Simple Explanation

3D sound creates the illusion that audio is coming from all around you—not just left and right, but also in front, behind, above, and below.

Concise Technical Definition

A spatial audio technique that simulates three-dimensional positioning of sound sources in space, often using binaural, ambisonic, or multichannel playback methods.

Layman-Friendly Analogy

Like virtual reality for your ears—3D sound makes it feel like things are happening all around you, even if you're just wearing headphones.

Industry Usage Summary

3D sound is used in VR, gaming, cinema, and immersive audio systems to enhance realism by placing sounds in a full 360-degree sound field. It's a key part of spatial audio design.

Engineering Shortcut

Spatial audio simulating XYZ sound placement using phase, delay, and HRTFs (head-related transfer functions).

Full Technical Explanation

3D sound, or spatial audio, is a technique used to simulate how humans perceive sound in three dimensions—left/right (azimuth), up/down (elevation), and near/far (depth). This can be achieved through binaural recordings using dummy heads with microphones in their ears, or digitally through head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), ambisonics, and multichannel systems like Dolby Atmos. 3D sound aims to replicate the way sound waves interact with the listener’s head and ears, providing an immersive and realistic sound field.