The Problem With Dolby Atmos

[amirm]

marc , your a dreadful filmmixer on that runbish , fury movie

Please conduct yourself professionally. We don't speak to each other this way.

 

[goat76]

I use Tidal and an Apple TV for listening to Dolby Atmos music, but it has been a frustrating experience browsing for Atmos music using the Tidal app on Apple TV, either using the controller or the voice dictate functionality.
When trying to find a way around this problem about a year ago, I tried using my iPad as the playback device and streaming the music via AirPlay to the Apple TV, but for some technical reason, the stream was always redirected back to the 2-channel version instead of the multichannel Atmos track.

Today I tried this again, and now it's working!
I have no idea what changed, if Tidal has done something to make it possible to stream Atmos over AirPlay, or if Apple has changed the way AirPlay works, or if something has changed in the Apple TV device as an AirPlay receiver, or if it's something different I have done in any of the settings over the year for any of the above devices. But now being able to use the Tidal app on the iPad makes it so much easier to browse for Atmos music, which is such a breeze compared to using the native Tidal app on the Apple TV.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell everyone here who may have also struggled with the same things as me, that there is a way around it, not having to use the close to unusable Tidal app on the Apple TV. Just use AirPlay for the Atmos music playback from the Tidal app on your iPad/iPhone.

 

[patoulol]

So much wrong here as usual. I am not Marc. I do not play video games, and the speaker positions for Atmos have been well researched by Dolby. You have not created anything, not researched anything, and not patented anything. The engineers at Dolby are FAR FAR FAR smarter than you are, and they live in the present(something you should try and do).

Until you invent an audio format, or even get smart enough to understand what is already in your face, your words lack any credibility. You have not mixed a single film, so you have no right to judge Marc's work.

Lastly, you need to learn the difference between the names Soundmixer and Filmixer. They are two different people.

are you from the profession? mix engineer?

 

[Andysu]

are you from the profession? mix engineer?

what's his imdb or ain't he proud of his sound work ?

 

[Soundmixer]

are you from the profession? mix engineer?

That is correct.

 

[Soundmixer]

what's his imdb or ain't he proud of his sound work ?

What is your IMDB? What work have YOU done? Are you proud of the mixes you have done? Wait, scratch the last question....you haven't done a single mix in your life!

 

[Dogen]

I use Tidal and an Apple TV for listening to Dolby Atmos music, but it has been a frustrating experience browsing for Atmos music using the Tidal app on Apple TV, either using the controller or the voice dictate functionality.
When trying to find a way around this problem about a year ago, I tried using my iPad as the playback device and streaming the music via AirPlay to the Apple TV, but for some technical reason, the stream was always redirected back to the 2-channel version instead of the multichannel Atmos track.

Today I tried this again, and now it's working!
I have no idea what changed, if Tidal has done something to make it possible to stream Atmos over AirPlay, or if Apple has changed the way AirPlay works, or if something has changed in the Apple TV device as an AirPlay receiver, or if it's something different I have done in any of the settings over the year for any of the above devices. But now being able to use the Tidal app on the iPad makes it so much easier to browse for Atmos music, which is such a breeze compared to using the native Tidal app on the Apple TV.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell everyone here who may have also struggled with the same things as me, that there is a way around it, not having to use the close to unusable Tidal app on the Apple TV. Just use AirPlay for the Atmos music playback from the Tidal app on your iPad/iPhone.

A recent Apple update did indeed deliver Atmos over Airplay!

 

[Tre2023]

It is a welcome addition, though results will vary with different combinations of streaming services and devices.

 

[goat76]

It is a welcome addition, though results will vary with different combinations of streaming services and devices.

I did some testing this morning to see if I could use AirPlay from the iPad directly to my Marantz Cinema 50, but no, the Atmos tracks were down mixed to stereo so the Apple TV device is still needed to play the multichannel Atmos tracks over AirPlay.

An additional good thing, besides the way better usability browsing Tidal Atmos Tracks using the the Tidal app on the iPad instead of the clumsy Tidal app on the Apple TV, is that the Atmos tracks are now played louder over AirPlay. Using the Tidal app on the Apple TV was extremely quiet, not just because Atmos tracks are lower in volume thanks to the -18 LUFS loudness bar of Atmos as a format, but it was way lower in level than that. Previously, I had to have the volume on my Marantz up to around 80, while it’s now at about the same loudness at around 66.

 

[Andysu]

What is your IMDB? What work have YOU done? Are you proud of the mixes you have done? Wait, scratch the last question....you haven't done a single mix in your life!

what is your imdb

 

[Tre2023]

I did some testing this morning to see if I could use AirPlay from the iPad directly to my Marantz Cinema 50, but no, the Atmos tracks were down mixed to stereo so the Apple TV device is still needed to play the multichannel Atmos tracks over AirPlay.

An additional good thing, besides the way better usability browsing Tidal Atmos Tracks using the the Tidal app on the iPad instead of the clumsy Tidal app on the Apple TV, is that the Atmos tracks are now played louder over AirPlay. Using the Tidal app on the Apple TV was extremely quiet, not just because Atmos tracks are lower in volume thanks to the -18 LUFS loudness bar of Atmos as a format, but it was way lower in level than that. Previously, I had to have the volume on my Marantz up to around 80, while it’s now at about the same loudness at around 66.

I used Tidal for some time but their app was awful. And, like you mentioned, the volume level for Atmos tracks was extremely low no matter the device used for playback.

While the Tidal app in some other AVRs supports Atmos, it is not currently supported in Marantz AVRs and one must use an external device. Though, as you’ve experienced, Airplay from an iPad to an Apple TV 4K will also work now using the Tidal service as well of course the Apple Music service.

 

[TK_IIVI]

what is your imdb

They don't need to post that in order to understand that they most likely work in the industry whereas you don't. It is obvious in the way you both write your posts.

It's a really poor strategy to make technical statements about things you have no clue due to zero experience. That is why you were questioned about some of what you wrote.

It's also a poor strategy to then ignore those questions and instead just attack the other person rather than discuss the actual technical issue you brought up.

 

[goat76]

I used Tidal for some time but their app was awful. And, like you mentioned, the volume level for Atmos tracks was extremely low no matter the device used for playback.

While the Tidal app in some other AVRs supports Atmos, it is not currently supported in Marantz AVRs and one must use an external device. Though, as you’ve experienced, Airplay from an iPad to an Apple TV 4K will also work now using the Tidal service as well of course the Apple Music service.

On the iPad/iPhone, I find the Qobuz app, the Tidal app, and the Apple Music app about equally good/bad. It’s mainly the Tidal app on Apple TV that I find really bad, but I have never used the Apple Music app on Apple TV, so I don’t have anything to compare the Tidal app to.

I may prefer the Qobuz iPad/iPhone app a little bit more than the Tidal app, but I wanted to get access to Atmos music, which Qobuz still doesn’t have. Apple Music isn’t really an option for me, as my streamer for 2-channel audio doesn’t support it. Tidal is the best compromise for me at this point.

 

[napfkuchen]

On the iPad/iPhone, I find the Qobuz app, the Tidal app, and the Apple Music app about equally good/bad.

Apple Music on Windows is painful, so for PC and smartphone (android) I use spotify. For Atmos Music on my surround setup the ipad (gen 9) feels very sluggish, especially when switching between the Denon app and Apple Music frequently. But since the battery is draining fast anyway, I ordered an iPad 11 in the hope of better performance. An iPad Air or Pro wasn't worth the extra cost to me, since the tablet is otherwise only used for occasional video streaming. It is really annoying how poorly apps seem to be optimized these days.

 

[patoulol]

Apple Music on Windows is painful, so for PC and smartphone (android) I use spotify. For Atmos Music on my surround setup the ipad (gen 9) feels very sluggish, especially when switching between the Denon app and Apple Music frequently. But since the battery is draining fast anyway, I ordered an iPad 11 in the hope of better performance. An iPad Air or Pro wasn't worth the extra cost to me, since the tablet is otherwise only used for occasional video streaming. It is really annoying how poorly apps seem to be optimized these days.

yes, I completely agree

 

[Tre2023]

It is difficult to get a service that supports Lossless and Dolby Atmos music on one’s preferred device. I use Apple Music and play mostly from my Mac mini M1’s Apple Music app which supports Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res, though not “Bit Perfect.” It is connected to my system and I use my iPhone as the remote controller.

The Tidal app for macOS supports exclusive mode and playback is “Bit Perfect” but Dolby Atmos is not supported there. The Nvidia Shield TV Pro supports Hi-Res and Dolby Atmos from Tidal and I used it there.

 

[krabapple]

I used Tidal for some time but their app was awful. And, like you mentioned, the volume level for Atmos tracks was extremely low no matter the device used for playback.

That's a feature, not a bug. Atmos mixes aren't allowed to be loudness war victims, They tend to have higher dynamic range than modern stereo mixes.
So you may need to turn them up. Quoting a random person on reddit:

All Dolby Atmos mixes have to be submitted at a maximum loudness of -18 LUFS and -1dB true peak or they are rejected by the streaming platforms, it’s part of the agreed specification. This is significantly quieter than modern digital stereo masters, and even many vinyl masters. It allows for increased dynamics, consistency across Atmos mixes and hopefully stops the loudness wars that have plagued music for too long

If you tend to listen at low levels -- and this is true for any source, stereo or surround -- I'd advise using whatever loudness curve compensation your system offers (for Audyssey, it's Dynamic EQ).

 

[Guermantes]

That's a feature, not a bug. Atmos mixes aren't allowed to be loudness war victims, They tend to have higher dynamic range than modern stereo mixes.
So you may need to turn them up. Quoting a random person on reddit:



If you tend to listen at low levels -- and this is true for any source, stereo or surround -- I'd advise using whatever loudness curve compensation your system offers (for Audyssey, it's Dynamic EQ).

Yes, from the Dolby Atmos Music Master Delivery Specification:

For individual tracks, all deliverables MUST achieve an integrated Dolby Atmos loudness that does
not exceed -18 LKFS, based on ITU Recommendation BS.1770-4.
• Note that integrated loudness values lower than -18 LKFS are permissible to enable wider
dynamic range content

If your preferred genre is quite dynamic (e.g. modern classical recordings), the integrated loudness may be even lower.

Television broadcast specifications are actually quite a bit lower (cinemas and Blu-Ray releases are generally even lower still):

What Is Loudness? LUFS, LKFS And Delivery Specs Explained 2026 | Audio Production: News, Tutorials & Reviews

LUFS, LKFS, EBU R128, streaming targets, broadcast specs — Mike Thornton cuts through the confusion and explains what actually matters for delivery.

www.production-expert.com

Compare this with the Tidal Music specification of -14 LUFS.

 

[Tre2023]

I didn’t think it was a bug, rather just how Tidal works. Apple Music Dolby Atmos tracks were never as low comparing them to Tidal using a few different devices.

 

[Guermantes]

I didn’t think it was a bug, rather just how Tidal works. Apple Music Dolby Atmos tracks were never as low comparing them to Tidal using a few different devices.

Perhaps Apple Music's Sound Check option is on which applies a type of replaygain to Atmos.