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Is 7.1 bullshit

Mike2121

Ive heard differing opinions on 7.1 surround sound in headphones. Is it bullshit marketing or no.Is stereo better for fps and hearing footsteps?

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Any type of surround is basically BS in headphones as the drivers play sound right into your ears, so you can only really determine left and right by the delay. The way your ears pick up whether a sound is above, below, in front or behind you doesn't work properly with headphones as it's worked out based on how sound bounces off your ears, which doesn't really happen when the sound source is right next to your ears, even if it's "physical" surround with multiple smaller drivers. That's why it can be difficult to determine whether something is behind, in front, above or below you in a game. Probably the easiest way to demonstrate this is trying to work out exactly where a helicopter is in a game, you'll often get it wrong. 

 

 

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its really hit or miss, if you just use it for gaming its not that bad and generally something like a cloud 2 will have everything you want right out of the box and i never had any audio issues with it considering how comfortable and durable it is

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Screw it dude, by hyper x cloud II's, which have a big button in the middle that toggles it on and off, try it for yourself in different games. Yes it's not true surround, but it is different than stereo, and I prefer it in games that give sound clues.

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I can't even tell the difference with the Cloud 2s.

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3 hours ago, TurbulentWinds said:

I can't even tell the difference with the Cloud 2s.

between 7.1 and stereo mode?

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Just now, Mike2121 said:

between 7.1 and stereo mode?

Sounds the same if I have 7.1 on or off . . .

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should i get a good pair of stero then like the philip 9500's open backed

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3 hours ago, TurbulentWinds said:

I can't even tell the difference with the Cloud 2s.

the cloud 2's are 60 on ebay recertifyed are they good for gaming on stereo for footsteps in fps

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I have the G933 and without a doubt having surround on vs not makes a huge difference. Their binaural surround is really accurate and shots in games like PUBG and BF1 are very easy to precisely localize just by sound.

 

I've had a lot of people tell me their headphones don't do it well (I'm the only one I know with a G933) but for me it definitely works. It's important to have surround output enabled on both the headset and in the game settings for it to work but the difference between on and off is night and day, I immediately notice I can't locate shots when it gets disabled for some reason.

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7 minutes ago, Mike2121 said:

the cloud 2's are 60 on ebay recertifyed are they good for gaming on stereo for footsteps in fps

Cloud 2s are a good headset.

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3 hours ago, TurbulentWinds said:

Cloud 2s are a good headset.

good for hearing footsteps in games?

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It depends on the game. Some games do surround sound pretty well (MGSV), but others see degradation when using Dolby or other techniques. I would just test the surround on various games and see how much of a difference it makes for you. As for the 7.1, yes, it's crap marketing since there are only 2 drivers in most headphones and you rely on the delay between the left and right driver for depth. 

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Yes, it is bullshit.

 

Most 7.1 headphones only have two drivers anyway, and are no different from stereo headphones except for simulating more drivers in software (which doesn't work).

Headphones with more than 2 drivers are shitty too, because the drivers are so close to your ears it doesn't make a difference anyway. On top of that, the sound quality of the "true 7.1 headphones" are usually terrible because they need to cram in a whole bunch of tiny drivers.

 

You can get great spatial recognition from stereo headphones. It all depends on the headphones (not marketing terms) and audio source. Some games handles audio better than others.

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Im running a very good Sennheiser Headphone (Stereo) able to hear Footsteps in Siege and PUBG very well when it comes down to directions.. 5.1 & 7.1 in Headsets is only Marketing.

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2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

You can get great spatial recognition from stereo headphones. It all depends on the headphones (not marketing terms) and audio source. Some games handles audio better than others.

This. Something like binaural "surround" sound requires nothign more than stereo headphones: the key is how the sound was recorded, not the playback device.

For FPS games, where most sounds are generated as you play, the key is the ability of the game to produce sounds akin to binaural recordings in real time. People playing different games or audio sources may tell you a completely different thing about the headphones' surround capabilities, because they'd be in fact (unknowingly) discussing the quality of the source, rather than the playback device.

 

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14 hours ago, Mike2121 said:

good for hearing footsteps in games?

Good enough for government work.

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Why ask the question if you won't go with anything besides Cloud 2s because that's what you wanted in the first place.

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I have had an interest in directional sounds in FPS for some time now.

 

I use a Sennheiser PC360 headset and have been on stereo for a long time, and very happy.

 

Recently I tried Razer Surround software, and once configured havn't turned it off.

I have absolutely heard footsteps I didn't before, I play enough Squad to have a handle on how it's output sounds.

I do find surround a little overwhelming sometimes, but am putting that down to adjusting so i'll see where I end up. But I am pleasantly surprised with the software - it's certainly more immersive but that isn't always a good thing re old competitive FPS try hards like me!

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When a headset advertises 7.1 it's pretty much BS.  Any artificial 7.1 added to the sound usually ruins the sound.

Like mentioned above, it depends on the game.  A game with good sound design will still sound like surround to your ears using a good stereo headset.  They will put in different sound effects for explosions that occur behind you vs in front of you.  You only have 2 ears, your brain does all the work depending on the pitch of the sounds.

 

I tried using the 7.1 button my Cloud 2 headset and it just made everything louder that shouldn't have been loud.  When I do use them i just keep them in stereo.

 

You'll find that most modern games handle the surround soundscape just fine.  Stick with stereo. Only go 7.1 if you're going with a speaker setup.

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5 hours ago, Max_Settings said:

Why ask the question if you won't go with anything besides Cloud 2s because that's what you wanted in the first place.

well i was going with your recomendation but i found the cloud 2's for 60 bucks. What would you recomend stereo headphone wise for 60 bucks. I also just wanted to get differing viewpoints.

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The Cloud 2's are actually a pretty good budget headset.  I use them when I play online (I use my Sennheiser 598se when i'm not using my mic) and they sound good in stereo.

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9 hours ago, Mike2121 said:

well i was going with your recomendation but i found the cloud 2's for 60 bucks. What would you recomend stereo headphone wise for 60 bucks. I also just wanted to get differing viewpoints.

Cloud 2 is okay although open back headphones will do much better job cause they have larger soundstages.

For your answer.

7.1 is a marketing BS if only the headset use multiple driver in each cup for example : asus strix 7.1 or kraken 7.1 cause they never work and more expensive.

Real 7.1 surround use multiple speaker (7 speaker and 1 subwoofer)

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Now Imagine if u have 1 tweet,2woof and 1 sub very close to your ear.

Those "real" surround implementation on a headset is never work,the drivers never work in harmony and end up ruining the sounds.

The best way to achieve surround sounds is to use stereo headset/headphone that is 1 driver per earcup.

Because virtual surround work by tricking your brain.

But that is different than binaural audio as @SpaceGhostC2C already explained it above.

If the audio is recorded using binaural recording then all u need is a pair of stereo headphone/set.

But if they are recorded in stereo then u'll need something to simulate it into surround sounds.

The problem with virtual surround is that they are trying to do their best but its never enough to satify most people "me included"

and as explained above its also depends on the game u play,some games handle audio better than other.

But i think virtual surround has it's own place for example i dont mind losing some details as long as i can pinpoint enemies footstep in games like CS GO because that is what actually matters in cs go or any competitive FPS.

 

For ur recommendation get the corsair HS50 its semi open headset and then use razer surround.

Or just get the cloud 2 since its 60bucks,they have a large soundstages for a closed back.

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