Which music player has Dolby Atmos?
What is Dolby Atmos?
Dolby Atmos is a revolutionary spatial audio technology developed by Dolby Laboratories that allows sound to be precisely placed and moved in three-dimensional space in recorded media. With traditional surround sound, audio is mixed into specific channels that are then sent to speakers located in pre-defined positions around the room. In contrast, Dolby Atmos audio objects are independent sounds that can be accurately positioned and moved anywhere, including overhead, to match the onscreen visuals. This creates a more immersive listening experience where sounds come from all directions, even above, to simulate a real-world acoustic environment (Source). When played back on a Dolby Atmos system, listeners feel like they are inside the action as sounds flow above and around them.
Why Dolby Atmos Matters for Music
Dolby Atmos provides a more immersive listening experience for music by allowing sounds to come from all around the listener. With traditional stereo music, sounds are limited to the left and right channels. But with Dolby Atmos, music can have height as well, with sounds coming from above the listener. This creates a 3D, 360-degree audio environment.
Artists and producers can take advantage of this by placing specific sounds and instruments all around the listening space. Vocals can come from the center, drums from behind, guitar from the left, and backing vocals from above. This level of precision provides more clarity and detail to pick out each element of a song.
According to an article on Crutchfield, Dolby Atmos allows artists to “create soundscapes that are much more seamless and compelling.” Listeners can become more immersed in the music and get closer to the creative intent.
Overall, Dolby Atmos takes music listening to a new level. Instead of hearing tracks in stereo left and right, listeners are placed in the middle of a dynamic and spatial soundfield. This provides a richer, more enveloping experience that brings out details and nuances like never before.
Music Services with Dolby Atmos
A growing number of music services now offer songs mixed in Dolby Atmos, providing an immersive listening experience. Here are some of the major services with Dolby Atmos music catalogs:
Apple Music launched Dolby Atmos in June 2021, making it the first music streaming service to offer songs in Dolby Atmos. The Apple Music catalog contains thousands of Dolby Atmos tracks across various genres like pop, classical, country, hip hop, and more. Songs are streamed in Dolby Atmos on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, as well as the built-in speakers in the latest iPhones, iPads, and Macs. According to Apple, Dolby Atmos offers “breakthrough audio that flows all around you with incredible clarity and depth.”
Amazon Music HD rolled out support for Dolby Atmos in May 2021. Subscribers can stream thousands of songs remixed in Dolby Atmos through Amazon Music HD on the Amazon Echo Studio smart speaker and other supported devices. Amazon touts the technology as giving music a “multidimensional listening experience” by placing sounds in space all around the listener.
Tidal began offering Dolby Atmos Music in late 2020. The streaming service has one of the largest catalogs of songs available in Dolby Atmos, with hundreds of tracks across pop, hip hop, classical, jazz, and other genres. Tidal promotes Dolby Atmos as transporting “you into the studio with the artist” for a fully immersive musical experience.
Headphones with Dolby Atmos Support
Several major headphone manufacturers now offer models with support for Dolby Atmos, which provides an immersive listening experience with spatial audio and surround sound. Some key headphones with Dolby Atmos include:
Sony’s premium WH-1000XM5 headphones feature Dolby Atmos support. According to Sony, this enables the headphones to produce a more enveloping soundstage with improved width and depth.
Select Bose noise cancelling headphones also have Dolby Atmos, such as the Bose QuietComfort 45. Bose notes Dolby Atmos can recreate the feeling of listening to audio through multiple speakers surrounding you.
Apple’s AirPods Pro and AirPods Max both support Dolby Atmos spatial audio when used with Apple devices. This allows for more immersion when listening to music, movies, and games.
Beats headphones with Dolby Atmos include the Beats Fit Pro earbuds and the over-ear Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones. According to Beats, Dolby Atmos delivers breakthrough audio that flows all around you.
Bluetooth Speakers with Dolby Atmos
A number of popular Bluetooth speaker manufacturers have released models with support for Dolby Atmos, which provides an immersive, multidimensional sound experience. This allows the speakers to create a more realistic and enveloping audio environment.
JBL recently announced new portable Bluetooth speakers such as the PartyBox Encore Essential and PartyBox 310 that include Dolby Atmos capabilities. These speakers aim to deliver powerful 360-degree sound while maintaining the convenience of wireless connectivity and portability. According to JBL, Dolby Atmos provides “breathtaking realism” by using overhead channels to add height and depth to the listening experience.
Anker’s Soundcore Select Pro portable Bluetooth speaker also features Dolby Atmos support. With 40W of total power, independent tweeters and woofers, and Anker’s BassUp technology, the Select Pro aims to bring cinematic sound to any location.
Sony’s SRS-XG500 Bluetooth speaker utilizes up-firing speakers and Sony’s X-Balanced Speaker Unit to create three-dimensional sound with Dolby Atmos. The XG500 features a battery life up to 30 hours and IP66 water resistance making it suitable for outdoor use.
Bose recently launched the SoundLink Flex Bluetooth speaker with proprietary PositionIQ technology and Dolby Atmos support for an immersive listening experience. Weighing under 1.3 pounds, the rugged SoundLink Flex delivers clear audio with deep lows.
Home Audio Systems with Dolby Atmos
Several leading home audio brands offer receivers and speaker systems with support for Dolby Atmos surround sound. This allows you to experience immersive, multidimensional audio in your living room.
For example, Sonos sells the Sonos Amp which can connect to up to two pairs of speakers for Dolby Atmos playback when paired with a Dolby Atmos-enabled TV. Denon makes many AV receivers that support Dolby Atmos configurations using height, ceiling, or upward-firing speakers.
Yamaha also has a range of AV receivers with Dolby Atmos, allowing you to build a surround sound system with up to 11 channels. Many LG TVs also include Dolby Atmos decoding built-in, so you can get immersive audio from the TV’s speakers alone or by connecting it to a compatible soundbar or speaker setup.
With the right gear, you can bring the 3D spaciousness and soundscapes of Dolby Atmos into your living room for movies, TV, music, and gaming.
TVs with Dolby Atmos Support
Several major TV manufacturers have models that support Dolby Atmos. This allows you to get immersive Dolby Atmos sound when watching movies, TV shows, and playing games that have Dolby Atmos audio tracks. Some key TV brands with Dolby Atmos support include:
LG – Many of LG’s premium OLED TVs include Dolby Atmos support, including models in their C1, C2, G1, and G2 series. Dolby Atmos enabled LG TVs can decode Dolby Atmos content and output it through the built-in speakers or HDMI ARC connection.
Sony – Select Sony Bravia TVs also have Dolby Atmos, such as their X95K LED 4K TV lineup. Sony TVs with Dolby Atmos provide an immersive audio experience and can pass the Dolby Atmos signal to a compatible soundbar or AV receiver.
Samsung – Many of Samsung’s 2022 Neo QLED 8K and 4K TVs come equipped with Object Tracking Sound and Dolby Atmos. This includes models like the QN90B, QN85B, and QN800B TVs.
Vizio – Select Vizio TV models also support Dolby Atmos pass through via HDMI ARC or eARC, such as their V-Series, P-Series Quantum X, and OLED TV lineup. This provides an upgraded Dolby Atmos audio experience.
Game Consoles with Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos support is becoming increasingly common in newer game consoles, providing more immersive audio for gaming. Two of the major consoles with Dolby Atmos capabilities are the Xbox Series X/S and the PlayStation 5.
The Xbox Series X and Series S were the first consoles to support both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. With Dolby Atmos enabled, games on Xbox can produce 360-degree sound that surrounds you, with precise placement of sounds like footsteps and gunfire. Popular Xbox games with Dolby Atmos support include Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.
The PlayStation 5 also supports Dolby Atmos for immersive game audio. While PS5 does not support Dolby Vision, it can decode Dolby Atmos sound from Blu-ray discs and streaming apps. Dolby Atmos enabled PS5 games include Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, and Gran Turismo 7.
To experience Dolby Atmos gaming on Xbox Series X/S or PS5, you need a compatible audio setup. This can include a Dolby Atmos soundbar, AV receiver and speaker system, or a headset designed for Dolby Atmos.
Desktops/Laptops with Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos for PC provides an immersive listening experience on Windows and Mac laptops and desktops. With Dolby Atmos enabled, music, movies, and games come alive with richness, clarity, and depth. Some key models with native Dolby Atmos support include:
On Windows laptops like the Surface Laptop 4, Dolby Atmos creates a three-dimensional soundstage that surrounds you with detail and depth. Other Windows laptops with Dolby Atmos support include gaming models from ASUS, Alienware, Razer, and more.
For MacBooks, models with Apple silicon like the MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch have system-wide Dolby Atmos support. Older Intel-based MacBooks can also enable Dolby Atmos through iTunes or the Apple Music app.
On desktops, Dolby Atmos is supported on Windows 10 and 11 PCs and Macs running macOS. High-end gaming desktops often come Dolby Atmos certified for immersive audio with headphones and speakers.
Overall, Dolby Atmos support is becoming more widespread on laptops and desktops, bringing more immersive and detailed audio to music, movies, games, and more.
How to Get Dolby Atmos
To experience Dolby Atmos music, you’ll need a compatible device and a music service that provides Dolby Atmos tracks. Dolby Atmos is supported on select Android and iOS devices, Windows 10 and 11 PCs, certain gaming consoles, and some streaming devices like the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K.
For mobile devices, you’ll need a phone or tablet running Android 10 or higher or iOS 14.6 or later. On Android, devices from Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus and other brands support Dolby Atmos playback over headphones. For iPhones and iPads, any model from the iPhone 7 or iPad Pro 2nd gen and later will work.
On Windows PCs, Dolby Atmos is built into Windows 10 version 1703 and later or Windows 11. You’ll need headphones or speakers connected via Bluetooth, USB, or 3.5mm to hear Dolby Atmos music. Gaming consoles like the Xbox Series X/S also support Dolby Atmos through certain games and media apps.
For music services, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Tidal all offer libraries of songs mixed in Dolby Atmos that you can access if you have a compatible device. So with the right gear and music service subscription, getting started with Dolby Atmos music is straightforward.