Home audio is evolving. Surround sound and multi-piece technologies have taken a step forward with 3 technologies in recent years: DTS: X, Dolby Atmos and DTS Play-Fi.
The first two are surround sound technologies that promise to make your videos and TV screens more immersive than ever, while DTS Play-Fi is a manufacturer-independent multi-piece platform that can connect devices of all kinds in many rooms in the home.
You may have heard of one, two or three of those technologies. But do you really know what they mean, how they paint and how they differ from each other? I shake your ears, like us everything.
Like its rival Dolby Atmos, DTS: X is an object-based audio format that can place sound in faster parts of the room than with generic surround sound. However, unlike his rival, he began his life in home theater cameras (in 2015) before being implemented in the cinemas themselves.
The purpose is the same as Dolby Atmos:let the sound move around the room in a more realistic way to adapt to the action on the screen, creating more immersive cinematic experiences. But it works is different.
Instead of requiring more speakers (like Dolby Atmos), it works with popular surround sound systems. So chances are that the configuration you have at home, whether 5.1 or 7.1, is compatible. But DTS: X can also systems much larger, adding up to 32 speaker slots and an 11.2-channel system.
DTS: X uses an open source multidimensional audio platform (MDA). Then, like Android, any manufacturer can create an SDR-compatible formula: X requires a special permission.
The end result of Dolby Atmos is very similar to DTS: X, but the generation itself is different.
For starters, Atmos began his life in theaters, and then came to home theater products such as speakers and sound bars. Atmos and DTS: X are object-based surround sound technologies, but Atmos places more emphasis on height, so much so that Dolby recommends installing ceiling speakers to take full advantage of them.
Obviously, this is practical for most people. But fortunately, there are Dolby Atmos-certified speakers, TVs and soundbars with upward-facing controllers to bounce sound off the ceiling. The result? You’ll be wrapped in a “bubble” sound, with movements like a helicopter flying over your head or bullets whistling in front of your ears sounding more realistic than ever.
Atmos speakers also count in the nomenclature of their formula. Thus, a 5.1 formula (consisting of five satellites and a bass box) with 4 Dolby Atmos speakers would be called 5.1.4. 7.1.4 is the reference setting for Dolby Atmos; In words, the generation works natively in a configuration comprising seven satellites, a subwoofer and 4 Atmos speakers.
For a more detailed review of Dolby Atmos, see our comprehensive guide.
That’s the real question. On paper, SDR:X has the merit in terms of sound quality because it supports higher binary rates.
However, it’s not that simple. Dolby states that its formats are more effective than those of the SDR and therefore a sound comparable to or even higher at a lower binary rate. Anyway, there’s more than just audio performance.
DTS: X allows you to manually adjust sound objects, so you can increase the volume of voices, for example. This will make the drowned discussion deciphered, which many of us aspire to in a Hollywood box office hit.
DTS: X also doesn’t have official speaker needs, so as long as yours are compatible, you can organize them as you wish. That said, many Dolby Atmos need a useful consultant on how to make the most of the technology.
Dolby Atmos is also no more unusual than DTS: X, about 90% of the national audiovisual market helps the latter. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video help Atmos, instead of DTS: X, just like some TV channels like BT Sport Ultimate. Atmos and DTS: X are provided in a multitude of DVDs and Blu-ray, if you also check out a 4K Blu-ray player.
So, in the war between SDR: X and Dolby Atmos, there is no transparent winner. The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to decide between the two. Many AV receivers and surround sound systems are technologies, so whenever you have the right source content, you can enjoy high-quality sound regardless of the codec you use.
If you need to link a separate audio kit in other rooms in the space to create a multi-room effect, DTS Play-Fi can help. It is an authorized wireless audio platform for high fidelity brands. This means that by purchasing all your audio devices from a single manufacturer like Sonos or Bluesound, you can wirelessly connect manufactured devices through many other manufacturers. These are the most “serious” high fidelity brands like McIntosh, Onkyo, Arcam, Klipsch, Polk and Thiel.
Compatible devices come with wireless speakers, stereo systems, AV receivers, preamps, transmitters, media servers and more. You can use the Play-Fi app on your Android or iOS device, Amazon Fire tablet or computer.
The app helps all major streaming installations (Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music, etc.), with the notable exception of Apple Music: some Play-Fi-enabled products help Apple’s AirPlay 2 wireless technology.
DTS Play-Fi supports MP3, M4A, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF files up to an uncompressed 16-bit/48 kHz solution. But if you want, you can stream solution files higher than that: using the service’s critical listening mode, you can stream songs up to 24 bits / 192 kHz (i.e. the best solution) to your Wi-Fi network. Although those files are large, you may need to use a stressed connection to avoid stuttering like Grandmaster Miss Mel.
So how many gadgets can you load on your home network? As much as you want, SDR recommends a maximum of 32 to avoid functionality issues. And up to 16 Play-Fi devices can play the same song. Imagine: Elton John’s Rocketman follows you around the house. Frightening.
You can also Play-Fi using your voice through Amazon’s Alexa or Apple Siri voice assistants.
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