Gaming Headphones: Does surround sound really exist?

[TheGooch69]

I'm in the market for a nice pair of gaming headphones. I've heard great things about the Sennheiser HD-555. I'm sure they produce great quality sound.

However, I would like a surround sound set, but does that even truly exist? I've heard the X-Fi sound cards do a great job of emulating surround sound through headphones, but with the current headset I have, I can't tell the difference of sounds in front or behind me. I'm sure the headset I have isn't of the greatest quality, so perhaps it'll be more distinguishable with a better quality headset?

I'm also keeping my eye out on the Razer Megalondon. I've heard a price tag of over $150 but if they perform as well as they are advertised, I'll have no problem laying down the cash for them.

 

[phide]

The problem with so-called "surround headphones" is that the drivers have to be very densely packed to make the cans wearable (cups that don't envelop your entire head, in other words). You'll end up with a somewhat heightened sense of directionality, but you sacrifice the overall quality of headphones with two large drivers. In terms of improving your gaming experience, surround headphones don't really have any edge over conventional headphones, especially with respect to competitive gaming where other qualities are more valuable.

The best alternative is emulation (HRTF). When the acoustic parameters are known, as is the case when wearing headphones, HRTF can work tremendously well.

 

[Riccochet]

In my opinion all that surround sound through headphones is hogwash. I've tried numerous headphones that claim surround sound, and the creative effects....bah. B.S. I can't hear a damn bit of difference. I have the HD-555's...meh, they are ok. I prefer my Sony MDR-V6's(not the 600's, eww) over the 555's any day in comfort and sound quality. Some might argue the V6's highs are thin, mids are flat and lows are boomy. All that evens out after a good 20-30 hours of use, producing a nice warm sound.

Still, surround from cans? Leave surround to a 5.1 or 7.1 setup IMO.

 

[Zepher]

I have the Sennhesier PC 135USB headset and when I play games with them I can tell where people are coming from. They work great in CS:S.

 

[kniah]

I'm in the market for a nice pair of gaming headphones. I've heard great things about the Sennheiser HD-555. I'm sure they produce great quality sound.

However, I would like a surround sound set, but does that even truly exist? I've heard the X-Fi sound cards do a great job of emulating surround sound through headphones, but with the current headset I have, I can't tell the difference of sounds in front or behind me. I'm sure the headset I have isn't of the greatest quality, so perhaps it'll be more distinguishable with a better quality headset?

I'm also keeping my eye out on the Razer Megalondon. I've heard a price tag of over $150 but if they perform as well as they are advertised, I'll have no problem laying down the cash for them.

Are you using Vista or XP? How do you have your sound set up? If you're using XP, try setting the X-FI control panel to headphones, turn on CMSS3D headphone, and deselect "Synch with Windows". Then go into the Windows sound control panel, and select 5.1 speakers. Go back to each to insure that X-FI is set to headphones and Windows is set to 5.1. Go into your game, and make sure the game is set to 5.1 as well. Give this a try if you don't have your system set up this way already. It should improve your positional audio.

 

[Dende]

I have some turtle beach headphones that are amazing. BUT they are HUGE lol. They sound better then my 5.1 setup with all the speakers and sub.

 

[450]

Surround for headphones is essentially binaural (not sure if binaural is synonymous with HRTF).

 

[ourfpshero]

surround sound using an x-fi works fantastic-depending on the game's implementation of course. if the game supports eax/directsound3d or openal then u just set the x-fi to gaming mode and headphones. if it doesnt support those standards but does support generic surround sound- set the game to 5.1 and the x-fi to headphones.
your current usb headset doesnt use your sound card at all so no surround effects, i.e. your wasting your sound card!

which games do u play? some games -like the battlefield and unreal tournament series- give great surround sound on an x-fi , some -like cs:s and crysis- give generic surround sound thats no better on an x-fi than any surround capable card