Dolby Enhancements

[Loz Blake]

Hey.

I was reading this article about the Dolby enhancements in the 920, it sounded very interesting. When it comes to audio though I always get a bit confused as to where the sound improvement comes from. Is there going to be enhancements in the phone which will make the quality of sound which comes out from the device better regardless of the headphones you use, or will you only benefit from this is you have a pair of Dolby headphones?

I currently have a pair of beats, listen to them daily through my Optimus 7 and they sound great, however what I'm really wondering is, once I get the Nokia 920, can I expect the sound quality to increase thanks to the sound enhancements of this phone?

 

[SnailUK]

From what i've been reading, doesn't sound much different to Beats, ie its a EQ setting.

 

[Loz Blake]

Hmmm, so there won't really be any benefit to me? Was hoping it would output better quality through the headphone socket or some other magic, never mind though.

 

[freestaterocker]

It's true Dolby Digital surround sound. It will sound better through a Dolby headset because they are optimized to work together. It will sound better than your Omnia with your Beats set, but you won't get the surround, and it will sound best with Dolby.

 

[jhoff80]

It's true Dolby Digital surround sound. It will sound better through a Dolby headset because they are optimized to work together. It will sound better than your Omnia with your Beats set, but you won't get the surround, and it will sound best with Dolby.

That's not actually true. First of all, Dolby Headphone isn't Dolby Digital surround sound. Dolby Digital is a codec that can hold up to 5.1 channels of audio information. Dolby Headphone is a type of processing to give a simulated effect of surround sound. The phone isn't going to play back Dolby Digital content though. It'll basically take the stereo source that your phone is already playing and expand that.

Also, you can have this processing in the headphones themselves, or in the source (in this case the phone, but some AV receivers also have Dolby Headphone processing). You actually don't want both to have this processing, because then it'll happen twice on the same content.

And honestly, for music, some people aren't going to like the effect at all.

 

[randomscandinavian]

Listening to my new (Focal Pilot One) headphones on the 920 for the first time with Dolby turned on. It sounds fairly muddled to me with more of a cheesy reverberation feel and actually less clear stereo.

Since I know absolutely nothing about music I instantly worried that there was something wrong with me. A bit of searching however reassures that for music on a decent headset, this Dolby setting is not really a great idea at all. The music is already mixed the way it should sound and on a phone playing compressed music the raw sound, possibly with some minor equalizer tweaks, is apparently as good as it gets.

 

[LikeWaah]

Yes, the Dolby may not be for everyone's preferences, but it's also important to note that the general public's preferences have been sliding away from what audiophiles would consider good quality. iPod Generation Prefers MP3 Fidelity. IOW, the current generation does not know what high quality music really sounds like, and are actually conditioned to prefer lower quality audio.

"I found not only that MP3s were not thought of as low quality, but over time there was a rise in preference for MP3s," said the Professor who suggests the digitising process leaves music with a 'sizzle' or a metallic sound.

As with a previous generation's debate over the pros and cons of vinyl and CD, the study suggests young ears at least prefer the tinnier and flatter sound of some digital music over CDs and vinyl.

Acclaimed dance music producer Rennie Pilgrem is one who admits to mixing music on an iPod, although he is not a fan the sonic results. "To my ears iPods are not even as good quality as cassette tape," he said. "But once someone gets used to that sound then they feel comfortable with it."

Some producers have also tried to cater for the MP3 generation by making music as loud as possible, which can mean a loss of musical range and detail.

"What you are hearing is that everything is being squared off and is losing that level of depth and clarity," said producer Stephen Street, the man behind hits from The Smiths, Morrissey, Blur and Kaiser Chiefs. "I'd hate to think that anything I'd slaved over in the studio is only going to be listened to on a bloody iPod."

Add that to the fact that many of these kids have been listening to music with subpar iPod earbuds, it's no surprise that they can't understand what good sound actually sounds like. For example, the general public has no concept of a sound stage. If you walk into a high quality audio shop and listen to their set ups, you can hear the different instruments at different parts of the sound stage, basically replicating what you might hear if you were at a live performance. The effect is particularly nice when you hear the drummer playing on his toms. You can hear visualize him moving from tom to tom and it's pretty cool.

The Dolby enhancements pull the sound out from inside my ear and places it outside of my ears, lending a more natural listening experience. Rather than having the sound inside my head, it feels more like have over the head headphones. To me, the experience becomes much more enjoyable. It does make things a bit quieter, but you can always adjust the EQ to compensate for that.

Going back to audio fidelity, it's amazing that once you hear what a good set up sounds like, it's hard to go back to low-quality ear buds and low bit-rate mp3s. TBH though, some people will never be able to distinguish those details, but whatever makes them happy.

 

[mrlinlee]

With Dolby = surround with more natural sounds and more "room" for the instruments
without Dolby = flat sounds but more metallic/clear sounds and a bit better stereo
IMO

 

[randomscandinavian]

You guys who like it (and there seems to be a lot of you out there), are you using earbuds or bigger over the ear headsets? I don't know... maybe the effect will grow on me if I give it some time. But when merely switching back and forth for comparison it sounds pretty karaoke-ish. I find it strange that nearly everyone find it enhancing.

 

[ZiiimZooon]

I use over-the-ear headphones, and I like Dolby a lot! Feels more natural

 

[karmamule]

I like it, and am using decent (but not audiophile quality) ear buds. (not the round apple type but the stick straight into your ear kind)

 

[abhishek8605]

I have the international unlocked 920, and so far I have been using the stock in earphones that come with it. With Dolby on, the sound is more spread out and it seems like you're listening to music in a larger room than before. So, for me that sounds a lot better. I tried this with my own earphones which are Sony XBA-1s and in some tracks it sounded a bit distorted, and all my mp3s are encoded in 320kbps CBR.

 

[boatsnbeaches]

Sounds good, but unfortunately Nokia 920 Does not support Dolby when using BT headphones...My BT Sennheisers can't take advantage of Dolby on the 920. Gotta use wired headset in order to access the Dolby settings. Works and sounds great with a wired set though.

 

[GSOgymrat]

I'm not an audiophile but to my untrained ears Dolby Headphone increases the separation of the instruments, pulls the sound from in front of you to around you and slightly increases an echo effect because it seems like there is a tiny delay from ear to ear giving a fuller sound. I use Nokia Purity headphones (on-ear) with the "Rock" equalizer preset because it increases the highs and lows slightly, which in my opinion the Nokia Purity headphones need. I also have a set of Bose QuietComfort 15 and they don't need the equalizer adjustment. I listen to a lot of electronic/dance music and Dolby Headphone creates an immersive experience, however with acoustic music the effect may not be to everyone's taste because the vocals go from being in front of you to being around you. With the equalizer and the ability to easily turn Dolby Headphone on and off you can optimize the sound to your liking.

 

[LikeWaah]

I wear in-ears, good quality ones, not ipod bud ones. I like the Dolby enhancement, it gives my brain room to breathe.

Try listening to with Dolby on for a couple days, then listen with it turned off. You'll probably be able to discern the difference better.

 

[05Paris]

I really like the sound quality when using my 920 with a set of Jabra Bluetooth BT620s and they are very comfortable to wear. I have had the headset for several years.

 

[randomscandinavian]

Hmm, stange. OK, I clearly have to give it more of a chance over time then before dismissing it. Thank you all who have answered! Interesting new stuff to me this here!

EDIT: nope, it definitely sounds degraded to me. My slightly arrogant sounding conclusion is that my headphones are simply too great to need or benefit from any sound makeup.

 

[Etyrnus]

Hmm...I may have to mess around with this some. I have a set of beats over the ear headphones that came with my laptop. And I agree that iPod earbuds suck...although I'm trying to find a decent pair of earbuds I can use under my motorcycle helmet (full face style) that don't cost too much, and are not the little bullet style, since those will not stay in my ears.

 

[LikeWaah]

I'm trying to find a decent pair of earbuds I can use under my motorcycle helmet (full face style) that don't cost too much, and are not the little bullet style, since those will not stay in my ears.

I won't discuss the risks of wearing earbuds while riding (I've done it before on long rides), but I've found that cheap Skullcandys get the job done. To get them to stay put, I use foam tips (which also block out some of the wind noise) But I put them in with the cable up, then wrap them around the back of my ear. That way, when any pull on the cable gets directed to my ears first, rather than the earbuds.

 

[Etyrnus]

I won't discuss the risks of wearing earbuds while riding (I've done it before on long rides), but I've found that cheap Skullcandys get the job done. To get them to stay put, I use foam tips (which also block out some of the wind noise) But I put them in with the cable up, then wrap them around the back of my ear. That way, when any pull on the cable gets directed to my ears first, rather than the earbuds.

I do know the risks, but also consider that the ear buds provide some hearing protection, which many people advocate wearing earplugs while riding. Anyways, I've tried a pair of the skull candy inkd, and they just don't stay put, ends up ripping out of my ears. The best I've had for staying put were actually the ones that came with my old HTC surround. They had the thin arm that braced against the outside of my ear. Unfortunately the wire on those has come loose.