LFE in games

Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Messages
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so i bought a B&W ASW 600 subwoofer yesterday and hooked it up and it sounds great on games (---->Doom3!!!!!!<-----, and eax HD games like CoD and battlefront) and also movies with LFE channel, but in games like diablo 2 and max payne, there is absolutely no use of my subwoofer. The sub will have no signal because it will turn off automatically after like 6 minutes. Is there any way to really use my sub in these games? I use an audigy 2 ZS and an external 5.1 denon receiver.
 
This is the "dirty little secret" of the Creative cards. They have shitty bass management. It tends not to matter in standard computer speaker setups because they usually have integrate crossovers. However, if you want to route all bass below a certain frequency to a dedicated channel, then you'll find yourself out of luck. Sorry. Creative sux. You can still have a dedicated sub channel for by passing DD/DTS encoded DVD audio via s/pdif through the Audigy's digital output to your Denon.

A dedicated LFE channel in gaming would sure be nice. My Revo has one. :)
 
Movies sound great and the games expecially doom 3 sound great with my sub though. All this sound stuff confuses me. You should hear the plasma rifle with this stuff, it sounds like honey.

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take a look in the creative set stuff. And under Bass management, set the bassreflection to something like 85Hz.. that shoule make the sub sound good for music and games that don't have dedicated LFE channels.
 
I think that it defaults at 90 hz and i actually have it now at like 101 before you mentioned it. It doesn't seem to do anything. i think i am going to return this card and get a revo in fact. I have had some other gripes about this card anyways.
 
odd.. it seems to make a large difference for me with music (sub doesnt even turn on until I use it)
 
for music i usually do that CMSS stereo, the bottome most one that distributes the sound equally out of every channel, but even then the sub does not even turn on. Between my sub, my receiver, and my soundcard all having minds of their own withh processors and crossover adjustments to be made, it really can get confusing. Especially for me who only half figured out what the hell was meant by "crossover" yesterday when i bought the sub.

but anyhow, i guess i have a 528 dollar leg rest now.
 
That looks like a cool set up. I think you have the same monitor as me.

What if I have a creative card and only want a big system like that for music? (I have my trusty klipsch 4.1's for games and stuff) I am talking a receiver and two speakers, and a sub, just for music. Think the SPDIF thing on my old ass 4.1 live x gamer would work with that?
 
Seraphim974 said:
Movies sound great and the games expecially doom 3 sound great with my sub though. All this sound stuff confuses me. You should hear the plasma rifle with this stuff, it sounds like honey.

*pics edited out*

That is one sweet sub. I need to get one for my system, but it won't be as good as that!

And bad luck about the sub in games. Maybe try to cennect them all with analogue inputs?
 
The Titan said:
That looks like a cool set up. I think you have the same monitor as me.

What if I have a creative card and only want a big system like that for music? (I have my trusty klipsch 4.1's for games and stuff) I am talking a receiver and two speakers, and a sub, just for music. Think the SPDIF thing on my old ass 4.1 live x gamer would work with that?
Any HT receiver (nowadays even the cheap ones) will have digital inputs for SPDIF so yes you could use the old ass card with spdif to a receiver. This will only give you stereo PCM sound however (which is what a cd is recorded as anyways). And i really dont have any real use experience with high end speakers, just these. These speakers are truly amazing but pricey. So.. i really cant recommend anything to you about speakers.
 
If i use the 6 channel direct from my audio to receiver, i get a bit of distortion. My preferred method is to just use the digital out to my receiver and then use prologic. It simulates the sound pretty convincing, expecially over the front 3 channels, and the bass is awesome.
 
Seraphim974 said:
Any HT receiver (nowadays even the cheap ones) will have digital inputs for SPDIF so yes you could use the old ass card with spdif to a receiver. This will only give you stereo PCM sound however (which is what a cd is recorded as anyways). And i really dont have any real use experience with high end speakers, just these. These speakers are truly amazing but pricey. So.. i really cant recommend anything to you about speakers.
I only want it for music, so stereo is perfect.
 
You could just as well use a s/pdif from your MB sound. I would not be suprised if it sounded better than your SB Live. Or you could just pick up a Chaintech AV-710 for <$30 at newegg and do the rear-channel trick.
 
I like my soundcard. I tried onboard, sucked ass. I am weary of anything else...
 
Ok, i guess that i do hear an increase in volume in the sub in games and music when i mess with that redirection thing; however, it is a pathetically underpowered tool.
 
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