A Whole New Way to Listen
Technology in an evolving science and audio technology is no different. Apple’s newest sound improvement, spatial audio, allows the listener to feel as if they’re really in the action of the movie they’re watching or the concert they’re listening to. This is thanks to sensors that track the listener’s head movements.
This immersive experience redefines the way we can listen to music, but how does it work? How can your customers use it effectively?
What is Spatial Audio
Spatial Audio can be thought of as 360° sound that immerses the listener in the audio experience. This isn’t the first audio innovation, but it does mean that a point of origin of sound can be “fixed.” The sound changes based on where the listener is in relation to that point. If the listener moves, the sound they hear changes too.
Many of us use our iPhones and iPads to listen to music or watch movies. Apple’s technology uses AirPods Pro or AirPods Max to track the user’s head in relation to their device, which is the fixed point, to adjust their sound accordingly. This means that if you turn your head to the right or left of your device, the ear closer to your screen will hear the sound louder.
Dolby Atmos: Pumping the Audio Up a Notch
Spatial audio works great on its own, but Dolby Atmos improves the experience even more. Dolby Atmos has been around for a while. It’s used to improve movie audio and make the cinema a more immersive experience. Apple’s spatial audio works with Dolby Atmos to make the listening experience even more impressive.
Dolby is primarily a speaker technology. They created virtual height and side channels so that sound seems to be all around the listener. Used with spatial audio, the two offer several layers of sound to bring the listener into the video or music. Think of it as listening to regular music in 2D while listening to that same music with spatial audio and Dolby Atmos is listening to it in 3D.
What Devices and Apps Support Spatial Audio?
In order to get the best experience from spatial audio, your customers should be wearing either Apple AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, or Beats Studio Buds which have the same technology. Most iPhones or iPads released within the last few years should be able to support spatial audio as long as they’ve been updated recently.
A few apps are already compatible with spatial audio, including Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, and more. The major apps that don’t currently support it are YouTube and Amazon Prime TV. However, this could change soon.
In addition to Spatial Audio, these apps have a lot of music and videos to watch with Dolby Atmos. More are being added every day.
If spatial audio doesn’t appeal to your customers, they can turn this feature off under their music settings. Alternatively, if they’re big fans of this feature, they can set it to automatically turn on when used with compatible apps.
Conclusion
Spatial audio is changing the way people can listen to their favorite music and Dolby Atmos is enhancing that experience. While each are great separately, together they pull the listener into the audio, surrounding them and letting be a part of it.
Spatial audio pinpoints where the listener is in relation to their device. It changes the audio as the listener moves, while Dolby Atmos creates a multidimensional layer of sound. Together, they create a 360° sound experience like no other.
Currently spatial audio is only available on Apple and select Beats products, but if your customers have the right equipment, setting up spatial audio is an option they can use to enhance several audio experiences.
If you’re looking for accessories for the newest iPhone products or just want to browse cell phone accessories, be sure to check out Petra’s website. Petra also has products that incorporate Dolby technology, such as TVs and speakers. And for more industry and tech trends, make sure to visit the Petra Blog.