Apple Music Hifi

[Dizzie]

I do not stream (yet). Please tell me how "Spatial Audio" compares with current offerings from other companies. Hoping for further gains in my Apple stock holdings. :audiophile:


Apple Music announces Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos; will bring Lossless Audio to entire catalog
The next generation of sound on Apple Music is coming to subscribers June 2021 at no additional cost

Apple Music displayed on iPhone 12.
Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio are coming to Apple Music subscribers beginning June 2021.

Cupertino, California Apple today announced Apple Music is bringing industry-leading sound quality to subscribers with the addition of Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos. Spatial Audio gives artists the opportunity to create immersive audio experiences for their fans with true multidimensional sound and clarity. Apple Music subscribers will also be able to listen to more than 75 million songs in Lossless Audio — the way the artists created them in the studio. These new features will be available for Apple Music subscribers starting next month at no additional cost.

“Apple Music is making its biggest advancement ever in sound quality,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “Listening to a song in Dolby Atmos is like magic. The music comes from all around you and sounds incredible. Now we are bringing this truly innovative and immersive experience to our listeners with music from their favorite artists like J Balvin, Gustavo Dudamel, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Kacey Musgraves, The Weeknd, and so many more. Subscribers will also be able to listen to their music in the highest audio quality with Lossless Audio. Apple Music as we know it is about to change forever.”

Spatial Audio with Support for Dolby Atmos
Apple is bringing Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos to Apple Music. Dolby Atmos is a revolutionary, immersive audio experience that enables artists to mix music so the sound comes from all around and from above. By default, Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, as well as the built-in speakers in the latest versions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple Music will be adding new Dolby Atmos tracks constantly and will be curating a special set of Dolby Atmos playlists to help listeners find the music they love. In addition, albums that are available in Dolby Atmos will have a badge on the detail page for easy discovery.

At launch, subscribers can enjoy thousands of songs in Spatial Audio from some of the world’s biggest artists and music across all genres, including hip-hop, country, Latin, pop, and classical. Apple Music is working with artists and labels to add new releases and the best catalog tracks, as more artists begin to create music specifically for the Spatial Audio experience. Together, Apple Music and Dolby are making it easy for musicians, producers, and mix engineers to create songs in Dolby Atmos. Initiatives include doubling the number of Dolby-enabled studios in major markets, offering educational programs, and providing resources to independent artists.

“Today marks the introduction of Dolby Atmos on Apple Music — a new music experience that is transforming how music is created by artists and enjoyed by their fans,” said Kevin Yeaman, Dolby Laboratories’ president and CEO. “We are working with Apple Music to make Dolby Atmos widely available to all musicians and anyone who loves music.”
J Balvin said: “I’m really excited to be part of this project with Apple Music because I always want to be a step ahead and I think this is one of those steps. With Lossless, everything in the music is going to sound bigger and stronger but more importantly, it will be better quality. Hearing myself and my music in Dolby Atmos for the first time, it was just crazy, it blew my mind, it’s indescribable. I think fans will really love this new experience.”

Gustavo Dudamel said: “There are no words to describe the immersive, overpowering experience of being a conductor, leading a performance of Mahler’s towering ‘Symphony of a Thousand.’ But now, technology is advancing to bring that experience closer to our ears, our minds, and our souls. Share with me this monumental, live performance with my beloved Los Angeles Philharmonic, remastered in Dolby Atmos audio technology for the first time on Apple Music alongside my collection of Deutsche Grammophon recordings with the LA Phil, in rich, remarkable 3D sound.”

Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter, and composer Giles Martin said: “Since recording began, artists, producers, and engineers have tried to paint pictures with sound, transporting listeners to worlds they never knew existed, even when the sound came from a single speaker. Now with the dawn of immersive audio, we can take the music lover inside the music. From the feeling of hearing your favorite artist in the same room as you, to the experience of sitting directly in the middle of a symphony orchestra, the listening experience is transformative and the possibilities for the creator are endless. This is a quantum leap in technology – I have so far had the pleasure of mixing some of the greatest artists in history in Dolby Atmos. With this work I have found myself falling into albums I love. There is a unique experience of being able to fully immerse myself in music that, although is familiar, suddenly sounds new, fresh, and immediate. As a creator, it is beyond exciting that we can now share this incredible experience through Apple Music.”

Grammy Award-winning mixing engineer Manny Marroquin said: “Spatial Audio gives music a new identity. Every time I mix in Atmos it gives me goosebumps. The future has arrived.”
Lossless Audio

Apple Music will also make its catalog of more than 75 million songs available in Lossless Audio. Apple uses ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) to preserve every single bit of the original audio file. This means Apple Music subscribers will be able to hear the exact same thing that the artists created in the studio.
To start listening to Lossless Audio, subscribers using the latest version of Apple Music can turn it on in Settings > Music > Audio Quality. Here, they can choose different resolutions for different connections such as cellular, Wi-Fi, or for download. Apple Music’s Lossless tier starts at CD quality, which is 16 bit at 44.1 kHz (kilohertz), and goes up to 24 bit at 48 kHz and is playable natively on Apple devices. For the true audiophile, Apple Music also offers Hi-Resolution Lossless all the way up to 24 bit at 192 kHz.1

Mastering Engineer Piper Payne said: “The soul and life of the mix is sitting in the extra bits of data that are stored in the lossless file. As a mastering engineer, having the ability to convey the music to the listener at its highest quality is the end goal of what I work for every day.”
Availability

Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio will be available to Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost.

Thousands of tracks will be available in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos at launch, with more added regularly.

Apple Music’s catalog of more than 75 million songs will be available in Lossless Audio.

More information, including a comprehensive list of compatible devices, is available at apple.com/apple-music.

 

[BlueFox]

What is 'Spatial Audio'?

 

[nicoff]

What is 'Spatial Audio'?

Spatial Audio uses two speakers to simulate the sensation of having surround or immersive sound.

 

[NekoAudio]

I heard a demo of Dolby Atmos from a laptop's built-in speakers, switching back and forth with the film's 2-channel mix. Atmos can definitely add something to the soundstage even with this limited setup. I'm pretty sure the Atmos driver needed to know something about the physical placement of the laptop speakers.

 

[aKnyght]

Spatial Audio uses two speakers to simulate the sensation of having surround or immersive sound.

is the secret sauce completely within a spatial audio file such that any two-channel system can realize the immersive effect ...or, do the spatial audio files require specialized hardware to process them in order to achieve the effect?

 

[nicoff]

is the secret sauce completely within a spatial audio file such that any two-channel system can realize the immersive effect ...or, do the spatial audio files require specialized hardware to process them in order to achieve the effect?

It requieres special software and hardware.

 

[BlueFox]

This line from the release makes it appear the music needs to be recorded with Spatial Audio.

'Spatial Audio gives artists the opportunity to create immersive audio experiences for their fans with true multidimensional sound and clarity.'

 

[nicoff]

This line from the release makes it appear the music needs to be recorded with Spatial Audio.

'Spatial Audio gives artists the opportunity to create immersive audio experiences for their fans with true multidimensional sound and clarity.'

There are many classics that were recorded in analog and have been remastered for Atmos (Abbey Road for example).

 

[wklie]

Spatial Audio uses two speakers to simulate the sensation of having surround or immersive sound.

My understanding is that when you use an Atmos AV receiver with multiple speakers, including ceiling speakers, they will be used as necessary.

The basic way to do this is to connect the HDMI output of Apple TV 4K to the AV receiver.

Without an AV receiver, it probably works best with headphones connected to ATMOS supported hardware and app.

 

[wklie]

is the secret sauce completely within a spatial audio file such that any two-channel system can realize the immersive effect ...or, do the spatial audio files require specialized hardware to process them in order to achieve the effect?

It is encoded in the music file, and needs to be decoded by appropriate hardware and software.

 

[wklie]

You get lossless 16/44.1 if you stream from Apple Music to Lumin via AirPlay1.

Although it may seem counter-intuitive, at this time Apple Music sends lossless ALAC to Lumin AirPlay1, but lossy AAC to other AirPlay2 streamers from other brands. (This is subject to change by Apple.)

 

[wklie]

AudiophileStyle has published Part 2 of his testing of Apple Music: Apple Music Lossless Mess Part 2: AirPlay - Bits and Bytes - Audiophile Style

Whereas Part 1 uses USB output from Apple devices, Part 2 focuses on AirPlay delivery of 16/44.1 music.

To summarize, Part 2 reconfirms the followings:

- iOS - AirPlay 1 is bit perfect at 16/44.1 - To my knowledge, I first published this finding using Fairtyales MQA CD on Apple Music with Lumin USB output (at max digital volume, no resampling) to a third party Full MQA decoder DAC (whereas the article uses a HDCD methodology instead of MQA CD authentication)
- iOS - AirPlay 2 delivery is not bit perfect due to the use of AAC, as first discovered by Naim
- macOS can send bit perfect AirPlay 2 if and only if the system-wide AirPlay is used instead of the Apple Music in-app AirPlay, as @Marco_Klobas first discovered

Note 1:
For stereo speakers I recommend disabling Sound Check, EQ, and Dolby Atmos. Enable (Hi-Res) Lossless and Do Not Disturb. Set AirPlay Volume to Max if your setup has a preamp such that AirPlay is not totally controlling the final volume. On Mac, the output sample rate needs to be set manually.

Note 2:
On AirPlay1 shairport-sync open source implementation, it may change the bit stream by default due to synchronization, which can optionally be configured to be disabled but the audio may lose sync in a prolonged playback. If the stream is captured to stdout it does not perform synchronization.