Remember walking out of the movie theater feeling like you were part of the show, sounds still loudly ringing in your ears? That cinematic experience with pristine audio, immersive, realistic and memorable sound didn’t just happen – its part of an object based sound system going far beyond surround sound of the early 80s.
Chances are you experienced some version of DTS (Digital Theater System) or Dolby HD. This spatially oriented immersive sound is the next best thing to being there and isn’t just for the theater. Home audio systems today are capable of producing similar sound using 5.1, 7.1, 9.1, or 11.1 through Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, or Auro-3D pleasing not only the movie buff, but the audiophile too. A good overview of the creation timeline and various formats can be found at Crutchfield.
Music has long been recorded in multiple tracks and it wasn’t uncommon to have at least 16 of them. Many older artists like the Moody Blues had recordings in what was known as Quadraphonics – available in the late 60s but not as popular as DTS/Dolby today. Music broken out in this way becomes extremely rich, enhancing the listening experience immensely. Typically, a digital stream is sent directly to a receiver for processing where it is broken out into the various channels and is often delivered to the receiver via Toslink fiber connections. But even 2 channel audio sent to a receiver using DTS-Neo6 is up-converted on the fly to sound much richer than would otherwise be available. Either way, True DTS audio is an experience.
Roxy Music’s Avalon is a good example where the room is spun around multiple times in the title “India”. As mentioned, Moody Blues recorded much of their content in Quad so it wasn’t a leap to get to DTS. The difference it makes for songs like “I Know Your Out There Somewhere”, “Your Wildest Dreams”, and “The Voice” is markedly pronounced. Needless to say, Pink Floyd’s music plays similarly.
More recent artists like Depeche Mode took advantage of DTS using it to bring street sounds to life in “Somebody” along with rich vocals. “Precious”, “Policy of Truth”, and “Enjoy the Silence” are so much more immersive. A truly amazing must hear is the DTS version of Gino Vennelli’s “Wild Horses” and “Black Cars”. Clean, impressive, full, and rich.
Most artists sounding great in stereo have good DTS versions that impress although it can be challenging to find the right ones. There are some fakes and real duds out there too. Discovering the hidden gems is rewarding and the ear candy just can’t be beat. If you love music, treating yourself to DTS is a must.