What is Dolby Atmos for headphones and is it worth it for gamers?

You don’t need to have a fancy home theater setup to enjoy surround sound in some of the best PC games. A good pair of Dolby Atmos headphones can deliver captivating spatial sounds, provided the game supports the necessary 3D audio technology. But what if you’re stuck with a regular old pair of stereo headphones and crave spatial sound? Turns out there’s an app for that.

Whether or not you know the differences between Dolby Digital, DTS, and Atmos, there is software on Windows and Xbox consoles that simulates spatial audio on stereo headphones. Although it’s not free, you can play with the Dolby Atmos for Headphones app and its surround sound simulation technology for free with a free trial. Is this software worth paying for and can it deliver the cinematic experience and compelling verticality you expect from a pair of native Dolby Atmos headphones?

Dolby Atmos for Headphones is a feature in the Dolby Access app that mimics spatial audio on just about any stereo headset. It does this by using binaural rendering, which essentially converts a stereo signal into 3D surround sound. Whether you’re using some of the best wireless headphones or a pair of cheap cans you’ve owned for years, Dolby Atmos for Headphones promises to deliver convincing spatial sound.

Dolby Atmos can be set up for your home theater via the Dolby Access app, but to enable it for headphones you need to shell out $14.99. It’s up to you to decide if the investment is worth it, but you’ll be able to unlock a seven-day free trial before you part with your hard-earned money.

The Dolby Access app can be downloaded via the Microsoft Store on PC and Xbox Series X/S consoles. Once installed, go to System > Sound > Preferences (if you’re using a Windows PC or laptop) and make sure the “Dolby Atmos for Headphones” option is enabled in the Spatial Sound tab. Once Dolby Access recognizes your headphones, the app’s performance mode will automatically start. If you want to return to 2D audio, go to Settings > Dolby Atmos > Game and turn off the slider in the app.

It’s worth pointing out that you’ll only hear a difference with Dolby Atmos for Headphones enabled using stereo cans. If you stick to headphones that natively support Dolby Atmos (like the AirPods Max or Sonos Ace), you won’t notice any changes. I tested a range of Dolby Atmos-supported games with the AirPods Max just to see if the different Dolby Access presets changed the audio experience and I couldn’t detect any difference whether the app’s equalizers were enabled or not.

In my opinion, no. I played half a dozen PC games that all supported Dolby Atmos and I could barely hear a real upgrade when using the premium Dolby Access feature. Wearing my OneOdio Focus A6 headphones – a pair of budget ANC cans – I switched between Dolby Atmos for Headphones performance mode and with the spatial sound replication feature turned off. In both Back and the Dead space remake, I thought the Dolby Atmos effect created a slightly more convincing multi-directional soundscape, where it was a little more obvious where the alien attacks were coming from. The difference was actually very subtle and definitely not worth $15 in my (slightly tight) book.

Compare and contrast with playing games with my AirPods Max, and the difference was night and day. Dolby Atmos for Headphones functionality simply can’t compete with cans that natively support spatial audio technology. Alan wakes up 2, Cyberpunk 2077 And Forza Horizon 5 I delivered a much more authentic surround sound experience on my Apple headphones than enabling Dolby Access for my stereo headphones. If you crave a true 3D audio experience in games that have Dolby Atmos, buy a pair of headphones that support it out of the box, not the limited facsimile that Dolby Atmos for Headphones tries to offer.