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Dolby Atmos - is it for Audiophiles?

A friend asked me over to his house this morning to audition Dolby Atmos on his pretty good 2 channel system.

Apparently - Apple are going to convert their entire streaming library to Atmos (please don’t shoot the messenger) and another well known streaming service is going to adopt it also.

Since this is my first exposure to Dolby Atmos, I came away a little confused

From the brief audition I experienced...
  • some tracks presented very well - better clarity, separation and dynamics with larger more articulate image
  • other tracks were less impressive, especially the really old tracks
  • some classical tracks sounded quite shrill and harsh
  • and one of the more recently recorded tracks did not sound too much different from the regular stereo version - but then it was Taylor Swift - again, don’t shoot the messenger:-)
Is this really meant for two channel systems?
  • it seems it may be targeting Airpod users - as opposed to 2-channel systems that use speakers
  • from the description (i.e. diagrammatically ) it looks like surround sound for Airpods.
  • does it work with existing surround sound systems?
  • it seems it only works with Atmos enabled devices - how long before my Node 2i streamer becomes obsolete?
I must admit - when it worked well it was quite impressive, but that was not even 50% of the time, so it seems there is work to be done.
  • violins sometimes sound quite harsh
  • cellos sometimes sounded very "thin" - poor bottom end and poor timbre
  • some orchestras sounded very unnatural in the top end and less bottom end than normal

If you have first hand experience with Atmos, please share your thoughts/insights with the rest of us

Many Thanks - Steve


williewonka

Showing 1 response by mahler123

mahler123
3,027 posts
 
The Atmos demonstrations that I have heard left me underwhelmed.  It also left me wondering what the industry was up to.  After all, surround sound has failed spectacularly in the market place (like Willie, don’t shoot me-I have two 5.1 systems in the home).  Now they are asking people to place additional speakers angled at funky angles from the ceiling?  It’s like seeing Ford Motor Co. crank up the assembly line for a revival of an enhanced Edsel.
  At first I figured the multi channel industry was doubling down on the true believers in surround sound, asking us to empty our wallets for one last thrill before we shuffle off to the Nursing Home.  However, with Apple now trying to breathe life into the format, it makes me wonder.  We all may sneer at Apples pretensions of Audiophilia, but as has been noted up thread, they have enormous clout, can influence demand and taste, and can’t be ignored.  Will they breathe life back into Surround Sound?  After all, with digital technology it should be easy to eliminate one of the major obstacles, which is that people don’t want wires running all over the house.
  So I for one will cheer Apple on, hoping that they and their competitors resuscitate both the demand and the implementation of what has been a dying field
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