Headphones versus 5.1 Theatre setup

aoaaron · 14 Oct 2018 at 22:46

Can headphones better or match 5.1 theatre? Say with a big monolith subwoofer?

I'm thinking of moving my rig upstairs at some point for a more desktop type experience (currently connected to TV).

Stopping me doing this is just how amazing the sound is.

Marsman · 15 Oct 2018 at 00:15

Is this for when watching movies, gaming or both?

Radox-0 · 15 Oct 2018 at 08:55

Both have thier Pro's and Con's. Use a 5.1 system but also have a bunch of fairly solid headphones when people are asleep or to not disturb anyone. Personal preference is for the 5.1 surround sound, hearing noise from the individual channels I find more immersive, but that is only because I can compare both side by side one after the other. In actual use a solid set of headphones also sound very good. Depending on the set of can's you get, you can get very intimate noise or one's with a wide and open soundstage.

EsaT · 15 Oct 2018 at 21:06

Obviously headphones can never give that strong bass of good subwoofer, which you as much feel as hear.

But directionality is something headphones can give for games.
With good headphones there's even feel of distance.
Binaural sound gives that.
When unable to do dummy head recording that's achieved by HRTF algorithms.
Which simulate how head causes direction dependant changes in signal received by both ears from sound source.

Usual algorithms just use average head shape, so if your head shape is farther from average, immersion suffers.
Creative has now Super X-Fi named tech, which customizes HRTF algorithm for shape of head adn ears.
So far there's only one USB dongle product, but unless Creative's management is stupid would expect also soudn cards with it.

Coolasmoo · 15 Oct 2018 at 22:25

Or get best of both worlds and look at the Asus Centurian headset.

Yaayuh! · 16 Oct 2018 at 09:06

5.1 all day long IMO especially if you can pick up a decent receiver for it and speakers (would strongly suggest Wharfedale 9.1 and SW150 package from SuperFi, fantastic bargain and very much underpriced even today). You're set for movies regardless.

However multi-channel/positional audio is only worth it for games if it's been created well from the start and I stand by my opinion that most "made up" positional audio for stereo use through various algos sounds utter crap.

ToTheMax · 16 Oct 2018 at 17:04

I've got a 5.1 cinema setup but I've also got an optical feed DD 5.1 to a Creative G6 headphone amp, and running positional sound through AKG712 headphones is amazing. In fact most of the time I now prefer listening on headphones to the speakers it's that good.

EsaT · 17 Oct 2018 at 10:21

Coolasmoo said:
Or get best of both worlds and look at the Asus Centurian headset.

More properly whole shipload of marketing excrement.
We hear in 3D because shape of head causes direction dependant changes to signal received by both ears from sound source.
Brain simply processes position of sound source from those interaural signal differences.

Cramming garbage truckload of even cheaper and worser trinket drivers into headphones can never create those binaural cues.
Claiming anything else is same as claiming Earth is flat!
Mathematical modeling of binaural cues and good, preferably accurate and analytical (not some "warm" audiophile hype) stereo headphones is lot better.

Marsman · 17 Oct 2018 at 11:02

EsaT said:
Cramming garbage truckload of even cheaper and worser trinket drivers into headphones can never create those binaural cues.
Claiming anything else is same as claiming Earth is flat!
Mathematical modeling of binaural cues and good, preferably accurate and analytical (not some "warm" audiophile hype) stereo headphones is lot better.

Coz it's true 7.1 init!

If the company says it's true 7.1, then it must be. Not like that virtual nonsense which is just stereo, not true 7.1.

Seriously; I thought they'd stopped making those things.

I think you'll always get people that believe the marketing and cannot see past how stereo + binaural cues is anything more than just stereo. Headphones crammed with multiple drivers, no matter the quality, will always be seen as better purely because there are individual drivers just as 5.1/7.1 has individual speakers.

Some guy on the jungle site knows how poor the Asus ROG (Republic of Gimmick) Centurion is; going back to using HD598 headphones with a GSX1000.

Yaayuh! · 17 Oct 2018 at 12:06

EsaT said:
More properly whole shipload of marketing excrement.
We hear in 3D because shape of head causes direction dependant changes to signal received by both ears from sound source.
Brain simply processes position of sound source from those interaural signal differences.

Cramming garbage truckload of even cheaper and worser trinket drivers into headphones can never create those binaural cues.
Claiming anything else is same as claiming Earth is flat!
Mathematical modeling of binaural cues and good, preferably accurate and analytical (not some "warm" audiophile hype) stereo headphones is lot better.

Can confirm this is correct from first hand experience as I was intrigued a while back. They're trash.

V F · 17 Oct 2018 at 13:52

EsaT said:
Obviously headphones can never give that strong bass of good subwoofer, which you as much feel as hear.

But directionality is something headphones can give for games.
With good headphones there's even feel of distance.
Binaural sound gives that.
When unable to do dummy head recording that's achieved by HRTF algorithms.
Which simulate how head causes direction dependant changes in signal received by both ears from sound source.

Usual algorithms just use average head shape, so if your head shape is farther from average, immersion suffers.
Creative has now Super X-Fi named tech, which customizes HRTF algorithm for shape of head adn ears.
So far there's only one USB dongle product, but unless Creative's management is stupid would expect also soudn cards with it.

True but I still find the AKG K702 gives a real good kick of sharp tight bass.