7.1 surround sound or open back?

[TheTwistedFoo]

I currently got a Sennheiser HD 6XX with a dac/amp with it. I've heard great things about the Steelseries Arctis Pro headset and how it's just the best for gaming. Just how good is the surround sound compared to that of an open back for hearing footsteps?

[rice guru]

It's ok. if you wanna try it yourself just download Dolby surround for headphones or the razer 7.1 suround software, I forgot what that one is called. But it still depends on the open back's imaging  and sound stage. I find the 6xx to have a very narrow soundstage but has decent imaging compared to other open back's I've owned.

[191x7]

The Arctis Pro is trash compared to a decent Sennheiser paired with a good amp/DAC.

The Massdrop 6XX is a new 650, and those are good for gaming and music.

 

If you'd like to try surround, I'd recommend the free Razer Surround software or the Dolby Atmos trial from Windows.

[Tz000]

4 hours ago, TheTwistedFoo said:

I currently got a Sennheiser HD 6XX with a dac/amp with it. I've heard great things about the Steelseries Arctis Pro headset and how it's just the best for gaming. Just how good is the surround sound compared to that of an open back for hearing footsteps?

You wont be happy with the sound quality of a gaming branded headset coming from the 6XX.  The 6XX is not a gaming headphone by any stretch but sounds way better that almost any of them especially with an amp/dac I own a pair of those and a few others.   you want something with a wide sound stage to help with positional accuracy.

 

The ones I use the most for footsteps in CSGO etc are the HD558's and ATH-M40x w/ Brainwaves hm5 angled pads depending on my surrounding noise levels (open back or closed back) Both of these headphones are fantastic for just about anything but I honestly dont like how the 558's sound now compared to the M40x or the 6XX explosions and gun shots hurt your ears and sound anemic where as the m40x are much more exciting more bass but without sacrificing the competitive nature of CSGO etc.  heres a list of gaming headphones with some added properties and prices.

 

Take what this guy says with a pinch of salt he knows enough but can sometimes have some odd opinions in his review videos.

 

 

 

[an actual squirrel]

Some people make the argument that an open back headphone can substitute for a virtual surround sound dsp. This is a common misconception, as they aren't really comparable technologies. It's like if someone asked how the oculus rift compared to a really nice TV. A vr headset isn't trying to emulate a high end display; it is its own thing.

 

The way the surround sound headsets work is that they have a dsp that converts surround sound output from the game into 2 channel audio with HRTFs. The use of HRTFs means it can have more directional information than regular stereo would allow. So you are addressing a limitation of stereo audio mixes themselves. So even if you had high end headphones, you should still seek out this type of processing. Razer surround, dolby access, and in game hrtf toggles (for the games that offer them) are ways to do this.

[Tz000]

46 minutes ago, an actual squirrel said:

Some people make the argument that an open back headphone can substitute for a virtual surround sound dsp. This is a common misconception, as they aren't really comparable technologies. It's like if someone asked how the oculus rift compared to a really nice TV. A vr headset isn't trying to emulate a high end display; it is its own thing.

 

The way the surround sound headsets work is that they have a dsp that converts surround sound output from the game into 2 channel audio with HRTFs. The use of HRTFs means it can have more directional information than regular stereo would allow. So you are addressing a limitation of stereo audio mixes themselves. So even if you had high end headphones, you should still seek out this type of processing. Razer surround, dolby access, and in game hrtf toggles (for the games that offer them) are ways to do this.

Tried Dolby Access the other day with my M40x + upgraded pads and I was very surprised especially for the triple A titles / demos and movies very interesting technology.   I was usually against simulated surround sound for certain games (I tried it with CSGO and it was horrible but that could be just because im very used to that game) but for general viewing and casual gaming its is much more immersive.