[NewCoke]

Some new wording in tvOS 15 via the settings for Accessibility > AirPods

Old:

"Spatial Audio:
Follow Apple TV

Follow Apple TV is on, audio for supported movies and TV will sound like it's coming from your Apple TV instead of following your head movement."

New:

"Spatial Audio:
Center Audio on TV

Centering makes it sound like spatial audio is coming from your TV, even when your head moves. If you turn off centering, spatial audio is still an immersive sound experience, but does not track with your head movement."

 

[tinyman392]

Please let me know something; by gimmicky you mean too processed, too DSP involving, not natural sounding, or just a marketing ploy? Is it still missing the lossless openness of a good wired HP by far, or is it coming kind of closer to that?

Marketing ploy. DSP hasn’t really bothered me much so long as it’s for the good.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Interesting phenomenon: I find I’ll either want to listen to Lossless or Dolby Atmos. If I start listening to one then I typically won’t want to listen to the other immediately afterwards, volume notwithstanding.

It is almost like having two different headphones, and I assume most people wouldn’t want to constantly switch between them. That being said I’ve been enjoying Atmos on just about every headphone I’ve tried, from Beats Solo3 to AirPods.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Dolby Atmos sometimes fail completely.

Atmos version:

Normal version:

I know which one I prefer.
Edit: when listening with APM.

Atmos struggles with analog tracks, which is understandable considering how digital it is.

 

[Soundizer]

Some new wording in tvOS 15 via the settings for Accessibility > AirPods

Old:

"Spatial Audio:
Follow Apple TV

Follow Apple TV is on, audio for supported movies and TV will sound like it's coming from your Apple TV instead of following your head movement."

New:

"Spatial Audio:
Center Audio on TV

Centering makes it sound like spatial audio is coming from your TV, even when your head moves. If you turn off centering, spatial audio is still an immersive sound experience, but does not track with your head movement."

I am glad head tracking can be turned off as my Apple TV is not positioned right in front of the seating position.

 

[SparkOnShore]

I am glad head tracking can be turned off as my Apple TV is not positioned right in front of the seating position.

This is kind of wrong for your eyes! Try to arrange your space so that TV set stands right in front of your eyes, more or less same height as well.

 

[polymathic]

I would like to ask you all something a little off topic, but it came to my mind reading the above thorough comparison review of @Maukey. @tinyman392 please express your point of view as well; Many times it is mentioned that APM as well as other similarly tuned headphones are smooth in upper mids and highs and as a result they miss in detail especially when compared with other more aggressive headphones in the higher frequencies. But my experience says that whenever I tried or owned some more revealing headphones, or as an example some BA iems, my ears perceive this high mids and highs' sparkle more like a distortion than a clear detail presentation. I can hear more detail in a smoother tuned headphone just because the high frequencies do not have this intention of drilling my ears. Of course you may say that it depends on the headphone, but it is strange because it has happened to me with many different examples of what has been said and reviewed as revealing and detailed headphones. Especially when many layers of high pitched sounds, instruments and voices play together in some songs' parts, on those revealing headphones, it is a clear distortion to my ears and for sure not a "revelation" or detail. If I listen to the same song's part on the smooth APM for example, sound has zero distortion and I can enjoy more the details of the particular sounds. Is it something that has to do with my ears? I mean are there experienced listeners who perceive this distortion as detail, or do they just not perceive it as distortion? The files are always AAC or Lossless on Apple Music, so I don't consider it to be an audio file or recording quality issue. I would appreciate your points of view. Many thanks...

I’m someone who had great ears and loved good sound only to be struck by a sudden inexplicable severe hearing loss in my late 30s. My interest in sound and audio carried over to my understanding of hearing instruments and hearing loss, and investing in software and hardware to program my hearing aids myself to get optimal sound.

There are two reasons for this I can connected to the world of audiology. Generally, the first area of hearing damage, and the first area to degrade with age, is the high frequencies. By the time we turn thirty, most of us will already have lost some high frequency sensitivity, and if we‘ve been exposed to loud sounds at work or in live concerts (or with blasting headphones) significant sensitivity will have been lost. Headphones with strong high frequencies will offset that loss, and give added clarity. If your high frequency perception is intact, then those may sound shrill. The second factor is the way our brain processes new sound. Sound deprivation is real, and when I get hearing aids retuned to my latest audiogram prescription (or when someone first tries hearing aids) they sound shrill and can be exhausting. That’s the leading cause of the elderly giving up on hearing aids. This said, by wearing those hearing aids consistently for a couple of weeks the brain adjusts and they sound completely natural, and are not fatiguing anymore. It’s reasonable to assume then that the second factor is that people who are not used to hearing high frequencies may find them off putting at first. A listener who has only listened to music on cheap consumer headphones may be taken aback by overly revealing high end headphones.

On an aside, a great value of the Airpods is that you can use an actual audiogram to tune them. This has made them invaluable for me.

 

[ryanmatic]

I’m someone who had great ears and loved good sound only to be struck by a sudden inexplicable severe hearing loss in my late 30s.
On an aside, a great value of the Airpods is that you can use an actual audiogram to tune them. This has made them invaluable for me.

We've had very similar experiences and have arrived at the same conclusion

A few years ago I suddenly lost a tremendous amount of hearing in one ear only, primarily affecting midrange sensitivity. Additionally, some neural damage occurred that meant a hearing aid probably wouldn't help as it'd just be amplifying frequencies which sounded garbled or distorted. It was a pretty traumatic experience (especially learning to deal with tinnitus that was introduced at the same time), but you're absolutely right that your brain is pretty keen at adapting. At first I was super aware of hearing a lot more from one ear than the other, but that awareness has diminished a bit over the following few years. Applying an audiogram to the APM and APP really helps reduce that awareness even more, helping me feel like I'm hearing full stereo when listening to music, which is a big reason they've both become my go-to headphones.

If folks here are interested in learning more about what @polymathic was describing, the book Volume Control is an excellent introduction to audition science and our understanding of how it diminishes: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/volume-control-david-owen/1130494913?ean=9780525534235

 

[mainguy]

Thoroughly impressed and suprised at how brilliant Bach’s Cello Suite sounds in spatial audio. Bravo, the depth and space brings the music alive, and its a piece ive been listening to for well over a decade. Wasnt expecting that.

 

[SparkOnShore]

Thoroughly impressed and suprised at how brilliant Bach’s Cello Suite sounds in spatial audio. Bravo, the depth and space brings the music alive, and its a piece ive been listening to for well over a decade. Wasnt expecting that.

Do you mean Dolby Atmos, or the Spatialize Stereo feature of iOS 15? Because the current spatial audio on the control centre of iOS 14 means nothing for music, it's there only for movies.

 

[tinyman392]

Do you mean Dolby Atmos, or the Spatialize Stereo feature of iOS 15? Because the current spatial audio on the control centre of iOS 14 means nothing for music, it's there only for movies.

Apple has really messed up how they marketed Dolby Atmos as to them both Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio is the same thing and independent of head tracking.

I want to assume that @mainguy is talking about this:

 

[mainguy]

Do you mean Dolby Atmos, or the Spatialize Stereo feature of iOS 15? Because the current spatial audio on the control centre of iOS 14 means nothing for music, it's there only for movies.

There’s an official playlist ‘spatial audio with dolby atmos’ on apple music, it has two tracks from Bach’s Cello suites and sounds quite wonderful

 

[SparkOnShore]

There’s an official playlist ‘spatial audio with dolby atmos’ on apple music, it has two tracks from Bach’s Cello suites and sounds quite wonderful

Yes, you are right, I got it now. I listened to suite No3 in C major on my APM and it is a wonderful presentation indeed. Thanks.

 

[Bhelpoori]

Giles Martin on the Beatles spatial audio mixes and Dolby Atmos: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/...-apple-music-abbey-road-giles-martin-1202832/

 

[Soundizer]

This is kind of wrong for your eyes! Try to arrange your space so that TV set stands right in front of your eyes, more or less same height as well.

Yes TV is infront of me, but AppleTV is 1.5meters to the right of the TV.