Audible recently announced it has teamed up with Dolby Laboratories which will allow for listening to audiobooks in Dolby Atmos format. However, if you aren’t already aware of what Dolby Atmos is, here it is. Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology designed to provide a more immersive audio experience by adding height channels to traditional surround sound setups.
Instead of simply having speakers in front of and behind you, Dolby Atmos adds speakers above the listener as well, allowing for sound to be placed and moved in a 3D space. This creates a more realistic and lifelike audio experience, as sound can be identified and moved around the listener in a way that more closely mimics how we hear things in the real world. Dolby Atmos is used in various applications, including movie theatres, home theater systems, and mobile devices.
Audible, known for its pioneering efforts in the segment, scored another feather in its cap with the introduction of Dolby Atmos tech. The feature adds an exciting new dimension to audiobooks by creating a cinematic audioscape, where additional sounds are strategically placed to fully immerse the listener in the book’s world. The outcome is a powerful, dramatic experience that breathes new life into the story.
How to listen to audiobooks on Audible with Dolby Atmos
The good thing here is that there is nothing special that you need to do to listen to Dolby Atmos-enabled audiobooks on Audible. As MUO pointed out, the feature is available to all Audible subscribers worldwide. The only requirement is that you need to have a Dolby Atmos-enabled device as well as compatible headphones to experience the superior sound feature. Audible has a complete list of supported devices on its help pages which you will do well to check out.
Suppose you own an iOS device and compatible headphones. In that case, you can optimize your audiobook experience with Apple Spatial Audio and Dynamic Head Tracking, creating an immersive sound that envelops you and tracks your head movements.
To get started, you can search for an audiobook that supports Dolby Atmos, provided your device supports it. Audible’s website offers a comprehensive list of titles, including the latest releases, which can be accessed from the carousels on the homepage.
You can quickly check if a book you’re interested in supports Dolby Atmos by typing “Dolby Atmos” into the search bar on the Audible website. Also, while browsing the catalogue, you can look for the Dolby Atmos badge next to the title to see if it’s available in this format.
If you own a book that is now available in Dolby Atmos, you can easily access the new version by pressing play on your Audible app, and the updated version will be streamed to you. However, if you have downloaded the book previously, you’ll need to delete the current version and download the Dolby Atmos version again to experience the new sound format. Don’t worry about losing your listening position during the re-downloading process, as your progress will be saved.
Dolby Atmos titles available via Audible
Currently, around 40 Audible Original titles are available in the Dolby Atmos format. Those include Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, or Live Shows such as An Evening With Ali Stoker.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
