A unique challenge we faced as a company was creating the very first consumer product for Dolby Laboratories. For 50+ years, Dolby has been delivering groundbreaking technologies to advance the entertainment world, usually through our partners. With Dolby Dimension, we wanted to own the entire experience being delivered to the consumer, and that was something we had never done before. From an internal perspective, a very small, new team within Dolby was tasked with creating something special for this Dolby first. We had to ask ourselves “how are we going to create a headphone that is not another copycat, that is uniquely Dolby?” This is where we saw an opportunity. We observed many viewers sacrificing their audio quality while watching content, usually because they did not want to disturb others around them.

We set out to create a headphone that focused on cinematic content, an area Dolby is extremely familiar with. On the flip side, we saw that people were concerned with how isolating headphones could be. This is where Dolby LifeMix comes in, allowing the viewer to have that cinematic immersive sound, but not being completely isolated from the world around them. An accompanying app allows you to dial the exact level of transparency you want, even boosting it to 11 for amplified audio of your environment.

A main design principle of Dolby Dimension was the reduction of visible noise. Unlike most headphones, all mechanical moving parts are hidden within the earcup so that no matter who is wearing the device it always looks natural and creates a unified singular form. We wanted the product to exude premium and create a sense of desire and comfort. The ear cups are fully wrapped in a durable synthetic leather, progressively getting softer before seamlessly blending into the custom-formed ear pads. The secure, custom-curved stainless steel headband maximizes comfort over long periods of time.

Perforated cores hint at the headphones’ transparency while housing omnidirectional mics for LifeMix. Juxtaposed against the organic nature of the ear cup, the capacitive control plate and geometric core celebrate Dolby’s balance of art and science.

Dolby Dimension has three Source Buttons that are seamlessly integrated into the soft earcup for easy switching between devices.

During our research we noticed a lot of times people were sacrificing their time together as well as their entertainment. Families want to spend time together but at the same time want to enjoy their own experiences. Dolby Dimension allows you to be immersed but not isolated with family. You can watch your content on your device while your spouse is reading next to you or your child is sleeping in the room next door. You can finally listen to content at the volume it was intended to without worrying about disturbing your neighbors. And you can decide if you want to hear your environment while you consume your content or shut out your surrounding with noise cancellation.