Dolby Atmos Music will make its streaming debut on Amazon Music HD

By Simon Cohen Updated September 25, 2019

Dolby Labs has been teasing us with Dolby Atmos Music for years. We’ve known for some time now that the surround-sound format used to create immersive movie soundtracks can also be used for music recordings, but being able to actually hear music recorded in Atmos has been very hard. Soon, however, that’s about to change in a big way. Dolby confirmed it partnered with Amazon to bring Atmos Music tracks to the company’s recently launched Amazon Music HD streaming service, which will mark the first time we’ll be able to stream Atmos Music online.

The partnership between Amazon and Dolby is about giving Amazon’s latest smart speaker, the Echo Studio, a big bang of a launch. The $199 Studio is not only designed to deliver 360-degree sound thanks to its cylindrical shape and speaker placement, but it’s also the first wireless smart speaker that works with so-called 3D digital music like Atmos Music and Sony 360.

There wouldn’t be much point in being compatible with Atmos Music if there were no way to access tracks that use the format, thus Atmos Music is making its streaming debut on Amazon Music HD. Just how big of a debut remains to be seen. Dolby continues to be somewhat vague about exactly how many Atmos Music tracks will be available at launch.

Instead, it’s pointing to previous promises by labels such as Universal Music Group to release “thousands” of Atmos Music tracks, both new and old, from such big names as Bastille, The Beatles, Billie Eilish, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Luciano Pavarotti, Marvin Gaye, and The Weeknd (a little something for all musical tastes it seems).

As exciting as it is to know that Atmos Music is finally about to get a wider release, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Other than Amazon Music HD, where will we be able to stream Atmos Music? Does Atmos Music come in different streaming qualities, like conventional stereo mixes, or does it automatically scale up and down depending on the speed of your connection and the device on which you’re listening? And, perhaps most importantly, which devices (other than the Echo Studio) will support Atmos Music when streamed?

We’ve reached out to Dolby Labs to get answers to all of these questions, and we’ll update this post as soon as we hear back.

Topics

Contributing Editor, A/V

Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…

Audio / Video

From movies to music, 2021 was the year of Dolby Atmos

Image showing Dolby Atmos 3D sound.

Over the years, we’ve seen our fair share of trends in the audio industry, like hi-res audio, active noise cancellation, and whole-home multiroom wireless speakers. In 2021, those trends all took a back seat to the earthquake that is Dolby Atmos. What started out as a seismic shift in the sound systems used in commercial movie theaters is now sending reverberations through every aspect of home and mobile entertainment, from streaming services to soundbars, and even the tunes you listen to during your daily commute. Not familiar with Dolby Atmos? Here’s a guided tour to the ways it shaped 2021, and will continue to evolve in the years to come.
From movie theater to home theater

What is Dolby Atmos? For a deep dive into the technology, I recommend you take a stroll through our no-stones-left-unturned Dolby Atmos explainer, but here’s the short version: It’s an advanced form of surround sound with two distinct characteristics. First, it uses “height channels” -- usually in the form of ceiling speakers or up-firing speakers -- that let sounds appear to be coming from above you. Standard 5.1, 7.1, or even 9.1 surround sound systems only place their speakers around you, not above you.

Audio / Video

Sonos adds Dolby Atmos Music and hi-res audio support for Amazon Music

Man holding the Sonos Roam portable speaker.

Sonos users who subscribe to Amazon Music can enjoy Dolby Atmos Music and lossless, hi-res audio on select Sonos speakers starting today, December 7. To get these new features, you'll need an Amazon Music Unlimited account and the latest Sonos software, which you can grab by opening the Sonos S2 app and going to Settings > System > System Updates > Check for Updates.

Dolby Atmos Music tracks from Amazon Music will work on Sonos' two Dolby Atmos-compatible speakers, the $899 Sonos Arc and the $449 Sonos Beam Gen 2. However, if you have these speakers grouped with non-Atmos-compatible speakers when you play your desired tracks or playlists, the streams will default to the highest quality, non-Atmos format supported by all speakers in the group.

Audio / Video

Amazon Music expands spatial audio to more devices

smartphone showing amazon music Billie Eilish takeover station

Amazon has announced that its streaming music service, Amazon Music, is going to significantly expand the number of devices that let subscribers listen to tracks in spatial audio. Starting October 19, you'll be able to hear Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Reality Audio (360 RA) tracks on both iOS and Android devices using any set of stereo headphones or earbuds. The move comes a few months after Apple Music added the ability to listen to spatial audio on all iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, MacOS devices, and select Android devices.

“We’ve always believed that the highest-quality audio possible should be the norm for streaming music," said Steve Boom, vice president of Amazon Music, in a press release, "and that’s why today, we’re making spatial audio available to our customers without any special equipment needed, and no upgrade required.”