I purchased an Apple TV 4K for a really area of interest purpose

The Apple TV 4K stands out above its competitors resulting from its distinctive versatility. It could actually stream TV exhibits and flicks, deal with video games by way of Apple Arcade, and play all of your favourite songs. Different streaming units can do that mixture of issues, however, for my part, they do not do it in addition to Apple’s field.

A giant promoting level of the Apple TV 4K is Dolby Atmos on Apple Music. That was truly the rationale I picked up a field within the first place, as I relied on my Xbox One for my streaming apps. The Apple TV 4K was a large improve in that regard, however I can not low cost Dolby Atmos for Apple Music. This was a giant deal then, and it is nonetheless a giant deal now. Whereas lots of people would possibly see Atmos as a gimmick, it is one which works very nicely with Apple Music.

Your mileage might range relying in your setup, however if in case you have the required tools for Atmos, Apple Music does not disappoint. The actual kicker is that Apple consists of the Atmos help utterly freed from cost, one thing that I respect.

Model

Apple

Bluetooth codecs

5.0

Wi-Fi

6

Ethernet

Gigabit (128GB mannequin solely)

Storage and RAM

64GB, 128GB

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Do not sleep on Dolby Atmos

It may be a sport changer

Apple / Pocket-lint

Most songs aren’t blended with Dolby Atmos in thoughts, however that does not imply artists cannot return and make it occur. Songs like Elton John’s Rocket Man and Pink Floyd’s On the Run got here nicely earlier than Atmos was even an concept, and people sound nice with the combo. Pink Floyd’s legendary album Darkish Facet of the Moon has been remixed totally with Dolby Atmos, and it is positively a spotlight of what might be accomplished if care is put into the method.

Newer albums nonetheless sound good, and I feel each Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish are two artists whose respective catalogs make for a very good illustration of how good the format might be. In fact, there are some caveats right here. Enabling Dolby Atmos in your Apple Music app and listening by way of your cellphone will not lead to one of the best sound. In actual fact, I might say you get a far worse expertise doing that than listening to the normal combine. If you need the easiest way to expertise Atmos, you want to seize an Apple TV 4K and get a correct setup.

Soundbars work with Dolby Atmos, however they’re removed from an excellent setup. To get the true Atmos expertise, you will wish to have audio system utterly surrounding you, in addition to some which might be above you. This does not matter as a lot for music because it does for exhibits and flicks, however in the event you’re organising Atmos, you would possibly as nicely do it nicely. I have not examined Dolby Atmos for Apple Music on a soundbar, but when it is the identical as films, you are leaving quite a bit on the desk. Apple Music’s Atmos makes use of all of the audio system, and lots of instances I will hear voices coming from my encompass audio system, so it is tough to think about how that works on a soundbar. I might be completely improper, but it surely looks as if one thing that will not work as supposed.

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The Apple TV 4K is nice, but it surely is not excellent.

Atmos is nice so long as you are ready for it

Not all setups are created equal

Dolby

All issues thought-about, I might say Dolby Atmos is one of the best audio format immediately. Most main movies and TV exhibits help it, whether or not that is on disc or streaming. Disc high quality is miles higher than what you get on streaming, however streaming Atmos nonetheless works nicely sufficient. It is also price noting that Apple Music is the one service with Atmos help, and even your bodily CDs do not have it. You may nonetheless get encompass sound on different companies by way of some trickery along with your audio receiver, but it surely’s not the identical factor as it’s with an Apple TV 4K and Apple Music.

Whereas it is nice that Apple Music presents Atmos, I feel it comes as a detriment in lots of instances. I can not even inform you how many individuals have complained about Atmos not sounding good by way of the Apple Music app, and it is as a result of they’re listening by way of their cellphone. Telephones, even the most recent iPhone, aren’t recognized for his or her unbelievable audio high quality, so enjoying an Atmos combine by way of it does not make any sense. A cellphone cannot deal with encompass sound, largely as a result of it is all the time going to be proper in entrance of you, usually just a few inches out of your face, so how can a correct combine ever shine? I do not suppose that it’ll, and that is why it is baffling to me that Apple even enables you to hearken to Atmos mixes in your cellphone.

It would be a very totally different story in the event you might stream your Apple Music Atmos combine, however I could not do this on to my receiver with out getting an Apple TV 4K, which is how I ended up with one within the first place.

Whereas it could have been good for the Apple Music app to play properly with my Denon receiver, it ended up being for one of the best. I exploit my Apple TV 4K for almost every little thing, and although it is only a first-gen mannequin, it does every little thing I might ask of it. The second and third-generation Apple TV 4Ks can do extra, however with regards to Atmos help, all of them work the identical. If that is all you are in it for, any of the fashions will do.

One thing I am longing for later this yr is the next-generation Apple TV 4K, particularly since it has been years since we have seen a refresh. There are many new options Apple can add in a brand new replace, notably Apple Intelligence help, however that is not all I am trying ahead to. As a lot of a fan of Dolby Atmos as I’m, it isn’t the one audio format accessible. The Apple TV 4K does not help passthrough audio, which is not a giant deal if what you are watching or listening to helps Atmos. It is if you discover one thing from a unique audio format that the problems come up.

Many instances, my Apple TV 4K does not acknowledge what audio is being despatched to it as a result of it’s one thing apart from Dolby Atmos. It doesn’t suggest the sound does not work, but it surely does imply it does not sound pretty much as good because it ought to. Fortunately, that looks as if one thing that is being fastened within the upcoming tvOS replace.

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