So I posted about this in a few places but no one seems to care, even though it seems like a huge deal to me lol. Hybrid Theory is available in Atmos on Apple Music. I've tried to listen on my Android every way I know how (including Tidal) but it doesn't seem available anywhere else, so I can't speak to how it actually sounds. However, this is an entirely new mix of a LP album. I'm curious as to what people think of the sound, but more importantly, whether Mike was involved? Is it just a marketing gimmick? I have been really against marketing moves like messing with an artist's work just to show off some trendy new presentation (like cheap 3D conversions). I feel like spatial audio is already a trend I want to die because of this. But if Mike actually likes it and worked on it, I'd love to know/hear. Any thoughts?
We've posted about it on Twitter a bit Other than some minor issues like Forgotten having a second cut off at the start, it seems to be received pretty well. Source: https://www.imore.com/forget-apples-spatial-audio-playlists-listen-one-instead Personally I don't have Airpods capable of playing the spatial audio versions so I can't vouch, but it does seem to be more than a gimmick. But I know that @Zane has firsthand experience with it.
Hi @BTorio, sorry for the slower response. I don't check the forums very often these days. As Kevin mentioned, spatial audio is by no means a gimmick. It is based off of Dolby's new Atmos mastering standard which allows applicable devices to play music in 3D space. Today's stereo plays audio left and right. Atmos uses a device's accelerometer and gyro to detect head movement + software to play audio in 3D space. This makes the music sound dramatically different with proper mixing. Looking at Hybrid Theory, it is clear to me someone's properly mixed it. There are other songs to compare with that were poorly or not mixed at all, and they sound like shit in comparison. It's night and day. Songs like PMA sound like a new song because new sounds can be heard and mixing is entirely different for vocals (i.e. the final chorus). It is well worth a listen and I believe spatial audio (Apple's name for Atmos) is the future of music. To listen to spatial audio, you currently have to use Apple Music because they're the only provider (they kinda created it) that enable Atmos music. No other service even has the software for it currently. Your headphones also have to be compatible. I can confirm that newer Apple / Beats audio devices can use proper spatial audio (i.e. AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Beats Studio Buds, HomePods, etc.). I've also seen people say Samsung Buds work too but I can't confirm that. It sounds to me like devices with accelerometers could work. Apple Music is accessible on Android Beta but you do need a paid account and beta account currently till it rolls out. All headphones are technically applicable but they won't track your head movement. You do have to turn on the feature if it's a normal headphone. Hope this helps!