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PC Gaming and Surround Sound
Lucky Cynic
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Pardon me, but am I the only one who feels ripped off after they got their great soundcard and nice 7.1 speakers? The only game, out of many different genres that actually supports and makes a very noticeable difference in directional sound is just Oblivion. Hardly any of my other games support the technology or the other handful that do use it, they do not do so very well.
Some games that I play are Oblivion, A couple of MMOs (Doesn't really count), World in Conflict, Bioshock, and a few other RTSes. I don't know if this is just me talking, but I have cranked up all the sliders and checked off any boxes in all these games for audio quality and surround sound and it just doesn't stack up to what I have paid for.
This is my Sound Card and it seems no matter what drivers I use, I cannot really get anything to use it proficiently. 99% of all sound that my computer has ever put out was thru the Left, Center, or Right Speaker.
So what is going on? Am I just not getting the right games to make use of this hardware or do games not really make use of it often?
Some games that I play are Oblivion, A couple of MMOs (Doesn't really count), World in Conflict, Bioshock, and a few other RTSes. I don't know if this is just me talking, but I have cranked up all the sliders and checked off any boxes in all these games for audio quality and surround sound and it just doesn't stack up to what I have paid for.
This is my Sound Card and it seems no matter what drivers I use, I cannot really get anything to use it proficiently. 99% of all sound that my computer has ever put out was thru the Left, Center, or Right Speaker.
So what is going on? Am I just not getting the right games to make use of this hardware or do games not really make use of it often?
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Also, you can't really show 5.1/7.1 as a back of the box picture where as video you can, therefore most PC developers don't invest nearly the resources into sound as they do other things. You get more bang for the buck in terms of wooing customers/publishers with video rather than sound.
That's not to say some sound cards sound better than others, but on board has vastly improved over the years and is usually all most people need.
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On Bioshock, however, I'm not surprised that you aren't hearing much from the rear speakers since that game really seems like a console-centric title. It was probably developed for the best compatibility using Dolby Digital/Pro Logic II rather than Direct 3D/EAX. You might have far better results using a digital output cable to a separate audio receiver/home theater speakers.
I played Bioshock with a Dolby Digital / Dolby Headphone processor when it came out on the PC and it really seemed like it had a lot of rear channel stuff going on, so there is definitely room for improvement in your setup -- keep trying!
Also, Creative Labs' Vista drivers are completely horseshit right now. Some Director in Milpitas, CA is either getting fired right now or thumbing their nose at the entire Vista dev team.
I just kind of wish Sound technology has improved along side with video technology. If it has, then I wish it was more in use. And even today, I went to my (crazy) cousin's house. He has a 24" monitor with an 8800GTX and yet uses 2.1 as opposed to the 7.1 set of speakers I got for about the same price he paid for his overpriced premium 2.1 speakers. >_>
Unless the game defaults your settings to lower (older games tend to do this without asking you), which is something akin to a gaming audiophile's worst nightmare. At this point hardware up-mixing is a very quick and elegant fix. Most upper-tier PC speaker sets (Logitech's Z-5500 Digital, etc.) will decode any direct connection into something that at least uses all your channels.
You could also just build an actual theater system, complete with amp / speakers / etc.
As much as a 32" monitor for desktop purposes.
Not really, considering what I paid. I got these guys together about a year back for $175. It's gone down a bit, but man, compared to Video cards or Monitors, it's actually very good and can be very impressive if used with the right games or movies. Also, there is no need to have the real best sound card as they are just crammed with features, nothing that really does much in performance or additional quality. This can be argued, but paying $90 for a sound card versus $250, well, you can choose for yourself. The speakers OTOH are a bit of a more budget set, but do the job and do it well. So far there has been minimal problems with them, except cable management, but that's always a bit of a hassle.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836116153
Edit: Also, anyone remember Aureal 3D Audio? Holy shit that stuff rocked. Made Jedi Knight so fucking immersive.
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I remember their 2.1 solutions being extremely good.
Still available: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX
The consoles have also really stepped it up this gen because Gears of War and Burnout Revenge put the sound in most films to shame. Getting a Dolby Digital receiver may have been the best game investment I've ever made.
they still sound amazing, but I think they are out of production, the 2.1s as well
also, I have to admit, I think a quality set of 2.1s is usually a better route than a cheaper/budget 7.1 set
so many games still seem so focused around the standard stereo left and right channels that simply having more speakers doesn't make up for mediocre ones
one of these days I'm going to retire my 4.1s for a receiver and some bookshelf speakers
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I was thinking of my 4.1s and I guess the 5.1s then
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make sure you are in GAME MODE when running a game, and back to entertainment for regular desktop/music listening business.
to me, the benefit is as simply verified as tossing a crate up in the air towards the ocean in HL2:LC, doing a 180, and hearing it splash down behind me
This man speaks the truth.
Though.. does anyone know of a way so I could use these speakers as 'true' surround sound with my 360? At the moment the white/right audio cables go into a provided connector and connects to only 1 of the speaker cables (I think it's for the front speakers and the centre/rear are left unconnected).
These are them:
Sorry for the hijack.
What you want to do is get the speakers exactly where you need them, then go into the surround sound console and tune the front/back speakers, basically what I do is I'll drag I'll balance to the rear speakers until I can hear from the back equally as loud from the front...
Also bare in mind the rear speakers are generally just sound effect, all speech, and critical thing will come fron the center channel. Surround sound as immersion to games, but all you're really going to get most depends on the game, in Counter-Strike, for instance, you'll a more accurate reading on their footsteps because you'll audibly hear the location in your room, or you'll hear gun fire in a specific location, things like that. In flight/space sims you'll hear engine effects in the rear, and people whooshing by you.... In driving games you'll be able to tell how far the cops are behind you, or competitors...
The sound card is the most frequently scoffed item in the cmoputer, but many game designers realize this is how people immerse themselves into games and try to cater to that crowd as well....
I used a 7.1 surround sound system on a 5.1 card, I feel significantly more immersed...
Let's take HL2 for instance, wandering around in the Antlion caves listening to the grubs chirping as you look out into a cavern, you can look deep into the cavern and listen carefully to the chirping and hear the chirps behind you, to the side of you, just all around you, and gives you a much more immersed feeling of behing IN a cave, while not having to leave the comfort of your own room.
Anyways.... Just make sure the games AND Windows are set to use the number of speakers you have, and then make sure the speakers are setup in the right places, and the front and rear audio are balanced like your left and right audio...
But ultimatly remember that most of the audio that'll come from the rear speakers is just background noise.... Just like movies....
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Holy shit! Sony's new techno toy!
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So I stuck with Klipsch, but got these instead and I couldn't be happier. They're still awesome speakers, but not excessive like I thought the 5.1s were:
http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-ProMedia-Ultra-Speaker-System/dp/B0006TIEZS/ref=sr_1_2/002-4202073-5724011?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1193504305&sr=1-2
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Really though, this has more to do with "Game Mode" than the games necessarily supporting the proper channels. Big titles will do surround nowadays by default (some in ProLogic as well..
It's worth it. You haven't really heard an XBox 360 game until you've heard it in Dolby Digital.