When most of us think about Dolby Atmos, an immersive movie experience with loads of speakers is what comes to mind. It is, after all, where the first Dolby Atmos experience happened back in 2012 at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. The object-based surround sound system extended into the home a couple years later, initially requiring either up-firing speakers (integrated into the speakers or added with a separate module on top of a speaker) or ceiling-mounted speakers paired with an AV receiver (AVR). Later, soundbars made the point of entry for Atmos easier, sometimes utilizing advanced virtualization to accomplish the feat instead of discrete speakers.
Dolby Music then followed, with R.E.M.’s 25th anniversary remix of Automatic for the People being one of the first major releases. It was a bit slow going until streaming services began supporting the format more and, perhaps more importantly, major headphones manufacturers included spatial audio in their releases. In my experience, Dolby Music can be a hit-or-miss experience. Even on my home setup, I sometimes sit back while listening to a Dolby Atmos mix and just think, “Why bother?” before putting on a stereo recording. But when it’s right, oh man is it good, and I recently got the chance to hear a demo that was so very, very good.
Before Thanksgiving, I was invited down to a Rivian showroom in Venice, California. While the property is right on Venice Boulevard, it’s nestled back from the road and landscaped with some nice tree coverage, making it feel quiet and removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. Breakfast goodies had been laid out in the library and a coffee stand had been set up to (thankfully) provide caffeinated drinks with a selection of regular milk and oat milk (I opted for an oat milk double latte).
Most importantly, though, were the selection of Rivians displayed around the property. An R1T and R1S sat near the front gate where most people were congregating, and the main attraction of the morning was within the R1S. Set back a bit, behind some cordons, was an R2 (we’ll likely see it on the road in 2026) and the recently announced rally-inspired R3X. As someone that feels at home in smaller cars (my daily driver is a Mazda 3 and I’ve had a 70s MGB Roadster for the past 20 years), the R3X is a fantastic-looking electric car with no hint of a dumpster aesthetic whatsoever. I’ll be putting my $100 deposit down whenever it finally becomes available.
The reason I was invited down to the Rivian space, though, wasn’t the R3X. It was to listen to some music. Specifically, Dolby Atmos Music while sitting in the front of the R1S I passed by near the entrance. This was a Gen 2 R1S with Rivian Premium Audio, a Rivian-designed sound system. It has 16 speakers dispersed around the interior of the car (the R1T pickup version has 14 total speakers). The Dolby Music experience is delivered via Apple Music with spatial audio support (the Rivian system also supports Amazon Music, Tidal, and Audible). Rivian and Apple announced a partnership back in August, so Dolby Music via Apple Music in the Rivian requires an Apple Music subscription, as well as a subscription to Connect+, which is Rivian’s streaming and connectivity service. But I guess if you’re spending $80,000-plus on a car, the extra subscription costs aren’t much to worry about.
Whatever the extra costs, though, they’re totally worth it. The system sounded incredible. The sound was enveloping and instrument placement around the cabin was specific and clean. We listened to three tracks while others waited for their turn — starting with Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings, followed by As It Was by Harry Styles, and finishing with the iconic Money by Pink Floyd. All three tracks utilized Dolby Atmos to the fullest, particularly As It Was and Money.
The infectiously bouncy Harry Styles opening was clear without being too piercing in its higher overtones, and Styles, voice was front and center when he comes in, beautifully supported by musical low-end bass and kick drum. But Money is where the system really shined. The mix has the distinctive cash register opening that I’ve heard thousands of times in stereo bouncing around the cabin. It immediately puts you in the middle of the track even before Roger Water’s 7/4 bass line leads in the rest of the band. That opening experience was so sonically interesting to me, I had to go back and restart the track to listen to how the band and engineer placed every little nuance. It makes me exceedingly curious to hear the rest of the album in Atmos and hear how the opening (and closing) heartbeat intermingles with the rest of the atmospheric tracks.
It’s important to note that my experience was as I sat stationary in the passenger seat of a car in a lot off the side of the road. Sure there were some people milling around outside, but the exterior sound was kept to a minimum. I can’t say how much road noise or exterior traffic would affect the Atmos listening experience or how well the sound translates between a seat in the front of the car and one in the back, but my short time showed me that it’s at the very least starting from an excellent place. If I have the opportunity to spend an extended time with the system, you can be sure I’ll update how well it works in regular driving conditions.
As I mentioned earlier, Dolby Music can be a hit-or-miss experience. It relies on a properly set up and tuned audio system, as well as well-mixed Atmos music (not all Atmos tracks are created equal). Rivian and its audio team did an incredible job tuning the system, and the tracks provided showed that off. So many of us listen to a significant amount of music in the car. Dolby Atmos in the Rivian makes sure that music enjoyment is the best you can get.
