Best Immersive Audio Album — Category 84

This category honors vocal or instrumental albums from any genre that feature a new immersive mix using four or more channels. Eligible works must have been commercially released in physical format or made available on a qualifying streaming or download platform. The award is presented to the immersive mix engineer, the immersive producer when applicable, and the immersive mastering engineer when applicable.

For this review, you will find 5 nomined albums tested:

• Ed 1: An Immersive Tribute to Astor Piazzolla (Live) (Dolby Atmos)
• Ed 2: Duckwrth All American F__kBoy (Dolby Atmos)
• Ed 3: Justin Gray – Immersed (Dolby Atmos)
• Ed 4: Tearjerkers (Dolby Atmos)
• Ed 5: Trio Mediaeval – YULE ( 7.1.4, Dolby Atmos)

Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measurements of each edition in the following chapters.

Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed 1: An Immersive Tribute to Astor Piazzolla (Live) (Dolby Atmos)

Presentation

Immersive mix engineers : Andrés Mayo & Martín Muscatello ; Immersive producers : Andrés Mayo & Martín Muscatello.

This album pays tribute to the legendary Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla in an immersive live format. It represents a celebration of the tango nuevo master’s work in spatial audio format.

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Below the video spatialization for the track “Adios Nonino (Live)”:

Waveform and Spectrum: DR15

The waveform of the An Immersive Tribute to Astor Piazzolla (Live) (Dolby Atmos) shows a very high range confirmed with DR15.

The spectrogram of the streaming Dolby Atmos track in 7.1.4 is limited to 20 kHz , with no signal beyond that point. This limitation comes from Dolby Digital Plus compression, which uses lossy encoding to reduce bandwidth and fit a 768 kbps bitrate. The LFE channel is filtrered with a 120 Hz low-pass filter.

The graph below represents the spectrum of the An Immersive Tribute to Astor Piazzolla (Live) (Dolby Atmos).
The spectrum of Dolby Atmos version decoded in 7.1 shows that all channels are used. The LFE channel is used with a cutoff frequency of 120 Hz (green arrow). The white arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding. The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to encoding at the 48 kHz sampling frequency used.

Synthesis and listening

If I told you that you’ll be immersed right in the heart of the music, with a lively, dynamic, and surprising sound? It’s an original and unexpected experience for this musical style. Best enjoyed on an excellent 7.1.4 system to fully appreciate this unique immersive mix.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●oo (7.8)
• Restitution: ●●●●● (4.5)

Sample : “Adios Nonino (Live)” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 7.1) :

The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

Ed 2: Duckwrth All American F__kBoy (Dolby Atmos)

Presentation

Immersive mix engineer : Andrew Law.

Album released in April 2025, this eclectic project from the Los Angeles artist contains 21 tracks punctuated by narrations from LaKeith Stanfield, Tia Nomore and Lou Loubell, with collaborations from Tanerélle, Tommy Newport, IDK and Sherwyn. The album blends alternative rock, R&B, hip-hop and punk.

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Below the video spatialization for the track “Toxic Romantic”:

Waveform and Spectrum: DR13

The waveform of the Duckwrth All American F__kBoy (Dolby Atmos) shows a high range confirmed with DR13.

The spectrogram of the streaming Dolby Atmos track in 7.1.4 is limited to 20 kHz , with no signal beyond that point. This limitation comes from Dolby Digital Plus compression, which uses lossy encoding to reduce bandwidth and fit a 768 kbps bitrate. The LFE channel is filtrered with a 120 Hz low-pass filter.

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Duckwrth All American F__kBoy (Dolby Atmos).
The spectrum of Dolby Atmos version decoded in 7.1 shows that all channels are used. The LFE channel is used with a cutoff frequency of 120 Hz (green arrow). The white arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding. The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to encoding at the 48 kHz sampling frequency used.

Synthesis and listening

The Dolby Atmos mix uses all channels to varying degrees depending on the track. It’s a well-crafted mix, with movement, but not the most immersive of the five albums selected, while still being of very high quality.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●●oooo (6.4)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4)

Sample : “Toxic Romantic” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 7.1) :

The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

Ed 3: Justin Gray – Immersed (Dolby Atmos)

Presentation

Immersive mix engineer : Justin Gray ; Immersive mastering engineer : Michael Romanowski ; Immersive producers : Justin Gray, Drew Jurecka & Morten Lindberg.

A cinematic album conceived, recorded and produced from the ground up for immersive audio, featuring 38 artists from around the world. Justin Gray places the listener at the center of a 360-degree orchestra. Mixed in Dolby Atmos and accompanied by a full-length film, Immersed synthesizes diverse musical influences including jazz, Indian classical music and global musical traditions.

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Below the video spatialization for the track “Tapestry” :

Waveform and Spectrum: DR14

The waveform of the Justin Gray – Immersed (Dolby Atmos) shows a high range confirmed with DR14.

The spectrogram of the streaming Dolby Atmos track in 7.1.4 is limited to 20 kHz , with no signal beyond that point. This limitation comes from Dolby Digital Plus compression, which uses lossy encoding to reduce bandwidth and fit a 768 kbps bitrate. The LFE channel is filtrered with a 120 Hz low-pass filter.

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Justin Gray – Immersed (Dolby Atmos).
The spectrum of Dolby Atmos version decoded in 7.1 shows that all channels are used. The LFE channel is used with a cutoff frequency of 120 Hz (green arrow). The white arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding. The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to encoding at the 48 kHz sampling frequency used.

Synthesis and listening

The music was designed, recorded, and mixed to deliver a spatial sound experience. It is on a 7.1.4 configuration or higher that it reveals its full potential. The listener is completely immersed in the heart of the music, thanks to the spatial distribution of the instruments, which makes each track fully immersive. It is a true demonstration of immersive sound.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●●●ooo (7.5)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)

Sample : “Tapestry” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 7.1) :

The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

Ed 4: Tearjerkers (Dolby Atmos)

Presentation

Immersive mix engineer : Hans-Martin Buff ; Immersive producer : Hans-Martin Buff.

The album is the result of a collaboration with numerous talented musical contributors, including Mikael Nord Anderson, Luca Boscagin, Livingstone Brown, Sarah Brown, and other musicians. Hans-Martin Buff is recognized for his expertise in immersive music after winning the 2025 Grammy for his work on Peter Gabriel’s album “i/o”.

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Below the video spatialization for the track “2 After 2” :

Waveform and Spectrum: DR13

The waveform of the Tearjerkers (Dolby Atmos) shows a high range confirmed with DR13.

The spectrogram of the streaming Dolby Atmos track in 7.1.4 is limited to 20 kHz , with no signal beyond that point. This limitation comes from Dolby Digital Plus compression, which uses lossy encoding to reduce bandwidth and fit a 768 kbps bitrate. The LFE channel is filtrered with a 120 Hz low-pass filter.

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Tearjerkers (Dolby Atmos).
The spectrum of Dolby Atmos version decoded in 7.1 shows that all channels are used. The LFE channel is used with a cutoff frequency of 120 Hz (green arrow). The white arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding. The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to encoding at the 48 kHz sampling frequency used.

Synthesis and listening

A very beautiful Dolby Atmos mix that makes full use of the entire spatial soundstage. The mix is highly successful, with a well-balanced distribution of the music, instruments, and vocals. However, it remains more classic and less surprising than An Immersive Tribute to Astor Piazzolla (Live).

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●oo (8)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4)

Sample : “2 After 2” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 7.1) :

The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

Ed 5: Trio Mediaeval – YULE ( 7.1.4, Dolby Atmos)

Presentation

Immersive mix engineer : Morten Lindberg ; Immersive mastering engineer : Morten Lindberg ; Immersive producers : Arve Henriksen & Morten Lindberg.

The celebration of Yule in Northern Europe traces back to a transition from ancient Germanic pagan culture to the more formal spirituality of Christian ritual. Recorded at Sofienberg Church in Oslo in March 2024, the album benefits from the expertise of Morten Lindberg, a sound engineer renowned for his transparency and exceptional use of acoustics.

Find the complete review of this album (and samples) with the SACD, Blu-ray versions …as well as the presentation of the studio of Morten Lindberg (link).

Synthesis and listening

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●●o (8.9)
• Restitution: ●●●●● (5)

Sample : “Bereden väg för Herran” Bluray Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 7.1) :

The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

The five albums nominated for the Grammy Awards in the Best Immersive Audio Album category all demonstrate an exceptional level of quality in immersive audio mixing. Available on streaming platforms or physical media, each is offered in a Dolby Atmos version. These works represent five distinct stylistic approaches:

• “Yule” delivers deep immersion at the heart of the musical performance through a 7.1.4 recording, enabling a particularly enveloping listening experience.
• “Immersed” is built on a creative process and mix designed from the very beginning for immersive reproduction, an ambition that is fully achieved.
• “An Immersive Tribute to Astor Piazzolla (Live)” places the listener among the musicians, offering an immersive rendering that is likely the most original of the five nominees.
• “Tearjerkers” stands out through its precise command of Dolby Atmos mixing, resulting in dynamic and lively spatialization.
• “All American F*boy”** features an energetic mix that evolves from one track to another; while highly successful, it remains more classical in its immersive approach.

Each album highlights a different vision of immersive sound, allowing listeners to choose the aesthetic that best fits their preferences.

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Detail of the ratings :

• Dynamic :
  1. Significant dynamic compression, DR less than 7
  2. Compression of the present dynamics, DR between 7 and 9.
  3. Correct piece DR >=10
  4. No dynamic compression (DR >12), dynamic rendering
  5. No dynamic compression, high DR and very dynamic sound rendering
• Spectrum :
  1. Spectrum cut and less than 15 khz
  2. Spectrum cut at 15 khz
  3. Spectrum not conforming to the original and cut (not HD) or original but limited bandwidth (but less than 20 kHz)
  4. Spectrum conforming to the original (but not HD)
  5. Spectrum conforming to the original with HD resolution (higher than 24kHz)
• Surface noise (only for vinyl):
  1. Continuous audible noise
  2. Audible surface noise except on passages with a high level of noise
  3. Reduced surface noise, barely audible on low level crossings
  4. Low surface noise, very good quality
  5. Very low surface noise, no defects, almost inaudible on the quiet passages (exceptional disc)
• Spatialization :
  • Between 0 and 5 for 5.1 or 7.1 channels configuration
  • Between 0 and 10 for Atmos configuration (7.1.4)
  • For more information on spatialization, you can read the article describing this parameter here.
• Restitution :
  1. Low quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  2. Average quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  3. Quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Good record.
  4. High quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Very high level disc.
  5. Maximum quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Exceptional disc.

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