Surround Sound And Noise Cancelling Pioneer Ray Dolby, Passes Away At 80

In the world of high-profile audio, you can easily count the names that everyone knows: Bose, Shure, Pioneer, Sony, Dolby, and perhaps just a handful of others. Sadly, a pioneer in the world of audio has passed away this week, with Ray Dolby leaving behind his wife and two sons at the age of 80. Ray Dolby fired up Dolby Laboratories in 1965, and according to the official remembrance page, he "built an environment where scientists and engineers push the limits of sight and sound."


He is best known for his role in crafting a noise reduction system that has remained popular to this day, and Dolby has grown in a major way during his life. Now, it's a staple in the motion picture industry. You can't make a AAA-title film without a Dolby-approved surround sound track, and some of the world's most elaborate home cinemas rely on Dolby processing to deliver pristine audio.


Dolby's technologies will continue to live on and make an impact for decades, and if you'd care to take a look back at his life, the company has assembled a video embedded above.