Are Dolby Atmos Soundbars Worth It? (Know This FIRST!)

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Dolby Atmos sound systems come in a premium price ticket, so you might be thinking about if the Dolby Atmos soundbars are any good.

Dolby Atmos can change the way you experience music or watch movies.

Are Dolby Atmos Soundbars Worth it? Dolby Atmos delivers a multidimensional engineered soundscape with more detail and a lifelike audio experience that moves and flows around. Dolby Atmos sound systems are unmatched in the listening experience they deliver and are worth the money.  

You can check the real sound difference by listening to the Atmos Music demo by Dolby. Here Dolby compares their Dolby Atmos with a surround sound system.

Why Should you Trust Me? Hi, I am Anirban Saha, an Engineer with a Specialization in Electronics and Communication Engineering. I have experience in Smart TVs, Electronics circuits, and Computer peripherals.

Let’s get started!

How does Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker technology work?

As per Dolby, Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker technology produces overhead sounds through a combination of psychoacoustic signal processing, precise angling of the speaker drivers, and specific directivity requirements.

Dolby provides these requirements to manufacturers to ensure that their certified speakers will perform properly in a Dolby Atmos system for the home.

Importantly, these requirements are flexible enough to allow manufacturers to incorporate and maintain their unique sonic and industrial design philosophies when developing their own brand of Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers.

Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers do not rely on virtualized processing. That means you don’t have to sit in a specific spot to get the full Dolby Atmos effect.

Here are more details about the most important aspects of Dolby Atmos-enabled technology.

Psychoacoustic signal processing

Based on an understanding of how the brain interprets sound, Dolby Atmos enabled speakers to modify select audio frequencies to reinforce the sense of sound coming from above.

This filtering is also applied to any sound that may leak horizontally from the speaker cabinet to further amplify the perception of sound coming from above.

Speaker directivity and angling

Most speakers have a wide diffuse pattern. This is not an ideal design for a Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker where the majority of the middle- and high-frequency energy should be directed to the ceiling.

Dolby performs comprehensive testing on Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers to ensure that the majority of the sound is focused on the ceiling and not leaked horizontally to the listening position.

Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers are designed to fire their acoustic energy upward rather than directly at you.

Dolby has calculated the best angle for the upward-firing element based on where most people place their floor-mounted tower and stand-mounted speakers.

As a result, your brain experiences the sound coming from overhead rather than from the speaker itself.

A crossover network and bass management are built into Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers, complemented by signal processing in the audio/video receiver (AVR).

Source: https://professional.dolby.com/siteassets/tv/home/dolby-atmos/dolby-atmos-enabled-speaker-technology.pdf

How do they create such a wonderful Audio Experience?

Dolby has a unique setting and soundscape rendering which is unique compared to any other audio device.

It gives an extremely realistic listening experience. The soundscape Dolby-supported soundbars produce is truly immersive and the sound flows around you.

Dolby Atmos for Music

The quality Dolby Atmos Provides really elevates music so much that probably you would feel like a Concert experience even at home.

The way music flows around you feels so much more realistic and much more enjoyable than surround sound systems.

Dolby Atmos for Movie

We love watching movies in the theatre and there it sounds better than any home theatre which we have at home.

But, try watching any movies or any web series using the sound quality Atmos-supported Soundbars or home theatres provide.

You would feel as if the movie events are happening in your room. The sound effects would be more realistic like knocking on the doorbell, cars passing, some action scenes, etc.

Dolby Atmos Music Advantages

1. Lifelike Audio

Dolby Audio Engineers focused that the audio would be lifelike and lively. They focused on keeping the audio as natural as possible, i.e., simulating real-life audio. 

2. More Audio Depth

With Dolby Atmos, the depth of Audio increases a. Lot as compared to the traditional Audio systems.

With traditional audio systems, you would find the audio flowing through the left and right audio speakers.

But in the case of Dolby Atmos, it Is even better than that. We experience even the audio flows around us and is lifelike.

Suppose you listen to music using Dolby Atmos. In that case, it will simulate as if you are simulating a concert performance or a movie like watching at a theatre. 

3. Crystal Clear Audio Clarity with Least Distortion

As the audio has a lot of depth, it also deserves clarity and the least possible Distortion.

Dolby Engineers found a way to make the sound distortion-free using digital signal processing and noise reduction techniques.

They also ensure that the clarity of the audio is not altered while making it distortion and noise-free. Also, the audio is kept near the original quality.

The final output comes out well, and it is perfect for listening using Dolby Atmos. Nice, if you listen to it, you will fall in love with Dolby Atmos.

Dolby Atmos vs Dolby Digital

Dolby Digital was the first sound design from Dolby which was even better than normal speaker sound and produced immersive surround sound.

Then, they came with Dolby Digital which is way better than Dolby Digital also. With Dolby Atmos, you can take your listening experience to the next level as if you are experiencing it in real life.

Is Dolby Atmos better than Surround sound?

So, Does Dolby Atmos make a difference? Dolby Atmos makes any sound lifelike and makes it flow around you.

Even, if you have listened to the surround sound that is produced by the combined effect of the speakers and woofers, Dolby’s sound is totally different and very much immersive.

You can feel every part of the audio with Dolby Atmos as if you are listening to real-life audio. 

There are samples present on Dolby’s official website or videos on YouTube.

Why do I love Dolby Atmos? My Personal Experience

Whenever I listen to music, I love to listen to Dolby Atmos sound effects. This makes the soundstage so engaging and real.

Even when I am listening to headphones, I turn on the Dolby Atmos option, and with that single option, the music feels real and enjoyable.

I also have listened to and tested other Surround Sound Speakers but Dolby Atmos sound is way better than any other normal speakers supporting surround sound.

Conclusion

Let’s conclude the post on whether the Dolby Atmos Soundbars are Worth it!

I hope you got a good idea about how good Dolby Atmos is. I believe it is really worth trying at least once listening to it before falling in love with Atmos.

I can say that you have never heard such a life-like music experience as a Concert even at home.

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