Dolby Atmos is a surround sound audio format that brought spatial audio mainstream. Rather than invest in an expensive surround sound speaker system, users can now experience spatial audio in Dolby Atmos with many of the earbuds and headphones they already own. Dolby Atmos is available for music, TV shows, and movies, and it creates an immersive and three-dimensional listening experience. The mastering process for Atmos content is object-based with a focus on spatial height, so you can really feel where sounds are coming from in a song, show, or movie.
It’s rather easy to use Dolby Atmos with mobile devices and headphones. As long as your phone, streaming service, and headphones all support Dolby Atmos, you’re all set to start streaming spatial content. However, home theater or home audio setups are a bit more complicated. Dolby Atmos support on the best home theater and audiophile gear is still inconsistent, and you must seek it out. If one link in the chain isn’t compatible with the spatial audio format, you won’t be able to use it.
Dolby Atmos requires the right hardware and software
You’ll have to check both to make sure you’re listening in Atmos
Dolby Atmos is tricky to add to your home theater or music listening station because simply finding the right software or hardware isn’t enough — you need both. Figuring out the software is relatively easy. You can seek out Dolby Atmos digital audio files from online storefronts, such as Immersive Audio Album and Pure Audio Recordings. For movies and TV shows, premium 4K titles on the iTunes Store and others may include Dolby Atmos support. If you’re streaming content, check out Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Tidal for music or Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, and Paramount+ for movies and TV shows.
That’s just one piece of the puzzle. Let’s say you’re streaming a movie or album mastered in Dolby Atmos from one of the above supported services. If you stream that content on a device that doesn’t support Dolby Atmos, like a smart TV or streaming stick, you won’t actually be experiencing the Dolby Atmos version. For example, the Fire TV Stick 4K supports Dolby Atmos streaming, but older and cheaper models do not.
The first step in building a Dolby Atmos setup is to make sure you have the right software, and then, you need to check that your media server, smart TV, or streaming box is compatible with that software. Don’t skimp out on cables, either. The right cable could be crucial in maintaining Dolby Atmos support across your entire setup.
If you’re using your TV’s built-in speakers to play Dolby Atmos content, and your TV, streaming device, and streaming services all support it, you’re ready to go. However, throw in an intermediary receiver or speaker system, and there are suddenly more things to check. If just one piece of the puzzle lacks Dolby Atmos support, it won’t work — hence why your setup might not actually be using it. In that case, your Dolby Atmos content will play in standard stereo or 256kbps AAC, which is hardly the immersive and high-quality format you were expecting.
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Check these 3 things before streaming music in Dolby Atmos
If you fail to watch for these three Dolby Atmos limiting factors, you’ll end up missing out on the spatial audio experience you crave.
The easiest Dolby Atmos setup starts with a TV or soundbar
Going with a soundbar gives you fewer components to worry about
A true Dolby Atmos surround sound system requires at least seven speakers: five positioned at ear level, one subwoofer, and two overhead or up-firing speakers. This includes a left, center, and right speaker, as well as a pair of surrounds, a subwoofer, and a pair of overhead speakers, and it’s referred to as a 5.1.2 speaker layout. Alternatively, you can use a 7.1.2 speaker setup to add a pair of surrounds, giving you both side and rear surrounds for even more immersive Atmos content. Of course, these speakers will need to run through an AV receiver that too must support Dolby Atmos.
It’s quite a lot of work, and the easier route is to buy a TV or soundbar with Dolby Atmos support. It’s worth noting there’s no perfect way to replicate the experience of a physical surround sound system with a single set of inbuilt TV speakers or a soundbar. However, these Dolby Atmos-compatible devices use virtualization to create a spatial audio effect despite the limited hardware. This method is preferred for its simplicity. Instead of needing to buy a TV, streaming box, receiver, and seven speakers compatible with Dolby Atmos to get spatial audio, you can simply buy a compatible TV.
Dolby offers a complete list of Atmos-compatible TVs and soundbars on its website. Brands that offer TVs equipped with Atmos support are Hisense, Samsung, Sony, LG, TCL, Vizio, Amazon, Roku, Panasonic, Toshiba, and SunBrite TV. There are also Atmos-supported soundbars and speaker setups from Samsung, Polk Audio, LG, Sony, Klipsch, JBL, TCL, Sonos, Denon, Hisense, Bose, Amazon, Sennheiser, Phillips, Vizio, Monoprice, KEF, and Devialet. Note that not every soundbar or speaker system sold by these brands supports Atmos. You need to check whether the individual model you have (or want to buy) supports the spatial format.
The simplest way to get Atmos working is to buy an all-in-one solution, like the Apple HomePod, Sonos Era 300, or Sonos Arc Ultra.
To go with surround sound, you need the right receiver
Grab a receiver with Dolby Atmos to actually make use of your supported content
Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf
In a way, building a Dolby Atmos surround sound speaker system is easy. The main focus should be on the receiver — you need a receiver with seven channels to connect with your 5.1.2 speaker system. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t specifically need to buy “Atmos” branded speakers, even for your overhead ones. Any speakers will work, provided they’re passive and can connect with your Dolby Atmos receiver. Buying specialized speakers can be beneficial for the overheads, as they’re designed to be mounted above you and are down-firing by nature.
That said, they aren’t required, and this is why finding the correct receiver is the most important step. Dolby Atmos receivers come from brands like Yamaha, JBL, Onkyo, Pioneer Elite, Sony, Arcam, Denon, Klipsch, Marantz, Pioneer, Ethereal, Focal, and Pro-Ject. You want to look for descriptors like “7 channel” or “Dolby Atmos” to ensure a receiver is compatible. More expensive receivers might feature branding like “9 channel” or “8K Ultra HD” if they offer features above and beyond the minimum required for Dolby Atmos.
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Soundbar vs. AV Receiver: What’s Best for Your Home?
Confused whether to go with a soundbar or an AV receiver? It’s time to figure out what’s best for your home.
A receiver not only connects to your surround sound speaker system, but also handles inputs from your other devices. You might hook up a TV, streaming box, Blu-ray player, or gaming console to your receiver, which is then connected to your surround sound speakers. Everything that comes before the Dolby Atmos receiver must also be compatible with Atmos to use the spatial audio format. So, you can’t just get an Atmos receiver and stop there.
That would be how people think they’re using Dolby Atmos, but actually miss out on what makes it great. Simply buying one Atmos-compatible product isn’t enough. Every component in your streaming setup, from your TV and streaming box to your soundbar or receiver, and even your cables, must support Dolby Atmos.
