With the advent of 3D surround sound, immersive audio has moved into a whole new world of realism by creating the best possible audio experience for movies, TV, music and games. Together with 3D videos, these new and emerging 3D audio formats such as DTS:X, Dolby Atmos and Auro 3D create refreshing experiences that make filming more exciting than ever before. But with the rise of multiple 3D surround sound formats, many audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts are now more confused than ever about the pros and cons of each platform. So if you're also wondering which way to go, you should take a look at our detailed comparison between DTS:X and Dolby Atmos to get a clearer picture of some of the key similarities and differences between the two technologies.

Designed by California-based DTS Inc., DTS:X is an "object-based" audio codec that aims to create a multi-dimensional sound by adding an element of height to traditional surround sound for added audio precision. What this essentially means is that with DTS:X-encoded tracks, the sound of birds chirping in a tree will feel like it's coming from above, provided you have a DTS:X-compatible receiver that can interpret these "objects" on the fly to fit any given speaker layout.The technology has its roots in the 3D surround sound format developed by Santa Ana, California-based audio engineering company SRS Labs, which was acquired by DTS in 2012. The DTS:X format uses the open and royalty-free Multi Dimensional Audio ( MDA) platform that allows sound engineers to isolate each individual audio object and control their placement, movement and volume separately regardless of channel assignment or speaker layout.For a more in-depth perspective on DTS:X, check out our detailed article on the subject.

Like DTS:X, Dolby Atmos is also an "object-based" audio codec that adds to a standard 7.1 channel setup by adding a height element to the sound. The technology allows sound engineers to direct specific sounds to a certain area of the room with a high degree of accuracy, because, unlike traditional setups, sound designers do not need to specify channels for a particular sound. Instead, they can simply indicate where the sound is coming from, and the Atmos setup will just interpret that metadata to give listeners a more immersive and realistic audio experience. To know more about Dolby Atmos, you can check out our previous article which covers the subject in more detail.

As you have already realized by now, there are more similarities than differences between DTS:X and Dolby Atmos. From an audio engineer's point of view, both support lossless encoding for the best audio quality, but are also compatible with lossy compression for streaming services that don't have the luxury of eating up a lot of bandwidth to deliver the absolute highest quality audio. Both can also "upconvert" older audio tracks that are not "object-based". From a consumer perspective, you'll need an A/V receiver or preamplifier with built-in firmware support to enjoy either format, but to get the full effect, you'll need content encoded with that particular format.