4 reasons Dolby Atmos is better than DTS:X

It's easy to assume that all home theater systems are the same, especially considering the confusing marketing jargon manufacturers throw around. But while you're wondering whether a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system is a better investment, some basic technology can dramatically change your experience.

Compare Dolby Atmos and DTS:X specifications

Before diving into specifics, here's an overall specs comparison between Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to help everyone understand better.

1. Content availability

Dolby Atmos supports more content than DTS:X. This means that in your daily content consumption, you are more likely to encounter content supported by Dolby Atmos than content that supports DTS:X.

4 reasons Dolby Atmos is better than DTS:X Picture 1

 Additionally, Dolby Atmos is also supported by most, if not all, popular streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and even broadcasters like 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 more than traditional content. You can also install Dolby Atmos on your Windows 10 or 11 PC for a more immersive sound experience.

On the other hand, DTS:X isn't widely available and is still largely limited to Blu-ray discs, although some streaming services like Disney+ and HBO Max do have some DTS:X content.

This is a somewhat strange move, since Dolby Atmos charges a fee to allow manufacturers to make their products Atmos compatible while DTS:X has no such requirement because of the Multi-Dimensional Audio platform ( Its MDA) is free and open source, allowing any manufacturer to use their specifications without explicit permission from DTS.

2. Hardware support and configuration

One of the biggest differences between these two technologies is the number of speakers they support. As you can see in the table above, Dolby Atmos supports twice as many speakers as DTS:X, 64 and 32 respectively.

Dolby Atmos requires at least 8 speakers for 5.1.2 surround sound and at least 12 speakers for 7.1.4 surround sound. On the other hand, DTS:X only requires 6 speakers for 5.1 surround sound because it has no channel height requirements. That means you can still choose to implement channel height on DTS:X.

4 reasons Dolby Atmos is better than DTS:X Picture 2

 While 64 speakers go beyond what a typical home theater setup would require, Dolby Atmos uses a higher number of speakers to segment sound much more precisely and in the process, recreate an immersive experience much more. Although DTS:X has improved, it is still not mature in terms of hardware support and falls behind Dolby Atmos.

Although not a hardware property, bit rate also plays an important role here. In general, the higher the bit rate, the better the sound quality. But in this case, DTS:X has a higher bit rate and a larger difference.

This is one of the most controversial topics in the battle between Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, as logic dictates that DTS:X must have superior quality. However, Dolby Atmos has done an incredible job of making its codecs more efficient, meaning they can deliver similar, if not as good, quality audio at lower bitrates. .

3. Easy to use and set up

In a similar way to content support, Dolby Atmos is now supported by most high-end TVs and home surround sound devices. Setup is also simple and usually requires plugging all the speakers into the decoder, which plugs into your audio source.

There's a catch, though: Dolby Atmos doesn't give you much flexibility. It works almost exclusively with Atmos-enabled devices, and while it makes setup easier, it doesn't offer the same flexibility as DTS:X.

4 reasons Dolby Atmos is better than DTS:X Picture 3

On the other hand, DTS:X can sometimes offer too much flexibility. It can work with standard surround sound setups and doesn't necessarily require overhead speakers. You can also adjust sound objects manually, meaning specific sounds can be turned up for better vocals, bass, or whatever you like.

So when it comes to ease of use, Dolby Atmos wins again, albeit with trade-offs. Sure, DTS:X will work with more devices, but you'll also have to fiddle with the settings to get the right sound.

 4. Price and availability

Dolby Atmos and DTS:X system availability will not change much. Both systems are widely supported and are often supported by the same systems, mainly because DTS:X is implemented for free.

However, when it comes to price, they also often sell in similar price ranges. If you look at price as an isolated factor, DTS:X appears to be the winner. But when you factor in all the extra features, hardware, and content support that Dolby Atmos brings, the price for Dolby Atmos-compatible devices seems much more reasonable.

4 reasons Dolby Atmos is better than DTS:X Picture 4

Typically, a Dolby Atmos-compatible device will be a bit more expensive than a DTS:X-supported device - the price difference is due to the licensing costs that Dolby requires from the manufacturers that label the product. Theirs is Dolby Atmos compatible.

Dolby Atmos beats DTS:X

While both home surround sound systems have their pros and cons, Dolby Atmos is the winner, at least for now. It has better compatibility, is more readily available, has more hardware configuration options, and will deliver an overall better audio experience than DTS:X.

That's not to say that DTS:X is a bad system by any means. It certainly has its place, and if you're willing to fiddle with the settings and configurations, you can get a very good surround sound system. DTS: X has come very close to the competition, but Dolby Atmos still holds the throne for the time being.

Marvin Fry

Update 13 October 2023