YouTube music video SQ

Maybe your system isn’t adequate to differentiate, it is a theatre system after all. YT bit rate is just 256 kbps I believe, otherwise known as lossy and bad sounding.

@jaybe ,

No, it's even worse, it's usually 128kbps! 

Just goes to show how good 128kbps is!

256kbps would be indistinguishable from CD for all intents and purposes. 

@cd318

Actually, I don't believe you are into high end audio, or just don't know what it is, if you feel 128 kbps sounds good.

Some folks are happy with a Walkman.

Using Apple TV 4K box may be helping YouTube music vid sound.  Could Be my home theatre is really good.

I watch/listen to a great deal of streaming video: Voice; X Factor; Songland; YouTube, Netflix; Amazon Prime, Hulu, Viki;

It’s called Dammmmnnnn Good Enough. Some is lower quality, as with anything.

Your senses are taken by the video as well as the audio, not as critical as concentrating on subtlety of imaging and refinement of music only. Surround Sound, when good adds to the experience in a non-concentrating but immersive and effective way.

I often try using 2 channel mode for some streaming video, often the original was 2 channel and weirdness gets introduced somewhere.