Apple has announced that Apple Music improves sound quality for subscribers by adding spatial audio with support for Dolby Atmos.
Spatial audio gives artists the opportunity to create immersive audio experiences with authentic sound and multidimensional clarity.
Apple Music subscribers will also be able to listen to more than 75 million songs in lossless audio, just as artists created music in the studio.
These new features will be available to Apple Music subscribers starting next month at no additional cost.
Spatial audio with support for Dolby Atmos.
Apple brings spatial audio with support for Dolby Atmos to Apple Music. Dolby Atmos is a revolutionary and immersive audio experience that allows artists to mix music so that the sound comes from anywhere and from the top of the listener.
By default, Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, as well as built-in speakers on the latest versions of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Apple Music will constantly add new Dolby Atmos tracks and create a special set of Dolby Atmos playlists to help listeners find the music they love. Additionally, albums available in Dolby AtMOS will have a badge on the detail page for easy discovery.
Upon launch, subscribers will be able to hear thousands of spatial audio tracks from some of the greatest artists and music from all genres in the world, including hip-hop, country, Latin, pop and classical.
Apple Music is working with artists and labels to add new releases and the best songs in the catalog, as more and more artists start creating music specifically for the spatial audio experience.
Together, Apple Music and Dolby make it easy for musicians, producers and mixing engineers who want to create songs in Dolby Atmos. Initiatives include doubling the number of Dolby-enabled studios in major markets, offering educational programs and providing resources to independent artists.
Lossless audio
Apple Music will also make its catalog of over 75 million songs available with lossless audio. Apple uses ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) to preserve all bits of the original audio file. This means Apple Music subscribers will be able to hear exactly what the artists have created in the studio.
To start listening to lossless audio, subscribers using the latest version of Apple Music can turn it on in Settings> Music> Audio quality.
There you can choose different resolutions for different connections, such as cellular, Wi-Fi or download.
The lossless level of Apple Music starts with the CD quality, which is 16-bit at 44,1kHz (kilohertz) and goes up to 24-bit at 48kHz and can be played natively on Apple devices. For true audiophiles, Apple Music also offers lossless high resolution, up to 24-bit 192kHz.
Availability
THE Spatial audio with support for Dolby Atmos and lossless audio will be available to Apple's music subscribers at no additional cost.
Thousands of tracks will be available in spatial audio with Dolby Atmos at launch, with more being added regularly.
The Apple Music catalog of over 75 million songs will be available in lossless audio.
More information, including a complete list of supported devices, can be found at Apple.com/apple-music/
Notes:
Due to the large file size and bandwidth required for high-resolution, lossless audio, subscribers will need to specifically activate the experience.
HI-RES Lossless also requires external equipment, such as a USB digital-to-analog converter (DAC).
