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rebooted MacBook as suggested by @blybo and its there, naturally there is lossless and lossless and if select 24/192 it warns you would need a seprate dac... which i have :) so no problem there...

 

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apple TV even through on auto update hadn't automatically updated so running its update now...

 

phone i just went to music settings in general setup and switched on lossless ...it will go the lower tier 24/48 lossless by default of course....

Edited by betty boop
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ps atv 4k rebooted after update, this is the latest gen one... though curiously...its limited to at best lossless ALAC upto 24bit 48 ....

 

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after the update atmos has popped up as an option...

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ps checking out the made for spatial out on the apple music play lists

 

IMG_2113.thumb.JPG.6f97626ad1fc8cc2e568abbc56da8065.JPG

 

there is a little demo with marvin gaye mono to stereo to atmos...

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in other play lists ... i am going out on a limb to say made for spatial is going to be controversial listening to tracks like ariana grande and vocals coming out the ceiling and what not :D 

 

in some ways i wish had gone for auro3D instead for their spatial audio music as it is as a 3D audio format so much more suited to music being more forward focussed and you dont get things like music coming out the ceiling... though i am sure in mastering some sound engineers are going to go nuts with this :D   

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24 minutes ago, betty boop said:

ps checking out the made for spatial out on the apple music play lists

 

IMG_2113.thumb.JPG.6f97626ad1fc8cc2e568abbc56da8065.JPG

 

there is a little demo with marvin gaye mono to stereo to atmos...

IMG_2114.thumb.JPG.122ad7c2a4dc085650e340d9e1fb1e91.JPG

 

in other play lists ... i am going out on a limb to say made for spatial is going to be controversial listening to tracks like ariana grande and vocals coming out the ceiling and what not :D 

 

in some ways i wish had gone for auro3D instead for their spatial audio music as it is as a 3D audio format so much more suited to music being more forward focussed and you dont get things like music coming out the ceiling... though i am sure in mastering some sound engineers are going to go nuts with this :D   

Try Point by Yello - it was mastered in Atmos I believe. Seems to have better channel separation and less Atmos vocals. At least in my room 

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3 minutes ago, kudeta2003 said:

Try Point by Yello - it was mastered in Atmos I believe. Seems to have better channel separation and less Atmos vocals. At least in my room 

am sure no question be music mastered and makes sense this way ...

 

there is a bit of stuff there that folks are going to say prefer the non atmos...

 

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Just listening to the “Introducing Spatial Audio” playlist through my 2-channel system, I’m not overly impressed.

 

The stereo parts sound a bit flat and constricted (like the majority of popular music in my experience), the Dolby Atmos parts seem to have a wider soundstage, like many better (but not excellent) stereo recordings, but don’t have a lot of depth. It is still a far cry from the best stereo recordings I’ve got. Then again, the tracks identify themselves as 256kbps, 44.1kHz stream.

 

I haven’t listened to the tracks through headphones yet, as Zane Lowe told me to. His voice sounds awkwardly recorded to my ears, BTW, very compressed and like he talked into a podcaster mic in a closet or something. 

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1 minute ago, Steffen said:

Just listening to the “Introducing Spatial Audio” playlist through my 2-channel system, I’m not overly impressed.

 

The stereo parts sound a bit flat and constricted (like the majority of popular music in my experience), the Dolby Atmos parts seem to have a wider soundstage, like many better (but not excellent) stereo recordings, but don’t have a lot of depth. It is still a far cry from the best stereo recordings I’ve got. Then again, the tracks identify themselves as 256kbps, 44.1kHz stream.

 

I haven’t listened to the tracks through headphones yet, as Zane Lowe told me to. His voice sounds awkwardly recorded to my ears, BTW, very compressed and like he talked into a podcaster mic in a closet or something. 

am listening on a full atmos capable system and to the playlist so far since updating ... ive heard some classic tracks like beegees more than a woman and here comes the sun - beetles and marvin gave whats going on. to more modern tracks from R&B to country and so on...

 

I think for mass market audience this is likely aimed at it will wow.. as in hey sound coming from everywhere ... walk around and you get different takes :D marvin gaye must be hanging up there in the ceiling as he seems to be singing from somewhere up there :D 

 

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some of this is definite gimmick :D

 

but seriously ... I am pretty sure you can turn off the atmos if not to your tastes... so hopefully something for everyone here :) ie just listen to lossless 2ch if thats all  want

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12 minutes ago, betty boop said:

 

I think for mass market audience this is likely aimed at it will wow.. as in hey sound coming from everywhere ... walk around and you get different takes :D marvin gaye must be hanging up there in the ceiling as he seems to be singing from somewhere up there :D 

 

 

I might listen to it on the home theatre system (once the wife relinquishes the remote control :) ). The AppleTV plugs into an Atmos capable TV (decoding only, not speakers), which then encodes the surround sound in Dolby Digital for transmission to the AVR via ARC. I’ll see how much of the spatial effect remains there.

 

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6 minutes ago, Hi-Fi Whipped said:

lossless for no extra cost, who would have thought!?

 

awesome game changer!

 

game changer ! 

 

anyone given this a go via blue sound node 2i or via apple MacBook to external dac yet....

 

I should be able to try that out tomorrow and will try highest level 24/192 lossless...

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Am enjoying apple atmos right now in the ht room.  Billie Ellish no time to die is a great example of contemporary music surround (spatial) done right.  This is brilliant at no additional outlay to the end user with the right equipment.

Edited by Lil Caesar
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1 minute ago, Lil Caesar said:

Am enjoying apple atmos right now in the ht room.  Billie Ellish no time to die is a great example of contemporary music surround done right.  This is brilliant at no additional outlay to the end user with the right equipment.

Awesome, having only started using Apple Music I have really liked the option to also watch music videos on the Apple tv, sure sound quality is lower but good fun all the same.

 

combined music and av options is a compelling prospect 

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3 minutes ago, Lil Caesar said:

Am enjoying apple atmos right now in the ht room.  Billie Ellish no time to die is a great example of contemporary music surround done right.  This is brilliant at no additional outlay to the end user with the right equipment.

good find and good example...just had a listen and .I agree it is surround done well and lossless to boot...and works well off the apple TV for atmos... I am a sucker of that track though...... wonder if her other stuff has come through as atmos as well... will be checking them all out then :D 

 

I suspect we are going to get a range of tracks from various artists ... some with surround done well ...others gimmick .. to be expected

 

and yes at no extra outlay as long as have the gear to support is fantastic :) 

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My future - Billy Eilish is also atmos and lossless.... and very good in atmos surround. a quick check and not all her tracks are atmos ... not all are even apple master. but all are lossless. 

 

this is a very good win for the consumer ... in these times when wins are few and far between,

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Seems to be a pretty complete catalogue in lossless which was to be expected I guess, but difficult to ascertain amount of high-rez as the macOS app doesn't show bit depth/sample rate it only has the lossless logo.

 

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34 minutes ago, betty boop said:

anyone given this a go via blue sound node 2i or via apple MacBook to external dac yet....

 

I should be able to try that out tomorrow and will try highest level 24/192 lossless...

 

oh would be great if you can test node2i -> external DAC

 

looking fwd to your finding with 24/48 and higher rates

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I’ve been listening to a sample of the atmos offerings via a 7.2.4 system and am impressed for the most part.  Recent material which has clearly been recorded digitally and effectively remastered for spatial works extremely well.  
 

The older classic rock and pop has effectively been run thru a very smart algorithm and given a treatment which appears to widen stereo image and push reverb to the ceiling and rear in a manner vaguely reminiscent of my first experiences with pro logic but far more sophisticated and subtle. 
 

overall it’s pleasant but I’m glad the option is there to turn it off and enjoy lossless stereo.

Edited by Lil Caesar
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I selected lossless up to 24 bit/48kHz on my iPhone. It is playing over AirPlay2 to a Node 2i then out to a Gieseler Kompakt. 
 

2 hours ago, rand129678 said:

 

oh would be great if you can test node2i -> external DAC

 

It is playing Flight Facilities - Clair De Lune at 24 bit/44.1kHz. Also Nils Frahm Empty at 24 bit/48kHz. Sounding good to me!

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5 minutes ago, Justin M said:

I selected lossless up to 24 bit/48kHz on my iPhone. It is playing over AirPlay2 to a Node 2i then out to a Gieseler Kompakt. 

 

Thanks mate. Does the Kompakt show you incoming sample rate? Does it show the 48k correctly?

 

And when you play a 44.1k track, the Kompact changes sample rate to 44.1k?

 

Edit: oops, just seen the Kompakt doesn't have a display at all, so no way to see it's incoming sample rate. 

 

The only way to know what sample rate is coming out of the Bluesound is to have a DAC that tells you the incoming sample rate

 

 

Edited by rand129678
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6 minutes ago, rand129678 said:

Does the Kompakt show you incoming sample rate? Does it show the 48k correctly?

 

And when you play a 44.1k track, the Kompact changes sample rate to 44.1k?

No, both of these are the sample rates shown in the phone’s Apple Music app.

The DAC doesn’t have a display, so someone with a DAC with a display would have to check that.
 

Having the music go via the phone is running down the battery much faster than using Tidal connect!

Edited by Justin M
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Thanks for updates on this so far - the Apple library is what is just so tempting and exciting (when compared to Qobuz), its just the connectivity between Apple Music and your Hifi that i am finding challenging. 

AirPlay is restricted to 48khz is it not? So really you need to have a Mac with an OS greater that 11.4 (and who's to say that this bar is raised in the future) connected via USB to a DAC. And lets not start on library integration...

Surely Apple are in cahoots with a widget/box manufacturer (or making their own) that allows for easier connection? Anyway, all rhetorical questions that don't necessarily need answering - it will be interesting to see what Apple do over time...naturally they will do it their own way 🙂 

 

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13 minutes ago, rowbo said:

Thanks for updates on this so far - the Apple library is what is just so tempting and exciting (when compared to Qobuz), its just the connectivity between Apple Music and your Hifi that i am finding challenging. 

AirPlay is restricted to 48khz is it not? So really you need to have a Mac with an OS greater that 11.4 (and who's to say that this bar is raised in the future) connected via USB to a DAC. And lets not start on library integration...

Surely Apple are in cahoots with a widget/box manufacturer (or making their own) that allows for easier connection? Anyway, all rhetorical questions that don't necessarily need answering - it will be interesting to see what Apple do over time...naturally they will do it their own way 🙂 

 

Agree that suitable hardware for streaming hi-res is currently their shortcoming for people like us. So if they want to complete the new quality music streaming package, they need to get into mainstream streamers at hi-res.

 

that said airplay 2 capped at 24/48 will probably do just fine for most, but I still don’t like the device being the player.

 

can’t have everything they say, and for no extra $$ they are off to a great start!

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I played the ‘pop in spatial audio’ Billie Eilish track on my MBP set as Atmos, purely to see if it was working (I don’t have Atmos, and took the free trial to have a look - sticking with Qobuz ATM) - and it actually sounded as though things were surrounding me.

 

MBPs do actually image quite well considering they are a laptop, and I was lying down in bed with my head on the pillow - but it didn’t do that before I turned on Atmos.

Edited by TheBlackDisc
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