Understanding Spatial Audio: A Comprehensive Guide
If you're in the market for new audio equipment, you've likely encountered the term "spatial audio." Spatial audio is a much sought-after feature offered within a wide range of products, from audio options such as some of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars and best earbuds and best VR headsets, to source devices such as a smartphone, tablet or TV.
But what exactly is it? Spatial audio, sometimes called 3D audio effects, or in its various guises including (but not limited to) DTS:X, Dolby Atmos, 360 Reality Audio, THX Spatial Audio and Dirac Virtuo - is processing tech which manipulates the sound coming from the drivers in your tower speaker(s), headphones, soundbar, tablet, laptop or smartphone, to make music and movies sound like they're taking place in the space around you.
The point of spatial audio is to create a surround-sound effect to make music, movies and games sound more immersive, as though they’re occurring all around you - including overhead - rather than in one place. No longer will the audio in your TV sound like it’s coming from one distant point in your living room: it’ll be taking place all around you. Yes, those bullets can fly past your shoulder.
Press material for the Dolby Atmos sound system (Image credit: Dolby)
What is Spatial Audio?
Spatial audio is an approach to sound that builds on more traditional surround sound formats - like 5.1 - and adds a new layer of realism and depth to the listening experience. Unlike traditional stereo sound, which delivers audio through two channels - left and right - spatial audio creates a sense of three-dimensional space. This allows listeners to perceive sounds coming from all directions - not just front-to-back and side-to-side, but also above and below - as if they were part of the surrounding environment.
Imagine being in a crowded restaurant. You can hear voices from every angle, the clink of glasses behind you, maybe music playing overhead. Spatial audio is a set of underlying technologies that allow audio engineers to replicate this natural, immersive sound experience. It’s not confined to just music; spatial audio enhances the experience in film, gaming, podcasts, and more.
But what’s the meaning of spatial audio in a technical sense? It’s all about using advanced algorithms and audio techniques, like head-related transfer functions - HRTF - or object-based mixing engines, to more flexibly position sounds in 3D space around the listener.
Object-Based Audio
Object-based audio lets each sound element act as its own "object." Metadata - like an X, Y, Z coordinate system - tells the system where that object should be placed in 3D space. This creates more flexible and immersive sound experiences, since audio can be adjusted depending on the playback setup or listener's position.
Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTF)
HRTFs on the other hand describe how sound changes as it interacts with a listener's head, ears, and torso before reaching the eardrum.
Spatial Audio vs. 3D Audio: Are They the Same?
A common question that arises when discussing these concepts is, “Are 3D audio and spatial audio the same?” The answer is nuanced. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they aren’t exactly synonymous.
3D audio may often refer to any audio playback technology that is capable of giving the impression of three-dimensional space. This includes sounds coming from in front, behind, above, or below the listener. In this sense, 3D audio is more of a broad concept that encompasses spatial audio as one method of achieving immersive sound.
However, spatial audio more typically refers to a set of underlying technologies that enable 3D audio, like Dolby Atmos, THX Spatial Creator, or Sony 360 Reality Audio - to name a few.
What is Immersive Audio?
Immersive sound - or audio - is another important term to define. Immersive audio refers to a sound experience that surrounds the listener, creating a sense of depth and space. It gives the impression that sound is coming from all around, including above and below, making the audio more engaging and lifelike.
The audio technology used to create immersive audio experiences often uses multi-channel setups or object-based mixing, which allows sounds to be precisely positioned in a 3D space.
Applications in Music, Film, and Gaming
Spatial audio enhances your music-listening or movie-watching experience in myriad ways, and it's actually better than surround sound in one way: it can make audio sound like it has a vertical component too, not just a horizontal one.
Music
In the world of music production, spatial audio offers new creative possibilities for artists and producers. No longer confined to two speakers, they can craft songs where instruments and vocals exist in a 3D space. For example, a vocal track might seem to be positioned right in front of you, while synths float overhead, and reverbs and delays trail off behind you.
Platforms like Apple Music and Tidal are already supporting spatial audio, giving listeners an enriched experience with tracks specifically mixed for this format. Meanwhile, mixes created with THX Spatial Creator can be experienced on any platform and any pair of headphones. Whatever the method, artists are using spatial audio to create more immersive music, with greater emotional impact and depth, where every instrument has its own space in the mix.
A promotional image for Sony's 360 Reality Audio (Image credit: Sony)
If you’re listening to rock, the rhythm guitar might be noticeably to one side while the lead guitar is on the other. In jazz, you’ll be able to hear the different instruments spread out as though you’re in a smoky bar listening to a quartet live. Turn on some classical and it’ll be like you’re in a concert hall: violins to one side, cellos to the other, brass as far away as possible.
This all helps you appreciate the intricacies and nuances of a song, and also makes music feel all-encompassing and immersive rather than something being dripped into your ear by some inexpensive earbuds.
Film
Since the release of Brave in 2012, spatial and immersive audio have become essential in modern filmmaking, particularly with formats like Dolby Atmos. These technologies allow sound designers to place audio objects dynamically within a 3D space, which dramatically enhances the storytelling experience.
One of the reasons why a movie theater is so immersive is that the audio speakers are all around you, and it means that sounds are too: a lightsaber wooshing on the left of the screen will sound like it’s coming from your left, while a romantic line echoed in the character’s right ear will come from the right of the screen, and an all-encompassing battle scene will sound like it’s all around you.
Spatial audio is essentially a way for your headphones, TV or other sound-giving device to give you a similar performance but on a smaller scale. Sound will be panned to different areas around you, so you feel immersed in the audio-visual experience as the story plays out around you.
For filmmakers, spatial audio means more than just effects. It enables richer narrative experiences by carefully positioning sound to guide the viewer's attention. Imagine the roar of dragons overhead in a fantasy movie - that’s the power of spatial sound.
Gaming
Gaming has arguably seen the most widespread adoption of 3D sound. In games, audio plays a critical role in immersion, helping players locate enemies, navigate environments, and feel the atmosphere of a game world. Whether you're playing a first-person shooter or exploring an open-world RPG, spatial audio heightens the realism of the experience by placing sounds in specific locations around you.
And when gaming, Spatial Audio options like Razer THX or JBL Quantum are arguably even more important than ever. They'll let you fully submerge yourself into a world you're exploring, alert you to the sparkle of a collectible nearby, or hear an enemy tip-toeing around behind you so you can accurately pin-point where they are.
Spatial audio in gaming is more than just a technical upgrade - it’s a key component of gameplay. For instance, in games like Fortnite or Call of Duty, the ability to hear the direction of gunfire or approaching footsteps can be a matter of survival.
How to Get Spatial Audio
Essentially, to enjoy spatial audio you’ll need a device that supports it, and will (usually) also need to find a video or song that's been encoded in a format that supports spatial or 3D audio. There are a few different names for spatial audio offered by companies, so when you’re buying a new set of cans, earbuds, soundbar or the like, check out its feature list to see if it’s compatible.
- Apple has a list of its compatible devices.
- You can also check out Sony's rundown of its 360 Reality Audio.
- Want Dolby Atmos? See Dolby's list of Dolby Atmos compatible devices here.
Given that spatial audio, under its various monikers, is a big selling point, you’ll likely see it talked about in promotional materials for any new product.
Apple's AirPods are one of the products which supports Apple's head-tracked Spatial Audio (Image credit: Future)
Next up, content. So, movies: you’ll need to watch something that supports spatial audio, and this is where it can get a little bit tricky. It all depends on which service you get your entertainment from and which video or song you’re trying to play.
If you want to use spatial audio to enjoy music, there are select streaming services you can use freely - the big ones are Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music Unlimited. At the time of writing, Spotify and Google Play Music don’t offer spatial audio catalogues, but patents suggest that the former, at least, is looking into it.
For movies and TV shows, most streaming services offer some spatial audio content, but it's almost always locked behind premium subscription tiers. On Netflix and Disney Plus you need to be a Premium subscriber, Paramount Plus requires you to be on its Paramount Plus with Showtime plan and Max needs you to sign up to its Ultimate tier. Even then, not all content will have Spatial Audio, but a lot more does, especially blockbuster movies. Apple TV Plus supports Spatial Audio on its sole plan while Prime Video has it on certain videos, and again you won’t need to pay any extra for that. Most streamers have a tag for spatial audio movies and shows, but not all do. A fairly well-hidden Netflix tag lists all of its compatible offerings, though.
It’s well-worth pointing out, however, that a few products offer a faux-spatial audio that creates a similar effect for movies or songs that don’t officially support the feature in itself - see the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra for starters. It’s a nice workaround for those who don’t want to pay out the ears for a premium streaming service.
These days, most songs and albums on the best music streaming services can be upscaled to spatial audio by the proprietary tech baked right into headphones or earbuds that boast it, simply by toggling it on in the companion app. But there are a few ecosystem caveats: to get head-tracked Spatial Audio (which is the term Apple uses) in your AirPods Max, AirPods 3 or AirPods Pro 2, for example, you'll need to be streaming content from an iOS device also.
But as long as you toggle it on from your iPhone (which is done by opening Control Center, touching and holding the volume control, then tapping Spatial Audio at the lower right) you'll get regular Spatial Audio on any headphones - wired or wireless, from your iPhone. And consider the newer Sonos Ace headphones. These deliver spatial audio Sonos ecosystem magic if you have a Sonos soundbar. Pair the Ace with your Sonos Arc (support for other soundbars is promised via update in later summer or fall 2024) to take the sound from your 'bar and pump it to your ears, using head-tracked 3D spatial audio. In our review, we said it "works perfectly, and sounds absolutely fantastic…I think they're my favorite headphones for movies to date.". This Dolby Atmos spatial audio support extends to Bluetooth devices too, and this is easily the best features on the Ace headphones' spec-sheet.
How to Create Spatial Audio at Home
Now that we've explored the possibilities of spatial audio, you might be wondering how to create these immersive soundscapes in your own music or sound design projects. Fortunately, the process is simpler than ever.
One popular method is to use plugins, like THX Spatial Creator, within your digital audio workstation. You’ll also find an increasing number of DAWs that support Atmos natively, including Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Studio One, Nuendo, Cubase, and more. These tools allow you to position sounds in a virtual 3D space. They use HRTF technology to simulate how our ears determine directionality, adding realistic reflections and spatial cues.
To get started with creating spatial sound:
- Use headphones: While spatial audio can be experienced on speaker setups, headphones are the most affordable entry into 3D audio - and one which you’ll find a great many listeners also use.
- Position audio in 3D space: Plugins like THX Spatial Creator let you place individual sound elements in specific positions. For example, a background vocals could be placed to the sides, while lead vocals stay centered, and background effects swirl overhead.
- Experiment with motion: Many spatial audio tools allow you to add movement to sound.
Spatial Audio: Do You Need It?
As with most things in the world of audio buzzwords, you don't need spatial audio; it's not like you literally won't be able to enjoy your music, game or movie without it. Instead, spatial audio is simply a way to enhance the listening experience; worth it if you can afford the tech and put a lot of value in immersive entertainment.
A promotional image for DTS:X (Image credit: DTS)
For watching movies and TV shows, spatial audio will put you several steps closer towards creating an all-encompassing home entertainment system. With more and more new movies hitting streaming services instead of theaters, it's a valuable investment.
In terms of music, audiophiles may enjoy the nuance that spatial audio brings to sounds, but it's worth pointing out that spatial audio isn't the same as high-fidelty music, and if you have to pick only one new sound tech to get involved with, hi-res audio might help you better enjoy the detail in your music.
It's in the gaming realm that spatial audio is perhaps most important; not only is immersion (arguably) a more important factor, but being able to hear sound from all directions can be vitally useful in competitive games.
The Future of Sound Design
The future of sound design almost inevitably includes more immersive experiences. As more industries embrace spatial and immersive audio, we can expect widespread changes in how we experience media.
In music, spatial audio seems to be here to stay, with major platforms investing heavily in it and more artists mixing their tracks to take full advantage of this technology. In cinema, immersive audio will continue to push the boundaries of storytelling, creating worlds that audiences feel they are truly a part of. And in gaming, 3D audio will remain an integral feature of next-gen consoles and virtual reality systems, shaping how players experience their virtual worlds.
As spatial audio becomes more accessible, with tools like the THX Spatial Creator plugin, and Dolby Atmos support in an increasing number of audio workstations, audio professionals and hobbyists alike can produce high-quality 3D mixes without needing a cost-prohibitive setup.
Experience Spatial Audio with Sonos
Sonos Era 300 or Sonos Arc Ultra speakers feature cutting-edge technology that allow you to effortlessly experience spatial audio at home.
3D Positional Audio Effects
3D Positional Audio effects emerged in the 1990s in PC and video game consoles. Some amusement parks have created attractions based around the principles of 3-D audio. One example is Sounds Dangerous! at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Guests wear special earphones as they watch a short film starring comedian Drew Carey. At a point in the film, the screen goes dark while a 3-D audio sound-track immerses the guests in the ongoing story. To ensure that the effect is heard properly, the earphone covers are color-coded to indicate how they should be worn.
There have been developments in using 3D audio for DJ performances including the world's first Dolby Atmos event on 23 January 2016 held at Ministry of Sound, London.
In November 2024 it was announced that the US Air Force had awarded a $9 million contract to Danish defense company Terma A/S, to supply its 3-D audio system for the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, with a program of upgrades over the next two years.