Answers | Q&A (Week of 5.19.25)

Revisiting Dolby Atmos for Music

Question:

In your testing of relatively low-cost Atmos audio, did you conclude with preferring 2.0.2 just for music or also for movies?

—ML

Answer:

The music question, as we hope was clear, is deeply connected to the wide availability of compressed Atmos and the very narrow availability and high cost of less-compressed Atmos. Compression, in our experience, is mostly a bad thing for music. On top of that, good audio equipment with good (uncompressed) recordings can present a believable soundstage and soundspace, so it isn't completely clear that Atmos technology is needed, or superior, even if uncompressed music were available. One side note is that spatial presentation in the recording process is a bit of an art form. If object-based mixing were to improve the percentage of recordings that render space well, that could be an accidental win for Atmos. Of course, more freedom of movement can lead to more trips and falls, so recording probably remains an art form.

Movies are also slightly co…