Dolby Atmos support in Roon (ROCK)? - Now that Tidal now extends its support (not only for Android)

[ComputerAudiophile (Chris Connaker)]

@Arindal

That’s cool. May I ask which hardware you use to get out 14 discrete analogue channels? Or is your output a 14-channel .WAV file or alike?

I write about it here - The Digital Side Of My Immersive Atmos Music System - Immersive Audiophile - Audiophile Style

[Arindal]

@ComputerAudiophile

AVRs have incredibly weak and minimally configurable DSP. It’s a fact.

It is also a fact that this does not have anything to do with sound quality. If you do not need sophisticated DSP, they are absolutely fine for the task.

@ComputerAudiophile

I write about it here

Thanks for clarification. From what I was reading superficially, you use Dolby Reference Player for exactly that step which I called delicate in terms of Dolby’s policy. That is not particularly software which every Mac has and any potential consumer can obtain and use to decode Atmos files.

Rest of your setup handles discrete channels mainly with pro gear from how I understand it. Everything sounds pretty impressive and the NADAC is truly great. But it is not particularly what average customers have and what they can handle. An AVR or AVP is.

[ComputerAudiophile (Chris Connaker)]

@Arindal

It is also a fact that this does not have anything to do with sound quality. If you do not need sophisticated DSP, they are absolutely fine for the task.

I will disagree with you all day on this one. All immersive systems require DSP. The listening position is never equidistant from all speakers and it’s never in a perfect sonic position.

I highly recommend reading up on the differences between state of the art DSP and the others. It makes a gigantic difference in sound quality. For example, one very popular DSP program has zero bass management. If bass lower than the height channels can handle is sent to them, you just don’t hear it.

Here is an article I wrote about DSP for immersive systems - Digital Signal Processing - The Ultimate Guide To High End Immersive Audio - Immersive Audiophile - Audiophile Style

@Arindal

Thanks for clarification. From what I was reading superficially, you use Dolby Reference Player for exactly that step which I called delicate in terms of Dolby’s policy. That is not particularly software which every Mac has and any potential consumer can obtain and use to decode Atmos files.

Rest of your setup handles discrete channels mainly with pro gear from how I understand it. Everything sounds pretty impressive and the NADAC is truly great. But it is not particularly what average customers have and what they can handle. An AVR or AVP is.

No. I also use Apple Music to stream 25,000 Atmos albums. macOS has a built-in licensed Dolby decoder. Apple Music outputs PCM in whichever channel configuration you need, I use 7.1.4.

I don’t use a NADAC.

I think we both agree that an AVR is a superb option for the average use case.

Those who want state of the art will have to go further. It’s no different from driving a Toyota Camry versus a McLaren. One is easy but lacking in the ultimate performance, while the other has all the performance but requires much more skill and service.