Surround Sound Gets Personal

Better, Longer Listening

Headphone listening is a necessity sometimes, but it doesn’t have to come at the expense of surround sound and your own comfort. Dolby® Headphone immerses you in compelling surround sound from your favorite music, movies, and video games—all without disturbing anyone else. And you can listen in privacy for hours longer. That’s because by producing a spacious, natural soundfield, Dolby Headphone eliminates the overloaded sensation that comes from wearing headphones for too long. So you can put your headphones on, cue your favorite programming, turn up the volume, and listen in comfort and privacy as long as you like.

An Expansive Experience

With Dolby Headphone you’ll be immersed in surround sound that’s so realistic, you’ll feel you’re actually part of the action. It’s an astonishing acoustic illusion, and here’s how it works: When you listen to entertainment through your stereo or home cinema system’s speakers, your ears receive both direct sound from each speaker and multiple reflections from the room's surfaces and furnishings. Using powerful digital signal processing technology, Dolby Headphone re-creates this audio experience, producing the sonic signature of a corresponding speaker system properly placed in a carefully defined acoustic environment. The result is a spacious audio landscape with you at the centre.

Stereo into Surround Sound

Dolby Headphone is designed to process 5.1-channel content, or up to 7.1-channel content in some products, so you won’t miss any of the excitement or detail in a surround soundtrack. It also makes your stereo music and movies sound better. Dolby Headphone accomplishes this by using Dolby Pro Logic® II to expand stereo content to 5.1 channels (and, in some headphones, Dolby Pro Logic IIz technology to achieve up to 7.1 channels of surround sound). What you hear is surround sound so compelling, you won’t believe it comes from a stereo source. No matter what you are listening to, Dolby Headphone provides the equivalent of your own personal high-end home cinema.

Manufacturers worldwide are building Dolby Headphone into PCs, A/V receivers, headsets, and more. Simply look for the Dolby Headphone logo, and you are on your way to an unforgettable personal surround sound experience.

Want to Learn More About Dolby Headphone?

Are you a Dolby licensee or looking for more technical details? Learn more about Dolby Headphone implementation and specifications.