Anyone using Homepods as the default audio output of an Apple TV 4K is having issues with the "Enhanced Dialogue" feature?

[B/D]

For context, I have a first gen Apple TV 4K, and first gen stereo paired Homepods. Everything is updated to the latest version.

I was very excited to try this feature, but for some reason is misbehaving for me.

On apps that DOES NOT use Apple native A/V player, and only offer low quality stereo sound, like SkyShowtime, this does what is supposed to do, and make the audio and voices so much loud and clear. Is fantastic, because the untouched audio stream sounds very low and compressed and this helps a lot.

But on apps that use Apple native A/V player, and have 5.1 and Atmos content (like Netflix, Disney+, and Apple own apps), enabling this makes the voices sightly lower and muffled instead of louder. It does not make any sense.

Also, every now and then it will make the audio stream echo every few seconds, and to fix it, I have to exit and restart the playback.

It´s frustrating because, as it is right now, I cannot leave it enabled all the time, which is what I intended to do.

Any ideas?. Anyone else having issues?

Thanks in advance.

 

[B/D]

Just tried it again using the trailer of Five Days at Memorial (Apple TV+), and the episode 1 of the fall of the house of usher on Netflix.

In both cases it made the background sounds and music lower, but the voices lower as well.

I´m completely lost.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

It's a brand new feature for the "hobby," enabled by another product that Apple seems to barely care about. My guess is that you'll have to just be patient until software updates catch up with brand new feature capabilities. At the pace of AppleTV and HP updates, maybe that happens within a year or two.

OR, stop trying to make smart music speakers cover home theater needs. They were not designed for this but people are trying to force them into this use anyway.

My suggestion: set yourself up with a receiver and at least 3 "dumb" speakers- Left, Center, Right- and not only will everything that plays from AppleTV work and sound great- particularly dialogue coming from an actual center speaker instead of a virtual one- but you'll also have the ability to enjoy ANY other source of audio on those speakers too (stuff that you can't route to HPs). Then move the HPs to other rooms and enjoy them as they were originally intended.

Even a modest receiver stepping in as your new "central hub smarts" will also give you the ability whenever you like to build out your theater sound, such as by adding a good sub for deeper bass and rear surround speakers for true surround sound. There is nary a hint from Apple that anything other than 2 stereo-paired HPs will ever come forth: no HP sub, no HP center speaker, no HP surrounds. That doesn't mean it 100% will NOT ever happen... but you can have a home theater audio setup TODAY if you want it.

If money is tight, for about the same budget you spent for two original HPs you can get a Receiver and Home theater speakers "in a box." If money is not that tight, you could step it up with a better Receiver and better speakers... or- again- start with the front 3 and then consider adding on over time.

Since this would take software "smarts" OUT of the equation, it will "just work" with every source of audio you might want to enjoy. And you don't "waste" your 2 HPs- just use them as intended... for music in some other room.

AppleTV HDMI OUT to Receiver HDMI IN:

• Receiver HDMI OUT to your TV
• Receiver speaker terminals OUT to the "dumb" speakers

Bonus: you will free up wifi bandwidth by not needing to use a byte of it for wired speakers.

Bonus #2: if you choose a Receiver with Airplay 2, you can throw any music to it just like any other Airplay speaker like HPs.

Bonus #3: if you choose good "dumb" speakers, they will probably outlast every Apple thing you own, plus the Apple things that replace them, plus the Apple things that replace the replacements (10-30 or more years is typical) while sounding just as good as new.

Bonus #4: when Apple vintages the HPs- and they will- you won't face having to replace "the entire speaker" because the 'smarts' part on which it depends has arbitrarily been left behind. Your "dumb" speakers would not be married to iOS and iOS "smart" hardware.

Bonus #5: if you like Siri "smarts(?)", you still have them with this kind of setup: command Siri in your AppleTV, iDevice or on your Mac. I readily command Siri to play anything on this very kind of setup in my own home. No problem at all.

HPs are great and all but they were not designed for this use. Yes, they can be used this way but you are getting stereo at best, now with faux center channel sound (that is disappointing you). You'll never find a professional cinema with only a pair of HPs down front for sound. Why do professional theaters put speakers all around the audience? Because that delivers "professional" quality sound. Replicate what they do (for an Apple major product-type budget) and you'll solve this problem in a maximum tangible way... and be set up for upwards of 30+ years of fantastic home theater sound.

Else, wait for Apple and/or third parties to get around to debugging this feature and hope that they actually do.

 

[B/D]

@HobeSoundDarryl

Thank you for taking the time to write such an elaborate answer. Really appreciate it.


Picture this: I went, fully aware of the consequences and the expected audio quality downgrade, from a full high end 7.1 system (AVR+ speakers, all properly set up) plus a high end Blu-Ray player, to a couple of stereo paired original homepods+ an Apple TV 4K+ a new shiny OLED screen. Shocking, I know, but we exist. .

Different priorities now, and I wanted to physically have as less objects as humanly possible in the new living room (which is quite big, but it´s a long story).

I opened this thread merely because it amused me that a feature intended to boost dialogue ended doing exactly the opposite in my case.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Then it's likely just wait and hope that Apple and/or third parties will eventually get to it. Things like that tend to move SLOW, but around WWDC there is often an effort to have a short list of AppleTV improvements. So hope for then... but maybe you'll get lucky in a sooner update.

In the meantime, if you still have the old system, maybe re-consider if great sound is a priority. If the "brains" of it- the AVR- grew too old, update that one thing and the speakers should be just as usable.

The bigger the room, the better to have MORE speakers. Again, you won't find any big cinema "room" with only 2 HPs down front. That would be MUCH cheaper for such theaters if they could get away with that. So why don't they? We both know that answer.

Given the focus on aesthetics over true surround, maybe re-attach only the 3.0 or 3.1 parts (left, center, right and optionally SUB). That should still beat HPs on center channel (dialogue) because you have an actual speaker doing the job instead of a virtual one trying to fake it.

If you do reconsider, maybe look into some options to somewhat HIDE the "dumb" speakers. There are lots of innovative ways to get them in the right places but make them up to invisible if that's a goal.

Another option that tries to strike a better balance of resolving the dialogue now BUT being better suited for Home Theater: consider a wide, quality soundbar like Sonos Arc. That's basically a center channel speaker that projects left & right stereo too. You sacrifice some stereo separation but you'll have much better dialogue. And it works as well as HPs with Apple Music and Airplay. Use the Siri "smarts" in AppleTV, your iDevice(s) and/or your Mac if you want voice control (I command mine this way regularly).

I have an Arc in a bedroom where I would otherwise use a pair of HPs (or similar) and it sounds surprisingly good. I just helped a friend set up one for exactly your purposes: Home Theater sound with the Sonos 300s for "wireless" rears and that whole setup sounds exceptionally good.

I much favor the traditional wired (for optimized stereo separation and dedicated center too), at least 5.1 setup, but Arc plus 300s and optional Sonos Sub is quite good... also scratches many HP-type itches too, while being much more "open" for all other sources of music than HP.