Trust Your Ears. Dolby Atmos on Apple Music Doesn’t Sound “Right”

[Sal1950]

Yeah I know the routine.@sjcorne calls it metallic.

We seem to be jumping about on causes.
I haven't done a lot of homework but it is claimed the streamers are being supplied lossy versions of Atmos files. If true it's easily possible for the lossless disc versions to sound better.

 

[pat bateman]

In that case, I agree.

The waveforms appear identical, but the spectrals are interesting. I only know enough about spectral analysis to identify transcodes, so if anyone else can explain what's going on here....?? Album tested is Have You Lost Your Mind yet? by Fantastic Negrito

If Tidal is normalizing that doesn't affect the DR or anything else about the files sound quality. Replay gain is also a very effective system to make sure from one track to the next the volume remains somewhat level. You can easily test for yourself by first taking a half dozen tracks from different CDs and running them thru DR measure software. Then use Replay Gain software to set the offset number to the file and then remeasure the files DR again, it won't change.

I understand that, but again, its anecdotal at this point. Just to be clear, none of those replies in that reddit thread are me. Those are all unique experiences. Its a very obvious sound quality difference. Tidal is doing *something* with the processing OR there is something else at play that I don't understand, or perhaps its a limitation to ones system. I'm using all Klipsch RP speakers with a Denon 3700. But again, the difference is as obvious as night & day. If you take an unprocessed Tidal MP4 and pass-through to an AVR, VS listening to the same song on Tidal via Apple TV or Shield, there is a massive difference in sound, and its not just having to turn up your AVR to match the volume of the unprocessed file. If you do that, the dynamic range is seemingly gone when compared to the MP4.

 

[FooBarFoo]

Yeah I know the routine. I cant meet either criteria to the full extent. For the record, I've never had a processor or preamp that did .25dB gain increments. I set levels as best I could by ear followed with verification with the SPL meter in REW. Rapidly switching across HDMI ports is an issue that I couldn't solve. I still stand by what i said. There is a noticeable difference in sound quality. I call it grain or sheen. @sjcorne calls it metallic.

I've said it before and I'll say it again-

https://www.apple.com/feedback/
I highly suggest anyone experiencing a noticeable performance issue in playback to go and provide feedback on your results.

This is a solid suggestion for any product from any vendor. This is the most straightforward way to have your voice heard, and it's the mechanism many companies use to revise or patch products.

I hate to say it, but while it may create a conversation, providing analysis here is practically useless beyond that, as it will likely never be seen by Apple in order to iterate or improve the product.

Feedback, on the other hand, will be seen and enough feedback may likely make something improve.

 

[Ephi82]

Reviving this one. I’ve been enjoying ATMOS through Apple TV for about 9 months now and have really enjoyed it, even with the reduced fidelity compared to what one would hear from a BluRay. However, I am increasingly hearing more weirdness and even some distortion on an increasing number of recordings.

The most recent were certain tracks on The Rolling Stones Honk that sounded terrible, really distorted and as someone said in this thread “ metallic” and harsh.