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PS5 - Dolby Atmos (BETA) Impressions

Pedro Motta

Member
Weird hearing people say they can't tell the difference, just on the PS5 home screen the sound domes around you and you can hear little chimes moving around.
It was like this before sure but this seems more closer and pin point in how it sounds.
I also seem to be getting more bass
Then again everyone has different setups sooo...¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I have menu music turned off, so I didn't notice that, will try turning it on.
 
I don't think your issue is Xbox based but the hardware/setup of what you are using,in this case your amp and speaker setup. It is somehow forcing Atmos even if unsupported. What do you have for your home theatre setup? I have a 5.1.4 configuration through my Yamaha RX-A2A Receiver and my 4 ceiling speakers are configured in my receiver as Atmos height/ceiling speakers so the receiver will detect if the metadata is there or not to send to those speakers and switch to Atmos accordingly. If not the receiver will show the non Atmos signal.
I also have a 5.1.4 and it’s set the same as yours. Im using a Denon amp so maybe it just works differently. I assume you have your Xbox set to Atmos?
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Anyone wants any reference material I suggest The Callisto Protocol, Dead Space and Ghost of Tsushima
I'm gonna do some more tests tonight as people are saying PCM is louder which isn't the case with me although it may be my system doing something I'm not aware of so I did to check that too.
 
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Anyone wants any reference material I suggest The Callisto Protocol, Dead Space and Ghost of Tsushima
I'm gonna do some more tests tonight as people are saying PCM is louder which isn't the case with me although it may be my system doing something I'm not aware of so I did to check that too.
I played a bit of GoT to test this out last night. Walking through the forest while it's raining is one of the best Atmos demos I've heard

Overall though, mixed results. Some games like FFXVI spread the center channel/dialogue audio to the rears during cutscenes which is funky in practice.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Okay just a quick test with the home menu music
Dolby Atmos is definitely louder and I hear something like sand being poured in to a glass moving around the room its weird 😂
And there's this other noise I can't explain it
Like when a coin is coming to the end of spin but but very light and very faint and slower.
And a bell chime that echos above my head and then shifts.
Those effects are still there in PCM but I can tell which speaker is coming from
In Atmos it's like I'm feeling it's presence near me

I checked what my receiver is showing and it's Dolby Atmos Linear PCM
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Okay just a quick test with the home menu music
Dolby Atmos is definitely louder and I hear something like sand being poured in to a glass moving around the room its weird 😂
And there's this other noise I can't explain it
Like when a coin is coming to the end of spin but but very light and very faint and slower.
And a bell chime that echos above my head and then shifts.
Those effects are still there in PCM but I can tell which speaker is coming from
In Atmos it's like I'm feeling it's presence near me

I checked what my receiver is showing and it's Dolby Atmos Linear PCM
Sounds just like listening to the menu music with a 3D headset prior to this.

It's all a mixture of past PS menu sounds blended in coming from all directions.
 
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skneogaf

Member
Once I get the update I want to try demon's souls as that amazing game supports 3d audio.

On my pc I think call of duty modern warfare 2 and battlefront 1 has the best dolby atmos so hopefully at least modern warfare 2 get a real dolby atmos update patch.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
GoT is fantastic, I can hear the leaf's move across the floor and loads of stuff going on around me and when I did the meditation thing.
With controller speaker and the Atmos, surreal man.
 
GoT is fantastic, I can hear the leaf's move across the floor and loads of stuff going on around me and when I did the meditation thing.
With controller speaker and the Atmos, surreal man.
I need this if it's even better than normal.

7.1 in that game already sounded incredible.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I really wish I could get in this because I have an atmos setup but PS never sends me a damn code even though I've been a fan boy since PS1 lol.
I don't even have ceiling speakers ( as I'm not sure how to install them with my arch ceiling so I'm obviously missing out but the sound stage is just different and room filling.
I guess it creates phantom speakers.
Btw US or EU?
have you checked the Beta Thread for spare codes going about?
 
So who has discovered the correct way to set this up option wise within the settings?

Thanks to the nice fellow Lone Wolf Lone Wolf on here I am in the Beta and ready to test if on my 7.1 system.

I’m currently testing the sound on Ghost of Tsushima. My sound settings are set to HDMI AV Receiver and Audio Format Dolby Atmos.

This seems to be the correct way but I saw some people earlier saying it’s muffled, you may have your setting set to TV and 3D audio turned on. That’s created a muffled sound on my system. It’s sounded awful.

But this is why I’m asking the question. I just want to make sure everyone is on the same page settings wise. The sound does sound more noticeably filled in on Tsushima right now.
 

Moonjt9

No Silksong? = Delivering the pain.
Does it have noticeable audio lag like when using Dolby or DTS audio setting instead of linear pcm?
 

thatJohann

Member
In my setup, good old uncompressed LPCM sounds better than Atmos. I’m using dual OG HomePods with eARC and Apple TV 4K as the “receiver” and set to pass through. They support Atmos. However, LPCM sounds louder, cleaner and purer.
 
What's the consensus? Is Sony fucking this shit up or what?
So I tested it briefly for a few minutes on The Last of Us: Part II and for like 30 minutes on Ghost of Tsushima

I have a 7.1.2 system currently. All Klipsch speakers. All in all my setup is probably worth around $5,000 which is bottom of the line or top of the line.

However the speakers I have are good enough that I can hear when mo-cap actor's mics are fucked up in some way. This happens with Talbot in Uncharted 3 and Sam in Uncharted 4 for example. There's something about Naughty Dog where one person always ends up with a mic that isn't perfect like the others haha.

But anyway, (not trying to brag about my setup, especially since I got lucky to have my Dad start me off with two front tower speakers, a polk audio sub and two side book shelf speakers) I bring all of this up because I think my set up is a great middle of the road test for this Atmos implementation.

I started by simply changing the audio format to Atmos under the audio settings in the PS home menu and keeping my audio settings on HDMI (AV Reveciver). And I could immediately tell the difference in sound. Atmos give more 3D space to the audio. You can almost hear the air in between you and the sound that you're hearing. Like everything sort of echoes a bit but not in a bad way. I'll play more of this when I get home.

Ghost of Tsushima is pretty awesome though. Twig snaps and leaves fluttering across the ground are much more noticeable now, the rain pattering on the forest floor as well is very distinct like someone else mentioned. And unltimatley the best test of this audio setting are the thunder claps. On LPCM the thunder is directional to where the storm is but mainly heavy out of my two front channel speakers. With Atmos enabled the thunder claps play through nearly every speaker at once and fill the air like I was saying before. It does a great job making me feel like I'm outside in a hollow area where sound can travel in any direction.

As for center channel voice audio, it's slightly more boomy when characters talk which separates them a little bit more form the background sounds and when playing GoT a few times Jin's grunts came from my rear speakers while he was climbing even though the camera was far behind him. So I'm not sure what that was about. I can't say whether or not this aspect is better. Gotta play more games to figure it out.

Here is a warning for a few people as well. DO NOT set up your 3D audio for the TV audio format through your surround sound system. Almost accidently made myself deaf lol. It asks you to calibrate your system by holding your controller face high and it plays this GOD AWFUL high pitched frequency out of the front channel speakers. Nightmare.

Also do not select TV for your audio format if you have an audio receiver. This should be obvious but I was screwing around with it to see what would happen. With TV slected and 3D audio turned on you still get surround sound but it's extremely muffled and sounds like your inside of a tin can. It completely distorts the audio.

Edit: Oh and a side note, I have two Atmos height channels but I have them sitting on top of my front two towers angled at my ceiling because my setup is in my basement and there wasn't enough space between the drop ceiling and my kitchen floor above. No audio seemed to be coming out of them for either title. I think most games strictly have 7.1 for now. My sub is also broken so can't give any feedback on bass.
 
Last edited:

Mr Hyde

Member
So I tested it briefly for a few minutes on The Last of Us: Part II and for like 30 minutes on Ghost of Tsushima

I have a 7.1.2 system currently. All Klipsch speakers. All in all my setup is probably worth around $5,000 which is bottom of the line or top of the line.

However the speakers I have are good enough that I can hear when mo-cap actor's mics are fucked up in some way. This happens with Talbot in Uncharted 3 and Sam in Uncharted 4 for example. There's something about Naughty Dog where one person always ends up with a mic that isn't perfect like the others haha.

But anyway, (not trying to brag about my setup, especially since I got lucky to have my Dad start me off with two front tower speakers, a polk audio sub and two side book shelf speakers) I bring all of this up because I think my set up is a great middle of the road test for this Atmos implementation.

I started by simply changing the audio format to Atmos under the audio settings in the PS home menu and keeping my audio settings on HDMI (AV Reveciver). And I could immediately tell the difference in sound. Atmos give more 3D space to the audio. You can almost hear the air in between you and the sound that you're hearing. Like everything sort of echoes a bit but not in a bad way. I'll play more of this when I get home.

Ghost of Tsushima is pretty awesome though. Twig snaps and leaves fluttering across the ground are much more noticeable now, the rain pattering on the forest floor as well is very distinct like someone else mentioned. And unltimatley the best test of this audio setting are the thunder claps. On LPCM the thunder is directional to where the storm is but mainly heavy out of my two front channel speakers. With Atmos enabled the thunder claps play through nearly every speaker at once and fill the air like I was saying before. It does a great job making me feel like I'm outside in a hollow area where sound can travel in any direction.

As for center channel voice audio, it's slightly more boomy when characters talk which separates them a little bit more form the background sounds and when playing GoT a few times Jin's grunts came from my rear speakers while he was climbing even though the camera was far behind him. So I'm not sure what that was about. I can't say whether or not this aspect is better. Gotta play more games to figure it out.

Here is a warning for a few people as well. DO NOT set up your 3D audio for the TV audio format through your surround sound system. Almost accidently made myself deaf lol. It asks you to calibrate your system by holding your controller face high and it plays this GOD AWFUL high pitched frequency out of the front channel speakers. Nightmare.

Also do not select TV for your audio format if you have an audio receiver. This should be obvious but I was screwing around with it to see what would happen. With TV slected and 3D audio turned on you still get surround sound but it's extremely muffled and sounds like your inside of a tin can. It completely distorts the audio.

Edit: Oh and a side note, I have two Atmos height channels but I have them sitting on top of my front two towers angled at my ceiling because my setup is in my basement and there wasn't enough space between the drop ceiling and my kitchen floor above. No audio seemed to be coming out of them for either title. I think most games strictly have 7.1 for now. My sub is also broken so can't give any feedback on bass.

That was a nice write up! Thanks. I hope Sony rolls out this firmware sooner, rather than later.
 
That was a nice write up! Thanks. I hope Sony rolls out this firmware sooner, rather than later.
You're welcome! Not a problem at all. I'm definitely going to test more games with it. Especially ones that officially support 3D audio vs ones that aren't on the list.

Like how the PS5 versions of Uncharted 4/Lost Legacy support it but The Last of Us Part II doesn't. Very strange choices by Sony, ND, etc.

Edit: Seems like Part II does support 3D audio. Here is a from https://en.everybodywiki.com/List_of_Playstation_games_that_support_3D_Audio

Playstation 4 games that support 3D Audio​

Compatible Playstation 4 games can only be played with 3D Audio on Playstation 4 hardware by using the official Platinum Wireless Headset[5], or with any set of headphones on Playstation 5 via backwards compatibility by enabling 3D Audio in the system menus.

  • Anthem
  • Days Gone
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn
  • The Last of Us: Part II
  • MLB 19: The Show[
  • Uncharted 4
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Playstation 5 games that support 3D Audio​

Compatible Playstation 5 games can be played with 3D Audio by connecting any set of headphones to the 3.5mm jack on the Dualsense controller or with compatible headphones via USB and enabling 3D Audio in the system menus.

  • Astros's Playroom
  • Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
  • Demon's Souls
  • Destruction: AllStars
  • Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition
  • Final Fantasy XIV (PS5 patch required)
  • Gran Turismo 7 (releases 2022)
  • Horizon: Forbidden West (releases 2022)
  • Immortals Fenix Rising
  • Marvel's Avengers
  • Nioh Remastered
  • Nioh 2 Remastered
  • No Man's Sky
  • Oddworld: Soulstorm
  • The Pathless[30]
  • Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (releases June 2021)
  • Resident Evil: Village (releases May 2021)
  • Returnal
  • Sackboy: A Big Adventure
  • Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  • Spider-Man: Remastered
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2
 
Last edited:

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
So I tested it briefly for a few minutes on The Last of Us: Part II and for like 30 minutes on Ghost of Tsushima

I have a 7.1.2 system currently. All Klipsch speakers. All in all my setup is probably worth around $5,000 which is bottom of the line or top of the line.

However the speakers I have are good enough that I can hear when mo-cap actor's mics are fucked up in some way. This happens with Talbot in Uncharted 3 and Sam in Uncharted 4 for example. There's something about Naughty Dog where one person always ends up with a mic that isn't perfect like the others haha.

But anyway, (not trying to brag about my setup, especially since I got lucky to have my Dad start me off with two front tower speakers, a polk audio sub and two side book shelf speakers) I bring all of this up because I think my set up is a great middle of the road test for this Atmos implementation.

I started by simply changing the audio format to Atmos under the audio settings in the PS home menu and keeping my audio settings on HDMI (AV Reveciver). And I could immediately tell the difference in sound. Atmos give more 3D space to the audio. You can almost hear the air in between you and the sound that you're hearing. Like everything sort of echoes a bit but not in a bad way. I'll play more of this when I get home.

Ghost of Tsushima is pretty awesome though. Twig snaps and leaves fluttering across the ground are much more noticeable now, the rain pattering on the forest floor as well is very distinct like someone else mentioned. And unltimatley the best test of this audio setting are the thunder claps. On LPCM the thunder is directional to where the storm is but mainly heavy out of my two front channel speakers. With Atmos enabled the thunder claps play through nearly every speaker at once and fill the air like I was saying before. It does a great job making me feel like I'm outside in a hollow area where sound can travel in any direction.

As for center channel voice audio, it's slightly more boomy when characters talk which separates them a little bit more form the background sounds and when playing GoT a few times Jin's grunts came from my rear speakers while he was climbing even though the camera was far behind him. So I'm not sure what that was about. I can't say whether or not this aspect is better. Gotta play more games to figure it out.

Here is a warning for a few people as well. DO NOT set up your 3D audio for the TV audio format through your surround sound system. Almost accidently made myself deaf lol. It asks you to calibrate your system by holding your controller face high and it plays this GOD AWFUL high pitched frequency out of the front channel speakers. Nightmare.

Also do not select TV for your audio format if you have an audio receiver. This should be obvious but I was screwing around with it to see what would happen. With TV slected and 3D audio turned on you still get surround sound but it's extremely muffled and sounds like your inside of a tin can. It completely distorts the audio.

Edit: Oh and a side note, I have two Atmos height channels but I have them sitting on top of my front two towers angled at my ceiling because my setup is in my basement and there wasn't enough space between the drop ceiling and my kitchen floor above. No audio seemed to be coming out of them for either title. I think most games strictly have 7.1 for now. My sub is also broken so can't give any feedback on bass.

The bolded is what I think some here are having issues with.
 
You're welcome! Not a problem at all. I'm definitely going to test more games with it. Especially ones that officially support 3D audio vs ones that aren't on the list.

Like how the PS5 versions of Uncharted 4/Lost Legacy support it but The Last of Us Part II doesn't. Very strange choices by Sony, ND, etc.

Edit: Seems like Part II does support 3D audio. Here is a from https://en.everybodywiki.com/List_of_Playstation_games_that_support_3D_Audio

Playstation 4 games that support 3D Audio​

Compatible Playstation 4 games can only be played with 3D Audio on Playstation 4 hardware by using the official Platinum Wireless Headset[5], or with any set of headphones on Playstation 5 via backwards compatibility by enabling 3D Audio in the system menus.

  • Anthem
  • Days Gone
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn
  • The Last of Us: Part II
  • MLB 19: The Show[
  • Uncharted 4
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Playstation 5 games that support 3D Audio​

Compatible Playstation 5 games can be played with 3D Audio by connecting any set of headphones to the 3.5mm jack on the Dualsense controller or with compatible headphones via USB and enabling 3D Audio in the system menus.

  • Astros's Playroom
  • Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
  • Demon's Souls
  • Destruction: AllStars
  • Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition
  • Final Fantasy XIV (PS5 patch required)
  • Gran Turismo 7 (releases 2022)
  • Horizon: Forbidden West (releases 2022)
  • Immortals Fenix Rising
  • Marvel's Avengers
  • Nioh Remastered
  • Nioh 2 Remastered
  • No Man's Sky
  • Oddworld: Soulstorm
  • The Pathless[30]
  • Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (releases June 2021)
  • Resident Evil: Village (releases May 2021)
  • Returnal
  • Sackboy: A Big Adventure
  • Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  • Spider-Man: Remastered
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2
3d audio is absolutely brilliant but the amount of games that support it on PS5 is shameful
 

Tqaulity

Member
You're welcome! Not a problem at all. I'm definitely going to test more games with it. Especially ones that officially support 3D audio vs ones that aren't on the list.

Like how the PS5 versions of Uncharted 4/Lost Legacy support it but The Last of Us Part II doesn't. Very strange choices by Sony, ND, etc.

Edit: Seems like Part II does support 3D audio. Here is a from https://en.everybodywiki.com/List_of_Playstation_games_that_support_3D_Audio

Playstation 4 games that support 3D Audio​

Compatible Playstation 4 games can only be played with 3D Audio on Playstation 4 hardware by using the official Platinum Wireless Headset[5], or with any set of headphones on Playstation 5 via backwards compatibility by enabling 3D Audio in the system menus.

  • Anthem
  • Days Gone
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn
  • The Last of Us: Part II
  • MLB 19: The Show[
  • Uncharted 4
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Playstation 5 games that support 3D Audio​

Compatible Playstation 5 games can be played with 3D Audio by connecting any set of headphones to the 3.5mm jack on the Dualsense controller or with compatible headphones via USB and enabling 3D Audio in the system menus.

  • Astros's Playroom
  • Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
  • Demon's Souls
  • Destruction: AllStars
  • Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition
  • Final Fantasy XIV (PS5 patch required)
  • Gran Turismo 7 (releases 2022)
  • Horizon: Forbidden West (releases 2022)
  • Immortals Fenix Rising
  • Marvel's Avengers
  • Nioh Remastered
  • Nioh 2 Remastered
  • No Man's Sky
  • Oddworld: Soulstorm
  • The Pathless[30]
  • Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (releases June 2021)
  • Resident Evil: Village (releases May 2021)
  • Returnal
  • Sackboy: A Big Adventure
  • Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  • Spider-Man: Remastered
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2
Ok wanted to chime in a couple of things but first I need to point out that this list is woefully inaccurate with regards to Tempest 3D audio support and is missing a number of key titles such as Ghostwire Tokyo, Hogwarts Legacy, Forspoken, Callisto Protocol, Dead Space Remake, The Last of Us Pt 1, and Final Fantasy XVI just to name a few. In fact, you can book it that virtually every Sony 1st party game (TLOU Pt1), 3rd party exclusives (FFXVI), AND games with Sony exclusive marketing rights (Hogwarts Legacy) has shipped with Tempest 3D audio support. I believe this list is for the simulated 3D audio through PlayStation wireless headsets but with PS5 that distinction is moot since Tempest is supported by the vast majority of titles for any and all headsets connected to the system.

3d audio is absolutely brilliant but the amount of games that support it on PS5 is shameful
So to reiterate my comments above, Tempest 3D audio is supported in the vast majority of native PS5 releases including every Sony 1st party game (TLOU Pt1, R&C, Spiderman), 3rd party exclusives (FFXVI, Forspoken, Ghostwire Tokyo), AND games with Sony exclusive marketing rights (Hogwarts Legacy, Callisto Protocol). The list even includes smaller Indie titles such as Stray and Kena Bridge of Spirits. So while there isn't a comprehensive public list of all the games that support Tempest 3D audio currently available, I can assure you that it's literally over half of the native PS5 games that have released to date. This number is way more than the number of Dolby Atmos native releases on Xbox and PC BTW.
 
Ok wanted to chime in a couple of things but first I need to point out that this list is woefully inaccurate with regards to Tempest 3D audio support and is missing a number of key titles such as Ghostwire Tokyo, Hogwarts Legacy, Forspoken, Callisto Protocol, Dead Space Remake, The Last of Us Pt 1, and Final Fantasy XVI just to name a few. In fact, you can book it that virtually every Sony 1st party game (TLOU Pt1), 3rd party exclusives (FFXVI), AND games with Sony exclusive marketing rights (Hogwarts Legacy) has shipped with Tempest 3D audio support. I believe this list is for the simulated 3D audio through PlayStation wireless headsets but with PS5 that distinction is moot since Tempest is supported by the vast majority of titles for any and all headsets connected to the system.


So to reiterate my comments above, Tempest 3D audio is supported in the vast majority of native PS5 releases including every Sony 1st party game (TLOU Pt1, R&C, Spiderman), 3rd party exclusives (FFXVI, Forspoken, Ghostwire Tokyo), AND games with Sony exclusive marketing rights (Hogwarts Legacy, Callisto Protocol). The list even includes smaller Indie titles such as Stray and Kena Bridge of Spirits. So while there isn't a comprehensive public list of all the games that support Tempest 3D audio currently available, I can assure you that it's literally over half of the native PS5 games that have released to date. This number is way more than the number of Dolby Atmos native releases on Xbox and PC BTW.
Interesting info! I didn't know that! Maybe we should make a thread of some kind for this since there isn't much information on it anywhere.
 

Tqaulity

Member
Will this lead to native Dolby Atmos support on ps5 for games ?
The answer is NO because nearly all PS5 games already have native Tempest 3D audio support. Dolby Atmos is somewhat redundant on top of that and would require more work since all of the PS5's tools and APIs are already built for Tempest. This recent system update essentially adds Dolby Atmos support for games by converting the Tempest 3D to a format that most home theater devices can understand (i.e. Dolby Atmos). The rendering of the 3D audio and encoding in game is different between the two but the distribution vehicle is now more standardized with Dolby Atmos. 3D audio is still 3D audio so the whole point of this update was to allow more users (those with HT receivers, soundbars etc) to utilize their system to get the best Tempest 3D audio experience. It is NOT intended to change how PS5 handles audio or add the Atmos toolchain to the PS5.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
So I tested it briefly for a few minutes on The Last of Us: Part II and for like 30 minutes on Ghost of Tsushima

I have a 7.1.2 system currently. All Klipsch speakers. All in all my setup is probably worth around $5,000 which is bottom of the line or top of the line.

However the speakers I have are good enough that I can hear when mo-cap actor's mics are fucked up in some way. This happens with Talbot in Uncharted 3 and Sam in Uncharted 4 for example. There's something about Naughty Dog where one person always ends up with a mic that isn't perfect like the others haha.

But anyway, (not trying to brag about my setup, especially since I got lucky to have my Dad start me off with two front tower speakers, a polk audio sub and two side book shelf speakers) I bring all of this up because I think my set up is a great middle of the road test for this Atmos implementation.

I started by simply changing the audio format to Atmos under the audio settings in the PS home menu and keeping my audio settings on HDMI (AV Reveciver). And I could immediately tell the difference in sound. Atmos give more 3D space to the audio. You can almost hear the air in between you and the sound that you're hearing. Like everything sort of echoes a bit but not in a bad way. I'll play more of this when I get home.

Ghost of Tsushima is pretty awesome though. Twig snaps and leaves fluttering across the ground are much more noticeable now, the rain pattering on the forest floor as well is very distinct like someone else mentioned. And unltimatley the best test of this audio setting are the thunder claps. On LPCM the thunder is directional to where the storm is but mainly heavy out of my two front channel speakers. With Atmos enabled the thunder claps play through nearly every speaker at once and fill the air like I was saying before. It does a great job making me feel like I'm outside in a hollow area where sound can travel in any direction.

As for center channel voice audio, it's slightly more boomy when characters talk which separates them a little bit more form the background sounds and when playing GoT a few times Jin's grunts came from my rear speakers while he was climbing even though the camera was far behind him. So I'm not sure what that was about. I can't say whether or not this aspect is better. Gotta play more games to figure it out.

Here is a warning for a few people as well. DO NOT set up your 3D audio for the TV audio format through your surround sound system. Almost accidently made myself deaf lol. It asks you to calibrate your system by holding your controller face high and it plays this GOD AWFUL high pitched frequency out of the front channel speakers. Nightmare.

Also do not select TV for your audio format if you have an audio receiver. This should be obvious but I was screwing around with it to see what would happen. With TV slected and 3D audio turned on you still get surround sound but it's extremely muffled and sounds like your inside of a tin can. It completely distorts the audio.

Edit: Oh and a side note, I have two Atmos height channels but I have them sitting on top of my front two towers angled at my ceiling because my setup is in my basement and there wasn't enough space between the drop ceiling and my kitchen floor above. No audio seemed to be coming out of them for either title. I think most games strictly have 7.1 for now. My sub is also broken so can't give any feedback on bass.
Great write up, it kinda echoes my impressions
And the Bass is improved, you can hear it throbbing on the home screen music 😏
But like I said it's not like it wasn't there before it just feels like the soundstage had increased tremendously.
The answer is NO because nearly all PS5 games already have native Tempest 3D audio support. Dolby Atmos is somewhat redundant on top of that and would require more work since all of the PS5's tools and APIs are already built for Tempest. This recent system update essentially adds Dolby Atmos support for games by converting the Tempest 3D to a format that most home theater devices can understand (i.e. Dolby Atmos). The rendering of the 3D audio and encoding in game is different between the two but the distribution vehicle is now more standardized with Dolby Atmos. 3D audio is still 3D audio so the whole point of this update was to allow more users (those with HT receivers, soundbars etc) to utilize their system to get the best Tempest 3D audio experience. It is NOT intended to change how PS5 handles audio or add the Atmos toolchain to the PS5.
I also have a feeling that standard Atmos would not work if you had even one speaker missing from the required setup.
Sony's A9 does this too I believe
 
Great write up, it kinda echoes my impressions
And the Bass is improved, you can hear it throbbing on the home screen music 😏
But like I said it's not like it wasn't there before it just feels like the soundstage had increased tremendously.

I also have a feeling that standard Atmos would not work if you had even one speaker missing from the required setup.
Sony's A9 does this too I believe
Thanks and right, exactly you can definitely hear that there are more areas for sound to come from as opposed to just front, side and rear. It sounds much more filled in.
 
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Tqaulity

Member
What's the consensus? Is Sony fucking this shit up or what?
Ok so now to my impressions. Hopefully my comments above helped clarify some things as I'm seeing there is a LOT of misunderstanding and misconception of what Tempest 3D audio is. The short answer is that "No" Sony is not fucking this shit up at all and this update definitely adds more activity in the surround and height channels when properly configured. The sense of space and presence with the surround effects are definitely more noticeable with the Atmos wrapper, although (of course) results will vary depending on the game. Although it took nearly 3 years, Sony has now made 3D audio available to anyone using a PS5 no matter what setup you have or what devices you choose to listen on...for free! Not to mention that the number of supported titles dwarfs the number of supported native Atmos titles on Xbox and PC. Sure your judgement on the output quality will be subjective depending on your ear, tastes, and setup. But the work that Sony has done here with bringing high quality 3D audio to the masses with PS5 should be commended!

A quick clarification/recap:

Tempest 3D audio is Sony's proprietary solution for delivering high quality 3D audio for games. It is a state of art 3D audio technology that can handle hundreds of 3D objects in realtime and is designed to work primarily with binaural audio to maximize immersion, space, and presence for the individual listening. For those that don't know, binaural audio is stereo audio that is typically created using dual microphones captured in each left and right ear. The idea is that since people only have 2 ears (Left and Right), the most accurate way to mimic how people hear is to capture specific information in each of those locations. To simulate the effect of 3D audio objects moving around a listeners ears, a HRTF (or Head-Related Transfer Function) is used to compute all of the specific details in how each ear will hear a particular audio object in 3D space. The math and complexity of these calculations are pretty intense and it is why Sony opted to add dedicated audio hardware in the PS5 solely to handle the 3D audio computations (hence the Tempest Audio Engine). The results should be a much more advanced and immersive surround effect that is more customized to your individual ears.

Now if you follow what i just said above, it's easy to see why the primary target for this technology initially was headphones. Headphones use just 2 speakers, one for each ear, and it maps perfectly to a binaural recording. Also, headphones are easiest to optimize since you limit variables that can interfere with the sound that gets to your ears like the speaker cabinet or room acoustics (sound is just piped directly to your ears). So at launch, Tempest 3D was only supported via headphones. The beauty here though is that because the Tempest 3D calculations were all done in the system, the 3D audio effects can be heard with any pair of headphones connected to the system (which is why that list of 3D audio supported games for the PS Platinum and Gold headsets above are moot on PS5). If you were setting your PS5 to TV or AV receiver audio at launch, you were NOT hearing FULL Tempest 3D audio! Some time later, Sony delivered a firmware update to output the tempest 3D audio to TVs. The reason why this took extra time was because the math and calculations involved is fundamentally different for a TV in a room than headphones pointed right into your ears. Now you have to deal with distance to your ears, interference from the TV itself, and the room acoustics. However, it was easier than dealing with a full on home theater surround system because with a TV, you're still primarily dealing with just 2 ch (left and right). So Sony delivered that and again the beauty was that it would work with ANY TV no matter the size, age, or audio setup in terms of number of drivers it may have. As long as it had speakers in it, you can get a 3D audio effect.

Up to this point, the irony in all of this is that the one group of people that were missing out on getting the full Tempest 3D audio effect was those who had already invested in multichannel 3D surround setups via soundbars or Atmos enabled systems. The reason for this is that computing all that 3D audio math and mapping it to a multichannel room environment where you don't really know how many speakers or their locations and you don't know where the user is located in the 3D space is a non-Trivial task. If you understand the goals of binaural 3D audio, a multichannel room with height speakers is the most difficult setup to achieve the desired sense of presence and space as there are just so many variables. This is why home theaters were the final frontier for Sony and it took over 2 years to deliver. That said, the distribution of the tempest audio to a receiver was limited since PCM is technically limited to 8 channels (7.1). So even if Sony could compute an 11 ch PCM stream, they had no way to deliver it to a receiver. Thus, they needed to use Dolby Atmos since it can technically support way more than 8 channels, it already handles object based audio, and it is standardized where so many devices already support it. It only made sense but there was extra work in now converting the Tempest 3D audio output to Atmos. So yeah, the result is that your receiver gets an Atmos signal that includes 7.1 bed plus up to 4 channels of height information. However, the difference between the two is how they are mixed and encoding in realtime. Again Tempest uses it's own methods, tools, and APIs so technically it wouldn't sound identical to a native Atmos mix side by side (although, I'd image in most cases they'd be pretty close to most people's ears).

Ok, now that we're all caught up, the beauty/highlights of Tempest that make it stand out are:
  • Compatibility - doesn't require specific or specialized devices to work (previously you needed certain headphones to get 3D audio). Works with any headphone, soundbar, or TV and now with Dolby Atmos enabled receivers.
  • High Adoption - streamlined tools and APIs for game devs means that it's fairly easy to enable Tempest audio support. The results is that it's used in the vast majority of first and third party releases
  • No Performance Penalty - because Sony included dedicated HW in PS5 to handle the Tempest Audio, it's virtually free for game devs to add (which also explains why it's so widely adopted). Dolby Atmos for games incurs a non-trivial perf penalty on Xbox and PC (which is partly why after 8+ years, there are still only ~50 native atmos games)
  • No additional cost or fee - unlike Dolby Atmos, Tempest doesn't require any license fee to use on any device. It's just there
  • Superior HRTF Integration - all of the HRTF computation is handled at the system level and calculated in the output stream in a standardized way for all PS5 users. In contrast, Dolby Atmos requires content creators to download a separate app and create personalized HRTFs manually (no guarantee a developer will use them)

Now all that said, as someone who has invested heavily into my Atmos enabled home theater (we're talking 5 figures $$$$$), I've always felt like I wasn't getting the most out of the Tempest audio in my setup which was limited to 7.1 in the PS5. Granted, if you have an Dolby Atmos receiver, you should also have the "Dolby Surround" upmixer which approximates an Atmos effect from 5.1 and 7.1 by extrapolatiing the height channels. In other words, even before this update, anyone with an Atmos enabled receiver would hear some sound coming from the height channels. But it's akin to the matrix vs discrete surround effects....theoretically the surround effect should be much more convincing when processed by the PS5 instead of the AV processor. So the results....yes I can absolutely say that the surround effect was much more active and convincing with the "Atmos" setting in the PS5. Best examples where this is evident so far are Diablo IV and Returnal. I tried a bunch of games including SF6, Battlefield 2042, Need for Speed Unbound, and Final Fantasy XVI. The differences were subtle in some cases and more noticeable in others but needless to say, so far I definitely prefer the Atmos output. The impression I get is much closer to what Tempest sounds like in headphones so it seems to be doing what it's intended to do. Of course, some people may find that the effect is not to their liking and the PCM sound more "natural" but that's just a preference thing. That's why it's great Sony gives us the option. But I can say that I didn't notice anything "missing" with the Tempest/Atmos stream with the bass sounding full and dialog from the center sounding a tad more spread but still clear in my setup.

Overall this was my most anticipated PS5 update since launch and I'm so glad to finally have it. It does make a difference in my setup but I wouldn't say it's night and day. The PCM still sounds great if you prefer that, but it's great to have 3D audio now available to all PS5 setups :messenger_beaming:

Quick EDIT: I haven't noticed any perceptible delay thus far but I will admit that I have only tried each game for like ~15-20 mins.
 
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Maybe they're doing this because they think that's what people want. People are wowed by "surround", even when that's just 2-channel stereo spit out of all speakers. A lot of HT receivers also default to "multi-stereo" or whatever. Of course, it's trash and should be immediately disabled so you get sound only from the speakers there are actual channels for.

Or maybe this is just a bug, let's hope. Sony, being also an audio company, should hopefully be aware of why this is a terrible idea if it was done intentionally...

I tested it again, and I can't imagine anything has changed, but when I muted all channels except for FL and FR, I didn't get any audio. So it was the appropriate Stereo audio.
 

Justin9mm

Member
I also have a 5.1.4 and it’s set the same as yours. Im using a Denon amp so maybe it just works differently. I assume you have your Xbox set to Atmos?
Yes, Series X is set to Atmos. I'm not sure why. I assumed the way it works on mine is naturally the way it should work. I don't know anything about your Denon amp, maybe between receivers software is designed differently on what it displays. I'm also using HDMI 2.1 on my receiver, I assume yours has HDMI 2.1 also. Don't think that would make a difference but just to note.
 
Ok wanted to chime in a couple of things but first I need to point out that this list is woefully inaccurate with regards to Tempest 3D audio support and is missing a number of key titles such as Ghostwire Tokyo, Hogwarts Legacy, Forspoken, Callisto Protocol, Dead Space Remake, The Last of Us Pt 1, and Final Fantasy XVI just to name a few. In fact, you can book it that virtually every Sony 1st party game (TLOU Pt1), 3rd party exclusives (FFXVI), AND games with Sony exclusive marketing rights (Hogwarts Legacy) has shipped with Tempest 3D audio support. I believe this list is for the simulated 3D audio through PlayStation wireless headsets but with PS5 that distinction is moot since Tempest is supported by the vast majority of titles for any and all headsets connected to the system.
I think it is mainly that the list seems to have been published in april 2021 and it just show the game published and announced at the time that decleared Tempest audio support.
 
Ok so I tried four separate games last night for like 15 minutes a piece.

Overall with Atmos enabled everything seems to echo through the air a bit more and everything is noticeably louder by at least 5 - 10db, especially dialogue, so as of right now it's very dependent on which game you're playing as some sound better than others. Hopefully they can continue to refine this.

And one massive oversight that left a poor taste in my mouth was that in Lost Legacy I wasn't able to adust my audio settings in the game's menu. It was reading the Atmos as TV but when you're just on PCM you can actually adjust the game's audio as well as speakers positions in your room. You can select home theater or what I like to pick, studio reference. All of these options were locked out for me. However I was still getting full surround sound.

So here we go.

1. Tchia

Nothing overly noticeable except that the game overall sounds louder and when Tchia is making grunting sounds while climbing around in the open world the dialogue audio, similarly to Ghost of Tshushima, will play from my rear speakers as well as my center channel/front speakers which just kind of throws me off and makes me feel strange immersion wise. It's as if Tchia is standing where I am sitting in my room and her voice is going in all directions as opposed to me looking at her on my screen and her dialogue only coming out of the center channel.

2. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Definitely more noticeable in this one especially the opening scene in the market with all of the people talking around you. Like I said above the sound coming out of my rear and side channels is now much louder than it would be in PCM and almost equivalent to my front speakers clarity wise. I'd say the biggest take away from games that use it correctly is that the surround sound is overall much more uniform through every speaker.

3. Horizon Forbidden West

Actually not that noticeable at all except when I dove under water. On PCM there is just kind of a blanket rumbling associated with under water areas. With Atmos enabled I could actually hear induvial water switches playing from side and rear channels. I definitely need to go into a more jungle like area to see if birds chirp and stuff like that.

4. Spiderman: Mile Morales

The biggest take away from this would probably be getting close to the ground while swinging. But again nothing really extraordinary outside of it being generally louder.

I'll probably have to go through each of my favorite games and basically recalibrate what volumes I play them at.

My room is a small basement with two chairs in between the speakers so for instance Naughty Dog games are usually good at like -12db for me. I think I lowered Lost Legacy to around -16db because it was getting a little too much with Atmos enabled. So we'll see if I can make it better over time.

So far Ghost of Tsushima is best implantation. I'll definitely do a write up when I get to Naught Dog's unbelievable thunderstorm in that game and
I'm going to test the thunderstorms in Days Gone which are by far the best I've heard in a game.
 
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Trilobit

Member
Here is a warning for a few people as well. DO NOT set up your 3D audio for the TV audio format through your surround sound system. Almost accidently made myself deaf lol. It asks you to calibrate your system by holding your controller face high and it plays this GOD AWFUL high pitched frequency out of the front channel speakers. Nightmare.

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I long for the day when we have easily available aural ray-tracing or what you'd call it. I played RDR2 with my stereo headphones, but wished there was an option to hear detailed differences in for example height. The day that happens I'll be in a saloon in the game and eat bacons and beans irl, just listening to people and horses outside.
 
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I long for the day when we have easily available aural ray-tracing or what you'd call it. I played RDR2 with my stereo headphones, but wished there was an option to hear detailed differences in for example height. The day that happens I'll be in a saloon in the game and eat bacons and beans irl, just listening to people and horses outside.
Haha same, though Red Dead does have pretty great wilderness sound design already. But this is one of the biggest things devs should focus on. Who cares about ray traced reflections if it adds nothing to the gameplay. I want ray traced audio.
 

A.Romero

Member
I'm happy this is coming out. I have a very humble multispeaker set up.

This definitely makes the platform of choice between PC and PS5 harder.
 

TrebleShot

Member
Pretty annoyed that most games default to TV sound mix and you can’t edit it (greyed out) when atmos is the output.

- Sonos Arc with Two surrounds and a sub
 
Yes, Series X is set to Atmos. I'm not sure why. I assumed the way it works on mine is naturally the way it should work. I don't know anything about your Denon amp, maybe between receivers software is designed differently on what it displays. I'm also using HDMI 2.1 on my receiver, I assume yours has HDMI 2.1 also. Don't think that would make a difference but just to note.
My SX goes into my TV and e-arc's the sound to my amp. Possibly that's why? It's the only way i can do it though as my amp haven't got any 2.1 ports.
 
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