We’ve already covered how you can activate Spatial Audio on AirPods Pro for an immersive listening experience. Now, we will show you how to enable Spatial Sound (3D Sound in Microsoft-speak) on your Windows 11 computer. As part of our effort to provide you with additional insights to enhance the audio experience on your PC, we will guide you on how to enable ‘Enhance Audio ‘in Windows 11.
Enable spatial sound and enhance audio in Windows 11 (2021)
Spatial Sound offers a more immersive audio experience on your devices, while Enhance Audio allows you to configure certain audio settings to improve performance. Netflix recently began rolling out Spatial Audio support for iPhone and iPad, and Apple itself launched the feature for Apple Music globally earlier this year. So without further ado, let’s see how you can enable Spatial Sound and Enhance Audio on your Windows 11 computer.
What is spatial sound in Windows 11?
Spatial Sound is an “Enhanced Immersive Audio Experience in which sounds can flow around you, even overhead, in virtual three-dimensional space.” The feature allows you to experience more immersive audio at the flick of a switch. According to Microsoft, “It provides an enhanced atmosphere that traditional surround sound formats cannot.”
With spatial sound, movies and games sound better on your Windows 11 PC, especially those that offer native support for the feature. However, while native support provides the highest level of audio immersion and location accuracy, the technology can also enhance traditional surround sound. to offer a better overall audio experience.
What spatial sound formats does Windows 11 support?
Windows supports multiple spatial sound formats, including Windows Sonic Headphone, Dolby Atmos Headphone, Dolby Atmos Home Theater, DTS: X Home Theater and DTS Headphone: X . Windows Sonic is Microsoft’s internal technology that comes built into Windows 11 and is compatible with all headsets and earphones. Dolby Atmos and DTS: X support, on the other hand, must be purchased separately.
You must purchase a license for Dolby Atmos using the Dolby Access app (free) and the DTS Sound Unbound app (free), respectively. You’ll get a 30-day free trial and then pay $ 14.99 for a Dolby Atmos license to continue enjoying a spatial sound experience.
Note : For more detailed information on the different surround sound formats, see our in-depth article on DTS: X vs Dolby Atmos. To learn more about DTS: X, see our in-depth article onWhat is DTS: X Surround Sound? .
How to enable spatial sound in Windows 11
Spatial Audio is known as 3D Audio in Windows 11. You can enable it in two different ways: through Settings and from the Control Panel. We will demonstrate both methods in this article.
Method 1: through Windows settings
- Then under “Output” click on the card that says ” Choose where to play the sound“. You will now see a drop-down menu with a list of all connected audio output devices. Select the one you want to enable spatial sound experience for. Then press the arrow (>) next to it.
- Now, scroll down and click on the “Type” drop-down menuin the “Spatial Sound” section. Lastly, select ” Windows Sonic for Headphones ” as your spatial sound option.
Note : As already mentioned, Windows Sonic for Headphones is the only spatial audio option available by default on Windows 11 PCs. For other options, you will need to download or purchase third-party applications from the Microsoft Store. .
Method 2: from the control panel
- First, open the Control Panel on your Windows 11 computer. To do this, search for “control” (without quotes) in the Windows search bar and select ” Control Panel” from the results.
- In Control Panel, make sure you are using the ” Icons” view(small or long). Then select ” Sound “.
- In the next window, make sure you are on the ” Playback” tab. Now, find your sound output device, right-click on it, and go to the ‘ Properties ‘ pop-up menu window.
- In the next pop-up window, go to the ” Spatial Sound” tab. Then click on the drop-down menu under “Spatial Sound Format” and select ” Windows Sonic for Headphones ” OR any other spatial sound app you bought online. Finally, click ” OK ” to save your preference.
What is ‘Enhance Audio’ in Windows 11?
Enhance Audio in Windows 11 is a collection of configurable settings that help you adjust the overall sound output of your headphones or earphones on your PC to your liking. With the feature, you can normalize the audio output to prevent commercials from playing louder than actual content. The feature also allows you to use stereo speakers for an immersive sound experience , plus boost the bass output of the speakers. So, let’s see how you can improve your audio experience in Windows 11 in just a few clicks.
How to enable audio enhancement in Windows 11
Enabling the ‘Enhance Audio’ feature in Windows 11 is very easy, as you simply need to head over to the sound settings on your PC. This is how you do it:
- Go to Settings -> System -> Sound, as explained earlier in the article. Then scroll down to the “Advanced” section and click on ” All Sound Devices “.
- Now under Output Devices, select the output device for which you want to enable the enhanced audio experience. For me, those would be my headphones.
- Then in “Output Settings” of your headphones, turn on the ” Audio Enhance” Lever. Microsoft says this should “Automatically improve sound quality . ” To further fine-tune and adjust your audio preferences, click the ” Advanced ” Option.
- Now, in the pop-up window, select the audio enhancements according to your preferences. Lastly, be sure to click ” Request” before closing the window to save your changes. That is all! Now you know how to improve the audio experience in Windows 11.
Note : Loudness EQ, which Microsoft says “uses human hearing understanding to reduce perceived volume differences,” makes the most palpable difference, especially if you’re streaming these best Netflix movies and TV shows on your computer. It reduces the increase in the volume of commercials, which prevents them from playing louder than the actual content. .
Enhance the audio experience on your Windows 11 PC!
We hope that enabling Spatial Sound and changing the Enhance Audio settings will help improve the audio experience on your Windows 11 PC. Now that you know how to adjust the audio experience to your liking on your PC, learn how to improve battery life. from your Windows laptop. The linked article refers to Windows 10, but most of the methods also work perfectly in Windows 11. Also, you can keep an eye on the screen in time in Windows 11 and customize the Start menu and taskbar if you have upgraded to Windows 11 from Windows 10.
