I own an Audigy 2 hooked up to a Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 set. Obviously all of my .mp3s are stereo music and not natively surround, so of course I make use of the Audigy's CMSS feature (to force stereo music to use all five speakers). But CMSS 2 sounds a world's better than normal CMSS. It sounds much fuller and seems to much more fully utilize every speaker. How is it different from normal CMSS exactly?
How come CMSS 2 sounds so much more awesome than normal CMSS?
- Thread starter archcommus
- Start date
CMSS2 has added reverb effects that is suppose to be used for movie playbacks. Creative recommends CMSS1 for Music and 2 for movies; at least it's what they say.
Surprised to hear you say that if you've heard it yourself.
Stereo surround? That's exactly what CMSS is. What option are you referring to?
YOyoYOhowsDAjello
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I think he's referring to a mode that takes the stereo signal and sends it to all speakers... as in the left rear gets the left front signal, the right rear gets the right front signal, and the center gets a mix of the two.
CMSS and other surround modes will take the stereo signal apart and send portions of it to the different speakers.
This can be a good thing or a bad thing. Use whatever sounds best to you.
Errr... I know it doesn't answer your question, but I have to ask: why upmix it to surround at all? I've never really understood that, myself.
I thought the first CMSS mode only forced the music to be surround. Didn't know it "split up" the music like that. Either way CMSS 2 sounds great for everything.
Because 5 speakers is better than 2?
YOyoYOhowsDAjello
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Well, I've never actually used CMSS so I'm assuming that's what it's doing, but I could be wrong. I figured that in general, voices are sent to the center and out of phase stuff is sent to the surrounds, but I could be totally off on that.
Unless it's just a fancy name for 5 channel stereo, it's probably doing something to that effect.
Unless it's just a fancy name for 5 channel stereo, it's probably doing something to that effect.
Uh.. how? I mean, I get how surround sound is nice for movies and games, but would would playing 2-channel music out of 5 speakers accomplish?
YOyoYOhowsDAjello
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Personally I'm planning on using ProLogicIIx or something to that effect with my speakers because my center channel is a little better for voices than my mains.
Just hearing the music in front and behind you is always good, and overall it sounds much fuller.
Inspector Jihad
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- Apr 17, 2005
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Movie setup, I take it? Makes sense. Most of these computer speakers have pretty much equal quality across the satellites, though.
Ahh.. so it's that you hear the music all around you, then? Thanks, I was curious about that.
YOyoYOhowsDAjello
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Yeah, computer speaker sets tend to have centers that are the same or very similar to all the other speakers in the system.
My new center has a 4" midrange in addition to the tweeter and dual 6.5" woofers that it shares with my other speakers.
Actually enabling music for 5 speakers instead of 2 give a much richer "surrounding" experience. I have used both 2.1 and 4.1 speakers and I know the difference.
Usually 5.1 speakers have weaker satellite speakers than you would find on 2.1 setups, since with 5.1 speakers they don't have to be overpowerful to achieve the same sound pressure.
Given that, using surround upmix would enable a much richer sounding for the underpowered satellite and you get the "Music all around you" effect, which is great.
It's a shame that DVD-Audio and 5.1 surround music is still very rare.
Usually 5.1 speakers have weaker satellite speakers than you would find on 2.1 setups, since with 5.1 speakers they don't have to be overpowerful to achieve the same sound pressure.
Given that, using surround upmix would enable a much richer sounding for the underpowered satellite and you get the "Music all around you" effect, which is great.
It's a shame that DVD-Audio and 5.1 surround music is still very rare.
No,
Stereo surrond is a feature creative included in the audigy 1 ZS, not the regular Audigy 2.
It sounds 100x better than that cmss garbage.
If you only have the regular augigy 2, just use 2.1 sound.
It will sound better. (well to me at least and everyone over at the klipsh forums)
Well, I guess things sound different to everyone.
Just use what you like, if you have a ZS, i'd try stereo surrond thouygh.
hey, he's right, stereo surround gives a fuller sound! I was using CMSS2, and loving it, but I just did a test from cmss to cmss2 to stereo surround, noting how the music sounded, and stero surround DOES give a fuller sound compared to cmss2....though only slightly.
edit- sound system set up:
speakers: Logitech z5300e's (280 watt RMS analog 5.1 surround)
sound card: SB Audigy2 ZS Platinum
edit- sound system set up:
speakers: Logitech z5300e's (280 watt RMS analog 5.1 surround)
sound card: SB Audigy2 ZS Platinum
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