Listening to in Dolby Atmos Streaming, via Tidal/Apple/Amazon

[haikubass]

link please

https://tidal.com/album/216273507https://music.apple.com/us/album/lalalalovesongs/1603722036

 

[ubertrout]

For those interested, Naxos playlist in Atmos on Apple: Naxos Atmosphere by Naxos

 

[sjcorne]

https://music.apple.com/us/album/wildflowers-all-the-rest-super-deluxe-edition/1527821823I think this is still my favorite of all the streaming-exclusive Atmos mixes. Great fidelity, and lots of cool stuff going on in the rears (double-tracked vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, room mics, etc). The drum kit in "You Don't Know How It Feels" sounds massive. I definitely would have sprung for the SDE if it included a Blu-Ray with this mix.

 

[perzon57]

https://music.apple.com/us/album/wildflowers-all-the-rest-super-deluxe-edition/1527821823I think this is still my favorite of all the streaming-exclusive Atmos mixes. Great fidelity, and lots of cool stuff going on in the rears (double-tracked vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, room mics, etc). The drum kit in "You Don't Know How It Feels" sounds massive. I definitely would have sprung for the SDE if it included a Blu-Ray with this mix.

Are you are listening in 5.1 or Atmos?

 

[sjcorne]

Are you are listening in 5.1 or Atmos?

5.1 at the moment, though it also sounds good on my 5.1.2 Atmos system.

 

[perzon57]

5.1 at the moment, though it also sounds good on my 5.1.2 Atmos system.

Would be nice if people stated how they're listening to Atmos mixes. To many are bashing Atmos mixes without even listening to them. I'm with you on Wallflowers, it's fantastic on my 5.2.4 setup, Angel Dream are good too.

 

[paligap]

Would be nice if people stated how they're listening to Atmos mixes. To many are bashing Atmos mixes without even listening to them. I'm with you on Wallflowers, it's fantastic on my 5.2.4 setup, Angel Dream are good too.

Maybe we need a separate thread for those listening to Atmos releases in 5.1. The title of this thread is "Listening to Streaming in Dolby Atmos," after all.

 

[~dave~~wave~]

Maybe we need a separate thread for those listening to Atmos releases in 5.1. The title of this thread is "Listening to Streaming in Dolby Atmos," after all.

How about we use the one that's been running since October?
Music streaming on Apple Music in 5.1 (Dolby Audio)

Part of the problem is the growing pains with terminology, which the content providers aren't providing with clarity.

As far as Apple

and apparently Dolby are concerned, it's all "Atmos" whether it's through any configuration of speakers or stereo headphones.
"Atmos" whether the content is vintage three-channel jazz, 60's quad, ear-level 5.1 & 7.1 or full-height 7.1.4 & 9.2.6.

Someone please help me out if I've got that wrong.

Apples to apples...
=
/=/

= ???

Would be nice if people stated how they're listening to Atmos mixes.

Agreed, this would be helpful.
The Hoffman forum insists folks fill out a detailed equipment profile before daring to make a comment on sound "quality."

 

[paligap]

How about we use the one that's been running since October?
Music streaming on Apple Music in 5.1 (Dolby Audio)

Part of the problem is the growing pains with terminology, which the content providers aren't providing with clarity.

Well, that thread appears to be about listening to 5.1 mixes, not listening to Atmos mixes in 5.1.

 

[sjcorne]

I won't speak for the mods, but there can't be a separate thread for every permutation of listening style (Atmos on Blu-Ray, Atmos on streaming platforms, 5.1 on streaming platforms, Atmos on streaming platforms through 5.1 speakers, etc). We have too many active "Listening To" threads as it is, it's best to just state how you're listening as @perzon57 suggested upthread.

 

[~dave~~wave~]

Well, that thread appears to be about listening to 5.1 mixes, not listening to Atmos mixes in 5.1.

I'd be happy for you or anybody to explain to me how someone who only has 5.1 available could tell the difference if the streaming company doesn't specify.
Help me out.

 

[sjcorne]

I'd be happy for you or anybody to explain to me how someone who only has 5.1 available could tell the difference if the streaming company doesn't specify.
Help me out.

"Dolby Atmos" = object-based (3D) surround sound
"Dolby Audio" = speaker-based (2D) surround sound

 

[paligap]

I'd be happy for you or anybody to explain to me how someone who only has 5.1 available could tell the difference if the streaming company doesn't specify.
Help me out.

Maybe it's just me, but if I were listening to music in 5.1, I wouldn't post in a thread titled "Listening to Streaming in Dolby Atmos." It wouldn't matter whether the streaming company specified.

Having said that, I've posted in the wrong thread before, so I'm not trying to bust anybody's . . . here.

 

[humprof]

Maybe it's just me, but if I were listening to music in 5.1, I wouldn't post in a thread titled "Listening to Streaming in Dolby Atmos." It wouldn't matter whether the streaming company specified.

Having said that, I've posted in the wrong thread before, so I'm not trying to bust anybody's . . . here.

Granted, it's confusing. And intuitively it might seem oxymoronic. But technically you can listen to a streaming Atmos track on anything, no matter how many or how few speakers, and it will use its "spatial" metadata to render the Atmos mix and place the "objects" as accurately as it can, given your setup. There are some mixers, like Steven Wilson, who make a separate, dedicated 5.1 mix and make sure that's what gets baked into the TrueHD "bed" of the Atmos track. But I don't think he's typical.

So anyway, @sjcorne isn't really listening in 5.1, he's listening to an Atmos stream on a 5.1 system. As long as he indicates that, then I won't expect the same experience that he reports when I stream the album on my 5.1.4 system...

 

[himey]

Would be nice if people stated how they're listening to Atmos mixes. To many are bashing Atmos mixes without even listening to them. I'm with you on Wallflowers, it's fantastic on my 5.2.4 setup, Angel Dream are good too.

Care to provide a link to someone "bashing" an Atmos mix while listening to them with "only" 5 channels?

Personally, I have seen posts of folks with Atmos setups saying the mix sucks because there is little to no top channel output. Some of them are actually really good on 2D setups. The Megadeath atmos mix is one prime example.

 

[perzon57]

Care to provide a link to someone "bashing" an Atmos mix while listening to them with "only" 5 channels?

Personally, I have seen posts of folks with Atmos setups saying the mix sucks because there is little to no top channel output. Some of them are actually really good on 2D setups. The Megadeath atmos mix is one prime example.

I could, but I will not. The Megadeth "Atmos" mix is an good example. As it's labelled as an Atmos mix I judge it as that, and it's a mediocre Atmos mix. What I hear is a 5.1 mix without any height output, and as a 5.1 mix it's quite good.

 

[himey]

I could, but I will not. The Megadeth "Atmos" mix is an good example. As it's labelled as an Atmos mix I judge it as that, and it's a mediocre Atmos mix. What I hear is a 5.1 mix without any height output, and as a 5.1 mix it's quite good.

Do you change your processor's output to 5.1/7.1 when you listen to it, considering it has weak top channels?

 

[perzon57]

Do you change your processor's output to 5.1/7.1 when you listen to it, considering it has weak top channels?

No, I don't, and as I said it's a good 5.1 mix and that's what it is.

 

[himey]

Maybe it's just me, but if I were listening to music in 5.1, I wouldn't post in a thread titled "Listening to Streaming in Dolby Atmos." It wouldn't matter whether the streaming company specified.

Having said that, I've posted in the wrong thread before, so I'm not trying to bust anybody's . . . here.

Can I post here if i'm listening on an Atmos soundbar?

Seriously though, until this forum requires full equipment lists, like SHF, it is ridiculous to limit opinions.

Are up-firing Atmos speakers eligible?
What if I only have two top speakers and not six?
What if my "Atmos" speakers are actually side speakers with a bit of elevation?
What if all my bed level speakers are as tiny as my top speakers?

 

[harync]

Care to provide a link to someone "bashing" an Atmos mix while listening to them with "only" 5 channels?

I don't know of a specific example, but it seems every few weeks someone posts that they don't believe the Atmos mixes are coming from multitracks. From everything we have ever heard, the Atmos mixes on Apple/Tidal are mixed from multi-tracks and Apple specifically states: "Dolby Atmos audio files generated automatically and/or algorithmically from a stereo master are not allowed."

I'm guessing that in some cases people are listening to the Atmos mixes on 5.1 systems, which would explain the complaints about bleed-through across channels. That isn't to say that some of the issues with Atmos mixes involve specific decisions by the engineers. For example, Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain and Kind of Blue had 3 track mono masters, so to generate the Atmos mix they played them back in the studio and re-recorded it to recreate the atmospherics of the studio when it was originally recorded.