Whether it’s in your headphones, or a feature promised in a soundbar, you’ve probably run into something called “virtual surround” or something like it before. The name seems to suggest that you can get surround sound using nothing more than a set of stereo speakers, or at most an array of speakers to your front.
But, is virtual surround actually an alternative to surround sound where the speakers, you know,surroundyou? The answer is no—but there’s more to it than that.
The Promise of Virtual Surround
On paper, virtual surround sounds like the perfect solution. You take a pair of stereo speakers—or maybe a slim soundbar—and through the magic of software, you get the illusion of a full 5.1 or even 7.1 surround sound system.
That would be pretty awesome, because those big surround systems are complicated and expensive. They take up tons of space, and youreallyhave to be serious about your entertainment to walk down that road.
The way this feature is marketed makes it sound like a no-brainer, right? Why would anyone spend so much money and time on a surround sound system when you could just buy this one little soundbar and get the same thing? Obviously, since full surround setups still exist and people still buy them, virtual surroundisn’tthe same thing at all, so what’s up?
How Virtual Surround Actually Works
Virtual surround relies on psychoacoustics—essentially, tricking your brain into hearing sound where there isn’t a speaker. By tweaking timing, phase, and equalization, audio engineers can nudge your ears into thinking that something came from behind you or above you.
You only have two ears. Humans don’t have surround-sound hearing on a “hardware” level, so your ears and brain have to do some clever processing to infer the position of audio sources using the minute differences in what the two ears hear. It’s also why you can’t tell where a cricket’s chirping is coming from, since they evolved specifically to evade mammals like you and me.
Knowing how our brains process spatial audio positioning using just the two ears, audio engineers attempt to take advantage of it. Virtual surround tries to simulate how sound would bounce around your head if it really were coming from multiple directions.
Why It Can’t Match Real Surround Sound
The fundamental issue is simple: there aren’t enough speakers. Virtual surround is always asking two speakers to do the work of five, seven, or more. That means no real discrete channels and a lot of missing spatial detail.
Rear sound is notoriously hard to fake. Your ears are much better at detecting when something comes from behind versus in front, and virtual processing struggles to replicate that convincingly. Overhead sounds—like a helicopter flying above in a Dolby Atmos track—are even harder to fake without physical speakers overhead. At least, I have never personally heard any virtual surround solution that actually made things sound like they were behind me. Next to me? For sure! But that’s about the extent of it.
Then there’s the issue of room acoustics. With a proper surround sound system, you have a lot of scope for tuning and positioning your speakers to account for that specific room. While there’ssomeleeway with fancier virtual surround systems, your options are always more limited.
Where Virtual Surround Almost Works
Now, I don’t actually want to knock “virtual” surround too much, because to be honest, I like it quite a lot. It’s thenamingof the tech that’s problematic, not the technology itself.
Virtual surround won’t match true surround, but it will significantly improve the immersiveness of your media. Even my old Sony Trinitron TV has an amazingvirtual surroundfeature that widens the stereosoundstageand makes my retro games sound incredible. However, you need to sit in the exact sweet spot to get the full effect, so it’s not that great for group viewing.
Headphones are perhaps the best use case for virtual surround, since the sound goes straight into your ears, and the room’s acoustics don’t factor into it. The best I’ve heard is thespatial audio for AirPods, and I actually adore watching movies and shows that support this feature on my Apple TV box. Virtual surround can also work pretty well with near-field speakers such as desktop speakers for a PC.
The Real Alternatives to Virtual Surround
If you want the real deal, though, there’s no substitute for actual speakers. A true 5.1 or 7.1 system, even a budget-friendly one, will always beat virtual processing when it comes to delivering proper surround.
Soundbars can also bridge the gap. Many modern models pack discrete drivers angled in clever ways, bouncing audio off your walls to approximate a wider soundstage. And hybrid systems with wireless rears give you the convenience of fewer wires while still providing genuine surround channels.
JBL Bar 700: 5.1-Channel Soundbar and Sub
Delivering Dolby Atmos Surround Sound and true customization, the JBL Bar 700 series is an all-in-one sound solution. Place the subwoofer and detach the ends for surround sound, or keep the satellites attached for room-filling noise from an extended soundbar.
So Is Virtual Surround a Scam?
I wouldn’t go as far as calling virtual surround a “scam”. but the marketing and the name for the technology is pretty misleading. The actual technology is great, and it has a reason to exist, but don’t be fooled into thinking you’re getting real surround sound for such a convenient steal. If it sounds too good to be true…
