Headphone listening will never be the same.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to crank up your home theater system without bothering your neighbors? Or watch a movie on an airplane with sound at least as good as what you hear in the local multiplex? Or listen to an entire symphony over headphones without suffering listener fatigue?

This is the promise of Dolby Headphone. It is a revolutionary signal-processing system that can take up to five channels of audio from any source and make it sound like it's coming from that many speakers in a real listening room. The "in your head" effect of regular headphone listening is replaced by a spacious, natural soundfield you can enjoy for hours on end.

Dolby Headphone isn't some kind of pseudo-surround effect: it's for real. Through its powerful signal-processing algorithm, it generates a host of audio clues modeled from real life, from which your ears and brain derive a truly three-dimensional sound image. When you listen to a Dolby Digital or Dolby Surround soundtrack, you hear the sound of five speakers: three in front of you, and a surround speaker to each side. When you listen to stereo material, you hear the sound of two speakers not at your ears, but out in front of you.

Just about any audio and video product with a headphone jack can incorporate Dolby Headphone processing. Best of all, it works with any stereo headphones, including the set you have right now.  more...

Reviews of Dolby Headphone

WANT TO READ WHAT THE EXPERTS THINK OF DOLBY HEADPHONE?
CHECK OUT THESE LINKS:

"...the sound was expansive and crisp and had much more depth than the non-Dolby soundtrack for in-flight television. It's like the difference between TV speakers and a surround-sound listening room."

—Gregor Bobowick, Wired  Wired

"The practical applications for this technology are endless—it's perfect for travelers, late-night movie watching, and for people who don't yet have 5.1-capable stereos....once you hear it you'll never want to go back to those old fashioned headphones again!"

—Paul Russell, DVD Angle  DVD Angle

"When the Dolby Headphone sound kicked in, I was amazed by how sharp, clear, and (most importantly) distinct the sounds were. It was rich, full, and seemed to come from five unique directions. I'm sold."

—Todd McNeeley, Technocopia  Technocopia

"The rich, open sound [of Dolby Headphone] seemed to come from all around outside my head. In contrast, the stereo version seemed quite harsh and strident inside my head....Dolby Headphone is set to become an important part of the emerging multichannel-audio market."

—Scott Wilkinson, Digital Pro Sound  Digital Pro Sound

"Is it any good? Dolby Headphone does indeed give added dimension, which can make all the difference when you are using a laptop stuck in some confounded departure lounge, or when turning up the speakers in your living room is not an option."

—Ian Burley, ZDNet UK  ZDNet UK

RELATED SITES:

Lake Technology Limited
Developers of the underlying technology which became Dolby Headphone.

HeadWize
Product information, technical papers, and a chat forum for the headphone enthusiast.