With adaptive surround sound similar to the theater, spatial audio is a game-changer for immersive entertainment. By adjusting the sound as you move, head-tracking creates the illusion that you are in the center of the action. You can experience virtual reality even more closely with a VR headset.
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Setting up various systems to experience high-quality spatial audio can be challenging and expensive. You can enjoy immersive audio at home without any additional hardware or accessories, though, if you have Apple products like an Apple TV and AirPods.
Spatial audio supported by Apple devices
You need compatible hardware to experience spatial audio. Apple audio equipment and a 4K Apple TV are included in this. Make sure tvOS 15 or later is installed on the Apple TV. When purchasing used or refurbished devices, pay attention to the model version.
For spatial audio, a variety of personal listening devices are available. You can choose any Apple product or one that can connect to Apple directly. These include the third-generation AirPods, the original or second-generation AirPods Pro, the AirPods Max, or the Beats Fits Pro, all of which support dynamic head-tracking and spatial audio.
How to enable spatial audio and connect to Apple TV
Open the AirPods case next to the Apple TV.
Hold the Play button on your Apple TV remote to scan for nearby devices. It should detect the AirPods and prompt you to connect.
Enter a TV app that supports multichannel audio.
Press the Home button on your TV remote to access the Control Center.
An icon with a picture of your connected speakers will be at the bottom of the Control Center panel. With your remote, select that icon to enable sound output.
Click the icon again to access the speaker’s personal settings.
You can disable the feature, set it to provide fixed sound, or activate the head-tracking feature under the Spatial Audio options.
Spatial audio and head-tracking will be enabled on the connected device, adjusting the volume of your show’s soundtrack elements (music, SFX, dialog, and so on) based on your position.
