Road Apples comes up as Dolby Atmos in hi res lossless on iPad/Mac and on the ATV 4K it’s Dolby Atmos in lossless, no hi res.

 

[natiahs]

My receiver doesn’t show ATMOS using Bluetooth and it only plays stereo. It’s a Pioneer VSX-90

I’m using Sony’s new HT-A9

 

[natiahs]

I believe this is because the AirPlay protocol only supports Stereo. Just like it only supports up to 1080p (so no AirPlay 4K/Dolby Vision content even if that's what the phones now shoot). I could be mistaken though.

That makes sense, and I totally misspoke. 360 doesn’t work through AirPlay, it works through the casting feature of the Tidal app (which shows up as “360RAcast”). I updated my original post to correct.

 

[fredblue]

I’m using Sony’s new HT-A9

nice! does the HT-A9 decode 360 Reality Audio tracks straight from Tidal on the Apple TV via HDMI?

 

[natiahs]

nice! does the HT-A9 decode 360 Reality Audio tracks straight from Tidal on the Apple TV via HDMI?

I don’t have an Apple TV. Tidal will send 360RA tracks to the HT-A9 using the casting feature within the app.

Interesting note about the HT-A9 is that the HDMI port specifically does not support SACD or DVD-A, so while I now have access to modern Atmos and 360RA music, I have an entire library of SACD and DVD-A disks that I haven’t figured out how to support. I might just have to leave my legacy 7.1 system in place for those and LPs.

Page 60 of the manual: “The HDMI IN jack does not support audio formats that contain copy protections, such as Super Audio CD or DVD-Audio.”

 

[perzon57]

Apple Music is saving me a few quid and shelf space by not having to get some of the box sets to hear the Atmos! its a nice album, shame the Surround's so underwhelming but you can't have everything..

I like it, even if there's not much happening in the surrounds, overall good fidelity to me.

 

[Ephi82]

Hey folks, I've seen some people saying that you have to use an Apple TV to stream Atmos from Apple Music to your receiver. You can do it directly from your iPhone or iPad assuming your receiver supports Bluetooth. Here's how to enable it in iOS:

Settings - Music - Audio - Dolby Atmos - Always On

The default is Automatic, which will only send Atmos to AirPods, Beats, or other Apple devices. Otherwise, your device will assume it is connected to a stereo device and default to the stereo track.

On my receiver, I can only stream Atmos if I use Bluetooth. For some reason, AirPlay still defaults to the highest-quality stereo mix available. But it definitely works through Bluetooth! Both the phone display and the receiver should indicate Atmos.

(Weirdly enough, I can only stream 360 Reality Audio from Tidal using ChromeCast. It defaults to stereo when using Blutooth.)

I don’t know what magic you may have but I don’t believe that you can get Bluetooth wireless playback of Apple Music ATMOS tracks from an iPhone. You can play the ATMOS tracks, but the output will be downmixed stereo. It’s my understanding that one would needs an Apple TV to host Apple Music, output through HDMI into the AVR. I think the alternative is an iPhone out into a DAC, then into the AVR.

 

[Cheezmo]

One of those (seems to me anyway) rare ones on Apple Music that has both Dolby Atmos AND hi-res lossless.
Edit: Funny, Road Apples comes up as Dolby Atmos in hi res lossless on iPad/Mac and on the ATV 4K it’s Dolby Atmos in lossless, no hi res.

Dolby Atmos and hi res lossless and lossless are completely separate streams. It is showing what is available. The AppleTV 4K does not support hi res lossless so you won't see that there.

 

[marcb]

The good news is that I had no bug yesterday. But it has come back today. Go figure?

FWIW, the bug went away for me last week and (knock on wood) hasn’t reappeared.