Few last questions before i by my sound card and headset.

dmxdex2020

dmxdex2020

dmxdex2020

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This is the sound card i will by on the condition it works with my headset.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-006-AS

The sound card states it does DTS but the headset i am buying is a 5.1 dolby digital and dolby pro logic headset.

This is the headset it is from tritton http://www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIGA611.htm

I have review it a lot and the headset sounds amazing. Does the Asus Xonar do dolby digital that is one of my questions? And can i get 5.1 through optical? is optical better than analogue?
 
Firstly - no the Xonar DS is DTS only, unless you are using a pre-encoded DVD.

Secondly Dolby Headphone (using stereo headphones) is better than 5.1 multiple driver headphones. Yes - that tritton set does Dolby Digital but it is NOT a dolby headphone set. It's a 5.1 decoder sending a signal to a multiple driver headset. Multiple driver headsets with the drivers in the ears are fundamentally flawed and are incapable of producing natural sounding surround sound.

I would advise you to get a Xonar DX or D1 (which do Dolby Headphone - the DS doesn't) with stereo headphones (like the Goldring DR series) instead. You will get a better 5.1 effect than the Trittons.

Edit: I would like to recommend a headset with a mic that's decent but haven't personally heard one that's any good for the price you pay yet.
 
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uriel my friend has a tritton and he said they are fantastic for surround sound and are very clear and he can hear everything all around him.

I dont want a pair of stero headpones i want dolby digital headphones.
 
dmxdex2020 said:
uriel my friend has a tritton and he said they are fantastic for surround sound and are very clear and he can hear everything all around him.
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So you have 2 opinions. Neither are wrong.

It's your money.

Here's another opinion though... I'd listen to Uriel as he's probably (I'm not saying he has) used a lot more headsets and headphones that your mate.
 
Im goin by opinions and reviews that claim the trittons to be top notch for surround sound gaming, like i said dont want to be stuck with stereo headpones i want to be able to hear everything around me .
 
I used to have 5.1 headphones - the Speedlink Medusas. I thought they were great at the time. Having used Dolby Headphone with stereo headphones more recently, I can say it completely blows 5.1 (multiple driver headphones) out of the water.

The problem is that the very idea of surround headsets with several drivers in each ear is fundamentally flawed. In real life you hear all sounds with both ears. With surround sound speakers you hear all speakers with both ears. With a 5.1 headset you only hear the l, r and rear channels in one ear. No soundcard currently compensates for this. (Edit: Dolby Headphone and CMSS-3D headphone are designed to compensate for it with stereo headphones. You can hear the difference between front and rear on them).

Sure - they can work. I could tell the difference between front and back on my Medusas. Compared to Dolby Headphone it's nothing though and you would be wasting your money getting the trittons. I would put money on a Xonar D1 with £10 Goldring DR50s giving more realistic presentation (although there might not be so much bass :))

The X-Fi series has CMSS-3D headphone. I don't like it as much as Dolby Headphone but it is HRTF based so is more unique to the individual. I found it works better with headphones with angled drivers.

Further Edit: You might like the overlly exaggerated l-r presentation that 5.1 headphone offer. I will say that I'd rather use the trittons than plain onboard sound with stereo headphones for gaming. With a Xonar (not DS), and to some extent an X-Fi (not USB or Xreme Audio) there's absolutely no need for them. They're old, obsolete tech and there are better ways of doing surround sound over headphones.
 
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fubsy no need to make out im thick mate im going by opinions and reviews mate, clearly im not a sound expert if i was i would not be on these forums asking for help .Uriel i though the X fi does dolby digital aswell? the website says they do? If not recommend me a sound card and a good headset with good sound all round.
 
dmxdex2020 said:
fubsy no need to make out im thick mate im going by opinions and reviews mate. Uriel i though the X fi does dolby digital aswell? the website says they do? If not recommend me a sound card and a good headset with good sound all round.
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Dolby Digital and Dolby Headphone are not the same thing. Dolby Digital is a way of encoding sound so you can send 5.1 over optical. Dolby Headphone is a way of presenting sound so it sounds like it's coming from up to 5.1 speakers over standard stereo headphones (although it will also do stereo but make the sound seem like it's coming from in front of you).

The X-Fi Titanium has Dolby Digital but not Dolby Headphone. You could try CMSS-3D headphone (similar in some ways to Dolby Headphone) on it. Alternatively you could use it to send a Dolby Digital or DTS signal to a separate receiver for Dolby Headphone (which is approximately the setup I'm using).

As stated, I've yet to hear a headset with a mic that I'd be happy to buy at the price. Not heard that many newer PC headsets though. Would you mind a clip-on or desktop microphone?

Soundcard wise - the Xonar D1 and DX have Dolby Headphone and are just as good as the Xonar DS you linked to for gaming. X-Fi cards have some additional gaming effects not available on Xonar though so it's worth bearing that in mind.
 
So hard to get all of this lol very confusing, i though the xonars do eax like soundblasters but dont do eax 2.0 well? which is better dolby headphone or CMSS-3D? i dont have speakers or anything mate just want a headset for sound now, i would rather have a mic on the headset aswell.
 
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Uriel i read up alittle and am i right in saying that CMSS-3D is a way of making stereo into surround sound were as dolby headphones is true dolby surround? I have decided to up my budget for a sound card meaning i wont be getting my headset for a while after. I can pick up a SB xfi titanium for 70 quid the asus xonar d2x will cost me more than that from ocuk. just not sure if i should get dolby headphones or CMSS-3D
I also though headphones were CMSS-3D but read its a method in the soundblaster drivers.
 
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Just like Dolby there's more than one type of CMSS-3D. It's essentially Creative's conpeting technology. You can buy standalone headphones with either Dolby Headphone or CMSS-3D headphone built in but there's no point in getting them if you have an X-Fi or Xonar.

One type of CMSS-3D is a bit like Dolby Prologic II. It essentially upmixes stereo sound to 5.1 or 5.1 to 7.1. I'm not generally keen on upmixing stereo material, as it messes with the intended imaging.

CMSS-3D headphone is like Dolby Headphone but works a little differently. To my ears Dolby Headphone sounds better but it does depend on which headphones you'll be using with them.

As for soundcards, if you don't need to send DTS to a digital receiver, there is very little point in getting a Xonar D2X over a DX. FWIR The two sound very similar.

When the Xonar series were first released they only did EAX 2.0. Asus added emulated support for up to EAX 5 in drivers later. It works a fair bit of the time but there are still a few games where you'll be stuck with EAX 2.
 
Ahh right, uriel you have put a lot of this into perspective for me and i thank you for that mate, ive learnt a lot from the various sounds and methods. One last question mate. Do i need to buy a dolby headset do they exist in fact? or do i buy a standard pair of stereo headphones which do the dolby headphone method?
 
dmxdex2020 said:
fubsy no need to make out im thick mate im going by opinions and reviews mate.
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And how do you know these reviews and opinions have compared the headset to anything else more suitable in the price range ? Anyone can have an opinion, and a mate saying they rock and having heard nothing else (especially a decent stereo headphone session) really isn't being helpful.

clearly im not a sound expert if i was i would not be on these forums asking for help
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Uriel has explained it well. I'm no expert on sound cards and have a pure stereo soundcard myself, but as always a decent pair of stereo headphones will be better for gaming, and will also be fantastic with music and movies too.
Enjoy :)
 
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