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

[J. PUPSTER]

I hear you my man! I'll give it a good go. That's for sure. I just need to get used to the navigation, how to go back, how to find stuff. It's all good.

Time to review Bob's thread and get down 'n dirty over there...

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/apple-tv4k-tips-tricks-and-traps.31518/

 

[Albert Dagger]

Yep, that was crazy good.

A variety of music genres. Mixes you might like with activity in the height speakers:
The Killers, Pressure Machine (maybe, Quite Town?)
Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory (Cure for the Itch, or One Step Closer)
Air 10,000 Hz Legend (Electronic Performenrs or Don't Be Light, but any track is good)
Queen - Greatest Hits (Another one bites the dust)
Turnstile - Glow On (try Mistery for metal, or Underwater boi for something like XTC)
Kraftwerk 3D (Tour de France, Radioactivity, The Robots and many others).

 

[sjcorne]

Yep, that was crazy good.

Just in case you haven't gotten enough recommendations already

• Tom Petty - Wildflowers & All The Rest
• Pearl Jam - Ten
• Temptations - Sky's The Limit
• Joe Bonamassa - Time Clocks
• Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny & Mutation ('70s quad mix)
• Isley Brothers - Go For Your Guns ('70s quad mix)
• Johnny Winter - Saints & Sinners ('70s quad mix)

 

[quicksrt]

Just in case you haven't gotten enough recommendations already

• Tom Petty - Wildflowers & All The Rest
• Pearl Jam - Ten
• Temptations - Sky's The Limit
• Joe Bonamassa - Time Clocks
• Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny & Mutation ('70s quad mix)
• Isley Brothers - Go For Your Guns ('70s quad mix)
• Johnny Winter - Saints & Sinners ('70s quad mix)

The Temps is a Motown / Gordy which means Universal controlled and I think likely a Japanese CD-4 no, or a recently mixed Atmos title? Potentially a strong surround mix no matter when it was done.

 

[sjcorne]

The Temps is a Motown / Gordy which means Universal controlled and I think likely a Japanese CD-4 no, or a recently mixed Atmos title?

It’s definitely not an old quad mix, as there are unique elements in the center speaker. I’d guess it was mixed recently (it’s labeled “Dolby Atmos” rather than “Dolby Audio”), but perhaps it could be a holdout from the SACD/DVD-A era? I’d like to think that the two Marvin Gaye 5.1 releases from back then were meant to be the start of a series that didn’t happen.

 

[acp888]

Just purchased an Amazon Fire Cube (2nd Gen) … connected it up to my Sony STR-DN1080, installed the Tidal app and voila! The 360 and Atmos tracks sound superb (Klipsch and KEF 5.1 rig). Next up the Apple Music stuff.

 

[quicksrt]

Just purchased an Amazon Fire Cube (2nd Gen) … connected it up to my Sony STR-DN1080, installed the Tidal app and voila! The 360 and Atmos tracks sound superb (Klipsch and KEF 5.1 rig). Next up the Apple Music stuff.

But no discreet decoding of 360 albums, correct?

 

[quicksrt]

But no discreet decoding of 360 albums, correct?

Am I correct that Apple Music is still the only streamer with 70s quad playing discreetly?

And that some prized quad mixes are not yet on Apple but are on Tidal and Amazon in headphone surround only?

Just trying to keep ahead of this stuff.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

And that some prized quad mixes are not yet on Apple but are on Tidal and Amazon in headphone surround only?

The RA360 stuff does have true surround mixes. There just isn't much equipment available yet to process it. But its not actually a headphone format. Its a surround format than can be adapted to headphones.

 

[fredblue]

The RA360 stuff does have true surround mixes. There just isn't much equipment available yet to process it. But its not actually a headphone format. Its a surround format than can be adapted to headphones.

you are totally correct!

tbh i think there's quite some misunderstanding about 360RA and what it does and how it does it, understandable because i don't think it's been properly explained in plain English by Sony themselves!

as we know, there are a number of CBS Quads in 360RA on Tidal & Amazon Music Unlimited that have not been released on Apple Music in Dolby Audio or elsewhere, including many of the biggies such as all 3 Aerosmith's, Simon & Garfunkel, 2 of the 3 Paul Simon's, all 3 Dave Mason's, Janis Joplin, a number of Santana Quads (incl Festival & Borboletta) etc., etc. hopefully some or all of these might make it to Apple Music in the near future

 

[gwlbe]

I created a playlist called Surround. First I started with Rock and Spatial then added to it mostly from this thread and the Dolby audio thread. I shuffle it, or go directly to the album.

 

[GOS]

Just in case you haven't gotten enough recommendations already

• Tom Petty - Wildflowers & All The Rest
• Pearl Jam - Ten
• Temptations - Sky's The Limit
• Joe Bonamassa - Time Clocks
• Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny & Mutation ('70s quad mix)
• Isley Brothers - Go For Your Guns ('70s quad mix)
• Johnny Winter - Saints & Sinners ('70s quad mix)

Thanks for those...when I search for these specific titles on my laptop (that seems the way to do this...I'm sure you've all said) and locate the album, I don't see any reference to it being in Atmos. (I know many have said similar) I also wonder what the little stars mean that are next to certain songs on these albums. Any significance?

 

[AYanguas]

The RA360 stuff does have true surround mixes. There just isn't much equipment available yet to process it. But its not actually a headphone format. Its a surround format than can be adapted to headphones.

I remember also have read somewhere that the discrete RA360 system suports not only 'Height Speakers' but also 'Down Speakers" located front below the normal Stereo Fronts, exactly at the floor.
So that would be even more 360 degrees spherical around our ears, also in vertical directions.
The sweet spot would then be better standing instead of sitting?

 

[~dave~~wave~]

Thanks for those...when I search for these specific titles on my laptop (that seems the way to do this...I'm sure you've all said) and locate the album, I don't see any reference to it being in Atmos. (I know many have said similar) I also wonder what the little stars mean that are next to certain songs on these albums. Any significance?

Congratulations, now we're getting down to brass tacks.

Let's pause to give thanks we are on the (mostly) friendlly forum, not that other one we use where a question like this would be met with "did you read the thread, did you do a search???"

The stars mean nothing regarding Atmos, that would be too easy.

An easy way to know you are getting to the Atmos version is use the links folks put up that look like this:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/wildflowers-all-the-rest-super-deluxe-edition/1527821823
But of course, it's still confusing as you learn the Apple interface.

Especially with super-deluxe editions, since the bonus tracks are often only in stereo, the album listing doesn't show as atmos even though most of the tracks are.

You'll soon learn to pay attention to the little icon in the playing now tool bar.

 

[quicksrt]

The RA360 stuff does have true surround mixes. There just isn't much equipment available yet to process it. But its not actually a headphone format. Its a surround format than can be adapted to headphones.

I’m confused still. You state that there is not much equipment to process it, do you really mean that there is “no” equipment to process it? Or that there is equipment but it’s a non-discreet decoding process. Why state that there is some, if there is none? Unless there is some, it’s just rare right now.

And there is no need to confirm that original mixes were created discreetly, we all know that and have known it for 40 years. I guess it’s good for those that do not know this.

Why don’t we just admit that this is like listening to an SQ Quad LP without being decoded, when we should be getting 4-channels of discreet playback from these tapes. Am I the only one truly outraged at this?

Your post does sound optimistic about soon to arrive new equipment.

 

[quicksrt]

you are totally correct!

tbh i think there's quite some misunderstanding about 360RA and what it does and how it does it, understandable because i don't think it's been properly explained in plain English by Sony themselves!

as we know, there are a number of CBS Quads in 360RA on Tidal & Amazon Music Unlimited that have not been released on Apple Music in Dolby Audio or elsewhere, including many of the biggies such as all 3 Aerosmith's, Simon & Garfunkel, 2 of the 3 Paul Simon's, all 3 Dave Mason's, Janis Joplin, a number of Santana Quads (incl Festival & Borboletta) etc., etc. hopefully some or all of these might make it to Apple Music in the near future

I appreciate the updated list of the heavies not yet on Apple in quad.

Which do you expect to happen first, a proper quad decode (of these albums) from Tidal / Amazon - or Apple Music getting these above mentioned quads for streaming on their platform?

 

[~dave~~wave~]

..I don't see any reference to it being in Atmos...

Here's another thing I discovered about the confusing Apple interface.

You say you're searching on your laptop.

The way it works on my iMac is another possible pitfall.
I stream to HDMI without an Apple TV box.

However, unless I have HDMI connected & AVR powered on so the computer sees a valid HDMI multi-channel connection...
...the Apple Music App defaults to internal speakers and presumes NOT TO SHOW ATMOS availability since it can't be streamed in that moment. (Even a known Atmos title from one of my playlists!)

Same on my iPad or iPhone, UNLESS HEADPHONES (wired or bluetooth) are connected.

Bottom line, maybe try plugging headphones into your laptop, not to listen, but to fake out the app.

 

[fredblue]

do you have an Atmos capable iPhone, Gene?

lately i just cruise around Apple Music on my phone for albums i know were in Quad/5.1 and go from there.

as has been said by Dave and others, if you flick back through the threads here at QQ a number of members here have posted Atmos/Quad/5.1 Apple Music links which should get you up and running.
also there are members here who have created Surround playlists which are very neat

 

[GOS]

do you have an Atmos capable iPhone, Gene?

lately i just cruise around Apple Music on my phone for albums i know were in Quad/5.1 and go from there.

as has been said by Dave and others, if you flick back through the threads here at QQ a number of members here have posted Atmos/Quad/5.1 Apple Music links which should get you up and running.
also there are members here who have created Surround playlists which are very neat

LOL! ATmos capable phone? Didn't know there was such a thing. I hvae an iphone, but it's 5 years old. Also, another side comment. I put those albums that Jonathan mentioned into my library. When I played the Blue Oyster Cult, it didn't play in atmos, my AVR switched over to 5.1, but it only played out of my left front speaker. LMAO! Must be some setting, not sure about all that.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

LOL! ATmos capable phone? Didn't know there was such a thing. I hvae an iphone, but it's 5 years old. Also, another side comment. I put those albums that Jonathan mentioned into my library. When I played the Blue Oyster Cult, it didn't play in atmos, my AVR switched over to 5.1, but it only played out of my left front speaker. LMAO! Must be some setting, not sure about all that.

What version are you showing in settings?