Apple Music surround/atmos tracks - What device/s are you using to stream?

[Roscoe99]

Hi,

I'm new here, and I've got a LOT to learn.

I saw there are a lot of albums/tracks that have been specifically mixed in Atmos and made available on Apple music (I heard of a handful of Chic albums that were remixed to Atmos by Steven Wilson and released exclusively on Apple music, but I'm guessing there's a LOT more).

I'm really interested to know what devices you're using as a source to start off your signal chain. iPad? iPhone? Apple TV 4K? A different device altogether?

It's something I'm interested to do myself, but would love to hear from someone who's already taken the plunge.

 

[privateuniverse]

Hi @Roscoe99 -

Welcome to QQ! There are lots of albums and singles that are only available on streaming services. (Apple, Tidal & Amazon). Personally, I am using an Apple TV device. It's been working well for me. But there are other options and I am sure some other folks will chime in shortly about that.

You may want to follow this thread where we're always talking about what music we've found in Atmos on the streaming services.

We're a helpful friendly bunch (as long as you don't bring up Roger Waters, LOL). So don't be afraid to ask questions.

Welcome!

 

[Sal1950]

Apple 4k TV here.
I originally had a 1st Gen A1842 for a while but found it buggy.
I'm now using a Apple 4k TV A2169 64gb here. It's fantastic!
If your thing is to get the very best sound quality from streaming I believe the Apple box
has that covered for everything for 2ch to Atmos.
Using a HDMI cable directly into your AVR is the hot setup to get best performance.
There's a video on this particular box here, the gentleman who made it gives a lot of solid info
on the Apple Boxes but don't get wound up in his upgrades etc.
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/newest-atv-is-lacking-in-build-quality.35381/

 

[sjcorne]

(I heard of a handful of Chic albums that were remixed to Atmos by Steven Wilson and released exclusively on Apple music, but I'm guessing there's a LOT more).

There's tons of great stuff on there, including two Grateful Dead albums (American Beauty and Europe '72) that were mixed by Wilson as well.

 

[JediJoker]

At present, the only officially supported devices for streaming Atmos from Apple Music are Apple's own, and only an Apple TV 4K connected to an AVR or a Mac connected to a multichannel audio interface (note: not to an AVR via HDMI) will allow for playback on loudspeakers. This is unlikely to change moving forward, though support may eventually roll out to the Apple Music app on non-Apple hardware, such as Nvidia Shield (or other/all Android TV devices) or Windows PCs.