Hans Zimmer prefers to hear his music in surround sound. This is what he said in an interview following the CES demonstration of DTS Headphone:X
When I write, I write in surround. My life is in surround. Why would I settle for less? … I’ve been waiting for this moment where I can actually go and listen to one of my soundtracks without going, ‘Oh dear, it’s only stereo.
What is DTS Headphone:X Surround?
From the DTS site:
DTS Headphone:X is a Home Theater in your Pocket (HTiP) solution for mobile audio that faithfully reproduces the home theater surround sound experience using a wide variety of simple headphones. It simulates the three-dimensional multichannel audio environment of a movie’s original mixing stage, calibrating it to each device, headphone set and user seating position.
So basically you can enjoy up to 11.1 surround sound on your smart phone or tablet with a pair of headphones, provided a content owner uses DTS Headphone:X for their surround mixes. And that’s exactly what Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions did. They had an app coded called Z+ Music that is available for free, including a free demo track. It also allows you to buy individual tracks from the Man of Steel soundtrack right from the app.
However, buyers of the Man of Steel Limited Edition Soundtrack
Here some words by Hans Zimmer
And some reactions at CES 2013 to DTS Headphone:X
As you can see, people were constantly taking off their headphones to make sure the speakers weren’t playing as well.
And how does DTS Headphone:X sound?
I’d strongly recommend to download the app Z+ Music and listen to the demo track on a good pair of headphones. And then go ahead and buy the Man of Steel soundtrack album! It’s a surround sound experience not to be missed 🙂