Bad sound in PSX/PS2 games?

[whoisKeel]

I've got all my game machines and dvd player hooked up to my reciever (pioneer vsx-d812) and a standard 5.1 setup. Everything sounds great except a few playstation and playstation2 games. I can't figure it out, i dunno if it is a setting or what. it worsens as the volume increases. i was hoping that when i got my ps2 digital optical cable hooked up it would fix the problem but it didn't.

it's like the sounds are very poor quality or something, and it just sounds like crap, i've mainly noticed this on games with lots of explosions: metal slug x, castle shikigami, gradius V. i was really disappointed in gradius V having bad sound on my setup :( ikaruga for gc and shooters for the DC sound great on the other hand, and they have just as many explosions. i have no problems with older systems either.

anybody else have this problem or any advice (i've played with all the modes pro logic II, game, cinema, neo6, etc.)

[izret101]

Maybe it is the game or systems or wires themselves.
Is it all PS and PS2 games that are like that or just the few mentioned examples?

I really have no solutions just more questions sorry.

[whoisKeel]

oh no, it is just a few psx/ps2 games on both my psone (not the smaller one) and my ps2. other games sound just delightful. i should also mention that the music in those games sounds very good, it just the sound effects that sound bad. and i really only notice it on shmups, or other games with multiple explosions.

i was really thinking it was just poor sampling or compression of the sound effects themselves...but it does it on gradius V as well, and i've heard no complaints from anybody else, but that's all i can think of.

it's kinda hard to describe, but it sounds like all the sound effects are competing against one another, and it gives it a sort of train wreck feel. it isn't that noticeable on lower volumes, but i like to play my games loud :)

[Mr.FoodMonster]

Game examples? Maybe its just that the game sounds bad in general?

[crazyjackcsa]

perhaps those games you have accidentally set to Mono? Just a guess.

[Ed Oscuro]

Bad sound? I'm gonna guess you don't mean simple static here, but then maybe you do. Wires from the PlayStation and PS2, checked 'em?

[whoisKeel]

simple static? as in crackling? they are secure and there's no crackling, plus i have my ps2 hooked up digitally.

game examples:
metal slug x, castle shikigami 2, gradius V, g darius, rayforce, silpheed. i think those are the only games that do it. i think i'm gonna try and install epsx and see if i notice it on my pc.

[SirDrexl]

It doesn't sound like there's anything wrong to me. You say most games sound fine, and the music in the problem games sounds fine too. If it was a problem with your connections everything would sound bad.

One thing I would do is hook up your audio with analog cables and compare that to the digital connection just to see if there are any issues with the digital output. I know at least one game (Fantavision) doesn't work with digital out at all, so maybe these games have some issue with it for some reason. It's worth a shot anyway.

It could be that the explosions in those games have low sampling rates or just low quality sound in general. Or maybe there's just something about having multiple explosions playing at once that sounds bad.

[davidleeroth]

I've played Metal Slug X, Gradius V, G. Darius and Silpheed hookep up to my stereo via line in and I don't remember hearing any crap sounds. Then again I have a copy of Donpachi for Saturn which sounds absolutely crap but that might be because of poor sampling.

I remember Ikaruga having very bassy and "soft" sound, maybe it's just a case of fiery, raw sounds in these other games? :D