As part of iOS 14, released in September 2020, Apple introduced spatial audio, a technology designed to deliver surround sound and 3D audio for movies and TV shows through headphones from Apple devices. The idea is to recreate the audio experience of a cinema, between your ears.
Apple’s spatial audio is unique in that it doesn’t only provide virtualised surround and Dolby Atmos sound; it also tracks your head movement using accelerometers and gyroscopes in the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max in order to position the sound accurately, and even tracks the position of the iPhone or iPad that you’re watching on so that sound is also placed relative to the screen. This means that even if you turn your head or reposition your device, dialogue will still be anchored to the actor on the screen.
Movies and TV shows are where spatial audio all started, but music has now been invited. This year, Apple launched a sound-only implementation of spatial audio – there’s no head tracking involved. It’s powered by Dolby Atmos and means thousands of immersive tracks are now available to subscribers of Apple Music. What’s more, you don’t need a pair of Apple or Beats headphones in order to listen to them from an iPhone or iPad – any headphones will work, as long as you enable a specific setting.
Esta historia es de la edición October 2021 de What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 2021 de What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
The missing Link
\"Battery life on the Sony LinkBuds Open is excellent\"
Old school charmer...
\"It is sonically regimented, particularly through the low end where we expected issues\"
Home-theatre hero
\"Impressive is the way in which it manages to sound clean and o decongested, even during the most complex of passages.\"
Audiovector Trapeze Reimagined
\"The Trapeze Ri may resemble their famed ancestors, but in every other respect they are thoroughly modem\"
Linn Majik LP12 MC
\"We are having fun and encouraged to take a holistic view of the music rather than focus on the details\"
The playlist
Here are our carefully curated recommendations of the best music streaming service for those who value sound quality above all. Form an orderly queue...
MATCH FIT
Our ten recommended hi-fi systems are guaranteed to play together beautifully
THE TRUE PRO
Audio Pro's Director of EMEA Sales talks sustainability, Indian markets and the future of Audio Pro in India
Q Acoustics M40
A pair of powered baby floorstanders that have big shoes to fill
YG Acoustics Carmel 3
On paper, the Carmel 3 from Colorado-based speaker specialist YG Acoustics has a credibility problem. They cost a huge amount of money but are small, rather plain-looking two-way floorstanders.
