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In the past few years, Sony’s 360 Reality Audio was removed from a streaming platform, which means it is now available only on a few streaming apps. Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format suffered a crushing blow.
TIDAL, one of two major music streaming services that had supported the format, announced on July 24, 2024, that it would discontinue support for Sony 360 Reality Audio.
Deezer also dropped support for 360 Reality Audio in 2022. Is Sony 360 Reality Audio’s Game Over, what do you think?
Now, only Amazon Music and niche streaming services Nugs.net and Artist Connection support this audio format. If these things continue, Sony may stop operating.
The reason why Sony 360 Reality Audio is dying
This may not be the right time to declare that the Sonys 360 reality audio game is over. However, its adoption and success face several challenges and considerations.
Here are a few serious issues that could impact the future of Sony’s 360 Reality Audio:
1. Availability on platforms
TIDAL: Tidal is a music streaming platform that widely supports 360 reality audio but on July 24, 2024, they announced the discontinuation of support. Music fans can continue to access over 110 million songs available in HiRes FLAC, FLAC, and Dolby Atmos.
Deezer: Deezer is another streaming platform that dropped support for 360 Reality Audio in 2022.
Spotify: As a leading music streaming platform they yet to support 360 reality audio on its platform. They announced it in 2021 but to date, they did not come with positive updates.
Amazon Music: The only widely popular music streaming platform that supports 360 reality audio, but not with free access. You must have an Amazon Music Unlimited plan to enjoy 360-reality audio.
2. Content shortage:
Sony says that there are currently over 1,000 music tracks available in 360 Reality Audio. While Sony has partnered with various artists and labels to produce tracks in this format, the overall catalog remains relatively small compared to traditional stereo or surround sound formats.
They may create more 360RA-supported content in the future, but as of now, they are far behind compared to their competitors.
3. Big competition with Dolby Atmos
While Sony has over 1,000 music tracks available in 360 Reality Audio, Dolby Atmos is available in 10,000 music tracks.
Dolby Atmos music tracks are available on Amazon Music, Apple Music, and TIDAL on multiple devices across multiple platforms, and other hand 360 reality audio on fewer platforms.
Sony’s own devices support Dolby Atmos music better than they support Sony 360 Reality Audio. For multi-channel music recordings, Sony 360 Reality Audio provides an alternative to Dolby Atmos music.
4. Not a cost-effective option
The 360-reality audio experience is not a cost-effective option. You need to pay $400 and $3000 for headphones and streaming services. This audio format will not work efficiently with other non-compatible devices. Only Sony has a few models that support 360-reality audio.
We already wrote an article regarding how much a 360 reality audio costs. Is it really expensive or not?
5. Hardware issue:
Home theater products such as BRAVIA Theatre Quad, BRAVIA Theatre Bar 8/9 models, and Chromecast Built-in support have been dropped.
If you want to play music tracks in 360RA format on Sony’s BRAVIA home theater products need to connect a third-party streaming device to the soundbar or speaker system via its secondary HDMI input.
You have to load a compatible music streaming app on your phone and then cast 360RA tracks to your receiver or soundbar using the Google Cast feature.
6. Lack of headphone support:
Sony headphones like the ULT WEAR, WH-1000XM5, and WF-1000XM5 feature the ability to optimize your listening of 360RA tracks on headphones. It works by measuring your specific ear shape and customizing the HRTF (Head Related Transfer Function) processing for ears.
Other headphone models are not compatible with 360RA according to Sony. There are thousands of headphone models available worldwide, according to me they should disclose the criteria for supporting 360RA.
7. Market Adoption and Awareness:
The success of any audio technology heavily depends on how well it is adopted by users and integrated into various music platforms and devices. In this case, many platforms announced discontinuation, also most of the users are happy with other audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, lossless, surround sound, etc.
What next for Sony 360 reality audio?
They should create more content library that supports 360 reality audio and must be available on leading music streaming platforms worldwide. Collaborate with more artists, labels, and content creators to produce and distribute content that benefits from immersive audio.
Most of the users want to use every audio format with existing headphones. Sony should launch more devices that are compatible with it or ready compatible with other premium headphone models.
Educate consumers about the benefits of 360 Reality Audio through marketing campaigns, demonstrations, and partnerships. As a listener, I experienced 360 reality audio at my local Sony store and it was mind-blowing. Now the problem is, that the headphones I have are not compatible with 360RA, and I’m a spotify user. If you don’t know, spotify is still yet to support 360RA on its platform.
Final Word:
This time is very beginning to say Sony 360RA not going well. They may be behind the Dolby Atmos but this technology has the ability to take over from its downfall. Sony 360 reality audio can be backed through strategic improvements such as expanding content availability, compatibility with more streaming services, enhancing device compatibility, increasing awareness, improving technology quality, fostering collaborations, and listening to user feedback.
I’m sourav, a music lover and sound enthusiast. After experiencing multiple sound qualities, I thought many people searching regarding this topic, but there is not enough detailed information on it. That’s the main reason why I created this blog.