Spatial audio has become an increasingly important part of the audio market in recent years. Stereo channels are boring, it’s just about sounds rushing towards you and past you.
However, that description understates the intentions of 3D audio. We’re the first (or at least one of the first) to say that spatial (or 3D) audio can be a gimmick, but the real point of spatial audio is to immerse you in a sound world that mimics the natural way we hear audio.
Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio are two of the biggest players in 3D audio. You can listen to the 3D formats on various devices like headphones and soundbars and in some cases through streaming services. The future of audio isn’t coming, it’s already here. So, which of Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio is better?
What is Dolby Atmos and how does it work?
First of all, what is Atmos? Well, as you’ve probably noticed, it’s a spatial audio format. In more technical terms, it’s an object-based, immersive audio format.
What are these objects, you may ask? The way Dolby Atmos works is that it is not limited by channel-based surround sound systems, such as the more conventional 5.1 and 7.1 speaker systems. Essentially, sounds can start anywhere and move around the listening space, and each sound is defined as an object.
There can be up to 128 audio objects, with 10 channels/objects used as a bed (or foundation) and 118 objects free to move around the room, creating the feeling of lightning striking from above or someone’s voice being captured as it moves from front to back of the room you’re in. The best Atmos soundtracks are often the ones where it’s subtle.
What is 360 Reality Audio and how does it work?
At first glance, 360 Reality Audio appears to be the same as Dolby Atmos. In reality (excuse the pun), it essentially is.
Sony developed 360 Reality Audio around the free-to-use MPEG-H 3D audio codec, which, like Atmos, supports 64 individual channels. Like Atmos, it can move audio from back to front, side to side, etc. to create that immersive feeling.
Which devices support spatial audio formats?
Dolby Atmos is basically everywhere. Your smartphone can play Atmos content (though fewer phones have actual Atmos processing), and it’s supported by soundbars, headphones, wireless surround systems, TVs, AV receivers, game consoles, wireless speakers, and more devices we’ve probably forgotten about.
360 Reality Audio is widely available, but not as widespread as Atmos. There are headphones, soundbars, and wireless speakers, but those products are mostly made by Sony. There are a few brands that support 360 Reality Audio on their headphones, such as Audio-Technica, but Atmos pretty much dwarfs 360 Reality Audio in terms of sheer numbers.
Where can I hear Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio?
With Atmos, you have physical media like 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray that support Atmos mixes. You also have music streaming services like Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music where you can listen to music in Dolby 3D audio format. Almost all video streaming services support Atmos, like Disney+, Apple TV+ and Netflix, but you have to pay extra to access them.
Sony’s rival has less of a presence in the market. It was supported by Tidal but dropped in favor of focusing on Atmos, while it appears on Amazon Music and the Deezer 360RA app. You won’t find it on physical media like Blu-ray, but that’s not what Sony is really going for with 360 Reality Audio.
In recent years, it’s taken a different approach to the format, working on existing Dolby Atmos soundtracks with its 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology. We’ve only heard it on Sony soundbars so far (surprise), but it works by creating a map of the room and dictating where to place sounds based on what speakers you have available. It measures the room and calibrates the sound so you get the right immersive experience you’re looking for.
Which is better?
Since Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio do the same thing, neither is necessarily better or worse. What matters most is the catalog, compatibility, and access to it, and in that area Atmos wins. There’s more music mixed in Atmos, there are more ways to access it, and there are more ways to enjoy it.
360 Reality Audio is broadly the same technology, but takes a slightly different approach. There are several versions of 360 Reality Audio, whether for gaming, music, sound mapping and personalization, that offer a slightly different experience.
The thing is, you don’t really have to choose between the two. 360 Reality Audio technology is more complementary to Atmos on soundbars and sound systems, and we’re almost certain we’ve heard from Sony that its technology is an improvement on Atmos.
Regardless, both are expected to be here for a long time, so you better get ready to listen to movies, TV, and music with immersive sound.
