How do 2.1 speakers hold up in gaming?

[Zap Brannigan]

I do 2.1 for music and it's great. My front two sats are Cambirdge Soundworks MC-300's. I modified the 5.1 set from CS I bought a couple years ago by replacing the front sats with the MC-300's. They sound great but tend to drown out my other channels. At times the other speakers sound intrusive.

What I am thinking is to detach my rear channels. I already unhooked my center channel about three weeks ago and I don't miss it. I don't feel I need 5.1 for watching Futurama DVD's and my software player can mimic 5.1 out of 2.1 set ups.

I am concerned with game performance. Will I be hampered by using a 2.1 setup for will I still be able to hear directional sound? I remember in 2000 when I had an Aureal Vortex 2 card with a 2.1 setup and it really modeled directional sound superb! Be it above, behind or side to side I could hear the difference.

Fast forward to 2005. I have an Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 card. The new drivers replaced Sensaura with Q-Sound. They came up with a neat idea to split their drivers. I use the Prodigy drivers for music/DVD; and then in the sound card tray I switch to Q-Sound with the click of a mouse for games. IN the Direct X diagnostic it shows my PC as having two sound cards which is cool.

Now then; what do you think would be the best solution?

 

[Navid]

It is not physically possible for a 2.1 system to give you back/forth directional information as well as 5.1 or 4.1 systems, only left right.

 

[glorygunk]

Can't do it....there really is no substitute for real surround speakers. You have a 7.1 card...why not take advantage of it?

 

[blackinches]

it probably won't make much of a difference to your gaming if you go with 2.1.

 

[codeyf]

If you already have the speakers anyway, why not just unplug the rears and try it??

 

[Zap Brannigan]

I came up with an ideal (for me) solution. 2.1 for music/ some games and headphones for fps games.