I don’t have much interest in multi-channel music, perhaps due to a bad experience many years ago with a DVDA (or SACD?) that contained 5.1 versions of some pop music I liked. The experience was just weird and unpleasant.
About a week ago I encountered this video:
It talks about how Apple Music downmixes Atmos tracks to stereo in real time, and how great that sounds. I’ve been trying this for a week now and must say I’m as impressed as the creator of this video. Like him, I had no idea that Apple Music would play Atmos content over a regular stereo system, and like him I‘m impressed with the much improved dynamic range and natural sound that comes out of those Atmos tracks.
The video also contains some interesting technical tidbits about the many different renditions of a track Apple Music offers for download, to suit different playback situations.
To anyone with a fairly recent Mac, iPhone or iPad connected to a USB DAC I’d say, give this a shot. The difference is not subtle.