When most of us call up aboutDolby Atmos , an immersive movie experience with loads of speakers is what comes to bear in mind . It is , after all , where the first Dolby Atmos experience happened back in 2012 at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood . The object - based environs sound organisation extended into the home plate a couplet twelvemonth later , initially necessitate either up - firing speakers ( incorporate into the speakers or add up with a separate mental faculty on top of a talker ) or roof - mounted loudspeaker geminate with anAV receiver ( AVR ) . afterward , soundbarsmade the point in time of entry for Atmos gentle , sometimes utilizing ripe virtualization to reach the feat instead of distinct speakers .
Dolby Musicthen followed , with R.E.M. ’s 25th day of remembrance remix ofAutomatic for the Peoplebeing one of the first major releases . It was a bit dumb go until cyclosis military service began fend for the format more and , perhaps more importantly , major headphones manufacturer include spatial audio in their discharge . In my experience , Dolby Music can be a hit - or - miss experience . Even on my home base frame-up , I sometimes sit back while mind to a Dolby Atmos admixture and just think , “ Why devil ? ” before putting on a stereophonic recording . But when it ’s right , oh man is it good , and I recently fuck off the hazard to hear a demonstration that was so very , very good .
Before Thanksgiving , I was bid down to a Rivian showroom in Venice , California . While the property is right on Venice Boulevard , it ’s nestle back from the route and landscape with some nice tree diagram coverage , create it feel tranquil and removed from the hustle and bustle of the urban center . Breakfast goodies had been laid out in the subroutine library and a coffee tree stand had been lay out up to ( thankfully ) provide caffeinated drinks with a excerption of even milk and oat milk ( I choose for an oat milk two-fold latte ) .
Most significantly , though , were the selection of Rivians display around the attribute . An R1 triiodothyronine andR1Ssat near the front gate where most people were congregating , and the main attraction of the sunrise was within the R1S. Set back a bit , behind some cordons , was anR2(we’ll likely see it on the road in 2026 ) and the latterly declare rally - inspiredR3X. As someone that feels at home in pocket-sized auto ( my daily gadget driver is a Mazda 3 and I ’ve had a 70s MGB Roadster for the past 20 years ) , the R3X is a fantastic - looking electric motorcar with no clue of a dumpster aesthetic whatsoever . I ’ll be putting my $ 100 deposition down whenever it at long last becomes available .
The grounds I was bid down to the Rivian space , though , was n’t the R3X. It was to listen to some medicine . Specifically , Dolby Atmos Music while sitting in the front of the R1S I go along by near the entrance . This was a Gen 2 R1S with Rivian Premium Audio , a Rivian - designed sound system . It has 16 speakers break up around the Department of the Interior of the car ( the R1 T pickup version has 14 full speakers ) . The Dolby Music experience is delivered via Apple Music with spacial sound sustenance ( the Rivian scheme also supports Amazon Music , Tidal , and hearable ) . Rivian and Apple announced a partnership back in August , so Dolby Music via Apple Music in the Rivian ask an Apple Music subscription , as well as a subscription to Connect+ , which is Rivian ’s cyclosis and connectivity service of process . But I hazard if you ’re spend $ 80,000 - plus on a motorcar , the extra subscription price are n’t much to concern about .
Whatever the extra monetary value , though , they ’re totally deserving it . The system vocalise incredible . The auditory sensation was enveloping and instrument emplacement around the cabin was specific and clean . We listened to three tracks while others waited for their turning — starting with Ariana Grande’s7 Rings , followed byAs It Wasby Harry Styles , and finishing with the iconicMoneyby Pink Floyd . All three tracks utilized Dolby Atmos to the full , particularlyAs It WasandMoney .
The infectiously bouncy Harry Styles opening was clean without being too pierce in its higher partial , and Styles , voice was front and center when he come in , attractively supported by melodious low - death bass and kick drum . ButMoneyis where the scheme really glitter . The mixture has the distinctive hard cash cash register gap that I ’ve heard thousands of times in stereo bouncing around the cabin . It immediately order you in the middle of the rail even before Roger Water ’s 7/4 bass line leads in the rest of the band . That opening move experience was so sonically interesting to me , I had to go back and restart the track to hear to how the band and engineer placed every slight nuance . It makes me exceedingly curious to pick up the residual of the album in Atmos and take heed how the opening ( and closing ) heartbeat intermingles with the rest of the atmospherical tracks .
It ’s significant to take down that my experience was as I sat stationary in the rider seat of a car in a slew off the side of the road . Sure there were some citizenry milling around alfresco , but the exterior sound was keep to a minimum . I ca n’t say how much road stochasticity or exterior traffic would affect the Atmos listening experience or how well the sound transform between a seat in the front of the car and one in the back , but my little metre showed me that it ’s at the very least start from an fantabulous place . If I have the opportunity to spend an extended time with the arrangement , you may be sure I ’ll update how well it works in even driving conditions .
As I mention earlier , Dolby Music can be a hit - or - miss experience . It relies on a by rights mark up and tuned audio system , as well as well - mixed Atmos medicine ( not all Atmos tracks are created equal ) . Rivian and its audio team did an incredible job tuning the organization , and the tracks supply showed that off . So many of us listen to a significant amount of music in the car . Dolby Atmos in the Rivian makes sure that music enjoyment is the best you’re able to get .
