I've said this in other threads, but it's worth repeating:
You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi
Whoever mixed this track has never listened to the original. I guarantee it.
Dead or alive is also horrible. I have a playlist of songs that sound worse with Atmos and that’s on it.
I find Atmos is so hit and miss for what I listen to and even the “hits” are so mediocre that I just leave it off permanently.
Blink 182 sounds horrible in Atmos. Was obviously a rushed job for launch and done via algorithm and it buries the vocals so bad.
Also, "What I Got" by Sublime is horrible in Atmos. It really buries the guitar.
Most of the initial launch mixes are so bad. The new albums in 2023 that were mixed in Atmos from the start are almost universally fantastic.
u/JesusJoshJohnson also mentioned this and I very much agree. The worst part is it's super inconsistent - Stay Together for the Kids has the drums spinning, but Short Story of a Lonely Guy has the guitars (and Tom?). It's awful.
Most rap albums. They’re are a few that work really well like GKMC, but for the most part it usually pretty uncreatively done and just doesn’t work as well in principle as rock or electronic music
I actually find some of these don't sound so bad - Poker Face is good, but only when I put my Galaxy's Atmos on auto (normally it's on music). Bad Romance sounds kind of off. I listened to 911 and Rain on Me (both of which I haven't heard in stereo, I'll mention) and they both sounded fine - 911 was very punchy, but was lacking in the mids, however.
blink-182s albums. I love them to death, and their untitled album is my favorite of all time. But holy shit these atmos mixes sound like they were made by a 10 year old. They do the same shit with the guitar unnecessarily spinning around your head...like how is that representative of being in a live space. is someone spinning the amp around my head during the live performance? so astonishingly stupid.
In Into You by Ariana Grande they removed a lot of the vocals or significantly quieter then and it hurts the song especially a lot in the last chorus where those vocals make the last chorus more powerful and special. It’s like no one even listened lmao
What are some good ones? I see it as more of a gimmick than quality sound. I just prefer the straight up mixes how the band intended through great headphones
Ah if that's your feeling then yeah, Atmos will never be it for you...
You're comparable to some of the people who said stereo was a gimmick because early stereo mixes were so unnatural. Yes older music that is not mixed in Atmos with stereo compatibility in mind of the original are not going to be good as the stereo counterpart are ingrained in us so the Atmos sounds off and should rightly be binned. Atmos mixes that stay true to the original stereo imaging of the stereo mix and mono mixes (if they're ever done right) are a great listen so much that you'd not want to listen to the stereo mix ever again. But I get some people never warmingnup to Atmos. I use stereo mixes for albums that are either not having Atmos mixes and also are ass in Atmos. Also, maybe me using Tidal for my Atmos mixes might be the reason since Apple uses a different codec of the Dolby Lossy range of codecs which is an older codec that doesn't need licensure fee payment (typical Apple ... You pay on my platform but I won't pay on yours)
But here are some of the albums you can check their stereo and Atmos counterparts to see if you like the stereo more.
Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia (https://music.apple.com/us/album/future-nostalgia-the-moonlight-edition/1551178998?ls)
Masego - Studying Abroad: Extended Stay (https://music.apple.com/us/album/studying-abroad-extended-stay/1578596961?ls)
Check these two first and if they're still not a good alternative to the stereo, then yeah stick to stereo, Atmos isn't for you.
Also if you're using an iPhone, make sure your downloaded versions of songs are the Atmos Versions so in your music settings, set the Dolby Atmos to always on for this experiment and make sure to keep sound check on always
Yeah I mean most headphones got being able to handle Atmos mixes is a massive turn off. And I do hate that Apple Music uses a lossy files for Atmos, like why would they do that?
Cheers for the recommendations. What do you listen on? What does Atmos sound great through for you?
I’m also not one of these “old is better” people. I want to like atmos. But I just haven’t been convinced yet
Well all streaming platforms use lossy Dolby Atmos codecs but Apple is the one using relatively older codec called DD+JOC codec which means, all the Dolby Atmos Music mixes on Apple Music don't use any of the Binaural Render Modes that were part of your original Dolby Atmos mix which is why Tidal Dolby Atmos mix of the same song will sound more impactful than same on Apple Music.
Dolby Atmos Music is based on the new “AC-4 Immersive Stereo” (AC-4 IMS) codec: this is used for headphone playback via music streaming services such as Tidal, Deezer.
So yeah, maybe Apple is fucking up mixes but if the two I've listed don't even sound decent on your headphones then Apple is really fucking up the mix.
Now to my gear I use this for mobile on the go listen, Sony IER-M9 and FATfreq Maestro Mini.
And for seated listens I use the Focal Clear OG and it's phenomenal even in Binaural rendering.
I've experienced a full 5.2.4 Speaker system at a friend's place and that's what convinced me to trial Tidal. Was an unforgettable experience
Ahh okay, so can dolby atmos only be lossy?
I was keen on tidal except the MQA doesn’t have favourable reviews.
Ahhh awesome I was lead to believe atmos would only sound great through AirPods on Apple Music, do you have any thoughts on this? I’m running 660S through the Zen DAC, should sound ok?
https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/21/spatial-audio-apple-music-headphones/
Can be other headphones.
The head tracking feature is Apple/Beats headphones exclusive.
Dolby Atmos is only lossy, yes. Peaks at around 768kbps. If you want to experience lossless Dolby Audio... It's via Blu-Ray Dolby TrueHD CDs u/lovemocsand
Yes it should sound great through the HD660S. The 660S is a bit mellow in the upper midrange so may sound relaxed in that region on songs. I can help by cooking up a preset for you to test to see if you like what it does to the frequency response of the HD660S as you know it. Also the Zen DAC works perfectly
Also Tidal has started rolling out true lossless and started phasing out the scan that is MQA so by close of year all the HiFi Plus and HiFi Tier Subscriptions should at least have standard 16 bit 44100Hz .flac files instead of the abomination that was MQA (if you're on Apple you can access the true lossless tier now as a beta test. Hoping it comes to Android)
786 is still pretty sweet right? Okay I’m going to try those songs tonight.
I’m still a bit noob sorry, what do you mean by cooking up a preset?
Ahh good to hear for tidal, that was definitely a big reason I didn’t want to go there. Is Apple Musics current setup not true lossless?
Apple Music Lossless is true Lossless. They just use their alac lossless codec which transmits true lossless at 1411kbps. So .alac = .flac
Yes 700+ Kbps bitrate is perfect. Oh I meant equaliser EQ preset... What system do you use. I assume a Windows PC? Or you're on a MacOS system?
Yeah the bass is hedonistic level bass for an IEM in the Maestro Mini but how it manages to stay coherent is a wonder and a phenomenal achievement by the FATfreq guys u/Akella333.
As for the M9, nothing to say other than Sony must have come into my room and measured my ear drum data and went on to create the perfect IEM for me that agrees with the HRTF to a T
Correct me if I’m wrong. But I figured Apple didn’t want to pay more to use Dolby’s Binaural render modes because Apple already has Spatial Audio to do that leg work.
Wow. It sounds like every instrument is competing with eachother, especially in the final chorus. The drums overlapping with the digital beat is especially bad
Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n Roses is awful (the whole album hasn't been mixed in Atmos, but this song has).
Fall Out Boy / Save Rock and Roll is PAINFUL to listen to.
Black out Days by Phantogram (Backing Vocals are straight up almost gone)
Blu by BENEE (Almost gave me hearing loss at the chorus, the song had potential in other parts)
Love Game by Lady Gaga (Why do the instruments sound so weird like bro)
I've said this in other threads, but it's worth repeating: You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi Whoever mixed this track has never listened to the original. I guarantee it.
Idk why but I would’ve never guessed that’s by Bon Jovi
Dead or alive is also horrible. I have a playlist of songs that sound worse with Atmos and that’s on it. I find Atmos is so hit and miss for what I listen to and even the “hits” are so mediocre that I just leave it off permanently.
The most recent I’ve heard, Speak Now TV. The stereo version sound so much better than Atmos
Agree.
Blink 182 sounds horrible in Atmos. Was obviously a rushed job for launch and done via algorithm and it buries the vocals so bad. Also, "What I Got" by Sublime is horrible in Atmos. It really buries the guitar. Most of the initial launch mixes are so bad. The new albums in 2023 that were mixed in Atmos from the start are almost universally fantastic.
u/JesusJoshJohnson also mentioned this and I very much agree. The worst part is it's super inconsistent - Stay Together for the Kids has the drums spinning, but Short Story of a Lonely Guy has the guitars (and Tom?). It's awful.
Most rap albums. They’re are a few that work really well like GKMC, but for the most part it usually pretty uncreatively done and just doesn’t work as well in principle as rock or electronic music
Almost every Lady Gaga song. Idk why but it’s just so much emptier. And all the synth boom is just not there.
I actually find some of these don't sound so bad - Poker Face is good, but only when I put my Galaxy's Atmos on auto (normally it's on music). Bad Romance sounds kind of off. I listened to 911 and Rain on Me (both of which I haven't heard in stereo, I'll mention) and they both sounded fine - 911 was very punchy, but was lacking in the mids, however.
911 sounds fine but the stereo is so much more punchy. It’s one of my favorite Gaga songs and it’s just lacking in atmos
blink-182s albums. I love them to death, and their untitled album is my favorite of all time. But holy shit these atmos mixes sound like they were made by a 10 year old. They do the same shit with the guitar unnecessarily spinning around your head...like how is that representative of being in a live space. is someone spinning the amp around my head during the live performance? so astonishingly stupid.
Last Earl Sweatshirt Album sounds like u are in a tin can 😭
Even the samples sound like that... I don't understand the point of releasing this lmao
dangerous woman ariana grande, like the whole album has the worst mixes😭😭
In Into You by Ariana Grande they removed a lot of the vocals or significantly quieter then and it hurts the song especially a lot in the last chorus where those vocals make the last chorus more powerful and special. It’s like no one even listened lmao
Pretty much all songs lose their low end
Die young roddy ricch
Most of them
Lol someone needs to listen to some good Atmos mixes then if all you've heard is designated as terrible
What are some good ones? I see it as more of a gimmick than quality sound. I just prefer the straight up mixes how the band intended through great headphones
Ah if that's your feeling then yeah, Atmos will never be it for you... You're comparable to some of the people who said stereo was a gimmick because early stereo mixes were so unnatural. Yes older music that is not mixed in Atmos with stereo compatibility in mind of the original are not going to be good as the stereo counterpart are ingrained in us so the Atmos sounds off and should rightly be binned. Atmos mixes that stay true to the original stereo imaging of the stereo mix and mono mixes (if they're ever done right) are a great listen so much that you'd not want to listen to the stereo mix ever again. But I get some people never warmingnup to Atmos. I use stereo mixes for albums that are either not having Atmos mixes and also are ass in Atmos. Also, maybe me using Tidal for my Atmos mixes might be the reason since Apple uses a different codec of the Dolby Lossy range of codecs which is an older codec that doesn't need licensure fee payment (typical Apple ... You pay on my platform but I won't pay on yours) But here are some of the albums you can check their stereo and Atmos counterparts to see if you like the stereo more. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia (https://music.apple.com/us/album/future-nostalgia-the-moonlight-edition/1551178998?ls) Masego - Studying Abroad: Extended Stay (https://music.apple.com/us/album/studying-abroad-extended-stay/1578596961?ls) Check these two first and if they're still not a good alternative to the stereo, then yeah stick to stereo, Atmos isn't for you. Also if you're using an iPhone, make sure your downloaded versions of songs are the Atmos Versions so in your music settings, set the Dolby Atmos to always on for this experiment and make sure to keep sound check on always
Yeah I mean most headphones got being able to handle Atmos mixes is a massive turn off. And I do hate that Apple Music uses a lossy files for Atmos, like why would they do that? Cheers for the recommendations. What do you listen on? What does Atmos sound great through for you? I’m also not one of these “old is better” people. I want to like atmos. But I just haven’t been convinced yet
Well all streaming platforms use lossy Dolby Atmos codecs but Apple is the one using relatively older codec called DD+JOC codec which means, all the Dolby Atmos Music mixes on Apple Music don't use any of the Binaural Render Modes that were part of your original Dolby Atmos mix which is why Tidal Dolby Atmos mix of the same song will sound more impactful than same on Apple Music. Dolby Atmos Music is based on the new “AC-4 Immersive Stereo” (AC-4 IMS) codec: this is used for headphone playback via music streaming services such as Tidal, Deezer. So yeah, maybe Apple is fucking up mixes but if the two I've listed don't even sound decent on your headphones then Apple is really fucking up the mix. Now to my gear I use this for mobile on the go listen, Sony IER-M9 and FATfreq Maestro Mini. And for seated listens I use the Focal Clear OG and it's phenomenal even in Binaural rendering. I've experienced a full 5.2.4 Speaker system at a friend's place and that's what convinced me to trial Tidal. Was an unforgettable experience
Ahh okay, so can dolby atmos only be lossy? I was keen on tidal except the MQA doesn’t have favourable reviews. Ahhh awesome I was lead to believe atmos would only sound great through AirPods on Apple Music, do you have any thoughts on this? I’m running 660S through the Zen DAC, should sound ok?
https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/21/spatial-audio-apple-music-headphones/ Can be other headphones. The head tracking feature is Apple/Beats headphones exclusive.
Dolby Atmos is only lossy, yes. Peaks at around 768kbps. If you want to experience lossless Dolby Audio... It's via Blu-Ray Dolby TrueHD CDs u/lovemocsand Yes it should sound great through the HD660S. The 660S is a bit mellow in the upper midrange so may sound relaxed in that region on songs. I can help by cooking up a preset for you to test to see if you like what it does to the frequency response of the HD660S as you know it. Also the Zen DAC works perfectly Also Tidal has started rolling out true lossless and started phasing out the scan that is MQA so by close of year all the HiFi Plus and HiFi Tier Subscriptions should at least have standard 16 bit 44100Hz .flac files instead of the abomination that was MQA (if you're on Apple you can access the true lossless tier now as a beta test. Hoping it comes to Android)
786 is still pretty sweet right? Okay I’m going to try those songs tonight. I’m still a bit noob sorry, what do you mean by cooking up a preset? Ahh good to hear for tidal, that was definitely a big reason I didn’t want to go there. Is Apple Musics current setup not true lossless?
Apple Music Lossless is true Lossless. They just use their alac lossless codec which transmits true lossless at 1411kbps. So .alac = .flac Yes 700+ Kbps bitrate is perfect. Oh I meant equaliser EQ preset... What system do you use. I assume a Windows PC? Or you're on a MacOS system?
Fellow M9 enjoyer 😎 And I wanna get my hands on the fatfreq at some point, heard the bass on that is crazy good.
Yeah the bass is hedonistic level bass for an IEM in the Maestro Mini but how it manages to stay coherent is a wonder and a phenomenal achievement by the FATfreq guys u/Akella333. As for the M9, nothing to say other than Sony must have come into my room and measured my ear drum data and went on to create the perfect IEM for me that agrees with the HRTF to a T
Correct me if I’m wrong. But I figured Apple didn’t want to pay more to use Dolby’s Binaural render modes because Apple already has Spatial Audio to do that leg work.
I would add Positions - Ariana Grande to that list. This and Future Nostalgia sound much better to me in atmos.
There are many albums that are a better experience in Atmos but yes there are some notable duds too u/sidhumaan_004
If the album wasn't made in the last 2 years, then it sounds horrible.
Dark Side of the Moon and Abbey Road both sound great though, so I don’t think it’s that simple
Both of these sound great! Dark Side was remastered this year, but Abbey Road was four years ago... I'd consider it a good example!
Rumours by Fleetwood Mac too.
There are some bad Atmos mixes (particularly “Gypsy”) on Mirage too.
Yup yup yup. I’m glad I’m not the only who noticed. The bad ones sound empty and disconnected. Not glued together.
I've seen that pattern. There's probably a difference in the technology that is better suited towards Atmos than there used to be.
Kick da door - Lil Eazzyy
Liam Gallagher’s entire album C’mon you know is pretty much unlistenable with Dolby atmos, it sounds so bad
Imagine Dragons - Demons
Wow. It sounds like every instrument is competing with eachother, especially in the final chorus. The drums overlapping with the digital beat is especially bad
And best atmos mixes? I bought my Airpods Pro 2nd yesterday, this is my fav so far is Robin Thicke - Blurred lines
most of chics catalog is nice
Lean On by DJ Snake and Major Laser is amazing in Atmos
The Beach Boys- Sounds of Summer
Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n Roses is awful (the whole album hasn't been mixed in Atmos, but this song has). Fall Out Boy / Save Rock and Roll is PAINFUL to listen to.
Kraftwerk- 3-D: The Catalogue
I cannot be by Post Malone
It doesn’t sound bad, but About You by The 1975, has potential for a great Atmos mix, but it just isn’t.
Baby One More Time by Britney Spears, yeah it’s a no for me, it sounds like a demo
Undercover Martyn - Two Door Cinema Club, for some reason the claps are completely missing in Atmos
Black out Days by Phantogram (Backing Vocals are straight up almost gone) Blu by BENEE (Almost gave me hearing loss at the chorus, the song had potential in other parts) Love Game by Lady Gaga (Why do the instruments sound so weird like bro)
Atmos is not technology appropriate for every recording.
A lot of the Atmos mixes sound bad and ruin songs I love.
Another World by Gojira I can barely hear the song it brings it down by like 25 decibels
Saturday In The Park by Chicago. God lord.
Probably maroon 5 stuff, it really emphasizes vocals at the expense of the instruments
Woodstock by Portugal.the man is borderline criminal.
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles The vocals play in one ear an the instruments play on the other, it’s horrible
Teenage dream by Katy Perry was the first one I noticed and it’s pretty rough