Most often heard in movie theaters, surround sound adds depth to audio effects and music by projecting sounds from above, below, behind, and in front of a listener, as well as from the left and the right.
Surround sound is currently available in lots of consumer devices, including home theaters and gaming consoles, through popular formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. You can even experience surround sound using headphones, thanks to software magic.
And now, Apple has introduced surround sound—using Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos—to Apple Music. Here's what you need to know.
What’s New on Apple Music?
If you have an Apple Music subscription, you can now listen to a wide selection of songs in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos as part of your subscription. However, if you aren't on Apple Music, you need to either start a free trial or sign up.
If you don’t want to get a paid subscription, there are several other ways to get Apple Music for free.
Not all songs are available in surround sound, only those that were uploaded to the service with a Dolby Atmos mix.
What Is Dolby Atmos?
Dolby Atmos is an audio format that utilizes surround sound technology, allowing you to perceive sound in a three-dimensional space.
Conventional multichannel technology assigns sounds or audio tracks to specific channels sent out through speakers (think of speakers surrounding the movie theater). Thinking back to stereo, that would mean the several recordings that make up a song are combined into two channels played through left and right speakers.
In contrast, Dolby Atmos assigns a sound to a point in the three-dimensional space, creating a more immersive sound experience.
While we all know that movies use Dolby Atmos for a more realistic listening experience, a lot of musicians also take advantage of the technology to enhance their recordings.
Part of the magic of Dolby Atmos is that you don't need a lot of different speakers to experience surround sound. In fact, software magic allows you to experience it through compatible headphones or soundbars.
What Is Apple’s Spatial Audio?
Introduced with iOS 14, Spatial Audio is really Apple's name for surround sound, simulated through a stereo speaker or headphone setup, like Dolby Atmos offers. This allows you to experience three-dimensional sound using surround sound formats like Dolby Atmos, 5.1, and 7.1 mixes.
The other element of Spatial Audio, is that it offers dynamic head tracking, which creates the impression that the audio from your headphones is still coming from your screen even as you turn your head or move around the room.
Apple has announced plans to bring dynamic head tracking to Apple Music in fall.
Who Can Use Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos?
To experience Dolby Atmos music, you need three things:
- A Dolby Atmos-enabled device
- A streaming service that streams music in Dolby Atmos
- Music that is mixed and rendered in Dolby Atmos.
If you have a Dolby Atmos-enabled device and a streaming service, say Apple Music or Amazon Music HD, you can go right on and enjoy great music.
If you have an Apple Music subscription, you can listen to songs in Spatial Audio on Apple Music using any of the following options:
- AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max
- BeatsX, Beats Solo3 Wireless, Beats Studio3, Powerbeats3 Wireless, Beats Flex, Powerbeats Pro, or Beats Solo Pro
- On-device speakers for iPhone XR or later
What Hi-Fi has reported that Spatial Audio is actually available for all headphones, though Apple has been less clear on the matter. It's possible to enable this feature for all headphones by going to Settings > Music > Dolby Atmos > Always On. But the fact that Apple doesn't enable this by default makes us think the feature isn't optimized for all headphones.
You need to update your iPad or iPhone to iPadOS or iOS 14.6 and your Mac to macOS 11.4. If you’re planning to listen on your Apple TV 4K, update it to tvOS 14.6.
The only difference between listening through built-in speakers of most modern Apple devices and all AirPods and Beats headphones with H1 or W1 chips versus third-party headphones is that Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks by default on the former.
To clarify, Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking will only be available with select audio devices, that is, the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.
How to Know If the Song Is a Dolby Atmos Track?
Aside from the song having more depth, you should find the Dolby Atmos badge in Now Playing.
To add, Apple Music makes it easier for you to find these songs by curating playlists listing Dolby Atmos tracks in several categories like Hits and Rock.
The Future of Music Has Arrived
Technology is bringing you to a musical experience that is as close as you can get to the real thing, immersing you inside the music itself. With Spatial Audio in Apple Music, it’s like you’re in the same recording room or a concert with your favorite artist.