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

For Dolby Headphone there are a few potential routes.
  • Pre-mastered - unfortunately there's not a lot of material around. The Pearl Harbour DVD has a native Dolby Headphone soundtrack. Shame about the film ;)
  • Soundcard - Asus Xonar (Except DS). This will encode Dolby Headphone to a stereo signal for use with any headphones. Other Dolby Headphone souncards are available but none do EAX over 2.
  • Receiver - Various receivers and endoders are available. These use stereo headphones. If you wanted to use an X-Fi with Dolby Headphone this would be the way to go. IMO this is the best affordable solution for gaming over headphones but not necessarily worth it over just getting a Xonar though.
  • Headphones including receiver / encoder - These are all stereo but generally marketed as 5.1 or sometimes 7.1. The main issue with these is quality - you usually pay extra over the equivalent buying seperate headphones. The advantage is that the headphones should be matched for Dolby Headphone use. You usually need to feed them a Dolby or DTS signal over optical
  • USB Dolby Headphone (and other 5.1 / 7.1 virtualisation) headsets. Big disadadvantage for gaming as they disable your soundcard - so no EAX over 2 (if that) for you.

Headphones wise you want something with good quality but not too fancy. Just two good quality drivers pointing at your ears really. Dolby Headphone fakes a lot of the soundstage enhancements available on headphones (like internal reflectors, angled drivers etc. You don't need a large or frontal headstage (soundstage, as heard on headphones) to use Dolby Headphone.

At the end of the day, DH is very handy for gaming because most games don't have a decent headphone mode - they just pipe the sound for stereo speakers into your ears with no real soundstage info. Some headphones that theoretically aren't ideal won't be a disaster. I've heard plenty of people with HD555s and ATH AD700s praise Dolby Headphone even though they might not be the ideal match. In my experience these can sound a bit artificial though. Something like the Goldring DR150s or NS1000s is pretty much ideal. Source games like CSS are the main exception but I'd still prefer DH over their implementation

Just a word on mics, you're better with a boom mic close to your mouth if you'll be using it at LANs. For home use, a desktop or clip on mic will be fine.
 
Ok that was a lot to take in, so basically i need a pair of good stereo headphones and set them up in the asus xonar dx drivers to use dolby? i am not using speakers or anything now just a headset mate so no recievers or anything like that. Asus xonar DX is the card im getting im going down the dolby route. Just need to decide on a headset still abit confused my simple question is do i need a certified pair of dolby headphones to take advantage of dolby headphones or do i buy a normal pair of stereo headphones and set it up in the drivers to be dolby headphones? sorry about the lots of question i just want to get it right mate plus im learning.
 
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Xonar DX or Xfi xtreme music
Sennheisser HD555 / HD595 or Goldring DR100 / DR150

Uriel knows his stuff
 
Why does people seem to think i know what im talking about i know he knows his stuff that is why im asking questions, some of my questions have not been anwsered properly. Sound card im getting is XONAR DX im stated this, im now looking for a good headset. Im asking if there is such a thing as dolby headsets or is this a method in the XONAR drivers that is to used when using stereo headphones? If i get the goldrings you have mentioned that will allow me to use dolby headphone technology through them?
 
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DH is for use with normal stereo headphones

The ones I suggested (Uriel may have too) will work perfectly with them

This question gets asked a lot, each week there's a thread about it :)
 
Thanks for that mate im that much clearer now haha, its a lot to take in for sound noobs, we all gotta learn somewere, just a shame i didnt use google because im at the dolby screen explaning it all now tut tut. On the asus website it says thats the asus xonar DX is pro logic 2 and with a pair of headphones i can get 7.1 is this true? if so it would be bloody marveless.
 
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I've never used them, but many on here swear by them

The only decent set I've used are HD595 (that's what I have)
 
I'd go with the DR150s over the Senn HD595 - for Dolby Headphone. Would switch the recommendations round if you were getting an X-Fi. They're both good headphones but differences in soundstage make them better suited to different soundcards.

DR150s are more suited to Dolby Headphone - mainly because they don't have angled drivers. They sound more similar to higher end Senns like the HD600 than the HD595s do. I reckon the HD595s have the edge for build quality and perhaps comfort though. Also, plenty of people do say they like the HD595s with Dolby Headphone. If going with Sennheisers, I would generally take the HD555 over the HD595. I don't think the higher price of the HD595 is justified.
 
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