Setting up a Dolby setup
Mar 25, 2018 at 6:52 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11
PureViewer4t1

PureViewer4t1

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Long story short: I don't understand which is which. There is a Dolby Headphone. Then my laptop has "Dolby Audio" which also works with headphones. Then there's the next model of my laptop which has Dolby Atmos that also works with headphones. Are they the same? If not, what are the differences? And what is exactly "Dolby Audio" because I didn't find any information about it?
Then the real problem: I want to experience surround sound through stereo speakers OR headphones. I only have a 3.5mm jack + HDMI port on my laptop. No S/PDIF. As I said above, I can use the internal sound card to connect speakers or headphones and use Dolby but I don't like its DAC. It sounds lifeless. If I connect my USB DAC, it overrides the Dolby so I can't use it.
Is there a way to have Dolby on my own DAC? If not, what setup (stereo speakers, soundbars or headphones) would you recommend to have both a very good DAC and Dolby?

Thanks in advance.
 
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Mar 25, 2018 at 7:38 PM Post #2 of 11
I researched a bit. It seems that buying a soundbar is the easiest way to experience Dolby in its most advanced form: Atmos. Since it uses HDMI, the DAC is implemented in the soundbar and if the speakers sound good, so is the DAC.
I just have a question: if I play a movie with 5.1 audio on a Dolby Atmos enabled soundbar, will it try to convert it to 5.1.2 or just plays the true 5.1 audio?
And another question: Since I only have one HDMI port on my laptop, and I currently use it for my monitor, how do I connect both the soundbar and monitor?
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EDIT: I found out that some soundbars can pass-through video to a monitor using HDMI-out.
 
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Mar 26, 2018 at 10:48 AM Post #3 of 11
PureViewer4t1 said:
Long story short: I don't understand which is which. There is a Dolby Headphone. Then my laptop has "Dolby Audio" which also works with headphones. Then there's the next model of my laptop which has Dolby Atmos that also works with headphones. Are they the same? If not, what are the differences? And what is exactly "Dolby Audio" because I didn't find any information about it?
Click to expand...

If hte Dolby Audio has Dolby Headphone then that just filters sound across both channels in a way that it simulates hearing five speakers, ie, it also adds some reverb for more perception of imaging depth. Note that running this on 2ch speakers is lot less effective than even on headphones, in the sense that headphones are coming off from a more extreme disadvantage of each ear hearing only one driver and Dolby Headphone deals with that problem.

Don't expect too much out of laptop speakers though since they're not really going to project a 3D surround image around you when they can't project a 3D stereo image in front of you for lack of distance between them (with headphones at least the space they'll project that on is just around or in front of your head).

Atmos is a newer technology that simulates height variances. On a full surround speaker system where the channels are only for horizontal directions, a full Atmos system with speaker positioned higher or an Atmos processed system that simulates that can have sound effects coming from a higher point. For example if the perspective of the movie scene is a bunch of soldiers outflanked from high ground, you'd be able to hear the gunfire from the outflanking opposition's rifles.


PureViewer4t1 said:
Then the real problem: I want to experience surround sound through stereo speakers OR headphones. I only have a 3.5mm jack + HDMI port on my laptop. No S/PDIF. As I said above, I can use the internal sound card to connect speakers or headphones and use Dolby but I don't like its DAC. It sounds lifeless. If I connect my USB DAC, it overrides the Dolby so I can't use it.
Is there a way to have Dolby on my own DAC?
Click to expand...

That depends. Some newer laptops allow using it with USB output but if there's no menu setting to enable it then it can't.


PureViewer4t1 said:
If not, what setup (stereo speakers, soundbars or headphones) would you recommend to have both a very good DAC and Dolby?
Click to expand...

SoundBlaster X7 would be a good place to start.
 
Mar 26, 2018 at 12:15 PM Post #5 of 11
So I decided to buy an external sound card and connect my own DAC optically to it. Then I can use both Dolby Headphone DSP and my own DAC/Amp. I want to use it for movies and games, but mostly movies. Any suggestions other than X7 (it doesn't support DTS)? As I'm using it only digitally, I don't care about its quality. Only connections and features (Dolby and DTS etc.) are important.
 
Mar 26, 2018 at 2:33 PM Post #9 of 11
Well, I just learned about Window Sonic. Also there is Dolby Atmos available at Windows Store. It seems that Dolby Headphone is replaced by Dolby Atmos for headphones. My DAC is recognized as an external sound card in Windows and I'm able to enable the Dolby or Sonic DSPs for it. So there is no need for an external sound card with Dolby Headphone DSP and connecting it via optical to my DAC. I can use it straightly.
I just don't know whether it will work with DTS or not.
 
Mar 27, 2018 at 1:57 AM Post #10 of 11
PureViewer4t1 said:
What about USB A/V receivers with Dolby Headphone?
Click to expand...

Might work but if your laptop has HDMI then use that and configure the laptop to not send video through it. Problem with those is those will be huge, and their headphone driver circuits have high output impedance.

Personally I'd just get a headphone that has a high enough sensitivity that you can drive it using the laptop. Still not optimal in terms of amplification quality but at least you can get virtual surround running. Just not sure about whether Windows virtual surround software works with DTS.

In any case, the laptop's screen is too small for movies anyway. Just use the regular Dolby surround track.
 
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