Dolby has been a household name in home audio for decades thanks to its technology appearing in everything from surround sound systems to gaming headsets.
The company has generally stayed out of producing its own products, however, instead focusing on improving underlying technology for use across the industry.
Now Dolby has set out with its first set of headphones, the Dolby Dimension.
These over-ear Bluetooth headphones are very pricey at $599, primarily intended for audiophiles who want to listen to movies, music, and TV at home.
They're loaded with advanced audio technology, including active noise cancellation, head tracking 3D audio processing, and a feature called LifeMix that lets you actively listen to your surroundings and your media simultaneously.
Dolby Design
The Dimension headphones look simple to the point of minimalist, with very little visual flair or unnecessary angles or accents.
The oval earcups are large and simple, with completely flat matte black plastic backs.
The over-ear earpads are soft, plush memory foam covered in supple faux leather, which extends past the earpads themselves to completely wrap around the sides of the earcups.
The metal headband is similarly padded and wrapped, with a flat, black metal cover running over the top.
The right earcup holds the controls, hidden by the minimalist black design.
Three embossed lines and an embossed circle sit on the side of the earcup, behind the right ear.
The circle toggles the headphones' sleep mode, and the three lines correspond to three separate Bluetooth connections.
You can assign your phone to the bottom line, your computer to the middle line, and your game system to the top line and switch between them with a tap.
Four lines of white LEDs sit hidden between the sides of the earcup and the back panel, lighting up to indicate which connection is active.
Finally, the entire back panel of the right earcup is a touch-sensitive control pad.
You can swipe up and down to adjust volume, left and right to change tracks, and tap to pause or play.
A micro USB port sits just under the touch panel on the right earcup for directly charging the headphones with the included wall adapter and USB-to-micro USB cable.
However, you probably won't use that except as a last resort.
Instead, two contacts on the bottom of the left earcup let you keep the headphones charged and settled in the included charging dock.
The charging dock is a plain black cradle that matches the headphones' simple aesthetic.
The left earcup magnetically aligns the contacts on the headphones with the contacts on the cradle to keep them connected and charging.
The magnet also holds the headphones themselves vertically, tilted at a slight angle and easily removed for use.
The headphones automatically go into sleep mode when in the cradle and wake up when removed, connecting with the last device with which they were used.
LifeMix and Active Noise Cancellation
Dolby packs loads of clever technology into its first headphones.
Its crowning feature is LifeMix, an audio processing technology that uses outward-facing microphones to measure outside noise and manipulate it like active noise cancellation.
However, instead of cancelling out that noise, LifeMix picks it up and actively mixes it into the headphones, effectively letting you hear your surroundings without affecting whatever you're listening to.
You can enjoy music or a movie through the headphones, but still hear a train announcement or a doorbell, or answer anyone around you without lifting an earcup.
LifeMix is controlled through the Dolby Dimension app for Android and iOS, with adjustable intensity from 0 to 11.
At 10, all surrounding sound is passed through without adjusting it, and 11 slightly boosts what comes through.
If it picks up too much sound for your tastes, you can dial it down until you only hear loud noises or someone speaking directly to you.
At 0, LifeMix simply becomes active noise cancellation (ANC) and blocks out any outside noise.
You can also toggle between your preferred LifeMix setting and ANC by tapping the back of the right earcup twice.
LifeMix is fairly effective at letting you hear your surroundings while you listen to music.
Switching between LifeMix and ANC modes doesn't affect how music sounds at all, while clearly letting outside noise pass through or blocking it out entirely.
The higher LifeMix settings are a bit overly sensitive, picking up keyboard strokes and heavy breathing easily through the microphones, but dialing it down to around 6 lets sounds like alarms and loud conversation come through without blowing out the noises you make on your own.
The feature works best while audio is playing; when LifeMix is enabled and no music or other sounds are coming through the headphones, it sounds like you're listening to everything around you with paper covering your ears.
The active noise cancellation is also impressive, though it doesn't reach Bose levels of blocking out nearly everything.
Office chatter, light construction, and traffic can still be heard with noise cancellation on, while the Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones muffle these sounds much more effectively.
More importantly than simply blocking out sound, the noise cancellation on the Dolby Dimension doesn't seem to affect the audio in any way.
No telltale hiss can be heard indicating inexpensive ANC circuitry, and music retains its full range and detail.
3D Simulated Surround
Because the headphones connect to all devices over Bluetooth and Bluetooth is stereo-only, they can't accept a direct surround sound signal and process it directly.
Since the headphones are designed primarily for home use, that could have been a significant omission for such a high price.
Fortunately, they're laden with Dolby's myriad audio-processing technologies that turn stereo sound into simulated surround on the fly.
The company has spent years dealing with this very issue, and all of that work has gone into the Dimension to produce a surround-like effect through the two 40mm drivers.
The headphones also incorporate 360-degree audio with a built-in motion sensor, similar to the WavesNX-powered Audeze Mobius.
They can adjust the stereo mix between the cups to give the impression that the audio sources are fixed even when you turn your head.
This is an interesting enough effect when listening to music, but it's most useful when watching movies or TV shows.
Combining Dolby's simulated surround with head tracking creates a genuinely immersive listening effect.
Audio Performance
The headphones perform remarkably well when listening to music, which should be expected give their price.
They easily handle our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Sharp," at maximum (and unsafe) volume without a hint of distortion.
The bass synth and kick drum sound full and nearly head-rattling, but nicely balanced against the rest of the track; it isn't a subwoofer-like sound, but it's satisfyingly powerful.
Yes' "Roundabout" sounds fantastic on the Dimension.
The opening acoustic guitar plucks of the track get a substantial amount of string texture and resonance, showing off just how much detail the headphones can bring out.
The electric bass sounds full and low without overwhelming the mix, and the vocals, snares, and cymbals all get their own distinct and easily discernible locations in the busy mix, letting every element shine through clearly.
The Coup's "Magic Clap" also sounds excellent on the headphones.
The steady drumbeat of claps come through without getting in the way of Boots Riley or Silk-E's vocals, both of which get plenty of detail between Riley's low edge and Silk-E's slight raspiness.
The muffled, distorted bass that runs underneath the mix is apparent and sinister, easy to pick out without fighting with any other element of the song.
For movies and TV shows, the headphones similarly don't disappoint.
The opening scene of Thor: Ragnarok is loud and immersive.
The smashing of Thor's hammer through monsters and the crunching of rocks is clear, with the head tracking keeping the sound locked to the screen even when I walk around the room.
Of course, when the Led Zeppelin kicks in, it sounds full and energetic.
Audio for Technophiles
Dolby's first effort at creating a pair of wireless headphones is technically fantastic.
The Dimension headphones sound excellent and are packed with advanced technology in a subdued but fashionable and comfortable design.
For a $600 pair intended for home listening, though, the complete lack of a wired connection might turn away audiophiles who prefer the fidelity of a wire (or the higher bandwidth of a dongle-based Wi-Fi set of headphones) over the convenience and ease of Bluetooth.
Dedicated hi-fi fans should check out simpler and more traditional high-end fare, like the Editors' Choice Sony MDR-Z7, the Audeze EL-8 Open Back, or the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro.
But if you're drawn in by their technical prowess, the Dimension headphones are definitely worth your attention.
Cons
The Bottom Line
The Dolby Dimension wireless headphones are built for technophiles, with excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, head tracking, and the ability to hear your surroundings and media at the same time.
