How does Virtual Surround Sound Work???

[liamkoni]

Hi guys,

So I have been using my Sennheiser Game One headset for a fair few years now, and it is starting to fall apart, so it is time for an upgrade. I mostly use my PC for gaming and watching movies, and I'm pretty keen on getting a decent upgrade as well as a replacement. I also particularly want virtual 7.1 surround sound. I have done a bit of research and am tossing up the idea of getting a DAC. One thing I am particularly unsure about is how virtual surround sound works. If the headset has virtual 7.1 surround sound, will it benefit from a DAC which also does? Also, if a DAC provides surround sound, is it necessary for the headphones to support it, or is it effectively that same outcome. If so, which would hypothetically be better. 

 

For example, I am considering the SoundblasterX G6 DAC and the HyperX Cloud Revolver. However, I don't know whether the headphones are good enough to benefit from the DAC, and similarly, the cloud revolver does not feature surround sound, but would the DAC provide that to them anyway, or would I need the Cloud Revolver S, and to connect them to the DAC, to achieve the surround sound. 

Also, in the case that the headphones don't benefit from the DAC, would it then just be better to buy just a more feature rich headsset?

 

Cheers,

Liam

[The Flying Sloth]

Just went and copied this from some of my previous answers,

"We tend to not recommend 'true' 7.1 headsets here because in real life humans only hear in stereo, two ears creating a binaural 3D image using the minuscule delay between ears (due to the speed of sound) and spectral pinnae cues to localise the audio. The much smaller, multiple, drivers in true surround headphones are each less accurate than the two single drivers in stereo headphones while driving up cost for no benefit in applications with binaural stereo (and given Windows sonic can turn any 7.1 source into binaural audio, many applications don't even need that)."

In short 'virtual surround' is actually more true to life (at least as far as headphones go) than 'true' surround sound. You can use audiophile headphones to hear virtual surround sound.

[liamkoni]

6 hours ago, The Flying Sloth said:

Just went and copied this from some of my previous answers,

"We tend to not recommend 'true' 7.1 headsets here because in real life humans only hear in stereo, two ears creating a binaural 3D image using the minuscule delay between ears (due to the speed of sound) and spectral pinnae cues to localise the audio. The much smaller, multiple, drivers in true surround headphones are each less accurate than the two single drivers in stereo headphones while driving up cost for no benefit in applications with binaural stereo (and given Windows sonic can turn any 7.1 source into binaural audio, many applications don't even need that)."

In short 'virtual surround' is actually more true to life (at least as far as headphones go) than 'true' surround sound. You can use audiophile headphones to hear virtual surround sound.

Thanks for the info but I wasn't actually inquiring about true surround soun. Rather how to achieve virtual surround sound, and whether a DAC which claims to produce a 7.1 virtual surround sound signal would be able to provide surround sound with only stereo headphones, or if they both need that as an inbuilt feature.

[Tigerleon]

9 hours ago, liamkoni said:

Hi guys,

So I have been using my Sennheiser Game One headset for a fair few years now, and it is starting to fall apart, so it is time for an upgrade. I mostly use my PC for gaming and watching movies, and I'm pretty keen on getting a decent upgrade as well as a replacement. I also particularly want virtual 7.1 surround sound. I have done a bit of research and am tossing up the idea of getting a DAC. One thing I am particularly unsure about is how virtual surround sound works. If the headset has virtual 7.1 surround sound, will it benefit from a DAC which also does? Also, if a DAC provides surround sound, is it necessary for the headphones to support it, or is it effectively that same outcome. If so, which would hypothetically be better. 

 

For example, I am considering the SoundblasterX G6 DAC and the HyperX Cloud Revolver. However, I don't know whether the headphones are good enough to benefit from the DAC, and similarly, the cloud revolver does not feature surround sound, but would the DAC provide that to them anyway, or would I need the Cloud Revolver S, and to connect them to the DAC, to achieve the surround sound. 

Also, in the case that the headphones don't benefit from the DAC, would it then just be better to buy just a more feature rich headsset?

 

Cheers,

Liam

The G6 is great. Would not pair it with low quality headsets tho. You should look into maybe the DT 990 pro 250ohm with a modmic 4 uni.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the G6 can achieve virtual surround for any headphone since it is done via software and processing in the DAC (In the G6). Now you shouldn't imho use gaming headsets with an amp/DAC worth that much. Get a good pair of studio headphones with the G6 and you are golden. As I said, for example the DT 990 pros with a modmic 4 uni or something else if you don't want open back.

[The Flying Sloth]

8 hours ago, liamkoni said:

Thanks for the info but I wasn't actually inquiring about true surround soun. Rather how to achieve virtual surround sound, and whether a DAC which claims to produce a 7.1 virtual surround sound signal would be able to provide surround sound with only stereo headphones, or if they both need that as an inbuilt feature.

Virtual surround is inbuilt to windows and the headphones you choose really don't change anything with regard to the software surround. every manufacturer has their own algorithm so YMMV but they all do generally the same thing.