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Dolby Atmos: does it do anything for two-channel reproduction?

I noticed that more and more of my downloads from Apple Music show the Dolby Atmos logo next to "lossless". But I cannot really hear any obvious difference on my two-channel system. Would I need a special decoder? I don't know if there are any besides the one reviewed in the current Stereophile issue (which costs a bundle). And if I had such a decoder, would it add anything to two-channel reproduction (such as adding spatial information), or is it designed strictly for multi-channel reproduction such as home-theater?

Thanks!

 
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Showing 2 responses by priitv8

priitv8
12 posts
 

For Atmos enjoyment you need an Atmos decoder.
When it comes to Apple Music, then there is a lot of confusion around it.
For one, using iPad or iPhone and Apple EarPods, you can listen to Atmos through Apple Spatial renderer - this will attempt to recreate spatial effect via 2 speakers only.

To really hear Atmos music from Apple Music as Atmos immersive audio (without Apple Spatial Renderer), you need to use appleTV and connect it to Atmos capable  processor/AVR/soundbar,

For detailed explanation see this article and especially section titled "5 - Apple's "Spatial Audio" Mess"

https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/production-expert-1/why-your-atmos-mix-will-sound-different-on-apple-music

priitv8
12 posts
 

I believe Atmos has the same capability, but do not know if it has been embedded into any commercially available Albums. 

Atmos has been embedded in albums now, but they are all released on bluray media. 
Take the Dark Side of the Moon 50th anniversary box-set as an example.
It contains a separate disc mastered in Atmos. 

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