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Not necessarily, but for the best effects yes. You can use head related transfer functions (HRTFs) to simulate spatial audio with just one driver per ear. Granted the effects aren’t as significant as multi-driver setups, I was able to get a convincing spatial audio demo working with in-ear devices for an Audio Tech course project back in school.

Spacial Audio is the name of an Apple feature avaiable when using their headphones with an iPhone/iPad. It using "head tracking" so when you move or turn your head it changes the sound to make it seem like you are moving around a room with surround sound.

Likely they are releasing a set of airpods soon with a kind of head-tracked positional audio. The pro and max can already do positional audio where the sound seems to be coming from a paired iPad no matter how you twist your head.