I bought an Apple TV 4K for a very niche reason

The Apple TV 4K stands out above its competition due to its exceptional versatility. It can stream TV shows and movies, handle games through Apple Arcade, and play all your favorite songs. Other streaming devices can do this combination of things, but, in my opinion, they don’t do it as well as Apple’s box.

A big selling point of the Apple TV 4K is Dolby Atmos on Apple Music. That was actually the reason I picked up a box in the first place, as I relied on my Xbox One for my streaming apps. The Apple TV 4K was a massive upgrade in that regard, but I can’t discount Dolby Atmos for Apple Music. This was a big deal then, and it’s still a big deal now. While a lot of people might see Atmos as a gimmick, it’s one that works very well with Apple Music.

Your mileage may vary depending on your setup, but if you have the necessary equipment for Atmos, Apple Music doesn’t disappoint. The real kicker is that Apple includes the Atmos support completely free of charge, something that I appreciate.

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Most songs aren’t mixed with Dolby Atmos in mind, but that doesn’t mean artists can’t go back and make it happen. Songs like Elton John’s Rocket Man and Pink Floyd’s On the Run came well before Atmos was even an idea, and those sound great with the mix. Pink Floyd’s legendary album Dark Side of the Moon has been remixed entirely with Dolby Atmos, and it’s definitely a highlight of what can be done if care is put into the process.

Newer albums still sound nice, and I think both Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish are two artists whose respective catalogs make for a good representation of how good the format can be. Of course, there are some caveats here. Enabling Dolby Atmos on your Apple Music app and listening through your phone won’t result in the best sound. In fact, I’d say you get a far worse experience doing that than listening to the traditional mix. If you want the best way to experience Atmos, you need to grab an Apple TV 4K and get a proper setup.

Soundbars work with Dolby Atmos, but they are far from an ideal setup. To get the true Atmos experience, you’ll want to have speakers completely surrounding you, as well as some that are above you. This doesn’t matter as much for music as it does for shows and movies, but if you’re setting up Atmos, you might as well do it well. I haven’t tested Dolby Atmos for Apple Music on a soundbar, but if it’s the same as movies, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Apple Music’s Atmos utilizes all the speakers, and many times I’ll hear voices coming from my surround speakers, so it’s difficult to imagine how that works on a soundbar. I could be totally wrong, but it seems like something that won’t work as intended.

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Dolby

All things considered, I’d say Dolby Atmos is the best audio format today. Most major films and TV shows support it, whether that’s on disc or streaming. Disc quality is miles better than what you get on streaming, but streaming Atmos still works well enough. It’s also worth noting that Apple Music is the only service with Atmos support, and even your physical CDs don’t have it. You can still get surround sound on other services through some trickery with your audio receiver, but it’s not the same thing as it is with an Apple TV 4K and Apple Music.

While it’s great that Apple Music offers Atmos, I think it comes as a detriment in many cases. I can’t even tell you how many people have complained about Atmos not sounding good through the Apple Music app, and it’s because they are listening through their phone. Phones, even the latest iPhone, aren’t known for their fantastic audio quality, so playing an Atmos mix through it doesn’t make any sense. A phone can’t handle surround sound, largely because it’s always going to be right in front of you, often a few inches from your face, so how can a proper mix ever shine? I don’t think that it will, and that’s why it’s baffling to me that Apple even lets you listen to Atmos mixes on your phone.

It’d be a totally different story if you could stream your Apple Music Atmos mix, but I couldn’t do that directly to my receiver without getting an Apple TV 4K, which is how I ended up with one in the first place.

While it would have been nice for the Apple Music app to play nicely with my Denon receiver, it ended up being for the best. I use my Apple TV 4K for just about everything, and even though it’s just a first-gen model, it does everything I could ask of it. The second and third-generation Apple TV 4Ks can do more, but when it comes to Atmos support, all of them work the same. If that’s all you’re in it for, any of the models will do.

Something I’m hopeful for later this year is the next-generation Apple TV 4K, especially since it’s been years since we’ve seen a refresh. There are plenty of new features Apple can add in a new update, notably Apple Intelligence support, but that’s not all I’m looking forward to. As much of a fan of Dolby Atmos as I am, it’s not the only audio format available. The Apple TV 4K doesn’t support passthrough audio, which isn’t a big deal if what you’re watching or listening to supports Atmos. It’s when you find something from a different audio format that the issues arise.

Many times, my Apple TV 4K doesn’t recognize what audio is being sent to it because it is something other than Dolby Atmos. It doesn’t mean the sound doesn’t work, but it does mean it doesn’t sound as good as it should. Thankfully, that seems like something that’s being fixed in the upcoming tvOS update.

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