What is Dolby Atmos?
Dolby Atmos is a new 3D surround sound technology that is marketed as a spatial sound. Embraced as the successor of the traditional surround sound (5.1 and 7.1), Atmos is a lot more clever when sending sounds to your speaker system or headphones. While traditional surround technologies use 5 or 7 separate channels to distribute sounds, Atmos doesn’t use channels at all. Instead, it creates a surround effect by mapping sounds to virtual locations in 3D space, which also adds height to the whole surround equation. This is why all high-end sound systems with Atmos support include a ceiling-mounted speaker (or a floor speaker that bounces the sound off the ceiling). This all makes for a smoother, more realistic surround sound, otherwise impossible via the traditional channel-based approach. However, if you want to embrace the full power of Atmos, Windows 10 support is not enough. You’ll need to purchase an Atmos-enabled receiver capable of positioning these sounds in 3D space. In addition to that, your PC needs to be capable of outputting via HDMI.
Dolby Atmos for Headphones
The Windows 10 Creators Update also added a separate Dolby Atmos feature called Dolby Atmos for headphones. Instead of using an Atmos-compatible receiver and a special speaker setup, Dolby Atmos for headphones uses a digital signal processor (DSP). In other words, it fetches sounds from your PC and mixes it digitally for an improved spatial sound. While this doesn’t achieve the sound quality of the main Dolby Atmos technology (via receiver), it makes up for an improved positional sound experience with every headset, headphones or earbuds. It’s extremely helpful for games because it makes it easier to pinpoint where the sounds are coming from.
How to Enable Dolby Atmos on Windows 10
If you decide to give Dolby Atmos a try, you’ll need to download a dedicated app from the Windows Store first. Whether you already have an Atmos-enabled home theater or you want to try our Dolby Atmos for Headphones, you’ll need to download Dolby Access first. You can do this either by accessing the store link (here) or by right-clicking the sound icon in the bottom-right section of your taskbar and going to Spatial Sound > Dolby Atmos for Headphones. Both methods will take you to the same Dolby Acess store listing. Once there, press the Get button to download Dolby Acess on your system. When the download is complete, follow the guide below to set up an Atmos-enabled home theater (if you already have the right equipment). If you want to try a piece of Atmos for free, follow the second guide to set up Dolby Atmos for headphones.
How to Set up a Dolby Atmos Home Theater on Windows 10
Unlike Dolby Atmos for headphones, you won’t need to purchase a subscription or opt for a trial in order to configure your Atmos-enabled home theater – it’s “enough” to buy the hardware. If you have the right hardware (Atmos receiver + PC with HDMI output), follow the guide below to enable Dolby Atmos for a home theater on Windows 10:
How to Set up a Dolby Atmos for Headphones on Windows 10
If you decide to try the inexpensive version of Dolby Atmos, you should now that the technology is not free. Well, actually it is, but just for 30 days. After the trial period, you’ll need to spend $15 to get the technology indefinitely. It’s unclear why Microsoft choose to integrate this technology with Windows 10, considering the fact that they released Sonic for Headphones at the same time – a technology almost identical to Dolby Atmos for headphones. Whatever the reasons, it’s clear that Microsoft didn’t pay the full licensing fees for Dolby Headphones, so Windows users can’t use the technology for free. As a result, you can try Dolby Atmos for headphones for free only for a limited period of time (30-day trial). But the good news is the 30-day trial won’t require you to enter your credit card details. If you decide to give it a try, follow the guide below to set up Dolby Atmos for headphones on Windows 10: That’s it, Dolby Atmos is now configured for your headphones. You can return to the Dolby Access app to experience a list of curated videos, encoded with the Atmos technology. Note: Keep in mind that not all media content will see an improvement while this option is activated. In order to witness the improvements with the new positional awareness feature, try playing a game or watch a video that is configured to work with Dolby Atmos. If you decide to disable Dolby Atmos for headphones while the trial is still active, simply right-click on your sound icon (bottom-right corner) and set the Spatial Sound to Off.
Microsoft’s Free Alternative
Along with support for Dolby Atmos, Microsoft also implemented a built-in alternative to Dolby Atmos for headphones in the Creator’s Update. Technology-wise, Windows Sonic for Headphones does roughly the same thing as Atmos, but some argue it’s somewhat inferior to the Dolby alternative. But since audio quality can be very subjective, we won’t jump the fence and designate a clear winner in the DSP department. To enable Windows Sonic for Headphones, move over to the bottom-right section of the taskbar and right-click on the sound icon. From there go to Spatial Sound and click on Windows Sonic for Headphones.
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