A device configured to compress higher order ambisonic audio data representative of a soundfield, the device comprising: a memory configured to store higher order ambisonic coefficients of the higher order ambisonic audio data; and one or more processors configured to: decompose the higher order ambisonic coefficients into a predominant sound component and a corresponding spatial component, the corresponding spatial component representative of directions, shape, and width of the predominant sound component, and defined in a spherical harmonic domain, wherein the spatial component comprises elements; specify , in a bitstream conforming to an intermediate compression format, a subset of the higher order ambisonic coefficients that represent an ambient component of the soundfield; and determine that at least one of the elements of the spatial component is redundant with respect to information provided by the subset of the higher order ambisonic coefficients that represent the ambient component of the soundfield; characterised in that the one or more processors are configured to specify , in the bitstream, and irrespective of the determination that at least one of the elements of the spatial component is redundant, all elements of the spatial component. a memory configured to store higher order ambisonic coefficients of the higher order ambisonic audio data; and one or more processors configured to: decompose the higher order ambisonic coefficients into a predominant sound component and a corresponding spatial component, the corresponding spatial component representative of directions, shape, and width of the predominant sound component, and defined in a spherical harmonic domain, wherein the spatial component comprises elements; specify , in a bitstream conforming to an intermediate compression format, a subset of the higher order ambisonic coefficients that represent an ambient component of the soundfield; and determine that at least one of the elements of the spatial component is redundant with respect to information provided by the subset of the higher order ambisonic coefficients that represent the ambient component of the soundfield; characterised in that the one or more processors are configured to specify , in the bitstream, and irrespective of the determination that at least one of the elements of the spatial component is redundant, all elements of the spatial component. decompose the higher order ambisonic coefficients into a predominant sound component and a corresponding spatial component, the corresponding spatial component representative of directions, shape, and width of the predominant sound component, and defined in a spherical harmonic domain, wherein the spatial component comprises elements; specify , in a bitstream conforming to an intermediate compression format, a subset of the higher order ambisonic coefficients that represent an ambient component of the soundfield; and determine that at least one of the elements of the spatial component is redundant with respect to information provided by the subset of the higher order ambisonic coefficients that represent the ambient component of the soundfield; characterised in that the one or more processors are configured to specify , in the bitstream, and irrespective of the determination that at least one of the elements of the spatial component is redundant, all elements of the spatial component. <EOS>