[Redvic]

Hi all, i have maybe noob questions regarding spatial audio:

1. Is spatial audio can be described by audiophile terms such as staging, separation, etc. Or it is something else?

2. Are those gimmick can be applied to other application, such as gaming audio?

 

[gregorio]

1. Is spatial audio can be described by audiophile terms such as staging, separation, etc. Or it is something else?

Sort of but not entirely. Those audiophile terms are rather vague and can describe purely perceptual/physiological effects, while spatial audio is an actual physical audio difference. Spatial audio describes some form of surround sound, so the difference between (2 channel) stereo and 5.1 surround sound for example. Typically though, it describes a surround sound format that also includes height information, EG. A surround format with speakers above your listening position as well as around. Dolby Atmos being the most common example of such a format.

2. Are those gimmick can be applied to other application, such as gaming audio?

It’s not really a gimmick, it’s a real thing that has tangible benefits. How well it works and how well it’s been employed when it’s re-mixed/processed for headphone output is a different question though, which depends on a number of variables, including your personal attributes (such as head size/width and many others). And yes, it can be applied to game audio and other applications, such as VR for example.

G

 

[Redvic]

Sort of but not entirely. Those audiophile terms are rather vague and can describe purely perceptual/physiological effects, while spatial audio is an actual physical audio difference. Spatial audio describes some form of surround sound, so the difference between (2 channel) stereo and 5.1 surround sound for example. Typically though, it describes a surround sound format that also includes height information, EG. A surround format with speakers above your listening position as well as around. Dolby Atmos being the most common example of such a format.

It’s not really a gimmick, it’s a real thing that has tangible benefits. How well it works and how well it’s been employed when it’s re-mixed/processed for headphone output is a different question though, which depends on a number of variables, including your personal attributes (such as head size/width and many others). And yes, it can be applied to game audio and other applications, such as VR for example.

G

Okay, so, apple try to recreate for example 5.1 or 7.1 sound through their iem? Is this hardware application or software application?
How well it can be applied for a regular earbud?

 

[Surf Monkey]

Okay, so, apple try to recreate for example 5.1 or 7.1 sound through their iem? Is this hardware application or software application?
How well it can be applied for a regular earbud?

It’s kind of confusing. There are two things happening with Apple’s audio.

1) Spatial Audio: this is a hardware/software feature that uses sensors to place sound in a specific spot. So, if you’re wearing headphones and watching TV, the sound will always seem to come from the TV regardless of where your head is pointing. It only works with Apple and Beats branded headphones.

2) Dolby Atmos: Atmos is a system that adds height channel speakers to a 5.1 surround system. BUT it is ALSO a software codec that can create the impression of virtual width and height channels. In that capacity it works with any stereo headphones.

Apple is pretty loose with their terms around these two things. They tend to refer to them both as “spatial audio.” But spatial audio only works with Apple/Beats headphones with an accelerometer. Atmos doesn’t need physical sensors.

Here’s a relatively straight forward explainer:

https://www.gearpatrol.com/tech/a36932143/apple-spatial-audio-vs-dolby-atmos-whats-the-difference/

 

[gregorio]

Is this hardware application or software application?
How well it can be applied for a regular earbud?

It’s software.

It’s impossible to say how well it will work for any particular individual, due to personal characteristics as I mentioned. It works by applying binaural techniques (head related transfer function, HRTF) to which Apple also applies head-tracking. The software is proprietary, so no one outside Dolby or Apple knows exactly what it’s doing.

G

 

[Surf Monkey]

It’s software.

It’s impossible to say how well it will work for any particular individual, due to personal characteristics as I mentioned. It works by applying binaural techniques (head related transfer function, HRTF) to which Apple also applies head-tracking. The software is proprietary, so no one outside Dolby or Apple knows exactly what it’s doing.

G

See above. Spatial Audio is hardware and software. Dolby Atmos is alternately hardware in a 5.1 system and purely software in a stereo headphone system.

 

[gregorio]

Dolby Atmos is alternately hardware in a 5.1 system and purely software in a stereo headphone system.

Dolby Atmos is a clever system that uses “audio objects”, essentially it’s based on a 7.1 “bed” plus up to 128 audio objects. These “audio objects” are assigned by software to physical outputs (speakers) depending on what speakers your system has, up to 64 in the case of cinemas.

With a 5.1 system, what you’re effectively getting is a software mix down of the 7.1 + audio objects mix encoded in the Dolby Atmos data stream. With headphones you’re getting a software mix-down from that 7.1 + audio objects mix to binaural stereo.

G

 

[Surf Monkey]

Dolby Atmos is a clever system that uses “audio objects”, essentially it’s based on a 7.1 “bed” plus up to 128 audio objects. These “audio objects” are assigned by software to physical outputs (speakers) depending on what speakers your system has, up to 64 in the case of cinemas.

With a 5.1 system, what you’re effectively getting is a software mix down of the 7.1 + audio objects mix encoded in the Dolby Atmos data stream. With headphones you’re getting a software mix-down from that 7.1 + audio objects mix to binaural stereo.

G

^^^ This

 

[Redvic]

Thank u all i think i get the gist of it. Excellent explanation from everyone

 

[Ken G]

After using both Spacial Audio and Atmos, below are some of my thoughts and observations:

Spatial Audio - Works fantastic on the iPad/iPhone with the AirPods Pro. It does give the sense that main dialogue is coming from a speaker in front of you even when you turn your head. I think there are some surround effects but didn't notice it as much as the main soundtrack and dialogue coming from in front of you. I think Audeze has similar DSP software on some of their gaming headsets. I have not tried using Spatial Audio/AirPods Pro with the Apple TV but guessing it works the same as on the iPad.

Dolby Atmos -

• With AirPods Pro - Definitely enhances the Soundstage and the Instrument/Vocal Separation - probably as much or more than the average audiophile IEM. In my experience though, IEM offerings from Campfire Audio and 64 Audio are still better with Soundstage and Separation (without Atmos DSP) while blowing the AirPods out of the water with their technical abilities (Details, Dynamics, Speed, etc). For the price though, the AirPod Pro's sound pretty decent and you can't beat the versatility - Bluetooth, decent for calls, noise cancelling works very well, sweat proof and great for exercise (which is my main use case for them).
• With an Atmos Speaker setup - This is where the Atmos music really shines. I have a 5.4.1 setup (5 traditional Dolby speaker setup with 4 add'l ceiling atmospheric speakers, 1 sub) and Apple Music sounds terrific. If you have a home theater setup and a receiver that can decode Dolby Atmos, I highly recommend trying it out. It sounds very spacious and better than the usual DSP on receivers for 5.1 music or all channel stereo (Receiver makers usually call these DSP modes different things depending on Brand).

 

[iamoneagain]

One thing to note about using the Spacial stuff on Apple Music. The sound quality will only be 256k. That might not matter to you if what it achieves sounds better to you than lossless music. I didn’t like to at all with my Focal Utopia but with the Beats studio, some stuff was more fun to listen to.

 

[Edyeded86]

After using both Spacial Audio and Atmos, below are some of my thoughts and observations:

Spatial Audio - Works fantastic on the iPad/iPhone with the AirPods Pro. It does give the sense that main dialogue is coming from a speaker in front of you even when you turn your head. I think there are some surround effects but didn't notice it as much as the main soundtrack and dialogue coming from in front of you. I think Audeze has similar DSP software on some of their gaming headsets. I have not tried using Spatial Audio/AirPods Pro with the Apple TV but guessing it works the same as on the iPad.

Dolby Atmos -

• With AirPods Pro - Definitely enhances the Soundstage and the Instrument/Vocal Separation - probably as much or more than the average audiophile IEM. In my experience though, IEM offerings from Campfire Audio and 64 Audio are still better with Soundstage and Separation (without Atmos DSP) while blowing the AirPods out of the water with their technical abilities (Details, Dynamics, Speed, etc). For the price though, the AirPod Pro's sound pretty decent and you can't beat the versatility - Bluetooth, decent for calls, noise cancelling works very well, sweat proof and great for exercise (which is my main use case for them).
• With an Atmos Speaker setup - This is where the Atmos music really shines. I have a 5.4.1 setup (5 traditional Dolby speaker setup with 4 add'l ceiling atmospheric speakers, 1 sub) and Apple Music sounds terrific. If you have a home theater setup and a receiver that can decode Dolby Atmos, I highly recommend trying it out. It sounds very spacious and better than the usual DSP on receivers for 5.1 music or all channel stereo (Receiver makers usually call these DSP modes different things depending on Brand).

I've always found spatial audio to be hit or miss on headphones/AirPods - sometimes sounds great, other time terrible. I always notice that volume is also a lot lower.

 

[R3NA1SSANC3]

How are you able to verify that the Shield is passing audio bit perfectly?

 

[R3NA1SSANC3]

Nvidia Shield also pass bit perfect audio for Apple Music over HDMI

How are you able to verify that the Shield is passing audio bit perfectly over HDMI?

 

[jmtocali]

How are you able to verify that the Shield is passing audio bit perfectly over HDMI?

My receiver shows the audio stream info. It shows the bitrate/freq equally as Apple music shows (16/44.1, 24/44.1, 24/48, 24/88.2, 24/96, 24/176.4 and 24/192)