What is Dolby Atmos?

If you have been looking for a new television, sound bar, speaker or even a new pair of headphones, then you have probably encountered the term “Dolby Atmos”.

It has become a fashion word for immersive audio, and apparently is now stunned in everything, from sound bars to smartphones, sticks and services, and even in cars.

But what exactly is Dolby Atmos and why do you need it in your life?

After all, there seems to be a new Dolby audio format every two weeks, so it would be easy to throw atmos in the battery with the tastes of the pro-logic and digital formats … I who could not import less.

However, Dolby Digital, and the entire space audio revolution is a big problem. Think about it as the audio equivalent of moving from black and white to color television.

Guide: What is space audio?

It is a significant leap forward in how you will experience the sound, with a three -dimensional sound landscape that surrounds you, making you feel that you are really in action.

It is more than just an improved clarity; It is about experiencing sound as the creators intended, with incomparable space and depth.

It works for music, movies, games and more: keep reading to learn everything you need to know about Dolby Atmos.

Beyond stereo

The traditional stereo sound, which has been the standard for decades, divides the audio into two channels: left and right. The surround sound, such as systems 5.1 or 7.1, added more speakers to the mixture, creating a more surround experience.

In an example of the real world, they may have a ray Sonos that counts for 3 of a 5.1 system (front, left and central, with two were from Sonos 100 in the rear that constitutes 5, with an added subcontract.

But space audio formats such as Dolby Atmos take things beyond. It is not just about adding more speakers; It is about changing the way the sound is mixed and delivered.

Use something called “object -based audio.” Instead of assigning sounds to specific speakers channels, every sound, an actor’s voice, a drop of rain, an explosion) is treated as an independent audio object. These audio objects can be placed and moved accurately within a 3D sonic space.

Imagine a scene in a movie where you are raining. With the traditional surround sound, the sound of the rain can be assigned to the left and right speakers, which makes it sound as if the rain came from the sides.

With Dolby Atmos, each rain drop is treated as an individual audio object (well, almost), which allows sound designers to place them with precise precision, creating a realistic and immersive downpour that seems to come from everything that surrounds you , even from above.

Dolby Atmos uses up to 128 audio channels, with 10 dedicated to environmental sounds and the rest for these audio objects placed precisely, creating a dynamic sound landscape and covers everything.

How does it work?

For the configuration of your home theater, Dolby Atmos is typically experienced through sound bars or multi -speakers systems, although you can actually get televisions with your own incorporated atmospheres.

Whether you have physical speakers placed around the room or trust a sound bar with smarts, they will use a combination of traditional and ascending fire drivers to create the illusion of sound from all directions.

Those speakers that shoot up are key. They steal the sound of their roof, effectively creating a dimension of height for the mixture. This allows the realistic reproduction of sounds that originate from above: think about the fall of the rain, a plane flying above or the atmosphere of a tropical jungle.

Sound bars such as Rayo Sonos (Gen 2) or Denon DHT-S517 use these ascending shot controllers to offer height effects, although some use digital signal processing to create a virtual atmospheric effect.

The most elaborate configurations, such as a 7.1.4 system (seven speakers at the ear level, a subwoofer and four upper speakers), can provide an even more immersive experience. While you can climb 34 speakers at home, Dolby recommends aiming around 12 to get the best experience.

Take that Sonos 5.1 surround sound configuration that we mentioned earlier. If this ray changes for the tastes of a sonos arc or a ray 2, throw some was 300 in the rear, all of which has Dolby Atmos, and now has a 7.1.4 system, which means 7 at the ear level Now, no 5, 4 upper speakers, and the .1 for the subnetity remains.

But it’s not just about sounds from above. Dolby Atmos also creates a broader and wider sound scenario using side shooting speakers.

These rebounds smile from their walls, which seems that the speakers are placed more separate than they really are.

Some sound bars even use intelligent digital signal processing to create virtual rear envelopes, which is useful if it cannot or cannot run cables around your living room.

In fact, Sonos Arc Ultra claims to do 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos Audio Spatial Audio sounds alone.

Dolby Atmos for headphones

However, Dolby Atmos is not just for the configuration of his home at home; It is also available for headphones, offering a personalized space audio experience.

Instead of trusting physical speakers, Dolby Atmos, to the headphones, which is used for Apple’s space audio technology in the tastes of Max Airpods, uses binural representation and headlines related to the head (HRTF) to simulate How its ears sound naturally in a 3D space.

This deceives your brain to think that sound comes from outside your head. This can be achieved through the integration of software or hardware into mobile devices, with some devices using accelerometers for head tracking.

Head tracking technology, which is found in some high -end headphones such as the Airpods Max or Sonos Ace, add another layer of realism. They track the movements of their head and dynamically adjust the audio in real time, creating a more credible and attractive experience, especially for things such as movies and games of great success.

Dolby Atmos music

Dolby Atmos has also reached the music industry, with many of the latest clues now mixed with the space audio in mind. Shock By Dave and Stormzy if you want your mind to explode.

The oldest albums, such as the Beatles catalog and the tastes of Rem, Neil Young and Pink Floyd, are also now being remastered for the new format.

Dolby Atmos Music allows artists and producers to place instruments and voices with incredible precision, offering a more immersive and attractive auditory experience.

You can find Dolby Atmos music in transmission services such as Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited and Tidal.

Why is Dolby Atmos so popular?

Dolby Atmos has become the dominant force in space audio for some key reasons. The biggest driver is that it is not only a wide variety of devices, as we have mentioned, but also all the main transmission services, think of Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and the like.

Add to that the latest smartphones, tablets, laptops and high -end games consoles also often admit atmos, you will often find the latest television programs and live sporting events available with audio atmos through cable boxes, set upper boxes and more too.

Nor will you need to buy a new Blu-ray player, since standard Blu-rays are capable of containing the necessary Dolby Atmos data, as well as Ultra HD Blu-rays.

Dolby Atmos is really a seismic change for audio, but its effectiveness depends on the configuration. While cinemas and home film systems with real physical speakers strategically placed in the room provide the best results (DOLBY has a guide load on how to do this), sound bars and atmospheric headphones offer an update update quite dramatic about standard stereo or surround sound.

If you trust a friendly sound bar or television speakers, you may not get the full effect, although it will definitely still be an improvement.

However, Dolby Atmos is not the only space audio format, the tastes of DTS and Sony also have some quite ingenious tricks under the sleeves, so be sure to read our guide for the space audio to learn more.