Spatial audio, Dolby Atmos Sony 360 audio etc: Who else listens to this stuff and how?

[xenon]

Have listened to a bit of Spatial audio on iPhone via standard wired headphones. Somethings do sound remarkable on it. Particularly jazz and fairly minimal mixes with acoustic instruments.

However, wired earphones are a bit of a pain so I kinda stopped.

Yesterday I got a Sonos Era 300. Some of the Spatial stuff sounds fucking amazing. Again mainly tested on classical, jazz and a Lana ellray mixed for Spatial audio. Yeah I do normally listen to metal / electronica but have always liked other stuff too and this works.

I want to save up for another one for full stereo + atmospheric emmersion. Was hoping to incorporate my old Sansui speakers into a set up somehow but couldn't make it work. The Sonos amp doesn't support these standars and is considerably more than the Era 300. Twice what I paid.


Have you gone 3d?

 

[xenon]

Why do my paragraphs.

not work.

 

[Silas Loom]

It is a feature on my new Sony WHMX5s. But there didn’t seem to be anything recorded onto the Sony version of multidimensional audio that was worth listening to.

 

[xenon]

It is a feature on my new Sony WHMX5s. But there didn’t seem to be anything recorded onto the Sony version of multidimensional audio that was worth listening to.

Must admit I'm not too sure how it works with other implementations and streaming platforms I have assumed if you have equipment that supports one it would probably support all. (except Apple Spatial has headtracking with compatible headphones.) Then it's a case of looking for mixes in your streaming platform of choice.

Maybe there's an exclusivity thing going on with particular mixes for particular platforms though. Will have a look at Spotify later though I'm only on the free account.

 

[skyscraper101]

It just seems to be another iteration of trying to make music sound ‘better,’ get people to buy more hardware, and flog new formats which has been going on for donkeys years now. I’m fine with Stereo really.

 

[xenon]

It's actually more confusing than I thought. Who'd have thunk it when, it comes to hifi standards and components.



I thought Apple Spatial was just an implementation of Dolby Atmos with the headtracking bit added on. Seems not.

It's definitely not a gimick though, some things do sound... And I hate to be wanky... Real, super present. Other mixes I've heard, The BGs Staying Alive comes to mind, just sounded a bit weird though. I want to see how it fairs with films but connecting it might be a bit of a PITA with the gear I've got.

 

[editor]

I'm more than happy hearing the songs on decent headphones or a hi-fi system, to be honest. Just like the band and the producer wanted them to be heard.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Spatial Audio is a game changer, love it! And it’s been brilliant for gaming too…for music I use air pods pro (gen 1) and with my ps5 I use the official 3d pulse headset.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

It's actually more confusing than I thought. Who'd have thunk it when, it comes to hifi standards and components.



I thought Apple Spatial was just an implementation of Dolby Atmos with the headtracking bit added on. Seems not.

It's definitely not a gimick though, some things do sound... And I hate to be wanky... Real, super present. Other mixes I've heard, The BGs Staying Alive comes to mind, just sounded a bit weird though. I want to see how it fairs with films but connecting it might be a bit of a PITA with the gear I've got.

I was skeptical too but having experienced it I’m an evangelist! Love that bands are remastering their catalogue in spatial audio too.

 

[xenon]

I'm more than happy hearing the songs on decent headphones or a hi-fi system, to be honest. Just like the band and the producer wanted them to be heard.

Fair enough. I bet you never adjust the EQ then either?

To me it's just an evolution. As mentioned it seems best to work on material which is relatively quite sparse. Some mixes are done in Dolby Atmos, so the producer has intended for them to be listened that way. Course a good tune can still be enjoyed on a cheap mono speaker and I still listen to music on fairly mid range standard bluetooth headphones. Which audiofiles would find offensive...

 

[editor]

Spatial Audio is a game changer, love it! And it’s been brilliant for gaming too…for music I use air pods pro (gen 1) and with my ps5 I use the official 3d pulse headset.

Oh, I can see it being fantastic for gaming (and movies), but I'm never going to get excited about another new proprietary format that forces people to invest hugely into one company's expensive ecosystem.

Fair enough. I bet you never adjust the EQ then either?

To me it's just an evolution. As mentioned it seems best to work on material which is relatively quite sparse. Some mixes are done in Dolby Atmos, so the producer has intended for them to be listened that way. Course a good tune can still be enjoyed on a cheap mono speaker and I still listen to music on fairly mid range standard bluetooth headphones. Which audiofiles would find offensive...

I rarely touch the tone controls but I will engage the loudness button at low volume and that's enough to send most audiophiles apoplectic

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Oh, I can see it being fantastic for gaming (and movies), but I'm never going to get excited about another new proprietary format that forces people to invest hugely into one company's expensive ecosystem.

I rarely touch the tone controls but I will engage the loudness button at low volume and that's enough to send most audiophiles apoplectic

I think it's not hugely expensive tbh and you can use different headsets to get Spatial Audio so not sure ecosystem integration really is a worry...

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Fair enough. I bet you never adjust the EQ then either?

To me it's just an evolution. As mentioned it seems best to work on material which is relatively quite sparse. Some mixes are done in Dolby Atmos, so the producer has intended for them to be listened that way. Course a good tune can still be enjoyed on a cheap mono speaker and I still listen to music on fairly mid range standard bluetooth headphones. Which audiofiles would find offensive...

Yep, plenty of music has been remastered over the years to get closer to what the band etc wanted but could achieve due to limitations in technology, this is just another great step along that journey. It's so good to hear music the way it feels...

 

[Sasaferrato]

Pah! I have listened to quad vinyl!

 

[editor]

I think it's not hugely expensive tbh and you can use different headsets to get Spatial Audio so not sure ecosystem integration really is a worry...

So what would you need to spend - in total - to enjoy Apple's wonderful spatial audio?

 

[pbsmooth]

I think if it’s mixed in a Spatial Audio format then it can sound very clever. But I don’t like the idea of forcing stereo into surround sound. And even the cool spatial stuff sounds a bit like it’s just being clever for the sake of it. But no doubt there is some decent stuff out there.

 

[xenon]

So what would you need to spend - in total - to enjoy Apple's wonderful spatial audio?

To play over headphones, the cheapest way to do it, you need 3 things.

1. Regular wired headphones or for the headtracking element, compatible wireless headphones. (Not got any of these myself.)
2. A device that supports Spatial audio / Dolby Atmos. Most modern Android / iOS devices do.
3. Material, music, film, TV show that is available in Spatial / Dolby Atmos.

Listen with Spatial Audio on your Pixel device - Pixel Phone Help

When you watch movies or TV shows that support Spatial Audio on your Pixel device, you can use accessories like wireless and wired headphones or earbuds to get an immersive audio effect, similar to a

support.google.com

That's how I started. I'm an Apple Music subscriber, so just listened on iPhone with regular wired headphones. Other streaming services support it to an extent though they may offer it as Dolby Atmos rather than Spatial. I can't quite get to the bottom of how these 2 relate in terms of playback.

To play it over speakers instead. The Sonos Era 300 or some other combination of gear that I gave up trying to get to the bottom of. E.g.

Dolby Atmos: Spatial Audio From the Cinema to Your Headphones

From movie theaters to the music charts, here's how Dolby Atmos surrounds you with sound from all directions -- even above.

www.cnet.com

 

[skyscraper101]

I really don't get how music can be made significantly more enjoyable just by being in spatial audio. Haven't we been here before with stuff like 'super audio CD' and 'DVD Audio' in 5.1 etc?

I worked for a label that released albums in those formats 20 odd years back, and I couldn't honestly tell the difference. I tried out the spatial audio thing on Apple Music recently on that Coldplay record and I was seriously underwhelmed - I know, insert Coldplay joke here - but very objectively it just seemed like the same gimmickry that's been done before.

 

[xenon]

I really don't get how music can be made significantly more enjoyable just by being in spatial audio. Haven't we been here before with stuff like 'super audio CD' and 'DVD Audio' in 5.1 etc?

I worked for a label that released albums in those formats 20 odd years back, and I couldn't honestly tell the difference. I tried out the spatial audio thing on Apple Music recently on that Coldplay record and I was seriously underwhelmed - I know, insert Coldplay joke here - but very objectively it just seemed like the same gimmickry that's been done before.

Well as said, it doesn't work on everything. If I CBA I'll try recording something with my binaural headphones at some point to demo.

SACD and DVD audio need multiple speakers AFAIK. These formats don't.

 

[ska invita]

in music production you can get STEREO ENHANCER plugins, that make it sort of seem more stereo on a pair of headphones. Production advice Ive read is to not use this other than in small doses, maybe on a certain element, a pad or something (not whole mix), but if its a button you can turn on and off for a bit of fun then that seems harmless enough

 

[BassJunkie]

In my experience, the greatest improvement one can make to one's listening experience is to smoke a joint. I write as someone whose living room is filled with amps and speakers.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

So what would you need to spend - in total - to enjoy Apple's wonderful spatial audio?

no idea, I was only pointing out you don’t have to buy air pods pro to experience it, and my main point is the tech is amazing and enriches the listening experience…