What you need to know
- Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can now stream music in spatial audio using any pair of headphones.
- In addition to Dolby Atmos, Amazon's Music Unlimited service also supports Sony's 360 Reality Audio format.
- Amazon Music Unlimited is priced at $7.99 per month for Prime members in the U.S.
Amazon is finally making spatial audio more accessible to its users. The company has announced that all Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can now listen to tracks mixed in spatial audio on a wide range of devices — including the best Android phones and select devices supporting Alexa Cast.
Devices that support 360 Reality Audio with Alexa Cast include Sony's SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 wireless speakers, as well as HT-A9, HT-A7000, and HT-A5000 home theater systems. Later this year, customers will be able to hear music mixed in Dolby Atmos on the Sonos Arc and Beam (Gen 2) soundbars as well.
Amazon says spatial audio will put the listener "inside of the music, with an immersive, multidimensional audio experience." Unlike Apple Music, which only supports Dolby Atmos, Amazon Music supports Sony's 360 Reality Audio format as well. Some of the albums that you can now hear in spatial audio include Remi Wolf's debut album Juno, FINNEAS' Optimist, and Rüfüs Du Sol's fourth album Surrender. You'll also be able to stream classic albums such as Songs in A Minor and Girl on Fire in 360 Reality Audio.
In addition to spatial audio, Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers will now automatically have access to HD and Ultra HD music streaming at no additional cost. Although the premium to stream lossless music was dropped in May this year, users were still required to add the free upgrade to their account to access Amazon Music's HD catalog.
Amazon Music currently has over 75 million lossless (CD quality) songs and over 7 million songs in Ultra HD (better than CD quality). The company also says that its spatial audio catalog has grown by more than 20 times since it was first introduced to customers two years back.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon's Music Unlimited service gives you access to a vast catalog of ad-free music and millions of podcast episodes. You also get access to lossless and spatial audio tracks at no extra cost.
