Spatial 3d Audio

[Umbelina Baublitz]

Duringits WWDC keynote briefing in June 2020, Apple announced something that really piqued our interest and sounded like a potential game-changer: spatial audio. Nearly four years on, this 3D audio technology has really gained traction in the Apple and wider world.

The feature first arrived for movies and TV shows as part of iOS 14 in September 2020 and was then released on Apple Music on 7th June 2021. Since then, spatial audio has been extended to tvOS for use with the Apple TV 4K, with Macs powered by the company's latest M1 chip and in conjunction with select AirPods headphones and earbuds. As of late 2023, Apple's HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini smart speakers also have spatial audio support, as does Sonos's latest five-star Era 300 speaker.

So how do you get Apple Spatial Audio? How does the implementation differ between movies and music? And how does it compare to Dolby Atmos? Answers to those questions are just a short scroll away, folks...

Apple spatial audio takes 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos signals and applies directional audio filters, adjusting the frequencies that each ear hears so that sounds can be placed virtually anywhere in 3D space. Sounds appear to be coming from in front of you, from the sides, the rear and even above. The idea is to recreate the audio experience of a cinema where, of course, speakers and sound literally surround you.

This is not the first technology of its type. Dolby Atmos for Headphones has been around for some time now, while Sony has its own 360 Reality Audio format for music (available on Tidal and Amazon Music, for instance).

Apple Spatial Audio was initially launched as part of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, and Apple released the newer Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos feature for Apple Music on the 7th June 2021 as part of the free iOS and iPadOS 14.6 software updates.

There are newer products from Apple (including the top Beats models with an Apple silicon chip) that support spatial audio, and we imagine that any future headphones (such as the upcoming AirPods Max 2 and AirPods Pro 3) will include spatial audio as standard.

On the software side of things, as long as an app supports 5.1, 7.1 and/or Atmos, it will work with spatial audio. That list already includes Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, HBO Go, Hulu and of course Apple TV+. This means that owners of a compatible iPhone/iPad and AirPods can watch TV shows and films with surround sound and the spatial audio effect.

To listen in spatial audio using an iPhone or iPad, make sure you're wearing compatible AirPods that are connected to the device, and have an app open (Disney+ or Apple Music, for instance). Open up your device's Command Centre by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen, then press and hold the headphone volume icon. On the panel that pops open, you will see a Spatial Audio icon in the bottom row.

Press the Spatial Audio (or Spatialise Stereo when playing Apple Music) icon to choose between three further options: Off, Fixed and Head Tracked. Choose Head Tracked if you want to deploy spatial audio and dynamic head tracking, while Fixed refers to spatial audio only. If you want to stick with good old stereo, simply tap Off.

Additionally, if you want to listen to Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos songs on Apple Music, you have to turn the option on in the app first. On your iPhone, head to Settings > Music and then scroll down to the Audio section. You'll see a Dolby Atmos setting and can choose between Automatic, Always On and Off. Automatic means that the Dolby Atmos version will play correctly and automatically whenever connected to the compatible AirPods or Beats and with the Spatial Audio (or Spatialise Stereo) turned on. Crucially, don't use this setting if you're using third-party headphones. If you switch this option to Always On, the non-Apple headphones will play back the Dolby Atmos tracks correctly.

For listening to the Dolby Atmos tracks in Apple Music on a HomePod, Apple TV 4K, MacBook or Android device, simply find the settings for the Apple Music app (or just Music settings) and turn on Automatic or Always On accordingly.

The way the audio is tied to the screen is incredibly effective and the extra openness and spaciousness to the sound makes for a much more cinematic and engaging experience. There appears to be a slight drop off in terms of directness and punch, but it's not huge and, broadly speaking, spatial audio so far appears to be a very worthwhile upgrade.

To quote our AirPods Max review, "All told, the effect is superb. The whole presentation is very open, spacious and convincing, and the tracking is amazingly smooth and accurate as you move your head.

There are now thousands of Dolby Atmos-powered spatial audio tracks available in Apple Music's catalogue. Curated Dolby Atmos playlists have been created by Apple, too. Apple Music Classical features songs in Spatial Audio as well.

We found the same still during the flagship AirPods Pro 2 review: "As before, some tracks fare better than others, and overall we still prefer the stability and tight cohesion of the original stereo mix."

The spatial audio delivery on the latest HomePod fared better. We said in our HomePod 2 review: "A stereo pair of HomePods is particularly beneficial with Dolby Atmos tracks, which sound even more open and three-dimensional, with very impressive spatial placement of voices and instruments."

The answer is yes! Sonos confirmed on 28th March 2023 that the Era 300, plus its Arc and Beam Gen 2 soundbars, would become the first products outside of Apple's ecosystem to support spatial audio tracks on Apple Music. It was a welcome confirmation: the Arc and Beam Gen 2 already supported Dolby Atmos playback with TVs and movies, and the Era 300 was originally set to launch with only Amazon Music Unlimited's Atmos tracks supported. With Apple Music's large library of spatial audio tracks available, it's great to see both brands delivering more choices to their customers through this agreement.

The Era 300 was designed specifically for spatial audio playback and is a direct (albeit more expensive) rival to Apple's own HomePod 2. Sonos's efforts are certainly impressive, with the Era 300 delivering the most convincing spatial audio music experience we've heard yet. It's more immersive than the HomePod 2, which sounds comparatively small-scaled when playing the same spatial audio tracks.

Indeed, how the songs have been mixed in spatial audio has a big impact on how effective the effect is, whether you're listening on headphones or through speakers. There are spatial audio tracks where the spatial audio effect is beneficially immersive and entertaining, but there are also songs that feel far too removed from their original stereo mix.

As Apple's spatial audio becomes more and more ubiquitous (and is inspiring many other brands to adopt this immersive format in different ways), we can see it becoming a typical fixture in future products from now on.

Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products (not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars) for over 15 years. He began his career as What Hi-Fi?'s Staff Writer and is now the TV and AV Editor. In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder. He's also appeared on BBC News, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and Sky Swipe. In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer.","contributorText":"With contributions from","contributors":["name":"Kashfia Kabir","role":"Hi-Fi and Audio Editor","link":"href":"https:\/\/www.whathifi.com\/author\/kashfia-kabir"]}), " -0-10/js/authorBio.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); Tom ParsonsSocial Links NavigationTom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products (not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars) for over 15 years. He began his career as What Hi-Fi?'s Staff Writer and is now the TV and AV Editor. In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder. He's also appeared on BBC News, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and Sky Swipe. In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer.

You can find TV shows and movies with spatial audio on your device by searching "spatial audio" in the Netflix app. Titles available with spatial audio will have the spatial audio label next to their description.

If you've ever wondered what Apple spatial audio is and whether you need it, then you've come to the right place. Spatial audio is 360-degree sound format that recreates a surround effect through a pair of speakers, including headphones and even a tiny pair of earbuds.

When spatial audio first arrived it was mostly seen as a format for enhance video playback when using Apple's original AirPods Pro earbuds and AirPods Max headphones, but spatial audio content is also available on Apple Music as well.

That sounds like plain, old, living room surround sound, right? Except with certain hardware, spatial audio can keep those origin points in place even when the speakers themselves are moving, namely on headphones like Apple's AirPods Pro, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Max.

The most important thing is making sure you have the right hardware. Right now, spatial audio-compatible headphones run to AirPods Pro (both 1st and 2nd Generation models), AirPods Max, AirPods (3rd Generation), and Beats Fit Pro. Several of the older models didn't originally launch with spatial audio support, but will be supported automatically with the latest firmware update.

However, for Apple Music spatial audio content, Apple says that any headphones will be able to play songs with spatial audio. On Apple and Beats headphones with a W1 or H1 chip, spatial audio will be enabled automatically, but for any other headphones you just need to switch Dolby Atmos to "Always On" in Apple Music app's settings.

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