Why is everyone so jazzed about ATMOS?

[jimfisheye]

Its pretty obvious by now that Atmos is just a buzzword as it relates to things like soundbars and headphones. Its a shame really. It tends to diminish the formats potential to be taken seriously as a music format.

That's the big negative I see.
The fact that they're not releasing it is a bigger negative. A lot of serious listeners already have interfaces, amps, and speakers. Will it ever get released before it goes obsolete?

A big positive is seeing Steve Wilson on board though!
More channels and more speakers is always welcome just because.

I'm just ornery because I'd have an actual interest in something like this. I don't have a few grand kicking around to buy everything over again for a sideways move. I'd still refuse even if I did. Feels like buying a new car because you ran out of gas. Sorry, no it doesn't work like that! I'm not going to buy something cheap either just to see the meters move and listen to Atmos in toy system sound.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I also wonder about listeners who are expecting very discreet elements coming from overhead. I can see it as desirable with movie effects, even maybe some music effects (the helicopter in Another Brick in the Wall, wind effects in She's So Heavy... stuff like that.

But I think its most effective use would be to give the audio image a height aspect. The base drum on the floor, but the vocals 6 feet off the ground. For those instances, realism may well be enhanced, but you would never hear the height speakers as discreet sources.

 

[Sal1950]

The fact that they're not releasing it is a bigger negative.

You got me confused, what aren't they releasing?

 

[LuvMyQuad]

You got me confused, what aren't they releasing?

A way to decode it via software.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Its pretty obvious by now that Atmos is just a buzzword as it relates to things like soundbars and headphones. Its a shame really. It tends to diminish the formats potential to be taken seriously as a music format.

Like Marvin and Tammi crooned in 1968:

"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"

You want ATMOS.....there are NO shortcuts. Overhead speakers are a must.

And if I shout it from the rooftops a thousand times. Until the music labels play catchy uppy and start releasing new music engineered from the ground up for the ATMOS EXPERIENCE, Hollywood is way ahead with thousands of exquisite examples of ATMOS motion pictures engineered by award winning and HIGHLY paid sound engineers and are ironically MUCH CHEAPER than the handful of Atmos music only physical discs on the market at present!

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Like Marvin and Tammi crooned in 1968:

"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"

You want ATMOS.....there are NO shortcuts. Overhead speakers are a must.

And if I shout it from the rooftops a thousand times. Until the music labels play catchy uppy and start releasing new music engineered from the ground up for the ATMOS EXPERIENCE, Hollywood is way ahead with thousands of exquisite examples of ATMOS motion pictures engineered by award winning and HIGHLY paid sound engineers and are ironically MUCH CHEAPER than the handful of Atmos music only physical discs on the market at present!

You are a movie/video inclined guy Ralphie. Any Atmos interest from you going forward... even for the movie aspect of it?
I'm still saying Wheres the Beef? for music I'd listen to, and i dont do many movies at all save for concert videos. And they cant even get most of those to have an interesting mix in straight 5.1 yet. So at this point, Atmos is still a look and see for me.

 

[ubertrout]

Seen today in Times Square...

 

[temporaryhuman]

I love Dolby Atmos. I just wish some of the released mixes such as Rhapsody, Ambra, INXS etc would have been better.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Seen today in Times Square...

View attachment 68560

I saw a TV spot for Apple spatial audio while watching "Beat Shazam" list night.

 

[Sal1950]

A way to decode it via software.

OK, thanks!

I find a number of Atmos music releases incredible.
The Booka Shade - Galvany Street just blows my socks off

 

[mlrocker]

maybe 4 sound bars, yknow...

 

[MidiMagic]

Turn your head so the soundbar is on one side and the effects go away.

 

[BJMarsh]

I have five full range matching speakers and a nice subwoofer set up in the normal 5.1 configuration. A Day in the Life in Atmos took my breath away. I know streaming Atmos is a lossy format, but the gain in the depth far outweighs the loss - in my opinion. Yes, I still want lossless but this is a really nice preview.

 

[ted_b]

I have five full range matching speakers and a nice subwoofer set up in the normal 5.1 configuration. A Day in the Life in Atmos took my breath away.

I'm confused; how did you hear Atmos when you have 5.1?

 

[Hamilton59]

I have five full range matching speakers and a nice subwoofer set up in the normal 5.1 configuration. A Day in the Life in Atmos took my breath away. I know streaming Atmos is a lossy format, but the gain in the depth far outweighs the loss - in my opinion. Yes, I still want lossless but this is a really nice preview.

Do you have ATMOS ceiling speakers or are you listening to the base 5.1? Have you listened to the 5.1 version released on disc a few years ago?

 

[Beefalo]

I'm still saying

Wheres the Beef?

I'm right here my friend
@LuvMyQuad

 

[EricKalet]

I'm confused; how did you hear Atmos when you have 5.1?

Likely, he’s getting the Atmos decode but the algorithm is mixing down to 5.1. But still getting some of the flavor of Atmos as the mix is different from the 5.1 blu ray mix.

 

[weekendtoy]

That's the big negative I see.
The fact that they're not releasing it is a bigger negative. A lot of serious listeners already have interfaces, amps, and speakers. Will it ever get released before it goes obsolete?

A big positive is seeing Steve Wilson on board though!
More channels and more speakers is always welcome just because.

I'm just ornery because I'd have an actual interest in something like this. I don't have a few grand kicking around to buy everything over again for a sideways move. I'd still refuse even if I did. Feels like buying a new car because you ran out of gas. Sorry, no it doesn't work like that! I'm not going to buy something cheap either just to see the meters move and listen to Atmos in toy system sound.

It's not a sideways move, not in the least bit.

If you can't justify the cost, that's fine, however, the impact on your listening experience, whether music and/or movies, is very very real.

 

[jimfisheye]

It's not a sideways move, not in the least bit.

Sure is!
I have 10 output channels of Apogee DAC and another 24 of MOTU DAC.
A top of the line AVR with that quality DAC with balanced outputs or a theater install aimed audio interface with than many DAC balanced outputs starts at around $4000. I'd have duplicated output stages I already have and essentially be paying all that just to get at the software.

Getting something cheap and toyish would not work when I'm used to pro sound. And you can't get the software out of it. (ie. use the cheap thing like a hardware decoder).

And yeah, you know, I'm a musician. Not a doctor or lawyer. Not a "successful" musician either! So no, I can't afford to drop thousands to get access to a hardware decoder to use in the interim.

So I'm ornery over this!

Oh, and I just sniped an X32 Rack for half price! So... $900 further away from some expensive playtoy at present. Apparently I think live sound gigs are coming back to me one of these days and I wanted a trimmed down B-rig front of house.

Right, so now I've also got another 8 balanced outputs of Midas converters!
I'm not buying more DA converters!

 

[humprof]

Here's why engineers are jazzed about Atmos. (Although one supposes that they were compensated for these testimonials.) Dolby has been posting these periodically for a while now, but I think they may have gathered them all on one page only recently?
https://professional.dolby.com/music/hear-from-the-masters/