{"id":486,"date":"2021-12-13T14:59:12","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T14:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/audioambition.com\/?p=486"},"modified":"2023-07-08T12:33:48","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T19:33:48","slug":"dolby-atmos-vs-windows-sonic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/audioambition.com\/dolby-atmos-vs-windows-sonic\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolby Atmos vs. Windows Sonic: Which is better?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is a comparison between the audio technologies Dolby Atmos<\/a> and Windows Sonic for Headphones (Dolby Atmos vs. Windows Sonic). This is not an exhaustive list of every feature, but it covers most areas of interest to consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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Dolby Atmos vs. Windows Sonic: Which is better if I am a movie buff who prefers using speakers?<\/h3>\n
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if you’re a movie buff who prefers listening to movies using speakers, then Dolby Atmos is something that will be well worth your time and money as it promises better compatibility thanks to its wide range of supported hardware and software solutions which means there’s always something for everyone.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Dolby Atmos: Dolby Atmos vs. Windows Sonic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Home theater surrounds sound technology<\/a> that adds height speakers into the mix (5.1\/7.1\/7.2 etc.). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A home theater receiver with Dolby Atmos sends encoded information about what sounds should be played back by speakers vs headphone playback directly from your PC\/TV\/Media player, which has no speakers (the sound comes out of your TV or monitor, but that is just a display).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when you are listening to an Atmos source via headphones on your PC\/TV\/Media player, the encoded information tells your receiver what sounds should come from your surround speakers vs the headphone playback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The “height” imagery adds 360 degrees of sound for immersive effects.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Windows Sonic: Dolby Atmos vs. Windows Sonic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Desktop surrounds sound technology exclusive to Windows 10 PCs. A Windows 10 PC with Windows Sonic sends encoded information about what sounds should be played back by speakers vs headphone playback directly from your PC\/TV\/Media player (which has no speakers), which is similar to Dolby Atmos.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Windows Sonic for Headphones<\/strong><\/td>Dolby Atmos for Headphones<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
It is free to use<\/td>A license costs $14.99, but there\u2019s a free trial<\/td><\/tr>
The setup process is easy<\/td>It works best with supported headphones<\/td><\/tr>
Sound can be over the top<\/td>Justifying the price might be difficult<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Differences between Dolby Atmos and Windows Sonic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

HDMI Connection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dolby Atmos does not require HDMI to be connected to your PC’s graphics card, but Windows Sonic does. This is because Dolby Atmos can send encoded\/streamed information about what sounds should come from which speaker outputs (speaker vs headphone) straight from a standard optical, analog, or HDMI connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That info is then passed onto the motherboard, where its audio codec decodes it and sends it out of your headphone jack. With Windows Sonic, you need an HDMI connection<\/a> between your graphics adapter and your monitor (or TV), as HDMI carries both video and audio data over one cable (for now).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why if you have a Ryzen APU with an HDMI output, you can not use Windows Sonic for Headphones, as Ryzen APUs do not have an optical connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Receiver<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Windows Sonic does not require a receiver to be used with your PC, but Dolby Atmos does. This is because Dolby Atmos requires the encoded\/streamed information about what sounds should come from which speaker outputs (speaker vs headphone) to be sent via HDMI to your receiver, where it is decoded and passed onto the speakers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on if you are using a motherboard or dedicated sound card (for example, Xonar U7 ) as your receiver, will depend on whether or not it has support for Windows 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motherboards usually only have support up to Windows 8.1, but will work with Windows 10; dedicated sound cards should support all the way up to Windows 10.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your receiver is not compatible with Windows 10, you will not be able to use Dolby Atmos for Headphones<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Software decoder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Windows Sonic has a software decoder built-in, so it does not matter if your CPU\/GPU produces enough power for virtual surround sound or not. Dolby Atmos requires a certain amount of wattage from your CPU\/GPU and motherboard to decode encoded information about what sounds should come from which speaker outputs (speaker vs headphone).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words: If you have a low-powered PC that can’t handle Virtual Surround Sound from PC games then this also applies to virtual surround sound encoding done by Dolby Atmos and results in a lot of stuttering during normal playback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sound Card<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Windows Sonic can be used with a dedicated sound card, but Dolby Atmos<\/a> cannot. This is because Windows Sonic sends encoded\/streamed information about what sounds should come from which speaker outputs (speaker vs headphone) via HDMI to your receiver where it is decoded and passed onto the speakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dolby Atmos requires an HDMI connection between your graphics adapter and your monitor (or TV), as HDMI carries both video and audio data over one cable (for now).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why if you have a Ryzen APU with an HDMI output you can not use Windows Sonic for Headphones, as Ryzen APUs do not have an optical connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speakers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Windows Sonic (low latency) can be used with speakers, but Dolby Atmos requires an optical connection<\/a> to the receiver. This is because Windows Sonic sends encoded\/streamed information about what sounds should come from which speaker outputs (speaker vs headphone) via HDMI to your receiver, where it is decoded and passed onto the speakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dolby Atmos, on the other hand, uses an HDMI connection between your graphics adapter and your monitor (or TV), as HDMI carries both video and audio data over one cable (for now).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This being said, if you have a Ryzen APU with an HDMI output you can not use Windows Sonic for Speakers, as Ryzen APUs do not have an optical connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motherboard<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You might need to update your motherboard if you want to use Windows Sonic (in-game audio) with a motherboard’s onboard audio chipset. This is because if you wish to use Windows Sonic for Headphones and\/or Speakers (and not an external soundcard like the Xonar U7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It requires that your motherboard’s Audio Codec supports at least one of these: Microsoft Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) High Definition Audio Device Class Definition for Consumer Equipment (HDAC) 1.0 or 2.0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encoding and decoding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dolby Atmos does not need any special encoding or decoding hardware – Dolby Atmos takes advantage of technologies already implemented in many modern CPUs\/GPUs, namely the Microsoft Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) which works alongside Intel Core Processors with integrated graphics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch this video Dolby Atmos vs. Windows Sonic: Which is better<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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