Key Takeaways
- Dolby Atmos has wider content availability and is supported by popular streaming services, gaming consoles, and even Windows PCs, while DTS:X is mostly limited to Blu-ray discs and a few streaming services. Dolby Atmos offers a more versatile and immersive audio experience.
- Dolby Atmos supports twice the number of speakers compared to DTS:X, allowing for more accurate sound distribution and a more immersive experience. Additionally, Dolby Atmos has efficient codecs that transmit high-quality audio over a lower bit rate.
- Dolby Atmos is easy to set up with Atmos-supported equipment but lacks flexibility. On the other hand, DTS:X offers more flexibility in terms of compatibility and manual sound adjustment. Dolby Atmos provides ease of use while DTS:X allows for more customization.
It's easy to assume that all home theater systems are the same, especially considering the confusing marketing jargon that manufacturers throw our way. However, while you're busy wondering whether a 5.1 or a 7.1 surround system is a better investment, a few underlying technologies can dramatically alter your experience.
Dolby Atmos and DTS: X are both leaders in the home theater space and appear similar to a degree on paper, but they have very distinct approaches to surround sound that can make all the difference.
Dolby Atmos vs DTS:X: Spec Comparison
Before we delve into specifics, here's an overall specification comparison between Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to help put everything in perspective.
Dolby Atmos | DTS:X | |
|---|---|---|
Possible speaker configurations | 5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2, 7.1.4 | 5.1.4, 7.1.4 |
Height channel requirement | Yes | No |
Bit rate | 768 kbps | 1.5 Mbps |
Maximum supported audio tracks | 128 | Unspecified |
Maximum number of speakers | 64 | 32 |
Streaming service support | Supports a majority of streaming services | Only a handful of streaming services supported |
Blu-ray support | Yes | Yes |
Gaming console support | Yes | Yes |
HDMI support | Yes | Yes |
Compression quality | Lossless when configured | Lossless when configured |
Backward compatibility | Yes. Supports Dolby TrueHD. | Yes. Supports DTS-HD Master Audio. |
Launch year | 2012 | 2015 |
1. Content Availability
Dolby Atmos supports a much wider range of content than DTS: X. This means that in your everyday content consumption, you're much more likely to come across Dolby Atmos-supported content versus its DTS:X-enabled counterpart.
Additionally, Dolby Atmos is also supported by most, if not all, popular streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and even TV broadcasters such as Sky and BT. You can even listen to audiobooks in Dolby Atmos on Audible.
Modern video games and even internet music providers now support Dolby Atmos, expanding the technology's reach to far more than traditional content. You can also install Dolby Atmos on your Windows 10 or 11 PC for a more immersive audio experience.
On the other hand, DTS:X isn't as well spread out and is still mostly confined to Blu-ray discs, though some streaming services like Disney+ and Rakuten feature some DTS:X content.
This is a bit of a weird move, considering Dolby Atmos charges a fee to allow manufacturers to make their products Atmos-compatible. DTS:X is also a licensed technology for manufacturers, which is paid for. While consumers receive this technology for free, DTS-enabled devices still have to meet strict performance requirements.
2. Hardware Support and Configuration
One of the biggest differences between the two technologies is the number of speakers they support. As you can see in the table above, Dolby Atmos supports twice the number of speakers as compared to DTS:X, coming in at 64 and 32, respectively.
Dolby Atmos requires at least eight speakers to deliver 5.1.2 surround sound and at least 12 for 7.1.4 surround sound. DTS:X, on the other hand, only requires six speakers for 5.1 surround sound as it doesn't have a height channel requirement. That said, you can still choose to implement channel height on DTS:X.
While 64 speakers are far beyond what the regular home theater setup will require, Dolby Atmos uses its higher number of speakers to split the sound much more accurately and, in the process, recreates a much more immersive experience. While DTS:X comes close, it's not quite there yet when it comes to hardware support and loses out to Dolby Atmos.
Although not a hardware property, the bit rate also plays an important role here. Generally speaking, the higher the bit rate, the better the audio quality. But in this case, it's DTS:X that has the higher bit rate, and by a margin. This is one of the most controversial topics of the Dolby Atmos versus DTS:X debate, as logic dictates that DTS:X should have superior quality.
However, Dolby Atmos has done an incredible job of making its codecs more efficient, meaning they can transmit the same, if not better, quality audio over a lower bit rate. That's not to say that the DTS:X codec lags behind; in fact, it's the chosen audio format for the IMAX Enhanced program.
3. Ease of Use and Setup
In a similar manner to content support, Dolby Atmos is now supported by most premium TVs and home surround sound equipment. Set up is also simple and often requires plugging in all the speakers in a decoder, which plugs into your audio source.
However, there's a caveat: Dolby Atmos doesn't give you much flexibility. It almost exclusively works with Atmos-supported equipment, and although it makes the setup easier, it doesn't give the same flexibility as DTS:X.
On the flip side, DTS:X can sometimes offer what might seem like too much flexibility. It can work with standard surround sound setups and doesn't necessarily require overhead speakers. You can also manually adjust sound objects, meaning particular sounds can be turned up for better vocals, bass, or anything you prefer.
So when it comes to ease of use, Dolby Atmos again takes the win, although it comes at a cost. Sure, DTS:X will work with many more devices, but you'll also have to fiddle around with the settings to get it sounding just right.
4. Pricing and Availability
Availability for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X systems will not vary by much. Both systems are widely supported and often supported by the same systems, primarily because DTS:X is free to implement.
However, when it comes to pricing, they also often sell in similar price brackets. If you look at price as an isolated factor, DTS:X might seem like the winner. But if you bring in all the additional features, hardware, and content support that Dolby Atmos brings to the table, the price tag for Dolby Atmos-compatible devices seems much more justifiable.
To be clear, just because they sell in similar price brackets doesn't necessarily mean they're similarly priced. More often than not, Dolby Atmos-compatible equipment will be slightly more expensive than DTS:X supported equipment—the difference in price coming down to the licensing cost Dolby demands from manufacturers labeling their products as Dolby Atmos-compatible.
Dolby Atmos Beats DTS: X
While both home surround sound systems have pros and cons, Dolby Atmos is the winner, at least for now. It has better compatibility, is readily available, has far more hardware configuration options, and will provide a generally better-sounding experience than DTS: X.
That's not to say that DTS:X is a bad system by any measure. It certainly has its place, and if you're willing to fiddle around with settings and configurations, you might get a very good-sounding surround system. DTS: X comes close, but Dolby Atmos gets to keep its crown for the time being.
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