Enhancing the Experience. What is Apple Spatial Audio all about?

Yes, we know why having a home cinema setup in your residence is the best way to experience your favourite music, films, Netflix series’, sport, games and more… but have you heard of Spatial Audio? It’s the 2021 format from Apple with 360-degree sound that creates a “3D effect”, just like being at the movies! Essentially, this is Apple’s version of Dolby Atmos, but specifically for music. You will have experienced Dolby Atmos in commercial cinemas, now you can do this in your private cinema system!

But is Spatial Audio worth it?

We think so.

The immersive nature of cinema and the renowned surround sound it offers, puts those who tune in into an immersive sound envelope, giving the feeling of varying senses of height and the crystal-clear sensation of hearing every part of the space and imagery depicted on screen.

Spatial Audio can’t really offer “true” surround sound which is normally presented by speakers at ear-level, but it’s a close second and suits certain situations.

3D-style audio means you get to hear what the film maker, soundtrack composer or game developer wanted you to hear, it allows you to pay attention to every detail and be taken exactly where the writers wanted you to be transported.

The audio technology.

Spatial Audio (SA) channels signals from 5:1, 7:1, Dolby Atmos, and virtualised sound. Gaming in 3D audio is on the rise, with market disruptors like Sony’s 360 Reality Audio and PS5 games on the Platinum Wireless Headsets for the latest 360 degree audio releases from Sony booming too, Apple joins in with its unique SA.

Apple has broken design ground, as usual, and fuses a unique combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes that track head movements and can see devices repositioned or even concurrent sound transmitted from a screen.

Standard home cinema and media room configuration is referred to as the 5:1 setup. Without making a complicated system setup (reference our favourite design genius, Albert Einstein – there’s just no need!), incorporating 6 channels, the standard for HD and 4k BluRay and DVD media is 5:1, with 5 speakers and a bass unit, or sub-woofer.

So, why would you use Spatial Audio?

In my home cinema room

If you already have a Dolby Atmos setup and an Apple TV streamer, then the ability to playback Spatial Audio is given. In any media room installation or home cinema setup you can enjoy the 3D-style sound experience. Some cinema rooms don’t have Dolby channels with overhead speakers pointed downwards to the position of the viewer, but of course, all of our home cinemas have this straight out of the box! If your room isn’t configured, the capability can be retrofitted.

New room?

If your room is freshly decorated, now might not be the right time for you to look at having a bespoke cinema room installed. For whatever reason, inviting designers to create a bespoke space for you might just not be what you’re looking for at this point in time. Make accessing cinema sound easy with Apple Audio.

 We’re not staying!

Maybe you’re moving house? Investing in media room design and AV technology for your home might be further down your roadmap, so what better way to fill that crossover period than treating yourself to the 3D-style audio and surround sound experience whilst you wait to design your dream space. In the meantime, experiencing it in our showroom is always an option – to know what you’re waiting for!

On the road, in the air. Travel, travel, travel.

You can’t take your home theatre with you! But you can take a slice of it and recreate the cinema with sound from all angles… having spatial audio in your headphones gives you the ability to take the style of 5:1, 7:1 and Dolby Atmos sound on the move. (Read the easy how-to process below!)

Multi-purpose rooms

Having a space with multiple uses can include frequently entertaining, look after various members of the family throughout the day or week, and having visitors and the people living in your home wandering around. The desire to enjoy the seclusion of a cinema-sound encounter in the comfort of your own headphones can almost be achieved with this.

But I’m Android!

If you aren’t sitting in the Apple Camp, you can still experience Spatial Audio – but only if your phone is compatible with Dolby Atmos or you have Apple Music or Apple TV as your streamer.

Test it out! How-to:

Our clients can have this added to their cinema setups, so please ask us how. Or, in your apple device, you can test the Spatial Audio demo. Whilst the full concept requires the Dolby Atmos setup, this demo in your headphones will still allow you to road-test the concept.

What devices support spatial audio?

Check What Hifi’s list on 6.1 - https://www.whathifi.com/advice/what-is-apple-spatial-audio

 To test it:

1.      Launch the Settings app on your device.

2.      Go to Bluetooth

3.      Find your ‌AirPods in the list

4.      Tap the info button next to your ‌AirPods‌.

5.      Toggle the switch next to Spatial Audio to the green “On” position

6.      Locate Spatial-Audio-enabled (such as typing in New Music in Spatial Audio to the search function)

7.      Swipe down from the right-hand-corner command centre

8.      Press and hold the volume icon.

9.      This will show you the Spatial Audio icon - and when it’s bright blue, Spatial Audio is enabled.

Why not switch between the stereo audio to spatial audio positions and experience the difference it makes?

Or make like Steven Spielberg, sit back and relax – get enveloped in the best audio-visual experience there is, either in person at our Poole showroom, or via our VR experience.

Why not book a demonstration with us and compare? https://www.livinghometech.co.uk/home-cinema-demo-booking

If you’re looking for an audio-visual setup that rivals a commercial cinema, but tailored to your viewing requirements, and created for use in the comfort of your own home, talk to us. Let us design a media room you can relax in and be proud of.

Speak to us, always with discretion, via our:

London Office:  +44 (0) 20 7411 9849

Poole Office:  +44 (0) 1202 775133

Is this the end of commercial cinema?

One of the most stark and extreme effects seen on any industry during the recent pandemic, has been that on the Hollywood film industry. Of course every studio, whether TV, film or otherwise will have closed down and seen at least some impact, but if you’re in the business of making multi-million pound blockbuster movies destined for the local cineplex, this impact is huge. Have we seen the end of the traditional trip to the cinema?

With Universal Studios taking the plunge by streaming their ‘Trolls’ sequel direct to our homes, the genie was certainly out of the box. Even more so with the move netting them a cool £80million in the first few weeks! Universal has since released statements with a tone that suggests this could be the new way to get their content to us, rather than the traditional commercial Cinema route, this is indeed ominous news for Cine World and their like.

In tandem with this, we have seen a significant uptick in-interest for our Home Cinema service since gradually returning to work in June/July. We believe this is at least in part due to our clients deciding to invest more in their homes in-general, not just with home cinema of course, but in their gardens, living rooms, anywhere that makes our homes more comfortable to be in. We’ve all spent so much more time at home over the recent months, more than ever before in most cases, so we’ve had lots of time to make plans. We’re really excited to see so many film enthusiasts making the move, taking advantage of 4K projection, Dolby Atmos ‘3D’ surround sound and much more. Their has never been such an exciting time to operate in the Home Cinema industry, home cinema has truly come of age. What does this mean for commercial cinema? Our hope is there will be a new balance struck between streaming new releases and watching them at the local cinema complex. After all, part of the experience is the going, the grabbing of popcorn and a beer and enjoying the movie with fellow movie goers, we really are a social animal when all is said and done (where else would we go for a first date as a teenager?). So when this new balance is struck, we hope you’ll have a Living cinema in your home, it’s an investment that will keep on paying you back, day after day, year after year.

Our Home Cinema service is unique. With our design service, we are able to site a cinema experience in any space you have, without pulling your home apart in the process! Over the last 15 years we have transformed living rooms, bedrooms, garages, studios, loft spaces and garden rooms into a Home Cinema. We have packages to meet most budgets and even offer finance options to spread the cost.

It really is time to get that quality time with family and friends, in the comfort of your own home.