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HARDWARE
Surround-sound blasts engulf you, bringing you further into the action of the movie, but instead of sitting in a digitally equipped cinema or some millionaire's home theater, you've just got a pair of measly headphones strapped to your noggin. The secret? New audio technology from Dolby Labs called Dolby Headphone, which psychoacoustically creates the sound of a well-tuned home-theater setup on any old pair of ear goggles. This groundbreaking system is due out in other devices next year, but for now the only way to experience it is during in-flight movies on Singapore Airlines - not just in first class, but throughout the plane.
To find out whether this was just another phantom audio format or the real thing, I headed over to Newark Airport and climbed aboard Singapore Air Flight SQ23, bound for Amsterdam. I reclined my seat, opened a bag of peanuts, and began watching The Mummy. Without question, the dead sure came alive; 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. (Audiophile alert: This latest sound processing technology from Dolby should not be confused with the impressive but less versatile Sony Dolby Digital Surround - see "The 11 Factor," in Wired Tools.)
The 3-D effect was amazing, though it seemed the movie dialog came from inside my head. The other surround-sound effects were pronounced - maybe excessive. Dolby Headphone has more depth than many listeners are used to, and loud explosions will make you jump; the woman next to me had to keep adjusting the volume. Still, I'd never heard anything like it - truly supersonic audio.
Dolby Headphone: standard in all seats. Singapore Airlines: (800) 742 3333, www.singaporeair.com.
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