Tidal expands Dolby Atmos Music support to soundbars, TVs and AVRs

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No longer is the experience limited to Amazon's Echo Studio smart speaker

Tidal expands Dolby Atmos Music support to soundbars, TVs and AVRs
(Image credit: Sony)

Dolby Atmos Music tracks on Tidal can now be experienced through Atmos-enabled soundbars, TVs and home cinema amplifiers.

Since the format’s launch late last year, the streaming service’s catalogue of songs either produced or remixed using Dolby Atmos surround sound technology has only been available to experience through the Amazon Echo Studio smart speaker (for Tidal HiFi subscribers). 

Now, however, Tidal and Dolby has thankfully opened up that support to include most Atmos-compatible kit, which includes the Award-winning Sony HT-ST5000 soundbar, the all-new Sonos Arc soundbar, our trio of Award-winning AVRs and the Philips 65OLED984 TV, to name just a handful.

Tidal four months subscription for £4/$4/AU$5

Tidal four months subscription for £4/$4/AU$5
We love Tidal so much, we gave the streaming subscription a What Hi-Fi? 2019 Award – and that was at its original monthly price. Now just £4/$4/AU$5 for four months, it's a no-brainer for the streamer-savvy audiophile. 

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To play these immersive tracks, Tidal HiFi subscribers need to connect their Atmos-enabled device to a compatible streamer running the most recently updated Tidal app. Supported streaming devices include the Apple TV 4K, Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Stick (2nd gen), Fire TV (3rd gen), Nvidia Shield TV and Nvidia Shield TV Pro (2019 or newer).

Owners of Dolby Atmos enabled Android TVs from Sony and Philips simply can simply update the Tidal app to allow playback of Dolby Atmos Music tracks through their TV’s built-in Atmos speakers, too.

While Tidal will automatically default to playing the Dolby Atmos Music experience when an Atmos mix and compatible device are available, Tidal HiFi users can find Atmos tracks in the “available in Dolby Atmos” section of the homepage or search for them in the search bar.

Dolby Atmos Music launched last year with 50 releases, including Kraftwerk's 3D The Catalogue, Hans Zimmer's Live in Prague and R.E.M.'s Automatic For The People (25th Anniversary Edition). Having since partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG) to release thousands of "new songs, current hits and legendary tracks" in Atmos, the catalogue now includes many more tracks such as Ariana Grande’s 7 rings, The Weeknd’s After Hours, and Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello’s Señorita.

To celebrate the expansion of hardware support for Dolby Atmos tracks on Tidal, the streaming service is offering an extended 60-day free trial to its HiFi tier for a limited time. Alternatively, you can still take advantage of Tidal's Spring Offer, which offers new subscribers around the world four months of any subscription tier for just £4/$4/AU$5. 

MORE:

Best Dolby Atmos soundbars 2020: the best Atmos TV speakers

Amazon Echo Studio vs Sonos One: which is better?

Hands on: Focal Chora 826-D Dolby Atmos speaker review

Best speaker systems 2020: budget to premium, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos

Becky Roberts
Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of the brand's sister magazines Down Under – Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica. During her 11+ years in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices. In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.