What is Sony 360 Reality Audio and how does it work?

(Pocket-lint) - Sony's 360 Reality Audio is a high-resolution music level that aims to marque the euphony you perceive to much immersive and realistic.

It's designed to marque the euphony dependable similar it's coming from tons of antithetic directions, not conscionable near and right.

Here is everything you request to cognize astir Sony's 360 Reality Audio.

How does Sony's 360 Reality Audio work?

Sony's 360 Reality Audio uses thing called object-based audio which means that erstwhile the dependable that's being recorded is encoded, it saves other data, called metadata which describes the placement of the microphone successful a 3D dependable field.

In different words, the microphone signaling the violins has information attached saying it's astatine the beforehand near of the signaling workplace portion the microphone covering the trombones notes that it's towards the back, connected the right. Oh, and if the trombones are connected a higher level than the violins, that other tallness is encoded successful the position, too.

This other information means that erstwhile you're listening to the music, it should dependable much similar the mode the euphony was primitively recorded, with a greater consciousness of world – arsenic suggested by Sony's sanction for this system.

It doesn't conscionable use to euphony – a gunshot successful the inheritance of a euphony way could beryllium an entity and fixed its ain spot successful the dependable field.

How tin I perceive to Sony 360 Reality Audio?

Tracks that are mastered, oregon remastered, to play this format volition beryllium streamed connected regular services similar Tidal and Deezer. It's besides disposable via nugs.net, a work that specialises successful signaling concerts unrecorded – which could beryllium an particularly chill happening to perceive to connected this format. In each cases, you'll request a paid-for subscription to perceive the close tracks.

Amazon Music HD besides has Sony 360 Reality Audio tracks, though astatine first, these volition lone beryllium for playback done its speakers, not different hardware – of which much later. Napster volition besides carry 360 Reality Audio tracks, though we presently person nary thought of erstwhile this volition be. 

There's nary notation of the 2 biggest streaming services, Apple Music and Spotify, but you tin conjecture that talks whitethorn beryllium going connected down the scenes to effort and get some connected board.

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Do I request caller hardware?

Perhaps the champion happening astir Sony 360 Reality Audio is you don't request to bargain immoderate caller kit unless you privation to perceive done speakers. That's due to the fact that Sony says its level volition enactment with immoderate headphones. Any.

Sure, you'll get amended results with amended cans but the magic is done successful the encoding, not the headphones.

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Sony points retired that if you are listening via immoderate of its ain headphones you tin get an enhanced result. That's done its escaped Sony Headphones Connect app which personalises the audio to your peculiar consciousness of hearing. The app is downloadable connected iOS and Android.

It works by taking a photograph of your receptor connected your smartphone (tip: get idiosyncratic to assistance you truthful you get the presumption of your receptor successful the photograph conscionable right) and moving retired from that precisely however you hear. It past optimises the playback for your idiosyncratic hearing.

Sony present has an extended scope of certified headphones, including their ever fashionable WH-1000XM4 and adjacent their antithetic SRS-NS7 wireless neckband speaker. The afloat exemplary database tin beryllium recovered here.

What speakers are compatible?

If you privation to play euphony successful Sony 360 Reality Audio done a talker past you request 1 with the close spot embedded successful it. The archetypal to beryllium released was the Amazon Echo Studio, a one-unit astute speaker, but Sony has continued to spouse with different brands to make certified playback devices. So far, there's the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar and a beastly AV processor from McIntosh, the MX123.

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Sony has, of course, released a scope of compatible speakers. The scope includes the SRS-RA5000 and RA3000 wireless speakers, arsenic good arsenic the HT-A7000 and HT-A5000 soundbars and the HT-A9 situation system.

What tracks are available?

At launch, Sony had 1,000 songs successful the caller format, and the room continues to grow. These see artists specified arsenic Mark Ronson and Pharell Williams positive classical tracks from the likes of Billy Joel and Bob Dylan.

How overmuch does it cost?

You'll request a precocious fidelity subscription to 1 of the supported services below, different than that, it doesn't outgo you a happening to perceive connected headphones.

• Tidal - HiFi £19.99 per month
• Deezer - Premium £11.99 per month
• Nugs.net - HiFi $24.99 per month
• Amazon Music HD - £7.99 per period for Prime members / £9.99 for modular users

Is Sony the lone strategy to usage object-based audio?

No, determination are others already successful place, the astir well-known of which is Dolby Atmos. The Dolby Atmos Music work is simply a rival euphony level which besides aims to connection a realistic situation dependable experience. The 2 formats are not compatible truthful workplace engineers volition beryllium kept engaged arsenic much tracks are remastered for the caller platforms.

Writing by David Phelan. Originally published connected 23 October 2019.