Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Eddy Cue Says Spatial Audio on Apple Music is Equivalent to Watching HD Television for First Time
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I agree.
This is a game changer.
But I understand the hesitance. People don’t like change and songs now sound different.
Sound on my AirPod pro is a definite step up, however, on my home cinema, which is fairly high end it is masterful. It really shocked me, as it doesn’t sound gimmicky. It sounds incredibly immersive. I love live music, which is rarely noted as having clarity but it has atmosphere and I’d trade atmosphere for pure clarity.
With a lot of money you can almost get both. I did pursue that road and I have a valve amp, turntable and high end stereo speakers. It was very expensive and I’ve heard very high equipment and to be honest, what apple have managed with atmos, the way it sounds on a good 5.1.2 system is shockingly good. The kind of purest sound I’ve always been chasing. I think that’s mental to say, because 5.1 systems even good ones are not meant to be good at stereo.
just wish more songs had atmos. But I’d definitely prefer it done correctly instead of trying to transcode too much.
This is a game changer.
But I understand the hesitance. People don’t like change and songs now sound different.
Sound on my AirPod pro is a definite step up, however, on my home cinema, which is fairly high end it is masterful. It really shocked me, as it doesn’t sound gimmicky. It sounds incredibly immersive. I love live music, which is rarely noted as having clarity but it has atmosphere and I’d trade atmosphere for pure clarity.
With a lot of money you can almost get both. I did pursue that road and I have a valve amp, turntable and high end stereo speakers. It was very expensive and I’ve heard very high equipment and to be honest, what apple have managed with atmos, the way it sounds on a good 5.1.2 system is shockingly good. The kind of purest sound I’ve always been chasing. I think that’s mental to say, because 5.1 systems even good ones are not meant to be good at stereo.
just wish more songs had atmos. But I’d definitely prefer it done correctly instead of trying to transcode too much.
Is there some way to know if spatial audio is enabled on a song in my songs list? I'd love to be able to sort my library by rating and give it a try on my 4-star and 5-star songs, not just the ones Apple is giving us in a playlist.
I can only notice the spatial audio when comparing directly, but listening to an individual song seems just ok.
Any song with the Dolby Atmos logo will work with Spatial Audio. So, look for that logo, and you're good.
Last edited:
I’m not really sure if I like Spatial Audio or not. Some songs sound fantastic while others just sound off. I did some testing with Inaudible by Manchester Orchestra (great song to test with), Spatial Audio sounds pretty awesome. Other songs from the same album, preferably Bed Head just sounds…off. There is too much treble and not enough of a “true” tone if that makes sense?
Audio source: iPhone XR with AirPods Pro.
In case anyone wants a listen:
Fantastic album by the way, I love this album.
Edit: I deleted the album and then downloaded it again, gave Spatial Audio another try. It does indeed sound better overall. I’ll be leaving Spatial Audio on for a bit and see how it goes. Bed Head sounds awesome with it on!
Audio source: iPhone XR with AirPods Pro.
In case anyone wants a listen:
Fantastic album by the way, I love this album.
Edit: I deleted the album and then downloaded it again, gave Spatial Audio another try. It does indeed sound better overall. I’ll be leaving Spatial Audio on for a bit and see how it goes. Bed Head sounds awesome with it on!
Last edited:
If you’re basing your entire hatred for it based on 10 seconds of listening it actually says more about your inexperience in sound and not at all based on any type of realistic experience.
I just listened to Spatial Audio for the first time. It was the first time I actually heard true music. A tear started to run down my cheek as I experienced this concept, so familiar yet so foreign. I saw the music in front of me. Behind me. Bathing my body in melody. Whispering in my ears revelations the Universe previously kept secret to Herself.
For the first time, I am alive.
For the first time, I am alive.
I did a comparison with my AirPods Pro this morning. A couple of their songs in the spatial audio area of Apple Music were ones I already had downloaded to my phone, so I listened to the old version first just to get a feel for the first 30 seconds. I then deleted the song from my library and played the spatial audio version....wow.
It was a huge difference for me...and I mean that in the best way possible. The mix sounded totally natural, even the older "stereo" songs that have been converted.
Big win in my book!
It was a huge difference for me...and I mean that in the best way possible. The mix sounded totally natural, even the older "stereo" songs that have been converted.
Big win in my book!
It's not, no, but Atmos in itself does not "sound worse" than stereo. You might not like how an Atmos mixed song sounds, but that's not really the same thing. A song mixed in stereo can of course also be a worse mix than a mono version. Still, that doesn't mean that music in stereo in general sounds worse.
I feel like we're arguing two completely separate points. The quality of the file is only half of the equation. If the overall experience is worse (less enjoyable), it doesn't matter how good the file quality is.
I am very surprised that nobody so far in this thread has concentrated on the crucial question and instead argued about whether Dolby Atmos “sounds better” which is a complete red herring.
How much content available on Apple Music was recorded with Dolby Atmos in mind? The square root of FA. None of it was mastered for Atmos.
All the opinions on this thread are highly subjective. Dolby Atmos “masters” are essentially reinterpretations of stereo recordings. It’s a load of crap!
How much content available on Apple Music was recorded with Dolby Atmos in mind? The square root of FA. None of it was mastered for Atmos.
All the opinions on this thread are highly subjective. Dolby Atmos “masters” are essentially reinterpretations of stereo recordings. It’s a load of crap!
every song has it, even the ones copied to the iPhone with Waltr2 so not in Apple Music catalog
Well, I finally got it to work correctly, but I had to turn Dolby Atmos to "always on" even though I am using AirPods Max. When I did this, I immediately heard the difference that most people are describing as "muted and muddy". I also noticed that the logo on the playback screen changed from Lossless to Dolby Atmos. Will have to give it a chance, but my initial reaction is that the Lossless really does make a bigger difference, and I'm not sure I like the sound of Spatial Audio. Maybe it will be an improvement when they update it with head tracking in the fall.
The only way you'll get it to play Atmos on the Arc is by using the Apple TV 4K where it shows at Atmos in the Sonos app. Airplay will only yield the regular stereo to the Arc.
So...I have my entire catalog saved to my phone as well as any Apple Music songs I may have downloaded the past couple of years I have had that. I travel alot (or did...and will...) and like to have access to all of my music while I'm flying.
Do I need to delete all of the songs from my library and re-download them again so I have the highest rate recording now available? It made me do that for the two songs I was comparing earlier this morning so I could actually hear lossless/Atmos/spatial audio.
Is there an overview somewhere on all of this (from a usage/functional standpoint, not marketing BS)
Do I need to delete all of the songs from my library and re-download them again so I have the highest rate recording now available? It made me do that for the two songs I was comparing earlier this morning so I could actually hear lossless/Atmos/spatial audio.
Is there an overview somewhere on all of this (from a usage/functional standpoint, not marketing BS)
Saying all music sounds much better when filtered through Spatial Audio, which is nothing more than a digital processing effect, is like saying all food tastes better with A-1 Sauce, so take it with you to fine restaurants.
Or here, look at the world through polarized sunglasses and you’ll never need to take them off.
And look, if you crank up the contrast on all these demo TVs, the customers will think they all look FANTASTIC!
And while we’re at it, let’s just colorize all the black and white movies in your iTunes library!
Remember when Steve Jobs said the iPod HiFi put all high-end stereo gear to shame?
The reality here is that art is best presented as the artist intended… without processing at all. These decisions are best made on the production end, not the distribution end. Lossless audio? Great! Remapping stereo masters to multiple Dolby Atmos virtual channels? Not so great.
Or here, look at the world through polarized sunglasses and you’ll never need to take them off.
And look, if you crank up the contrast on all these demo TVs, the customers will think they all look FANTASTIC!
And while we’re at it, let’s just colorize all the black and white movies in your iTunes library!
Remember when Steve Jobs said the iPod HiFi put all high-end stereo gear to shame?
The reality here is that art is best presented as the artist intended… without processing at all. These decisions are best made on the production end, not the distribution end. Lossless audio? Great! Remapping stereo masters to multiple Dolby Atmos virtual channels? Not so great.
Last edited:
Maybe is not turned on for me, because I
Maybe is not turned on for me, because I don't see that option on my macos.
Maybe is not turned on for me, because I don't see that option on my macos.
Try listening blind while a friend switches lossless on and off. I bet you won't be able to tell which is which.