Retro Gamer ALERT!!! - A Revolution in retro game sound!

[Anthony1]

Ok, this message is for all retro gamers. I have discovered a revolutionary technology that dramatically improves the sound of retro video games. Basically it revolutionizes the sound of all games that are in stereo. You know, the red and white plug? Normally video game systems will have a audio/video cable that has a red and white cable, along with the yellow cable for video. Or a S-Video cable for video. Well, for video game systems that are in stereo, with a red and white cable, you can dramatically improve that sound.

I'm talking totally freaking amazing! I heard people brag about it, but until I actually heard it myself, I couldn't freaking believe it. Absolutely amazing.

The technology is called Dolby Pro Logic IIx .


I'm not talking about Dolby Pro Logic II. I'm talking about IIx. This is a totally new processing technology that Dolby Laboratories has just come out with in the last year or so.

First Dolby had Dolby Surround sound. You might remember the first Jurassic Park for the Super Nintendo. This is one of the first games that I can remember that had Dolby Surround sound. Well, if you had a stereo reciever that featured Dolby Surround sound, then it was quite a treat when you first played Jurassic Park on the SNES. It was definitely a very huge improvement in video game sound. Then you had Dolby Pro-Logic. This was another big innovation that helped improve the sound of video games. Then with the Playstation 2, you had some games actually in DTS 5.1. With the XBOX, you got real time 5.1 decoding of Dolby Digital 5.1 With the Nintendo GameCube you got the first games encoded in Dolby Pro Logic II sound. This was pretty revolutionary in itself, because even without true 5.1 sound or a digital cable, you could get near 5.1 type sound from a regular red and white audio cable of the GameCube, as long as you had it hooked up to a stereo reciever that could decode the Pro Logic II information in that signal.

But as amazing as the GameCube's Pro Logic II is for non digital sound, Pro Logic IIx blows it out of the freaking water.

I'm talking a totally incredible thing here. You see, the GameCube games that are in Pro Logic II, have you to be programmed specially for the Pro Logic II sound. But Pro Logic IIx works on anything with a stereo signal.

Anything that has a red and white cable can benefit from the technology behind Pro Logic IIx. What is even better, is that if you actually have a 6.1 or 7.1 speaker setup, Pro Logic IIx will even convert the stereo sound to 6.1 or 7.1.!

It's totally freaking amazing. I could talk to you all day about the technology behind it, but the real proof is in the pudding. I'm telling you, if you have a Sega Saturn and Panzer Dragoon, then you have never heard the true potential of the sound of Panzer Dragoon, till you've heard it hooked up to a reciever with Dolby Pro Logic IIx. It basically transforms the regular sound of Panzer Dragoon into freaking Dolby Digital 5.1! I mean it really sounds that good. Just think about the best sound of any XBOX game in 5.1 . You know how good some of those XBOX games sound in 5.1, right? Well, just imagine a game like the original Sega Saturn's Panzer Dragoon with that sound?

UN FREAKING BELIEVABLE

I'm not playing around. I'm dead serious about this. So far, I've only really heard the Saturn with Pro Logic IIx, but I've been so freaking impressed with it, that I'm going to have to try all my two channel sound video game systems with this. I can imagine all PS1 games sounding just as amazing. As well as N64, Super Nintendo, Sega CD, Genesis, Turbografix, you name it. Any system that has a red and white cable on the audio/video output should see a dramatic improvement.

I played Vampire Savior on the Saturn and it was just as amazing. Incredible surround sound effects coming from all my back speakers. My Subwoofer just pumping away.

Amazing.


Now, you might be wondering, well what do I need to be able to experience this?

Well, the thing is, that you need a reciever that has the capabilities of Dolby Pro Logic IIx. Unfortunately this is a very new feature to Home Theater Recievers. It's only been around for about a year or so. So unless you have a brand new reciever, you would probably need to buy a new one. Also, even among very new recievers, very few of them actually have this. Soon, all new recievers will have it, but right now, it's hit and miss. But if you have a reciever that features Pro Logic IIx, then you are in luck. The next thing is you need at least a 5.1 speaker setup. 5 Speakers and 1 subwoofer. It's even better if you have a 6.1 setup or a 7.1 setup, in terms of speakers.

The reciever that I'm using is the Onkyo TX-SR502B. I got it from Circuit City for $221.99. It's a 6.1 reciever that can do all of the latest stuff. It can do Dolby Digital EX, it can do DTS ES, it can do all that crap. But most importantly, it can do Dolby Pro Logic IIx. I have a 6.1 speaker system hooked up to my Onkyo 502. I have my Saturn hooked up to it right now at the moment.

The sound that I get, while it is in Pro Logic IIx mode is just fantastic. It's more pronounced on some games than others. But it sounds good with all the games that I've tried so far. But Panzer Dragoon is just amazing. When I first heard it, I thought that Panzer had been redone in DTS ES 6.1 sound. I mean it really sounded like a DVD movie sounds.


Oh, by the way, on my Onkyo, it has several modes for Pro Logic IIx. One mode is Pro Logic IIx Movie, another is Pro Logic IIx Music, another is Pro Logic IIx Game.

Well, on my Onkyo, for some reason Pro Logic IIx Music sounds the best by far for the Saturn games that I have played.

Also, if you are a big fan of watching music videos on MTV, BET, VH1 and stuff like that, well Pro Logic IIx transforms that into an incredible experience as well. It's like listening to a SACD (Super Audio CD) or a DVD-Audio disk or something like that.

I was just watching MTV TRL a few minutes ago, and the sound was totally amazing.

I have read in various Home Theater message boards about people raving about Pro Logic IIx, and what it does for the sound of old movies and regular TV and stuff like that, and I actually got it for that, but I discovered that it's even more amazing with older video game systems.

You guys have gotta try this!!!!

[max 330 mega]

....... i dont even use a sound system on my tv because i dont care what the game sounds like..... lol
ive never really been one who thought sound increased gameplay, half the time i play games i turn the volume off and listen to music
i guess this is big news for some people, but its not really of any importance to me.

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, hometheaterhifi.com is essentially in agreement with your findings:

...a 7.1 system equipped with Dolby Pro Logic IIx as a base takes the guesswork out of what surround decode scheme you should use: Your only choices are "Music" or "Movie", and that is easy to make. Pro Logic IIx will deliver seven main channels for you, regardless of source, without any concern for whether it will sound "right" or "natural". And it will sound right and natural. Leave it at that.

Thing is, you need speakers - lots of them - to take advantage of this. The setup takes SEVEN speakers plus an extra one if you want bass.

I would personally like a system with multidirectional bass - simulate things like shockwaves coming towards you and the like. Now THAT would be freaking cool.

For myself, my biggest problem is actually noise coming through my headphones. I don't have speakers set up as I live in a house with other people and consider it rude to blast music through huge speakers, but what do I know?

[SoulBlazer]

Damn, I just dropped $400 on my receiver less then two years ago. I'm NOT buying a new one for at least another five years, when my warrenty on this one runs out.

Oh well -- thanks for the information.

I may not have this new Pro Logic, but listening to games on a 5.1 speaker system in Pro Logic II and Dolby Surrond Sound is AMAZING. I can confirm that part. You can hear where things are on the screen just from the speakers, and experience very rich musical songs.

[JR]

For what its worth bass frequencys are multidirectional. A good home theater system you shouldnt be able to guess where the sub is placed. But with it to seem like your getting hit with something you need the sound pressure to be coming at you and with a good setup your front speakers should be able to reproduce the bass feel coming at you. Also whoever hasnt played Xbox on a 5.1 system is really missing out. Its like being in the effing game. True sounds of a monster sneaking behind you, explosions, etc. You got to hear it. Its absolutely amazing. as far as 6.1 and 7.1 it seems gimmick to me..... Damn I still need to invest in a Denon reciever to replace my older kenwood touchscreen reciever.

Prologic IIx Ill have to try it out. I dont know how well it can code an analog signal to true surround if it wasnt even recorded for that effect. How does it know to send the feed to the rear left channel or any certain speaker?

[classicb]

I want to play games at anothony1's house. he has the big screen and the sound system... my girlfriends 13" hello kitty tv is killing me

[Anthony1]

Well, hometheaterhifi.com is essentially in agreement with your findings:

...a 7.1 system equipped with Dolby Pro Logic IIx as a base takes the guesswork out of what surround decode scheme you should use: Your only choices are "Music" or "Movie", and that is easy to make. Pro Logic IIx will deliver seven main channels for you, regardless of source, without any concern for whether it will sound "right" or "natural". And it will sound right and natural. Leave it at that.

Thing is, you need speakers - lots of them - to take advantage of this. The setup takes SEVEN speakers plus an extra one if you want bass.

You don't need a 7.1 setup for Pro Logic IIx. You need a 5.1 setup. 5 speakers and a subwoofer.

If you have six speakers and a subwoofer, like I do, it's even better.

And if you have seven speakers and a subwoofer, it's even better than what I have.

But the bottom line, is that if you already have a 5.1 setup in your house, then you simply need to upgrade your reciever to hear this.

It will take regular 2 channel stereo and convert it to either 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1, depending on whether you have a 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 reciever and how many speakers you have hooked up.

[Anthony1]

Prologic IIx Ill have to try it out. I dont know how well it can code an analog signal to true surround if it wasnt even recorded for that effect. How does it know to send the feed to the rear left channel or any certain speaker?

I don't know exactly how it does it's magic, but I do now that it does indeed do magic with 2 channel sources.

It's more amazing with some things, than others. Certain Saturn games that I've tried it with are more incredible than others. When watching Direct TV, certain TV channels sound way better than others, using this. MTV is one that really stands out. ESPN sounds really good with it too. Other channels, it's not as noticeable a difference.

It works with regular music CD's as well. Normally, I always hated those DSP modes that would take 2 channel music and convert it to all the speakers in a 5.1 setup.

It usually sounds like crap. I would just use the regular 2 channel mode, for the front two speakers and the subwoofer.

But with Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music and music CD's it's a whole new experience.

The guy that made this should have been the dude to win the Nobel Prize!!!

It's some kind of complicated algorythm.

[farfel]

1 - this is a fake surround never intended by the oiriginal game maker

2- my pro logic 1 stereo already converts stereo to fake surround. I see no reason to upgrade

[JR]

We know its enhanced sound, but what I want to know is how its done, and how well it works. Like does the sounds behind you come through in the correct way as in does the sounds from the left rear come through most prominently in the left rear channel speaker?

[chadtower]

1 - this is a fake surround never intended by the oiriginal game maker

2- my pro logic 1 stereo already converts stereo to fake surround. I see no reason to upgrade

I love Anthony1's posts. I really do.

Your Pro Logic 1 receiver, like my own, is not a good example. PL1 is like comparing a 486 running win3.1 to a 3.0ghz box running XP. It's that much different. I've been tempted to pick up a new receiver for the living room for a while now. Maybe the time has come.

[Aussie2B]

I want to play games at anothony1's house. he has the big screen and the sound system... my girlfriends 13" hello kitty tv is killing me :(

But anothony1's set up isn't as CUTE. ;P

[classicb]

I want to play games at anothony1's house. he has the big screen and the sound system... my girlfriends 13" hello kitty tv is killing me

But anothony1's set up isn't as CUTE. ;P

true the kitty does look cute when the volume goes up and down

[Anthony1]

1 - this is a fake surround never intended by the oiriginal game maker

2- my pro logic 1 stereo already converts stereo to fake surround. I see no reason to upgrade

I must say, that if somebody else did this post, and if I didn't know anything about Dolby Pro Logic IIx, then I would have thought the same thind you did.

But I'm telling you, it's freaking incredible.


Anything that can make Panzer Dragoon for the Saturn sound like freaking Lord of the Rings Extended Version in DTS ES Discrete 6.1, is ok in my book.

Sure, it might be fake surround, in the technical sense, but the results are freaking amazing.

I also must say that the effects are totally blow you away type of effects, in every single game I've tried so far.

Some games, seem to take on a whole new audio experience, while others are merely enhanced and sound a little better. I just got this very recently, so I haven't had the chance to try it with lots of different games, and with other two channel sound video game systems.

I can't wait to hear a game like Assult Rigs for the PS1, with this. I'm sure it will totally blow my mind. That game had great sound in regular Dolby Surround or Pro Logic, so I'm sure when it gets the IIx treatment, it will blow me out of the freaking water.




P.S. - I must say that the value of this technology has alot to do with the existing audio setup that you already have. If you have crappy cheapo Home Theater in a Box from Walmart speakers, then this technology isn't going to impress you as much. If you have your speakers hooked up incorectly, and you don't have them all connected, etc, etc, if it's a half ass audio system, then it's probably not worth it.

But if you have some decent speakers, and they are placed in the spots that they are supossed to be, then you will be amazed if you get one of these recievers.

This isn't just for video games either. It makes regular TV sound alot better too! I was watching part of a baseball game on ESPN today with this on, and it sounded like the game was being done in 5.1 Dolby Digital. It was that good. I was also watching some music videos on MTV, and that was amazing as well.

[Anthony1]

We know its enhanced sound, but what I want to know is how its done, and how well it works. Like does the sounds behind you come through in the correct way as in does the sounds from the left rear come through most prominently in the left rear channel speaker?

You know, I'm not really sure. I think that it basically takes the left and right channel of the stereo sound, and then it runs some type of algorythm to determine exactly where to place the sounds.

I think what it does, is it takes the stereo signal, and whatever information is in that signal, and then it converts it to 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 depending on your particular setup.

For example, we know that some stereo signals have Dolby Surround sound information placed in them, like Jurassic Park and Super Turrican 2 for the SNES. Some games have Dolby Pro Logic sound information placed in them. And so on and so forth.

So it takes whatever information is in that signal, and then it does the best it possibly can with it.

Just believe me when I say that this is a huge freaking advancement in sound for 2 channel sources. I had Dolby Surround Sound for a long time, then I had Dolby Pro Logic for a long time. Then I had Dolby Digital 5.1. This sounds as close to Dolby Digital 5.1 as I could possibly imagine it could be.

I can imagine that if you are playing a game like Donkey Kong Country for the SNES in Dolby Pro Logic IIx, that the sound would be as close as can be as to what it would be like if Nintendo redid the game on the XBOX with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.

You know, like how Disney will take an older movie that wasn't actually in 5.1, but it will redo it in 5.1? Like Aladdin that just came out on DVD. That movie wasn't originally in 5.1, but they redid the sound to make it as close to a real 5.1 soundtrack as possible. They remixed it. Like how Lucasfilms did with the old Star Wars movies now on DVD. He redid them in Dolby Digital EX 5.1.

Well, this is about as close to that as you can possibly imagine.

Some of you might think that I'm some technolgical junkie that get's his panties in a bunch over every new audio/visual treat. Well that isn't the case. I'm not that easily impressed. I remember when Pro Logic II first came out, with the GameCube. I thought it was pretty cool, but it wasn't like it was Earth shattering or anything. Well, from a old video game sound standpoint, IIx is Earth Shattering.

[hydr0x]

wtf is up with you anthony???

do you REALLY need to make such a huge post just to inform us about a technology that anyone interested in HiFi should know of for about a year??

yeah, it improves sound a lot, but wouldn't it have been enough if you just wrote done that it does and give us all a link to a site with a detailled description???

[davidleeroth]

You gotta chill out hydr0x, too much SNES doesn't do good for you. Go outside, take a deep breath, listen to the birds sing and smell the roses.

This place needs sweet lovin'.

[slip81]

This is all cool info and all, and I'm sure IIx sounds great, but any stereo signal hooked into a reciever with Pro Logic II will convert to 5.1, it won't sound as good as DTS, but it still sounds very nice. I've been playing Goldeneye 64 in surround for about a year already, and I know my reviever doesn't support IIx. I even get nice punchy explosions out of my sub.

All you have to do to get any stereo connection to Pro Logic is hook it into one of the pro logic supported ports on the reciever (some recievers all the connections support it, some only the DVD, VCR and TV ports do). All my ports support it so I have the 64 and a bunch of other stereo systems, SNES, DC, hooked in for pro logic. And most 6.1 and 7.1 recievers have matrixing anyway, which takes all dolby signals (pro logic, digital, dts) and converts them to whatever the reciever supports. So don't freak out you guys who already have Logic II encoding, you don't need to upgrade just yet

Cool tidbit though Anthony. I definately didn't know about this, and if IIx really sounds as good as you claim, I will definately make sure the new 7.1 reciever I plan to buy supports it.

[farfel]

Hydrox's post was rude imho

1 - this is a fake surround never intended by the oiriginal game maker
2- my pro logic 1 stereo already converts stereo to fake surround. I see no reason to upgrade

PL1 is like comparing a 486 running win3.1 to a 3.0ghz box running XP. It's that much different. I've been tempted to pick up a new receiver for the living room for a while now. Maybe the time has come.

ProLogic2 adds a left/right separation to the rear. 1- I dobut I could heard the difference and

2- not worth the 500 dolllars - 30 hours work investment. I'll wait for my PL1 to die.

3- my PL1 converts even old stereo records to surround - good enough for now

[chadtower]

2- not worth the 500 dolllars - 30 hours work investment. I'll wait for my PL1 to die.

3- my PL1 converts even old stereo records to surround - good enough for now

30 hours of work? Are you talking about the amount of work you have to do at your job to pay for it, or the amount of work it would take to swap the receiver with a new one? I could swap my receiver out in 10 minutes, and that's with about 8 components and the full 5.1 setup.