What Apple Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio Does To Music?

Last month Apple just announce the Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio support for the Apple Music apps. This is also include the uncompressed, lossless audio format. I think this announcement is special since previously Apple always stick to their compressed ACC audio files. Frankly speaking, this Apple lossless audio is coming quite late. Others online music streamer such as Spotify Premium and Tidal already put the hi-res audio in their music library few years ago. So Apple seems responding this issue with this new Spatial Audio support by Dolby Atmos as the answer for current audio streamer player availabe.

Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio only works with Apple device with iOS 14 or above. In this review, I test it using my iPhone 11. This phone is my primary mobile device since last year and also become the big parts in this blog because I use it for taking the photo. I've ever said before, somewhere I forgotten, that Apple right now is only focusing on their camera quality rather than sound quality for music. I think the coming of this Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio and Apple Lossless in Apple Music could be changed my opinion about this Apple device from now on.

So when I open the Apple Music App, because previously I am used to be a long time Apple Music subscriber, they offer me 2 month free trial to rejoin and can be cancel at any time before they charged me for US$3 per month. It is a bargain for me to come back and I couldn't resist to say yes.

A little bit introduction about this Apple Music, if you are new subscriber and after you finished the subscription process, this what the first screen of the Apple Music looks like. You will be ask for what music you prefer most. Your choice for this kind of music will be appear at the recommendation in the Apple Music browser wall later on. Although this is not quite necessary, because by time, Apple Music will always learn what kind of music you are preferred most and give the music suggestion based on that information.

After this simple music preference option chosen, then I can access to the whole Apple Music library. The first things I do is search for the Spatial Audio. This is the main reason I continue this subscription right?! The search result will directing me to the few music playlist for this spatial audio. Every playlist has it's own music list which some of them also appears on others playlist as well. The total Spatial Audio music right now is about hundred songs and I am pretty sure Apple will grow this number rapidly in the near future.

Before I going to review this Apple Music Spatial Audio sound quality, maybe I should add some information about what is this Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio does to the music.

Apple said this Spatial Audio is improve the music experience by hearing the music coming from above and around. This sound technology is supported by Dolby Atmos. The Dolby itself is the company that specialized in surround sound system. Dolby has been around long before Apple has created music player. From the beginning, the Dolby focusing on sound processing to reveal the sound in three dimensional experience. It is absolutely for movies. Although the Dolby was developed the Dolby Noise Reduction for cassette player, but that is out of this topic.

The Dolby Atmos is the latest generation surround sound processor by Dolby for movies The sound by this feature is improving a lot by adding the sound effect coming from above. This experience for movies lovers are become so much spectacular.

So how about the Dolby Atmos for music? With the Spatial Audio, Apple said this will let the Artist to mixed the music from above and around. The same concept for the movies indeed.

I saw from the Apple Spatial Audio Playlist, there is so many older music that already remastered with this Spatial Audio. This remastering process is using the Digital Signal Processor to mimic the sound just like recorded in multi microphones, as the Dolby Atmos intended.

More information about the Digital Signal Processor is commonly use in the studio recording. It is delay the sound and it is fine tuning sound frequency along with great recording device.

This DSP are also commonly use for the end customer. The high end car audio head unit also put this DSP features since long time ago. You also remember the DSP at home stereo also become the main feature in KEF LS speakers series or Kii stereo speaker system. The home theater receiver such as Onkyo, Yamaha, and Denon also having this DSP features. But this all DSP are the post DSP processing to tailored the sound to suit to the listener room. Unlike Apple with the Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio, this recreating the sound by using DSP in the first place, in the music files. This is quite the new things for end customer and will Apple did another revolutionary in music playback industry?

Apple recommend to use their latest AirPods or Beats headphones with H1 or W1 chips on it and the device playback like iPhone or iPad should be updated to the latest iOS 14 or above. Or you can also using the device speakers. Yes, the included speakers on the iPhone. But I believe the experience for this Dolby Atmos would be meaningless.

Do I need investing the new AirPods for experience this new features? It is quite expensive for wireless earphone and if you like me, which already have another decent audio gears for listening music, I think buying another earphone like this would be a waste. So I just use whatever I have right now in this test right? Well not exactly as simple as that.

I have Apple bundled earphone when purchased this iPhone. It using the lightning connector instead of mini jack. I also have Mi Redmi AirDots TWS earphone to testing this Apple Spatial Audio. But the next question, will they works for this? Sadly they are not. The Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio couldn't be process with those earphones.

As minimum requirement for experimenting this Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio, again Apple has stated that only device with H1 or W1 chip that capable for the Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio music files to be process on that devices. So this requirement should be taken at the first place.

In this test I using the AirPods 2nd generation. This AirPods product code is EMC 2862. This product is still made in Japan.

I take one song which has complete all the labels of this new Apple Music features. This Maroon 5 albums has includes content in Dolby Atmos, it is also in Lossless audio file and has Apple Digital Master logo on it.

Once you playing this music with Spatial Audio, you will feel the depth of the sound deeper than normal recording music files. This makes you feel the music presentation are more contrast with darker back ground. There are noticeable sound separation between the singer and the instruments that makes the singer right in the center. The presence of the singer is set in the middle while the music are around it just like a sound bubble in your head. It is like a precise imaging in front of  you that you will feel the music is there rather you just only listen on it.

The instruments like drum, guitar, hit hat playing separately on each place, surrounding the singers. This creating huge music presentation, the sound stage is very wide and open. Another things you will notice is the stereo separation. It is a huge improvement over standard recording and I really enjoy this stereo separation just like left and right my ears are pin point the sound coming and playing between two drivers on my ears.

I also feel the low frequency attack tight and solid. This bass response is enjoyable with the level that coherent to all frequency response. No overshoot, no delay in bass response, it is all correct in timing. I guess the AirPods also a good earphone which contribute to deliver the music really well.

The next songs I played is Don't Know Why from Norah Jones. I already have this CD and I played this music a lot in my stereo system. I also rip this CD to the Apple Lossless Audio format and transfer to the same device to compares the sound with this Dolby Atmos version.

With the same experience when listening the music in Dolby Atmos before, this songs presenting differently. The music arrangement without Dolby Atmos are mixed and muffled. The music presentation are blurred with vocals too forward like in your face, while the instruments are in disarray presentation.

Actually there is an option to turn on or off this Dolby Atmos features instantly. Compares like above test using two different music files, this rather troublesome free to testing this Dolby Atmos effect to the music. You can go to the Apple Music Setting and find the Dolby Atmos option for this.

Now with the Dolby Atmos compatible music and the dedicated earphones device you can easily turn off or turn on this features. You can also let it it in automatic mode, so the device will detect the connected earphones are compatible with Dolby Atmos or not. At the moment you turning on this Dolby Atmos again, the music is attenuate about 30% lower compares without this features. All you need is just crank the volume up to back up the music level.

Again, with the Dolby Atmos turn on, the DSP processing the sound more precise in every instruments that you as listener can pin point the music arrangement in more sophisticate way. The timing are correct just like I describe the sound quality above.

Apple Spatial Audio presenting stereo music like no others did before. Dolby Atmos is coloring the sound in a good way. It is also correcting the position of the singer and instruments to mimic like you are in parts of the music itself. This pre DSP mastering music really do the job really well. It is the new experience for me in stereo music playback with huge leap to experimenting the DSP processed in portable music player.

But all of those pros for this Dolby Atmos is without any flaws. Nothing is perfect, same like this Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio. For some music, this DSP processing really taken way too far and I can hear the sound phase are actually inverted. Most of this flaw I find it in the mid range frequency. Going to more technical, the phase inverted setting in DSP sound engineering are actually common. It is to trick the delay of the sound and match to the others frequency. But when it not corrected implement, it will cause to the sound quality become unreal and more distance, the music presentation will feel too far. Other than that, this Dolby Atmos makes the detail are not so much extraordinary nor presenting well. They are noticeable, especially on the mid to high frequency but less presence than normal.

If Apple can add extra option for this Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio not just to turn it on or off, but also setting the adjustment in the DSP effect by certain steps, so the impact for the DSP to the music can be adjusted by user as well, that will be great I think.

Not all music already support in this Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio, or maybe your favorite music albums are not presenting in this Spatial Audio yet because right now almost Spatial Audio music are the popular music first. But there another things you should consider from this new Apple Music features is the Apple Lossless audio format. It feature is a fuller music bit rate and uncompressed. You can see the Lossless label bellow the album art cover for this feature as well. Again, not all music in the Apple Music are all in Apple Lossless audio format. And if you using the AirPods, the Bluetooth connection right now, it is only around 500kbps maximum files transfer. This is basically cannot do full hi-resolution audio either, Duh!

Wired headphone are still better. If you want a true hi-resolution audio, you can go by using the USB audio DAC devices that capable for this true hi-resolution. Of course you will need additional converter from the Lighting Apple connector to USB that can find in the Apple Camera Connection Kit. This become so complicated for the beginner in this field.

If you ever have experience the music in compressed compared to the lossless, than you will also appreciate this new feature from Apple Music right now. Music playback presentation in lossless audio are way better than compressed.

Like I said before, although this is quite late move for Apple, but this news brings happiness to the Apple fans to hear the music in lossless audio in this Apple Music app.

Because this Apple Spatial Audio is the main feature for Apple Music app, so this also comes to the Android user as well. This is simply because Apple Music also available in Google Apps store. But do the Spatial Audio can be works here? When I test this Apple music app in Spatial Audio for Android, I cannot hear any difference in sound compares to the normal recording music. Apple already said at the first place that this only works for iOS device with latest update, Android are not included. Sorry folks.

So, this Apple Spatial Audio is a good news for iOS device user for sure. This is a great features from Apple to brings more enjoyment to listen the music in the Dolby Atmos. Apple is no way behind from others streaming apps that already have lossless audio format. This is because the Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio is way more advanced in the music processing. Of course it is still has a flaw to consider with.

I writing this post wile listening few Pop music albums in Dolby Atmos - Spatial Audio. They are more enjoyable to listen in this new features:)

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