However, I primarily use Dolby Atmos for Headphones with 5.1 content and it does an incredible job. It looks like they have made it so that the Atmos content only goes through the HDMI protocol. Unfortunately, and perplexingly, Atmos content on the Windows PC player does not appear to bus through to the Dolby Atmos for Headphones. Unfortunately, this is a studio plugin but I've rigged up a way to still use this with an audio player on Mac OS.ĭolby Atmos for Headphones is excellent for multichannel content. Waves also has Abbey Road Studio, whose speaker emulation is excellent, and superior for 2-channel emulation than Dolby Atmos imo. Waves NX is primarily good for the emulation of stereo 2-channel and 5.1 channel mixes for headphones.īoth the Mac version of Waves NX and the old (but free) iOS versions are not well supported. One, an affordable consumer version (around $9) and the other a more expensive and versatile studio plugin. First off, there are two primary versions of Waves NX. I was not impressed with Waves NX, I am impressed with Dolby Atmos. I have mixed extensively in Dolby Nearfield Atmos, and I spent some time tuning Waves NX for myself and another mixer. I can't say that for sure as I've not used Dolby Headphone Atmos. The secondary difference with Dolby Headphone Atmos is that it is likely better than the Waves NX. The main difference with Dolby Headphone Atmos is that there is a height dimension to the sounds, and that instead of a simple 5.1 space modeled the space is essentially unlimited although in practice is usually 7.1.2 (LCR,LSR-RSR, LSS-RSS, Lfe, Ltop Rtop). They all use algorithms and the way we hear sounds (the eq function of our ear shape, the delay of sounds that occur behind us, the eq function of our head, etc) to model what a sound should sound like in a 2D (or 3D) space. In that way, Waves NX, Dolby headphone Atmos, dts headphone x, Smyth, etc all are essentially the same.

All surround headphone systems (that are headphone agnostic, I'm not including headphones with actual multiple spacially separated drivers) are algorithmic.

Waves nx kuyhaa