Space. Immersion. Wideness. Sounds being played in different directions. That’s what spatial audio is all about. More simply, imagine a movie theater with many speakers but playing music instead. Spatial audio is a feature designed by Apple which tries to emulate surround sound. It can enabled with everything on AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, but is also natively integrated on apps including Apple Music, TIDAL, Netflix, and Disney+, allowing spatial audio playback on all audio outputs. Notably, most music streaming services like Spotify, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music do not currently support spatial audio natively.
Before exploring my thoughts, I must disclose that I come from a biased audio purist background. I’m not a fan of many modern audio technologies such as Bluetooth earbuds or wireless home theater systems. When it comes to audio, I like to keep things as “reference” (true to the original) as possible—wired headphones for low latency and signal quality, stereo studio monitors (speakers) for flat stereo sound, and definitely no TV soundbars. Admittedly, my preferences only account for a small minority of the overall pool of people listening to music. Therefore, I will also provide a counter-argument in the perspective of the average music listener.
It’s a gimmick
Many new technologies share something in common: it looks cool on paper, but when put into practice, the results are questionable. Audio is no different, especially when it comes to surround sound. The only legitimate way to achieve surround sound is with multiple speakers strategically positioned in different parts of the room, and with the proper audio channels directing to the proper speakers. When companies advertise all-in-one TV soundbars which support surround sound, half the story is not being told. Surround sound audio input is supported, but the speaker(s) can only take the signal and emulate the surround sound effect, thus distorting the original sound into something else. Most soundbar implementations do not do an adequate job of emulating surround sound, and the result sounds worse than regular stereo.
The same logic is applied to gaming headsets. Many claim to have surround sound support, with some, like Logitech’s G935, claiming to have “surround beyond 7.1” and “greater precision than standard 7.1 channel surround sound.” At the end of the day, the sound still comes from two drivers (speakers): one on the left, and one on the right. Just like any other pair of headphones. The result is a mediocre-to-decent surround sound emulation at the expense of the original sound quality. Apple’s spatial audio essentially does the same thing. However, it has the possibility of sounding better than regular surround emulation due to mastering engineers being able to optimize music strictly for Apple’s spatial audio. Still, the room for error is quite large. Not every mastering engineer has a spatial audio-ready setup, and even if so, the idea of introducing another variable in the mastering process is more than a headache: mastering music for stereo is already a delicate process. The quality of songs being released on streaming platforms is already a hit or miss at times, and adding another confounding variable will only make it more inconsistent.
Compatibility can also cause issues. Enabling spatial audio on content not specifically mastered for spatial audio will result in similar issues as gaming headsets—lackluster results. Devices other than AirPods Pro/Max will will most likely not achieve desirable quality simply because they are not designed for spatial audio.
It’s the future
While a lot can be said about the problems regarding spatial audio, there are positives to think about as well. First off, as I mentioned in the introduction, the vast majority of music listeners are not audiophiles. Everyday music listeners don’t really think about how vocals fit in the mix or whether there’s clipping or a muddy low-end. In fact, most people can’t distinguish between poorly and well mixed music, nor do they care. Spatial audio, on the other hand, is something that can instantly and tangibly be heard. People can feel the difference compared to stereo. Sacrificing a bit of punch or clarity here and there for the sake of experiencing something more atmospheric and visceral is an exciting tradeoff to many.
Furthermore, spatial audio’s position as being accessible to the average user and slowly being adopted by more music allows the technology to expand and improve. It’s unrealistic to expect perfection when the technology just came out, but eventually, there will undoubtedly be improvements on both the hardware and software side. Alongside improvements in the technology itself will be improvements in the quality of future music as mastering engineers get more accustomed to the workflow and understand what techniques work and what doesn’t with spatial audio.
Conclusion
As it stands today, spatial audio doesn’t have the consistency that it should have. There are a lot of variables to be accounted for, including how it’s implemented, how to properly optimize for AirPods, how that migrates to regular speakers, and how to properly master music for the best results across the board. It’s a new technology that needs time to prove itself, while the more traditional but tried-and-true stereo has withstood the test of time.
Still, while skeptics (like me) can reason that spatial audio is a gimmick that will die out soon, it’s important to remember who’s behind it. With Apple at the helm, it’s likely that spatial audio is here to stay. Apple has a record in taking a firm stance while the rest of the tech industry follows suit: removing the headphone jack on the iPhone is a prominent example that come to mind. AirPods have already transformed the wireless audio scene both via its technology and its market share. Spatial audio adds onto that success, while representing something new: it’s bold, innovative, and most importantly, able to reach a far wider audience than other surround sound solutions. Thanks to Apple’s backing and marketing of the technology, many people will undoubtedly experience spatial audio. And—who knows—maybe its popularity will spark the beginning of a new revolution in speaker technology. That’s something everyone can enjoy.
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