How many of you have surround sound?

[Trebuken]

Speaking of surround sound, does anybody know what games I can use to test whether I have the system hooked up correctly? I know some N64 games claim to have surround sound, but I can never really hear it. Do any of those games, or games for other systems, have a sound test that individually "plays" each speaker? Thanks.

Your receiver could/should have this option (no receiver?). If you don't maybe a DVD player. You could use a Star Wars DVD with the THX optimizer that is on the DVD....

Later,
Trebuken

[tholly]

Speaking of surround sound, does anybody know what games I can use to test whether I have the system hooked up correctly? I know some N64 games claim to have surround sound, but I can never really hear it. Do any of those games, or games for other systems, have a sound test that individually "plays" each speaker? Thanks.

on the xbox, the halo 2 multiplayer map pack disc has a sound test that tests the 5.1 channels individually.....

[SkiDragon]

I know the speakers work. I am just curious if my in game sound is working. I am mostly wondering about games that use "Pro logic", like N64 and Gamecube games.

[kevin_psx]

3.0

left front
right front
and rear

That's "good enough" for me. See no reason to spend more money for more speakers. I probably wouldn't notice the difference.

[tholly]

3.0

left front
right front
and rear

That's "good enough" for me. See no reason to spend more money for more speakers. I probably wouldn't notice the difference.

i think the difference from your setup to a 5.1 or 7.1 would probably be pretty noticeable....., but if you dont use it enough or dont care, then it would be wasted money....

[SirDrexl]

I've had surround sound for about ten years, but I didn't have discrete surround sound (as in 5.1) until 1999 when I got my first DVD player. I still don't have PLII though, since I bought my current receiver in 2002 when PLII wasn't commonly supported. I may not have it for a while, because I'm not buying a new receiver until the audio formats in the new HD disc formats like DD+ and Dolby TrueHD are commonly supported (plus I need to wait for HDMI 1.3).

SkiDragon, Dolby Surround (as in Pro Logic) does not have discrete channels for the surround speakers, so it isn't possible to just play the sound in the surround speakers. Also, with PL the surround "channel" is mono, so you couldn't just play the left or right surround speaker.

All I could suggest is to play a game that has PL such as Donkey Kong 64, and get your character into a position where an enemy is behind it offscreen. It should sound as though the enemy is behind you, so there should be sound coming (mostly) from the surround speakers. The effect won't be as dramatic as true 5.1, but it still should be there. DK64 had some good surround sound IIRC. You could also try carefully disconnecting the front speakers while the game is being played, or getting up close to the surrounds and listening for sound.

[kevin_psx]

i think the difference from your setup to a 5.1 or 7.1 would probably be pretty noticeable....., but if you dont use it enough or dont care, then it would be wasted money....

Well the 0.1 part = subwoofer. Can't use it else I'd drive my neighbors nuts (downstairs). BUT I agree it would sound a lot better w/ more base



A 5.0 divides 2 rear speakers into 2 left/right speakers.
But that's mostly just background noise.
I don't see any need.
Do you?


So bottom line. I think a 3 or 4-speaker setup is good enough for most persons (or singles like myself). There's no need for more.

[slip81]

i think the difference from your setup to a 5.1 or 7.1 would probably be pretty noticeable....., but if you dont use it enough or dont care, then it would be wasted money....

Well the 0.1 part = subwoofer. Can't use it else I'd drive my neighbors nuts (downstairs). BUT I agree it would sound a lot better w/ more base



A 5.0 divides 2 rear speakers into 2 left/right speakers.
But that's mostly just background noise.
I don't see any need.
Do you?


So bottom line. I think a 3 or 4-speaker setup is good enough for most persons (or singles like myself). There's no need for more.

If you're happy with your set-up cool, but there definately is a difference between something like 3.0 or 4.0 and 5.1, 6.1, 7.1.

With a 3.0 set-up your only getting part of the sound, center and two front. When you add two more speakers and a sub you get a more encompassing experience from the right source. Rear channels are often more than just background noise, they usually serve the purpose of moving sound, like a plain or car moving from the back of you to the front, or things like gunshots coming from all sides and behind you. Also a sub adds much need thump and roar to things like explosions and engines.

I will admit though that you need a true digital source to get the full effect, if all you do is play games and watch old movies you probably wouldn't notice a difference since you'd most likekly be using pro logic which just matrixs' the rear channes and splits the same sound.

[meancode]

I now, for the first time, have 5.1. Not in speakers though, in a pair of headphones. Absolutely amazing headphones.

And now my stupid ass neighbor can shut up.

[kevin_psx]

A 5.0 divides 2 rear speakers into 2 left/right speakers.
But that's mostly just background noise.
I don't see any need.
Do you?

Rear channels are often more than just background noise, they usually serve the purpose of moving sound, like a plain or car moving from the back of you to the front, or things like gunshots coming from all sides and behind you.

As I said-- I don't see the need to split the rear 2 speakers into left/right.

4.0 is good enough.

[slip81]

A 5.0 divides 2 rear speakers into 2 left/right speakers.
But that's mostly just background noise.
I don't see any need.
Do you?

Rear channels are often more than just background noise, they usually serve the purpose of moving sound, like a plain or car moving from the back of you to the front, or things like gunshots coming from all sides and behind you.

As I said-- I don't see the need to split the rear 2 speakers into left/right.

4.0 is good enough.

Well it's split because things are mixed in stereo. Just like you wouldn't try to listen to a song like Whole Lotta Love in mono, a movie with surround is the same way.

By only having one rear channel you loose some of the spacial effect, since you can't tell which direction things are coming from, or which angle a director meant for you to hear certain things.

That's the need for 2 seperate rear channels.

Sorry if I keep coming back to this, I'm not trying to convince you to upgrade or anything. It just seems that you didn't quite understand why those speakers are there, so I was trying to explain.

[aaronpetrosky]

I plan on getting it soon that way I could enjoy Black and Genji to their fullest.

Anyone ever play these games with it?

[kevin_psx]

As I said-- I don't see the need to split the rear 2 speakers into left/right.
4.1 is good enough.

Sorry if I keep coming back to this, I'm not trying to convince you to upgrade or anything. It just seems that you didn't quite understand why those speakers are there, so I was trying to explain.

I understand.

I just don't care. I don't care if the car is coming from left rear or right rear. Knowing it's coming from behind is good enough. "4.1 is good enough."



Especially when I have to work my ass off trying to pay for it. It's not worth it to me to Work an extra $500 to make the upgrade-- for such trivial difference.

Clear?

[shoes23]

I plan on getting it soon that way I could enjoy Black and Genji to their fullest.

Anyone ever play these games with it?

In the words of Peter from Family Guy, playing those games (especially Black) with 5.1 surround sound is, "FREAKING SWEET".

On a side note I just bought some Durabrand 5.1 surround sound speakers (5 speakers and a woofer) from Wal-mart to hook up to our TV in the basement for a whooping $35. Gamers on a budget who want to up their sound system should definalty give it a look, as it provides everything needed to play all your games at 120 decibels. Not the best quality compared to my Bose speakers but provides a much better bang for your buck than purchasing an expensive system.

[Anthony1]

You want to talk audio, I can talk a little bit of audio. First off all, the biggest key with sound is the speakers. No matter what you do, if you use shit speakers, then it isn't really going to work right. The most important speaker of all is the Subwoofer. 2nd most important is the center channel. Then comes the Left and Right mains, and finally the various surround speakers. Of course you need a decent receiver. But one does not need to spend a fortune on the receiver or the speakers, if one knows what the hell one is doing!!!



For example, I have a kick ass 7.1 audio in my Movie Theater setup in my Garage. The receiver that I'm using is a very inexpensive Panasonic digital path receiver that has gotten rave reviews from the avsforum set.


peep game....

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=530504


there are 105 pages to that thread for a reason. The reason is that you can find one of those for less than $230 with tax, shipping and everything, and the sound is amazing for the money. No joke. I was very concerned about whether or not it woud have enough power to fill my large room with sound, but it has no problems at all. Sounds amazing. 7.1 baby. It doesn't have HDMi or anything like that, but for the time being, it's perfectly fine. There are going to be new receivers coming down the line in the next few years that are going to fully take advantage of the new lossless formats that Dolby and DTS are going to be bringing to the table with HD-DVD and Blu Ray. So, it doesn't really make a ton of sense to spend big $$$$ on a receiver before the new digital audio formats are completely squared away, and of course you want tons of HDMI inputs and stuff like that, and currently receivers only have like 1 or 2. So, the bottom line is why spend more than $230 for a receiver, when you can get one like this that kicks major ass in terms of sound quality?




Ok, that's the receiver. When it comes to speakers, there are tons of great brands of speakers out there. Lots of really good speakers. But I must admit that I'm partial to a Canadian brand known as "Energy". One of the reasons that I like Energy so much, is that they are very consistent with their quality. Of all the different speakers they've put out over the years, very few aren't regarded as outstanding. And most are regarded as amazing. The other reason is that you can get their speakers for "relatively" decent prices. But even better, if you are a little more brave, you can have some absolutely phenomenal speakers for super cheap if you are willing to buy them used via Ebay or Craigslist.


In my home theater setup, when it comes to speakers, it's all about the front sound stage. The front sound stage consists of the center channel speaker and the left and right mains. I use a Energy AC-300 center channel. You can get these used via Ebay or sometimes Craigslist for around $150 ish. Energy AC-300's are very popular, even though that particular center hasn't been made in a number of years. When they show up on Ebay, there are always several people bidding on them.


For my front and left mains, I'm rolling with Energy C8's. These babies are tower speakers that can seriously pump some sound. These puppies will handle just about anything you throw at them. They have tremendous mid range and lows, in addition to the crystal clear highs. If you had to live without a subwoofer, these boys can almost carry the entire bass load by themselves.


For my surrounds, I'm using Energy C2's as the "rear" surrounds and I'm using Energy C3's as the side surrounds.


For the Sub, I'm currently using a sealed sub, the Energy ES-12. To be honest, I need to add a second ES-12 for a dual sub configuration. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding another ES-12. I've also considered spending some big bank on a SVS sub, but I'd like to try another ES-12 in tandem first. The room I'm using is very large, and one ES-12 isn't enough to pressurize the whole room.





Panasonic XR55 7.1 Digital Path Receiver
Energy C8 Left and Right Mains
Energy AC-300 Center Channel
Energy C2 Rear Surrounds
Energy C3 Side Surrounds
Energy ES-12 sealed Subwoofer

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

No surround sound for me! I've never really been too picky about audio quality in games.

[zerohero]

A 5.0 divides 2 rear speakers into 2 left/right speakers.
But that's mostly just background noise.
I don't see any need.
Do you?

Rear channels are often more than just background noise, they usually serve the purpose of moving sound, like a plain or car moving from the back of you to the front, or things like gunshots coming from all sides and behind you.

As I said-- I don't see the need to split the rear 2 speakers into left/right.

4.0 is good enough.

Well it's split because things are mixed in stereo. Just like you wouldn't try to listen to a song like Whole Lotta Love in mono, a movie with surround is the same way.

By only having one rear channel you loose some of the spacial effect, since you can't tell which direction things are coming from, or which angle a director meant for you to hear certain things.

That's the need for 2 seperate rear channels.

Sorry if I keep coming back to this, I'm not trying to convince you to upgrade or anything. It just seems that you didn't quite understand why those speakers are there, so I was trying to explain.

Hmmm I have a dolby digital pro logic reciever thats a 5.0 system that has two seperate rear surrounds , and I still just depends on the movie, I'll upgrade to 5.1 the end of this year the way things are looking now.

But it sounds sweet and does the job well.

[FullCircle]

I plan on getting it soon that way I could enjoy Black and Genji to their fullest.

Anyone ever play these games with it?

In the words of Peter from Family Guy, playing those games (especially Black) with 5.1 surround sound is, "FREAKING SWEET".

On a side note I just bought some Durabrand 5.1 surround sound speakers (5 speakers and a woofer) from Wal-mart to hook up to our TV in the basement for a whooping $35. Gamers on a budget who want to up their sound system should definalty give it a look, as it provides everything needed to play all your games at 120 decibels. Not the best quality compared to my Bose speakers but provides a much better bang for your buck than purchasing an expensive system.

I've also got the Durabrand surround system hooked up. Initially, I hooked it up to use as yet another switch box for some of my systems. After listening, though, I was surprised that you could get that type of sound quality for that price. Of course, my wife won mine from work and I have JVC speakers hooked up to it instead.