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Sony's Spatial Audio Dream Fades
22 May
Summary
- Sony's 360 Reality Audio launched in 2019 but struggled to gain traction.
- Apple's spatial audio, launched in 2021, quickly dominated the market.
- Apple leveraged its existing ecosystem for seamless spatial audio integration.
Sony introduced its 360 Reality Audio spatial audio format at CES 2019, aiming to redefine music consumption. The concept garnered support from artists, labels, and streaming services, and Sony integrated it into its own audio hardware.
However, Sony's vision struggled to materialize against a competitive landscape. While spatial audio, encompassing technologies like Dolby Atmos, gained traction, Sony's proprietary approach and tedious personalization process limited its appeal. Early adopters like Tidal and Amazon Music supported the format.
In summer 2021, Apple revolutionized the market by integrating Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head-tracking into its existing ecosystem. This included iPhones, AirPods, and Macs, making immersive audio a simple software update for millions of users.
Apple's strategy, leveraging its vast hardware and software control, allowed it to market spatial audio as an ecosystem benefit. In contrast, Sony's format remained a niche, high-end concept. By 2026, while Sony's 360 Reality Audio persists in some products, Dolby Atmos, championed by Apple, dominates, with services like Tidal shifting focus.
Sony now prioritizes virtual upmixing technologies like 360 Spatial Sound over pushing its original spatial audio format. This proprietary approach often degrades audio quality, unlike the established Dolby Atmos experience within Apple's closed ecosystem.
