Spatial Audio: Explained (Simply)

[@FLX-II]

Finally another video! Keep it up. You guys are unknowingly to yourselves starting to become one of the leading reviewer/informative channels for Sonos/Spatial Audio!

[@sempre_sid]

Spatial Audio like you described comes down to the imagination of the producer. I think it's the future and sure it's a hit and miss right now but will evolve over time and damn when a song really hits that correct spatial audio feel, the immersion is next level. some songs to check-out and feel the difference Modern Slavery - Quavo Travis Scott Embarassed - Don Toliver Travis Scott 2step - Ed Sheeran and Lil Baby (especially the Lil Baby part).

[@smarthomesounds]

Thanks for sharing, we will check out those tracks :-)

[@gorringeman]

I listen to music using sub mini, beam 2 and two play 1's. I also have serious hifi, maybe I'm too old in the tooth (55) but I much prefer music coming at me in stereo than surrounding me. Time will tell with spatial audio.

[@KeetonMusic]

So, artists are not making money on these platforms anyway. Why would an artist create a spatial track that can’t be played except thru a platform delivering the audio. You said a spatial track can’t be sent to speakers from a player, only from a service. Am I missing something?

[@Birmingham_racing]

I don't care for it on music but I've tried it for movies with my AirPod pro 2 with Apple TV and was really impressed

[@ibrahimbeg6165]

You can send Atmos via Bluetooth to speakers. I play atmos content from apple music on my iPhone and stream it via Bluetooth to my Sony HT-ST5000 sound bar since 2021. Definitely sounds different. But one thing I’ve noticed about atmos whether it’s on sound bar or AirPod pros is the volume isn’t as loud as it’s trying to split the sounds around you so it kind of takes away from the immersive/drowning out feeling you want from music sometimes.

[@richroj]

Hi, just a quick note. I'm using 2 Bose S1Pro speakers in stereo with the Bose Sub1 subwoofer and I am very satisfied with the sound.

[@S-r9y]

As someone else said, I have yet to find any music that sells Spatial Audio to me. I can’t comment on movies but music with SA doesn’t do it for me, yet.

[@vansfamily4785]

I have a question for you! I hope you write me back. Do you think having the set up of the arc 2 gen 3 subs a pair of the Era 300s is the best set up.. cause I was reading that if it’s not a Dolby atmos movie the 300 turn off the center speaker? We are not talking about the arc are we? Or is it just the speakers on the device that are being turned off? With that said would it make sense to use the same set up but add a pair of the sonos 5s as my front speakers? Please please help and let me know! Thank you so much! Videos are amazing! 👍👍

[@smarthomesounds]

If you want ultimate immersion then this is the setup to go for as the Era 300s will add a completely new dynamic to the way you listen to your entertainment. Sonos designed the centre speaker to "turn off" because as rears they are designed to project audio around your room and not directly out the front of the speaker. And in terms of using fives as front speakers. This isn't currently possible, the Fives can only be used as rears in a home cinema setup

[@vansfamily4785]

@@smarthomesounds do you think if I did add them as rear speakers as well that it may be to much?? The 5s that is? I actually was messing with the system yesterday just one 300 and the sub and I was in shock. It was a really great experience and that was with one speaker and one sub. I can only imagine what it will sound like with the whole set up! Now with that said I can’t have two rear speakers groups as in one set the 300s and one set the 5s. That can’t be done at the same time can if? Thank you so much for writing me back! Your videos are amazing and this has help with me buying this product! 👍👍👍

[@billmulvihill8452]

@@smarthomesounds I think you can assign the fives to a different room, in the app, and then you can use them as front speakers and Era 300s as surrounds, all playing at the same time.

[@mrgold3591]

How does spatial audio sound with non-spatial audio speakers and headphones? Is the experience like watching a Blu-ray movie on the 4:3 picture tube 32 inch TV? The new Acura vehicles have speakers in the ceiling for their Studio 3D ELS sound system (don't know if is considered ready for spatial audio). It strange to think it took this long for spatial audio when we see/hear the world in 3D and spatial audio.

[@raimundogonzalez2035]

Spatial Audio has been around long time before 2019. It just one of the terms that has been used to describe mimicking our natural spatial hearing using digital audio. Dolby and Apple have made a strong push to appropriate this space but its far from being the best sounding spatial technology.

[@jchan8539]

Personally, I think it's nifty, but I have yet found the track, that will blow me away for spacial audio.

[@JoyStickJester_]

Great video. As an audio noob, I’m still confused 😂. I have a pair of 300’s, Arc, and Sub 3 so I have the right equipment but still don’t know the difference between Dolby Atmos Audio, Spatical Audio, Lossless, Dolby Digital, Ultra HD, and Dolby Multichannel Pcm 5.1

[@mrgold3591]

Does your Sonos smartphone app show Dolby Atmos when an Atmos movie is playing? I had to change my TV HDMI output from PCM to bitstream for my LG OLED started playing Dolby Atmos audio on my Arc, dual sub, rear Fives.

[@jb7753]

@mrgold35 do you use a 4k player, you'll need to change the same settings as mentioned by mrgold. Where you are is where I was 2yrs ago. All I can say is research l, it might cone as a nice hobby for you like it was for me. Another good channel to look at is Peter Pee. He has great videos.all about this too.

[@jb7753]

@@mrgold3591 @mrgold35 What oled have you got? I recently went with the C2

[@mrgold3591]

@@jb7753 I have the Beam Gen 1/Gen 3 sub/One SLs with a LG OLED 55C1, Beam Gen 1/Sub Gen 3/Symfonisk with a LG OLED 55C9, and Arc/dual Gen 3 subs/Fives with LG OLED 77C1. Love the OLEDs; except, for really dark scenes. Hear the new C3 OLEDs are a touch brigher.

[@jb7753]

@mrgold35 @mrgold35 Yeah, the black is a trade-off between seeing some detail with the white-ish grey look versus pure black colour. I'm 4 months into it with my C2, and I think I've found my preferred settings to balance the black, temperature, and make sure not to get the soap opera effect. If you know of any good audio tracks or movies to watch let me know. I always recommend hans zimmer live in Prague blu-ray for audio and upscale picture. Have a good one mate.

[@seanaugustus7340]

So I made the 4hr round trip journey to smartsounds showroom earlier today.. (definitely worth the journey).. as op always state audio is subjective.. after getting first hand experience with the showroom i personally wasn’t a fan of the spatial audio both in music or as rears…(300’s) as it sounded airy and faint vs a more direct focus.. (I personally liked the one SL’s better for rear surround… However I also was able to hear a pair of Five in a stereo set up and those were STUNNING.. can only imagine how they would sound as rears.. Personal opinion I think it will stay to some degree as im sure its good in certain music settings/situations but I think its better kept for theatrical purposes , definitely not sold on the music side of things quite yet. Keep the video’s coming 👍

[@seanaugustus7340]

My current set up is Beam2 , 2 Sonos One SL’s and Sub Gen3.. for reference

[@billmulvihill8452]

I agree with your assessment on the Sonos Era 300s. Maybe good for surround sound, but for standard music… I don’t think so!

[@billmulvihill8452]

@@seanaugustus7340 The Sonos Fives blow the Era 300s away!😁

[@seanaugustus7340]

@@billmulvihill8452 i cant wait until they post a comparison video with demo sl one rears vs Era 300 pair for rears..

[@kcgunesq]

I am open to the concept, Samsung Galaxy but remain skeptical. That said, I can't see any reason for 8k tv anytime in the next decade. IMHO, HDR was the major upgrade to HD and consumers should be pressuring broadcasters and OEMs to finally get ATSC3. 0 rolled out in a meaningful way.

[@andrewthomas3270]

Say what has happened to Jonathan he hasn’t fronted any of your videos for a long time. Has he left Smart Home Sounds since he got married? Asking for a friend! 🤔

[@ramoncitoramos2492]

So you mean surround sound?

[@amjad_18]

I like your hair..

[@chrisrevel2801]

that ship has sailed and sunk

[@xenitvy3309]

listen to this with headphones. trust me.

[@straus1975]

The answer is obvious, spatial audio is about writhing around and waving your hands in the air in unbridled ecstasy. Try it.

[@adammachin]

Whilst I’d love an era 300, I don’t think spacial will take off for the mainstream.

[@Dando-1983]

Bournemouth = we got Michael B Jordan 🥊

[@delarageaz]

spatial audio is exactly what 3D was for TVs, and it's going to ruin the industry

[@HLB2512]

How will innovation in sound ruin the industry?

[@delarageaz]

@@HLB2512 simple, someone has to pay for innovation to happens. And at the moment, only the industry is paying for this. Very rare are users prepared to pay a premium for any spatial device or service and the day the industry will finish investing they will hope that we start giving them money for all they've brought to us, but we won't cause it's gimmicky at best and totally ruining music at worst.

[@HLB2512]

@@delarageaz ludicrous, how do you think any industry improves? Have u actually heard spacial audio? I will pay a premium all day for it as it's night an day

[@delarageaz]

@@HLB2512 yes i've heard it on apple music, i've got a £10k AV setup and all the airpods and not a single device or setup will make an Atmos Mix sound better than the typical stereo one EDIT: i've also produced music for different surround formats and the tools that are given to producers for spatial audio are shit because instruments and basic effects are still made only for stereo

[@billmulvihill8452]

3D for TV looked terrible and you had to use glasses. A poor analogy…

[@adammachin]

Atmos is a lossy format, yay.

[@billmulvihill8452]

You Britts”need to slow down your speech so we people in America can actually understand what you’re saying!🤣

[@jb7753]

You "yanks" need to speed up your hearing, so the rest of the world doesn't have to speak slowly for you. 😉

[@billmulvihill8452]

@@jb7753 Nice try, but if you didn’t have to pronounce every word like it was a masterpiece, maybe we could understand you better, when you talked fast!🤣

[@jb7753]

@@billmulvihill8452 the kicker is I'm not a britt!

[@billmulvihill8452]

@@jb7753 Australian?🤔

[@anthonytaylor3989]

​@@billmulvihill8452 we invented the language you destroyed it, an American once said to me that's why we parted company all those years ago,we both speak the same language but don't understand each other 😊