So I bought an Era 300. Love it.
However I am told that playing physical atmos music media is far better than streaming it for pure quality.
I would like to buy another Era 300, an Arc and a sub
Will I be able to play Atmos physical media through a ‘device’ and get true atmos sound?
If so what ‘device?’
Sony x800m2?
Something else?
Best answer by GuitarSuperstar
View originalYes, you can play lossless Dolby TrueHD/Dolby Atmos music on Blu-ray disc with an Arc + Sub + Era 300s setup. You just need a TV equipped with HDMI eARC and a Blu-ray player. Any model Blu-ray player will work. You can even use the Blu-ray player in a PS5 or Xbox Series X. If you have a 4K TV, look for a 4K UHD Blu-ray player.
Just know that there isn’t a lot of music available in Dolby Atmos on physical media. And when it is available, it often is only included with a “deluxe edition” box set which can oftentimes be very expensive. The Atmos Blu-ray disc of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon is a good example. It is only included in their 50th anniversary deluxe box set that costs around $300.
The next best option is playing Dolby Atmos music from Apple Music on an Apple TV 4K. The quality is not as good as Blu-ray but very comparable and more affordable with the best selection of music available in Atmos. IMO, the audio quality of Atmos music from the Apple TV is better than playing Atmos music directly from the Sonos app.
Thank you GuitarSuperstar. I was hoping you would answer as I had been Googling the question prior to posting and had seen a few of your answers and it struck me that you knew what you were talking about. So apprecaited that you hav responded.
It is good to know that it will work and I do know that at the moment that physical media is in short supply but I am hopeful that unlike SACD Dolby Atmos music will catch on. There are a few albums around at the moment although none to my tase apart from the Pink Floyd one which I have not bought but I have heard that Dont Shoot me I am only the piano player might be making its debut in DA. Now I bought that album, it was my first album back in 1973 and I still have the orginal album in good condition and I still play it.
Over the years my tastes have changed and I am now quite into Soundtrack music. I have already had a trial of Amazon music and I am currently on a trial of Apple music but find both very disappointing as the ability to locate DA music is quite hard. If DA music is to catch on the Sonos especially need to canvas these players and get them to ensure that people can find DA mosic more easily that currently.
Although not the fault of Sonos or the music streaming sites I was also disappointed to find Hans Zimmer muisc Interstellar, Inception and so many others were not even available in DA on these streaming sites. I am hopeful that given time this wiill change and that we will see more titles become available. If not, then DA will pass into history much like Quad, SACD and even 5.1,
That is an interesting point you have made about Apple TV and I have never looked at Apple TV. However I will do so.
I recently bought a second hand Apple Touch and was suprised to find that it can also play Dolby Atmos music. I bought it to digistise my CD collection.
Thanks again for your reply. Very much apprecaited
Steve
Check out Hans Zimmer Live on Apple Music. It is available in Dolby Atmos.
And if you get a Blu-ray player, get Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague on Blu-ray.
And here is a useful site where you can easily search for Spatial Audio music by artist on Apple Music:
https://bendodson.com/projects/spatial-audio-finder/
If you want to hear some of the best Dolby Atmos mixes available, follow Steven Wilson. He is a musician and one of the best mix engineers in the world. He does 5.1 and Dolby Atmos mixes for a lot of classic albums of all genres and 5.1 and Atmos mixes of his own albums. Dolby Atmos mixes on Apple Music can be hit or miss. But Steven Wilson’s mixes are all pretty incredible.
Hey GuitarSuperstar,
Hans Zimmer live was the first place I went when I got my Era 300
I also got Live in Prague last Christmas but I dont have a Dolby Atmos soundbar (yet)
I had forgotten about the Ben Dodson site and at the moment from that I now have Dire Straits on with Money For Nothing. Possible the best version of Dire Straits I have heard.
I already had heard of Steve Wilson but again had not checked him out recently. I had a look at his Twitter sorry X feed and there are some good recommendations in there.
So again appreciate your time. You have made a difference. Thanks
Steve
+1
Yes, you can play lossless Dolby TrueHD/Dolby Atmos music on Blu-ray disc with an Arc + Sub + Era 300s setup. You just need a TV equipped with HDMI eARC and a Blu-ray player. Any model Blu-ray player will work. You can even use the Blu-ray player in a PS5 or Xbox Series X. If you have a 4K TV, look for a 4K UHD Blu-ray player.
Just know that there isn’t a lot of music available in Dolby Atmos on physical media. And when it is available, it often is only included with a “deluxe edition” box set which can oftentimes be very expensive. The Atmos Blu-ray disc of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon is a good example. It is only included in their 50th anniversary deluxe box set that costs around $300.
The next best option is playing Dolby Atmos music from Apple Music on an Apple TV 4K. The quality is not as good as Blu-ray but very comparable and more affordable with the best selection of music available in Atmos. IMO, the audio quality of Atmos music from the Apple TV is better than playing Atmos music directly from the Sonos app.
A standalone release of the Atmos Blu-Ray mix of DSOYTM was announced in August. It's released on 13 October. Worth keeping an eye on superdeluxedition.com if you're interested in the Dolby Atmos Blu-Ray format. They release about one per month and they're usually available for a limited time.
The format is starting to take off. There's a standalone Dolby Atmos Blu-Ray for the reissue of Prince's Diamonds and Pearls i.e. It's not in the forthcoming box set.
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