Is EAX useless when using a true surround setup like 5.1 or 7.1?

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fantanode

Weaksauce
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My understanding is, and someone please correct me here, is that EAX is for 3D positional sound effects on a stereo signal. So if the game is outputting a true surround signal, EAX would have no purpose.

However I'm not sure if EAX is for sound effects in general or only simulating surround ones. When using something like Creative's CMSS-3D for example, or 5.1 sound, is EAX disabled?
 
EAX does reverb, obstruction, occlusion, elevation and so on on all speaker configurations if the game supports it. EAX 5.0 can also do discrete channel mapping internally on surround setups, so there are some surround-specific features too (though I doubt this has actually been used).
 
phide said:
EAX does reverb, obstruction, occlusion, elevation and so on on all speaker configurations if the game supports it. EAX 5.0 can also do discrete channel mapping internally on surround setups, so there are some surround-specific features too (though I doubt this has actually been used).
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So I guess I'll be missing out if I don't have a card that does both EAX and 5.1 surround? Can you really even enable EAX and Dolby Digital at the same time?

I'm guessing it'd have to be through regular 5.1 through analog connections to speakers or however Creative speakers are setup for surround.

AdmiralFlameberg said:
eax has nothing to do with surround sound speakers. it would still work well with only 2 speakers.
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No I meant if it's only meant for 2 speakers or headphones rather than surround speakers.
 
Eax is all about getting more realistic sounds. So like.. if you shoot a car, the bullet hitting the "metal" is supposed to sound proper. Or if you are in a cave, you get echos. It's not really surround sound oriented. The surround stuff just adds an extra layer of realism to it.
 
You can say that eax are sound effects generated in realtime by the sound card. If the enemy shoots or you hear music behind the cardboard, the sound will realistically appears to be so.
 
So it seems that to get the best sound for a game, you'd need EAX... and if you're using Dolby Headphone or Doby Digital Live you're out of luck? Or can you use both?

It sucks that all non-Creative cards only have EAX 1.0/2.0. At least all the ones I've seen. And maybe if Creative supported DDL it'd be easier to choose a sound card. But no, they want people to use lame analog connections to their own or logitech speakers. I'm not even sure how people have surround sound speakers on their PC desks honestly. I only want surround output to go into a Dolby Headphone adapter, unless the card already supports DH.
 
fantanode said:
So it seems that to get the best sound for a game, you'd need EAX... and if you're using Dolby Headphone or Doby Digital Live you're out of luck? Or can you use both?

It sucks that all non-Creative cards only have EAX 1.0/2.0. At least all the ones I've seen. And maybe if Creative supported DDL it'd be easier to choose a sound card. But no, they want people to use lame analog connections to their own or logitech speakers. I'm not even sure how people have surround sound speakers on their PC desks honestly. I only want surround output to go into a Dolby Headphone adapter, unless the card already supports DH.
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Actually you can, with the predule. You just wouldnt have DD headphone since they decide to give you CMS3D headphone instead of DD headphone.

The other DD live cards could too, but then if your using Vista it would depends on if the game can do 5.1 in software mode or not, Or if your using that thing Xonar edited into the drivers that works like Alchemy.

For the Asus Xonar cards I think its DS3D or whatever it called supposly do what Alchemy does but on Xonar cards. I seen a review where it supposly worked, I dont know if works on the pci normal ver or just the pcie ver.But it should tho. Because it suppose to but it does it with the drivers instead of a diffent app. I just dont know how you would set it up. because it seens you could prolly use it the same way you would Alchemy when copying files.

As for surround sound on desk, I have the rear on a min table for the left and a shelve for the rear. Until I get rear speaker stands. I have a big desk so I have enough room for my Front and center speakers. It doesnt bother me. At night or when I dont feel like using my speakers. I use my headphones. I dont really use CMS-3d Headphone any more. I prolly wouldnt use DD headphone either with the headphones I have now since I can hear around me without it.

Also it depends on the user on EAX, Theres people who dont like EAX for gaming and dont use it , because they dont like the way it sounds. So it depends on the end user if they like what it does or not.
 
I like how eax sounds so I always use it and as it has been said it works regardless of the amount of speakers you use. For example eccoes sound better with a surround setup because if you for example hear a sound in front the ecco starts in the front speakers and travels to the rears and it makes the accoustic effects much more convincing than in would with stereo speakers.

CMSS Virtual is the virtual surround technology and is separate from Eax.
 
AdmiralFlameberg said:
Actually you can, with the predule. You just wouldnt have DD headphone since they decide to give you CMS3D headphone instead of DD headphone.
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Wait, with the prelude I can get Dolby Digital 5.1 with EAX? Or is it just 5.1 with EAX? If it's the former than it wouldn't be a problem as I have a Dolby Headphone adapter that down mixes 5.1 signals to output Dolby Headphone.

I'm back to considering the prelude now... if only the new Xonar, the DX2, supports EAX 5.0... from what I've seen on the newegg specs it uses the same chipset as the old model which only has EAX 1.0/2.0. =\

Edit: why don't people care about Dolby Headphone? I rarely see anybody mention it. I found this link on google about the D2X card:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/16/asuss-xonar-d2x-and-d2-sound-cards-support-the-analog-hole/

They say how they're excited that it has Dolby this and DTS that, but never bring up Dolby Headphone. The same with a lot of reviews I've scanned on cards that support it
 
I got a Prelude and Dolby Digital Live works with Eax. I would also like to have more recievers and devices have Dolby Headphone, so I would also like to know why nobody cares about it.

I mean it would be great if the Ps3 and 360 had Dolby Headphone built into them or something so you could get virtual surround via the analogue outs or via optical if the reciever didn't have that support. It's very similar to CMSS Headphone which gets a lot of praise, so the demand should be there for Dolby Headphone in more affordable devices. Where I live (Sweden) I don't know of any separate Dolby Headphone adapters available for purchase, but if there were I would buy one for sure if it was reasonably priced.
 
yes DD live and EAX would work together on the predule. the reason why predule doesnt have DD headphone. Because it would conflict with CMS-3D headphone mode. Thats why predule opt it out.
 
Well it looks like I'm getting a prelude now. I'll have to get Dolby Headphone through my JVC adapter. I doubt it produces sound as good a something like a Xonar D2X though, which I was planning to get and has DH.

The JVC unit only runs on batteries though, not really convenient.I might have to buy a different DH processor or get the Japanese version of the JVC one which can use an AC adapter.

Edit: actually a card with dolby headphone could be better if the sound is higher quality than dolby digital, maybe if the card does it it can down mix a pcm signal as opposed to a dolby digital one ... not sure if this is how it works though.
 
AdmiralFlameberg said:
yes DD live and EAX would work together on the predule. the reason why predule doesnt have DD headphone. Because it would conflict with CMS-3D headphone mode. Thats why predule opt it out.
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Not trying to be an ass or anything, but just wanted to let you know that it's prelude - not predule. You've been spelling it like that on all your posts. ;)
Guess it's time for a mass-edit. =)
 
EAX is a 3D sound extension for games that allows EAX code to be executed.
This will give you more audio effects in games regardless of how many speakers you use.
EAX does give better spatial sound effects so the 5.1 sound will be enhanced by it.

Without it you will have 5.1 sound in games.
With it, you will have 5.1 sound in games with EAX extensions if you enable the EAX feature.
 
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