Optimum speaker setup for PC gaming?

Quiz

Quiz

Gawd
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Aug 25, 2010
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What is the "optimum" speaker setup for PC gaming? Is it 2.1, 5.1, 7.1, etc.? Basically, do modern PC games support multichannel setups like 5.1 or 7.1? What about a full-blown Atmos setup? How many PC games support Atmos?
 
Thanks.

But even in an ideal room with a 9.1.6 setup with the correct distances, doesn't the game actually have to support Atmos to make use of the whole setup? If headphones is the safest answer, then I assume the "safest" speaker setup would be 2.1?
 
Really depends on how you want to handle it. There are some games that support Atmos, though I don't know how well. I don't have an Atmos setup so I've never tried. 7.1 is quite easy to find, most games support 7.1 and you can do that straight from a soundcard, you don't have to go to a receiver like you do for Atmos. Before I moved in with my girlfriend I had a nice 7.1 setup for gaming and it was extremely fun.
 
I used to run 7.1 in my office and it was amazing in Battlefield, Guild Wars 2 and Overwatch - super positional.

I started playing Apex Legends and it didn't seem to work so I switched to headphones and they worked great.

I sold off my AV rig and went with a high quality 2.1 system (LS50 meta/SVS 3000 Micro) and I really enjoy it for music. It might be good for some games, but it's not ideal for fps games...
 
IMO surround sound does give an advantage. I used to use it with Counter-Strike way back in the day and I could hear exactly where people are coming from without needing to turn my character at all in game. With headphones you can't do that as well. I think most games support surround sound. I've never actually tried atmos with any games, no idea how well it works.

But I actually just use headphones all the time now because speakers are problematic if you're using voice chat.
 
Quiz said:
What is the "optimum" speaker setup for PC gaming? Is it 2.1, 5.1, 7.1, etc.? Basically, do modern PC games support multichannel setups like 5.1 or 7.1? What about a full-blown Atmos setup? How many PC games support Atmos?
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Games that support Atmos off the top of my head:
  • Battlefield 2042
  • Call of Duty Modern Warfare III (2023)
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Far Cry 6
  • Halo Infinite
  • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Mass Effect Andromeda
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator
  • Resident Evil 2 Remake
  • Resident Evil 3 Remake
  • Resident Evil 4 Remake
  • Resident Evil VII
  • Resident Evil Village
  • Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
PC Gaming Wiki probably has a more extensive list.
 
One simple tip is do not put your speakers close together. I have five point one and I have them set up in each corner of the room with the centre speaker directly in front of me. Having a speaker's beat relatively far away from one another and from me makes the sound seem bigger and more directional.
 
2.1 is the ideal for maximum compatability and quality across all titles.
People who have physical 4.1/5.1/7.1/etc are a *microscopic* amount of an already tiny market, and the bulk of people who have that do not have it for PC use, but for home theater.


If you are looking for "best setup without having parts of it be useless at times", then 2.0/1 is the best/only option. If you are looking for "optimum sound" then that is personal preference, but its a dumb question as there really *is* no question there... whatever the most expensive and expansive setup you can afford.
While most surround systems can do a good job of splitting 2.0/1 across their respective channels, theres no benefit to it if you are concerned in any way about price or space.
 
Everything supports 5.1. Even old N64 games support surround sound. Stereo is completely deprecated. Using Stereo simply means you lack space or budget for something better.

If you have the space, I'd go 4.0 before going 2.1. The idea that surround isn't ubiquitously supported is absurd. Even Atmos is becoming commonplace.

A 4.0 speaker setup will murder any virtual surround headphone setup (the surround sound in headphones is all fake).
 
I use an atmos 11.1.4 soundbar.

That setup does not even need a soundcard.

The hdmi sounddrivers get installed with the gpu.

So if you still run onboard sound...
 
Is it true modern GPUs can output audio as well through the HDMI port? If I want to have 7.1 or Atmos audio sent to my home theater, I connect the HDMI port on the GPU to the AV receiver or processor?
 
I went from 5.1 on my PC to 2.1. With the better speaker quality for the same money I think it is an improvement.

Movies are a different matter. As long as you have a high quality center speaker the money tradeoff is different.
 
honestly for me 2.0 is enough for me and I have headphones when I want more immersion
 
t1337duder said:
Everything supports 5.1. Even old N64 games support surround sound. Stereo is completely deprecated. Using Stereo simply means you lack space or budget for something better.

If you have the space, I'd go 4.0 before going 2.1. The idea that surround isn't ubiquitously supported is absurd. Even Atmos is becoming commonplace.

A 4.0 speaker setup will murder any virtual surround headphone setup (the surround sound in headphones is all fake).
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Just because sound comes out of the speakers does not mean it's in 5.1.

You can pipe a mono source through 5.1, doesnt mean its surround. Very few games and programs on PC actually support 5.1 or higher natively - software and (In cases of nice recievers) hardware upmix and virtualize surround. Its not true surround in most cases. But you do you. If you think surround virtualization counts as actually supporting 5.1, I guess that makes it easier for you to enjoy.

The *only* situation where 90% of the sources support true surround is movies/shows. Period.
 
t1337duder said:
Everything supports 5.1. Even old N64 games support surround sound. Stereo is completely deprecated. Using Stereo simply means you lack space or budget for something better.

If you have the space, I'd go 4.0 before going 2.1. The idea that surround isn't ubiquitously supported is absurd. Even Atmos is becoming commonplace.

A 4.0 speaker setup will murder any virtual surround headphone setup (the surround sound in headphones is all fake).
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You know what really gets me? Is how Apple does their surround sound on the Air Pods Pro.
When you are wearing them and watching something, the sound sounds like it is coming from the screen.
If you turn your head, the sound sounds like it is still coming from the screen. If I stand up and turn around, the sound comes from behind me where the screen is. Really freaky how that works.
And surround sound sounds so real with the Air Pods Pro.
I run a 5.2.1 Atmos setup in my room so I can directly compare them and the Air Pods Pro do an amazing job, especially with the noise cancelling removing the sound of my projectors fan, so you get fully immersed in the program you are watching..
 
I have a S350 DB Edifiers 2.1 and Katana Soundbar V2 1.1 for my PS5 both sound good. I bought a bracket in electronics art Walmart recently for my Soundbar it sounds so much better elevated. I would like to ditch one or another and save some space on my desk.
It pays to have a bigger desk 40 inches wide or more I had the
 
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I had the 5.1 Logitech setup but the wires drive me mad so I gave it to my brother. I'm really interested in what those Razer speakers sound like as ugly as they are.
 
Comixbooks said:
I had the 5.1 Logitech setup but the wires drive me mad so I gave it to my brother. I'm really interested in what those Razer speakers sound like as ugly as they are.
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look into the creative pebal pro's. for their size they sound really good. I just dislike their color choice.
 
The optimum will be what works best for you. There is no de-facto standard that works for everyone.

How do you define optimum to begin with? I think anything beyond 4.1 is less than optimal because it is investing into very diminishing returns.

My journey has taken me through almost every flavor of speaker setups. Started out with the cheapest 2.0 multimedia plastic speakers, then after a few of those I went to a small wooden cabinet but still cheap 2.1 setup. Then went to a 4.1 system. And finally "peaked" in the number of speakers at least with a 5.1 speaker system. Then went back to 2.0 studio monitors and frankly never looked back, I don't miss surround or rear speakers in the slightest. I sometimes still freak out when the audio somehow seems to come from behind despite the setup. I more recently added a subwoofer to the setup but even that I find less than optimal. 99% of the time it is unnoticeable, and when it gets utilized in earnest all the stuff in my room including doors windows and cabinets start rattling. It's less than ideal.
 
Zepher said:
You know what really gets me? Is how Apple does their surround sound on the Air Pods Pro.
When you are wearing them and watching something, the sound sounds like it is coming from the screen.
If you turn your head, the sound sounds like it is still coming from the screen. If I stand up and turn around, the sound comes from behind me where the screen is. Really freaky how that works.
And surround sound sounds so real with the Air Pods Pro.
I run a 5.2.1 Atmos setup in my room so I can directly compare them and the Air Pods Pro do an amazing job, especially with the noise cancelling removing the sound of my projectors fan, so you get fully immersed in the program you are watching..
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when I first heard the Doby Atmos in my Google bud pros with head tracking it was really freaky how accurately they did the separation
 
i like my 5.1, want atmos but cant justify the cost. games are getting better with surround support. i just played gotg and it even lets you adjust speaker positions for better surround.
also, if what im doing is only stereo/2.1, then thats what i get.
 
For positional sound I think 5.1 is the minimum to do it right, 7.1 can make a noticeable improvement if the room is large enough, and Atmos isn't something I've messed with since few games support it and it requires extra speakers; headphones are poor for positional audio but the easiest way too achieve studio grade stereo sound quality and are also ideal if you're using a mic. Even if I wasn't doing Surround sound I think I'd want a 3.0 setup(with a good center) at minimum for speakers since so many games have their audio designed with a center channel speaker in mind, it's worth noting a not so great center channel can actually make it worse by letting the dialog get drowned out though.

I can't remember the last 3D game I played that didn't fully support surround sound, some have better positional audio than others but it's always a plus and more games are starting to fully support Atmos, DTS, Dolby Digital, and other movie grade surround sound types.

For me sound quality is just as important as image quality for games.
 
pendragon1 said:
i like my 5.1, want atmos but cant justify the cost. games are getting better with surround support. i just played gotg and it even lets you adjust speaker positions for better surround.
also, if what im doing is only stereo/2.1, then thats what i get.
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The Dolby Atmos virtual surround for headphones is pretty good. I was actually surprised in how well it simulated positional audio in my stereo cans. It blows Windows Sonic and Creative's sound stage out of the water. The one-time license cost of $15 was worth it, in my opinion. If you already have a good pair of headphones with a DAC then it's a cheap way to enjoy Atmos.
 
Armenius said:
The Dolby Atmos virtual surround for headphones is pretty good. I was actually surprised in how well it simulated positional audio in my stereo cans. It blows Windows Sonic and Creative's sound stage out of the water. The one-time license cost of $15 was worth it, in my opinion. If you already have a good pair of headphones with a DAC then it's a cheap way to enjoy Atmos.
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headphone "atmos" is decent. ive got the plugin and on my old ass stereo sonys it does sound good but i want it for the home theatre too. a set of height speakers and an basic 7.2 avr will cost me at least 600 canuckistani pesos, IF i catch them on sale...
 
I've got a full-on 7.1 surround setup since my PC is connected to my television and AV receiver. It's neat and roughly 95% of games support 5-7 channel audio. More and more are starting to support Atmos height levels and positioning, too. That said, I don't know if 7.1 is any better than 5.1 in most scenarios. I lucked upon the extra speakers via Circuit City's closeout sale, otherwise I probably wouldn't have bothered.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of headphones. I just don't like wearing them. They're probably the most precise option, but prefer speakers for the sake of comfort. Ditto if you have anyone else around.
 
When you say 7.1 versus 5.1, are the two additional speakers at the top or horizontal with the others?
 
t1337duder said:
Everything supports 5.1. Even old N64 games support surround sound. Stereo is completely deprecated. Using Stereo simply means you lack space or budget for something better.

If you have the space, I'd go 4.0 before going 2.1. The idea that surround isn't ubiquitously supported is absurd. Even Atmos is becoming commonplace.

A 4.0 speaker setup will murder any virtual surround headphone setup (the surround sound in headphones is all fake).
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Surround sound is nice, but I've been playing Apex Legends for the last 5 years (come February) It doesn't support surround sound, but I get great audio that is very positional from stereo headphones and I always hear things before my squad does.

I took down my 7.1 system a few years ago and I don't miss but if you think the only reason people don't run surround is due to space or money, then you lack imagination. I doubt I could replace this 2.1 system and HPA for $7k
 
Armenius said:
7.1 is 5.1 + center-left and center-right.
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wat?
1705351337854.png

edt: ^^ this picture is just a simplified example to get the point across. see the dolby stuff below for a realistic version, geez...
https://theaterdiy.com/5-1-vs-7-1-surround-sound/
or dolby's
1705351655953.png
1705351699345.png

https://www.dolby.com/about/support/guide/speaker-setup-guides/
 
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At least with my own setup, I'm using the Dolby wide with 3 front speakers, 2 to the left and right of my couch, and the 2 rears mounted to the wall behind me.
If you can't replicate that, I don't think 7.1 is the right setup for you. At that point I'd consider something else like 5.1 or even just a soundbar.
 
sharknice said:
I think he means the last picture. I call it side left and side right.

Idk why you would set up 7.1 like in that first picture. That seems almost completely worthless.
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no one does, its just a simplified graphic
 
Armenius said:
7.1 is 5.1 + center-left and center-right.
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I thought so as well, but on doing research, 5.1 documentation from Dolby and the like refers to the back left and right as "Surround left" "surround right". and 7.1 adds in "Rear surround left" and "Rear surround left"
According to that, when you add 7.1, the 5.1 "Surround Left" and "Surround right" are moved forward into more of a direct left and right, while the rear surround are added to the back.
 
Ebernanut said:
Height speakers are usually referenced as a third number behind the sub, so a 5.1 setup with 2 height speakers added would be a 5.1.2 setup.
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FighterAce124 said:
I thought so as well, but on doing research, 5.1 documentation from Dolby and the like refers to the back left and right as "Surround left" "surround right". and 7.1 adds in "Rear surround left" and "Rear surround left"
According to that, when you add 7.1, the 5.1 "Surround Left" and "Surround right" are moved forward into more of a direct left and right, while the rear surround are added to the back.
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yup and yup. the dolby link i posted above breaks it all down.
 
pendragon1 said:
wat?
View attachment 627410
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That seems strange - this is roughly how I setup 7.1 in my 10'x10' office:
1705355586179.png


Part of the reason I stopped was just the insane amount of cabling that was taking over the room.

4 monitors, 3 of which were connected to work PC and home PC (11 cables) plus 4 pairs of RCA from the sound card to the AVR and then 8 wires running to the speakers. Not to mention everything else in the room.

If I bought a house, I'd consider a built in surround system if I felt like it was still relevant to gaming.
 
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