simonp1971

Q: Still Dissapointed with Apple TV Surround Sound!   

Well after several months of using the Apple TV4 I have to say I'm still very dissapointed with the surround sound.

 

I have a decent surround sound receiver and speakers system but ever since buying the ATV4 the sound isn't as good as it used to be and is poor when compared to other inputs like Sky HD for example. I have it set up on a 7.1 Best Audio possible Setting.

 

Its mainly the issue of when I'm watching a movie. If listening to music it sounds great but put a movie on and I always have to crank the volume up. As an example I was listening to music at -30db on the amp but watched The Good Dinosaur with my family yesterday and had to crank sound up to -15db and before anyone mentions -15 is louder than -30 on my system with 0db being reference sound.

 

I don't understand why there is such as vast difference between music and movies. Even Netflix sounds better. Sky HD sounds better. I've followed enough threads and comments on here to pretty sure I have it set up correctly but still It's pants. 

 

Come on Apple get this sorted it's so frustrating!!        

Posted on May 21, 2016 7:26 AM

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Q: Still Dissapointed with Apple TV Surround Sound!   

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Diana.McCall,Helpful

    Diana.McCall Diana.McCall May 21, 2016 7:51 AM in response to simonp1971
    Level 4 (3,807 points)
    Apple TV
    May 21, 2016 7:51 AM in response to simonp1971

    Hi. The sound on the movies is low to allow lots of headroom for loud sounds. The encoding of the movie sound was done when the movie was digitized. ATV is just passing the bytes on to your amp. Sky is a broadcaster, so they compress the audio, distorting it in the process. Hard to say what Netflix is up to.

  • by simonp1971,

    simonp1971 simonp1971 May 21, 2016 7:57 AM in response to Diana.McCall
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Apple TV
    May 21, 2016 7:57 AM in response to Diana.McCall

    Thanks for the answer but it still seems to me like I'm having to crank up the volume far too much from what i used to on other Apple TVs. Surely the Amp should deal with the volume and any quiet or loud sounds. Sky may be compressed but it doesn't sound remotely distorted. I shouldnt have to crank my Amp up to -15 to get a decent sound / volume that's normally way too loud and loud enough to make the walls shake.

  • by Vinceassociate,

    Vinceassociate Vinceassociate May 21, 2016 9:39 AM in response to simonp1971
    Level 4 (1,738 points)
    May 21, 2016 9:39 AM in response to simonp1971

    What receiver brand and model number do you have?  Also how is it connected to the ATV?  Are you using the TV's built in audio extractor?

  • by Diana.McCall,

    Diana.McCall Diana.McCall May 21, 2016 1:40 PM in response to simonp1971
    Level 4 (3,807 points)
    Apple TV
    May 21, 2016 1:40 PM in response to simonp1971

    Hi simonp1971,

    I find there's a pretty extreme difference between the audio level on different YouTube videos. I crank up the level for a soft one, and the next one blows me away. But you cannot really complain, that's just the way they are. I think you should be thankful that iTunes gives you the true film audio. Obviously, this will be more effective with a blockbuster than with a family film.

  • by Marcos Huerta,

    Marcos Huerta Marcos Huerta Sep 13, 2016 7:51 PM in response to simonp1971
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple TV
    Sep 13, 2016 7:51 PM in response to simonp1971

    Indeed, somethings seems very off on the Apple TV audio levels.

     

    Apple Music (pop/rock)- the loudest. -40db on my Yamaha HDMI receiver (output set to best quality in settings. This is probalby the so-called "loudness problem" commonplace in recordings. Mixes are cranked up, reducing dynamic range... so instead how about:

    Apple Music (classical/symphony, Mahler 5), -25 or so. Maybe -23.

    Netflix, 5.1 audio, (say, Supergirl). Much quieter. Probably -19 at least to be normal sounding.

    "Tv iTunes" app on ATV. 5.1 audio, "Supergirl", -20db.

    "Movies iTunes "app on ATV - 5.1 audio (Star Wars Ep 7), also -15 to -16

    "Computers" home sharing, Star Wars Episode 7, purchased (same movie as above! both bought on iTunes!) -25db.

    Broadcast TV, (toslink in), -23db.

    Amazon Fire stick - Netflix, Supergirl, Dolby Digital+, setting around -25.

    Blu-ray player, PS3, DTS-HD MA, setting around -25.

     

    So, -23 to -25 seems "normal" for my receiver based on classical music on the AppleTV, the Amazon Stick, and PS3. Yet, the movies app needs to be -15. And the same movie played via iTunes home sharing from a local computer doesn't need this boost.

     

    It seems like something is broken with the Movies app.

  • by Ankush Narula,

    Ankush Narula Ankush Narula Sep 14, 2016 3:22 AM in response to simonp1971
    Level 1 (90 points)
    Apple TV
    Sep 14, 2016 3:22 AM in response to simonp1971

    A few other suggestions that perhaps you have already tried but are still worth mentioning:

    • Ensure that under Settings -> Audio and Video ->  Reduce Loud Sounds is set to Off
    • Ensure that Full Dynamic Range is enabled on a per app basis:
      1. While a video is playing, slide down on the Siri remote to reveal the context menu at the top of the screen
      2. Navigate to the Audio tab -> Sound section
      3. Make certain that Full Dynamic Range is selected
    • Ensure that your receiver is not performing any processing or compression on the Apple TV's HDMI port
  • by Marcos Huerta,

    Marcos Huerta Marcos Huerta Sep 18, 2016 11:46 AM in response to Ankush Narula
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple TV
    Sep 18, 2016 11:46 AM in response to Ankush Narula

    Thanks, I did all that - "full dynamic range" is picked.

     

    I think the volume is always louder when Dolby Digital 5.1 is selected rather than "Best quality" which decodes to PCM multichannel. Similarly, the DD 5.1 that the previous generation AppleTV outputs is louder/better (tested that also over HDMI, listening to the same scenes.).

     

    I there is some issue with the internal decoder / mixer.

     

    I'm also starting to think that some iTunes purchased movie titles have some issues with their soundtracks. More than a few reviews of The Matrix on iTunes note issues with the volume. I'm not sure how careful Apple / the Studios are about the soundtrack data. Or it is some interaction between the decoder, the soundtrack, and the mixer.

     

    I'm going to leave my newer AppleTV on Dolby Digital; that seems to help. It'd be nice if there was a "bitstream" option so that it was clear the ATV just passed-through whatever multichannel data is in the file to the receiver.

     

    Marcos

  • by Diana.McCall,

    Diana.McCall Diana.McCall Sep 18, 2016 1:51 PM in response to Marcos Huerta
    Level 4 (3,807 points)
    Apple TV
    Sep 18, 2016 1:51 PM in response to Marcos Huerta

    Hi. You should let Apple know your concerns by posting it here https://www.apple.com/feedback/appletv.html You're only talking to other users in  this forum. But you must be aware that Apple has made some rather weird compromises, as described here http://developer.dolby.com/News/Dolby_Audio_Support_on_Apple_TV.aspx.

  • by Marcos Huerta,

    Marcos Huerta Marcos Huerta Sep 19, 2016 9:37 AM in response to Diana.McCall
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple TV
    Sep 19, 2016 9:37 AM in response to Diana.McCall

    Good point, I sent in Feedback referencing this thread.