surround sound headphones

[destrekor]

I have been looking into surround sound headphones, because of the way I have my computer setup, using the home-theater like setup in my room really wouldn't work, and setting up a second surround-sound setup just for the computer will not happen. I refuse to have two sets of speakers in my room lol

so, I figure, howabout headphones? Well I have a pair of Maxell headphones, that before anyone knocks them, sound better than you could ever imagine a brand like Maxell of making. I mean, for $30, they sound great. Sure, nothing an audiophile would like, but they aren't harsh at all and do a great job at gaming or listening to music.

But I really enjoy surround sound in gaming. And simulated surround-sound just isn't for me. Its there as an option, but true dedicated surround sound is better in almost any situation imagineable.
so that leads me to surround-sound headphones.

so to put it short and sweet, what are some good ones?
For anyone who owns the Zalman ones will be unhappy to know that they are likely based off MM Gear's model of surround-sound headphones, and ZipZoomFly has them for $30.
I say this because they look the exact same and have the same specs.
my friend has the MM Gear model and it sounds fantastic to me. As long as the audio isn't harsh I can handle it. And my pocket can handle it, thats usually all that matters to me. For great sound, I have my 5.1 setup in my room. For gaming, headphones that sound good and are surround-sound will do good enough for me, especially when affordable.

can anyone suggest a good pair, possibly as affordable as the Zalman/MM Gear models?

 

[imported_Snagle]

Surround Sound headphones are just simulated surround, it sucks for the most part. Spend the same amount of money on a decent pair of regular phones and youll get better sound.

 

Physically headphones are limited to only stereo sound.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Physically headphones are limited to only stereo sound.

There are a few models out there with multiple drivers.

I would avoid them like the plague. $50 headphones are cheap no matter how you look at it & if you're spending $50 for more than 2 drivers you KNOW they have to suck.

Viper GTS

 

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: SampSon
Physically headphones are limited to only stereo sound.

There are a few models out there with multiple drivers.

I would avoid them like the plague.

Viper GTS

It's stil physically a stereo setup.

 

[destrekor]

umm... have you looked at them?
half of my internet is being really goofy right now, i hate my belkin router

please google surround sound headphones, and look particularily at the zalman ZM-RS6F headphones...
3 connectors, a total of 3 speakers per earcup (1 front, 1 rear, 1 center)
stereo is applied to help do each side, but its still surround sound in terms there are multiple speakers that helps with audio seperation.

how is multiple drivers physically stereo? its physically surround if you think about it... each driver is positioned to represent its part of the spatial field accordingly with your ear... its shrinking down a proper surround sound setup to be in headphones

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: SampSon

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: SampSon
Physically headphones are limited to only stereo sound.

There are a few models out there with multiple drivers.

I would avoid them like the plague.

Viper GTS

It's stil physically a stereo setup.

No, it's not. They have multiple drivers on each side, & they are not centered on your ear.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~yoshi.online/ZM-RS6F-2.gif

Viper GTS

 

[CKent]

Get a pair of quality stereo headphones (don't ask here, do a search - there are plenty of threads about it). Imaging in games is quite good and you'll love how music sounds.

 

[destrekor]

i have stereo headphones, they do good enough for me
i have my setup in my room do everything for me except for gaming, and i'd rather true surround sound than simulated surround (imaging). to me it sounds better, at least my friends MM Gear did versus my headphones with yamaha's simulated surround on my receiver. which mind you, sounded amazing coming from a stereo headset

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: destrekor
umm... have you looked at them?
half of my internet is being really goofy right now, i hate my belkin router

please google surround sound headphones, and look particularily at the zalman ZM-RS6F headphones...
3 connectors, a total of 3 speakers per earcup (1 front, 1 rear, 1 center)
stereo is applied to help do each side, but its still surround sound in terms there are multiple speakers that helps with audio seperation.

how is multiple drivers physically stereo? its physically surround if you think about it... each driver is positioned to represent its part of the spatial field accordingly with your ear... its shrinking down a proper surround sound setup to be in headphones

those are like super nubby headphones for idiots who think they're getting uber 5.1 surround...

it's like people spending $100 on 5.1 speakers and they think they pwn now cuz of 5.1...

 

[svi]

To repeat what others have said: surround sound headphones are gimmicks. When the drivers are directly on your ears, so long as the headphones are constructed correctly, you only need two drivers to simulate full surround. The full explanation for this requires an intermediate-level knowledge of psychoacoustics and/or the physiology of the ear, but, well, try a binaural sound clip with a pair of entry-level audiophile headphones and you'll see what I mean. (Your Maxells may or may not be up to the task-- I couldn't say.)

I have tried three different makes of surround sound headphones to date, including the Zalman-labelled ones, and I feel they are all inferior to my $20 Koss KSC-35, to say nothing of my higher-end headphones (yeah, I'm an addict, I know).

 

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: SampSon

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: SampSon
Physically headphones are limited to only stereo sound.

There are a few models out there with multiple drivers.

I would avoid them like the plague.

Viper GTS

It's stil physically a stereo setup.

No, it's not. They have multiple drivers on each side, & they are not centered on your ear.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~yoshi.online/ZM-RS6F-2.gif

Viper GTS

That's like having two speakers, with multiple drivers that point two different directions. It's not a true "surround" setup.

 

[destrekor]

when each driver is driven by a different signal? a multi-driver speaker is all the same signal
one driver for each signal is different

theres a front signal, rear signal and a center signal (more or less creates an imaged center) = surround sound

explain to me how that equals a multi-driver single-signal speaker?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Wait, you have a small home theater in the same room? Why not just connect your computer to that?

 

[destrekor]

I do for music, but where my computer is set up, it completely ruins the idea of surround sound. from my computer, its more like a merged left-stereo channel, with one speaker behind me as well. its useless for anything other than music from my computer.

 

[UncleWai]

Originally posted by: destrekor
when each driver is driven by a different signal? a multi-driver speaker is all the same signal
one driver for each signal is different

theres a front signal, rear signal and a center signal (more or less creates an imaged center) = surround sound

explain to me how that equals a multi-driver single-signal speaker?

You know what, just buy yourself a 5.1 headphones then since you don't listen to any suggestions the other guys make. Yeah, more drivers in the headphones are better :roll:
The guys above are trying to help you save the $50 from buying a pos "5.1" headphones, but I guess you are destined to waste the money.

 

[0roo0roo]

its a gimmic. better to spend your money on 2 decent drivers, instead of 6 shoddy ones.. or however many they shove in those things. any decent soundcard does 3d sound in games over headphones. same with dvd software.

 

[sswingle]

Any of the people saying these are crap actually put them on their head and give them a try?

 

[destrekor]

im not destined to waste my money, i just want something to sound good. I just dont see how 2 drivers can properly emulate multiple signals? I mean, how can a driver push out different signals from different locations on the driver itself? Maybe I am just imagining it wrong.
If anyone can point me to the proper configuration for virtual surround sound on my onboard audio (karajan audio module on the dfi lanparty), then be my guest. I'd love to try it out and see if 5.1 in HL2 or CoD2 or other games actually sounds like surround sound.

scott, thats what i wanna know
everyone is bashing the idea of the technology, so far i haven't gotten any personal reviews of any true surround-sound headphones. which is what I would like to see.
especially from someone who considers themself an audiophile.
i wont get any pro-audio people because they can afford much better equipment. but from someone who recognized quality audio, I wonder if any of those type of people have touched such equipment.

 

[destrekor]

bump

 

[VERTIGGO]

hey bro, I've been looking for new headphones too. I think our situations are similar; I use my desktops for gaming in my barracks in Okinawa, so I know about letting my roomy sleep while I game. I started with regular $30 headphones, and wanted surround so I got a set of $75 "LTB Audio Systems USB True 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones with mic". This was mostly for BF2 online at night, where I need voice comm, but the sound quality was worse than the cheap stereo ones. Yes, you could tell that the surround sound was coming from different angles, but because they cram so many little speakers into the ear cup, they sound like crap, and don't even give a correct audio encirclement. I think the front ones sounded like they were above my head or something. I was really let down.

I think what everyone's talking about, is that whether the sound comes from 1 speaker, or a mixture of several speakers, the actual sound wave that hits your eardrum is one sound. That's why they can mathematically reproduce that combination sound wave and send it to your eardrum with only one speaker (stereo headphones). I think I'm just going to grab a good pair of sennheisers like they recommended.

 

[Cattlegod]

We use Stax at work. They are probably the best you can get if you don't mind paying over 1000 dollars for a set.

here is a link:
Stax

oh and when you listen to them, it is pretty damned incredible. we have recordings of someone walking around 2 mics (one for left ear and one for right) in a room and you can pinpoint exactly where he is with these headphones.

 

[sygyzy]

It's amazing how there could be an entire thread and not a single helpful answer. Do any of you know ANYTHING about headphones?

OP - You want the BEST surround sound headphones and you want them to be affordable? Affordable is how much? Is that your way of saying cheap? And you are looking up POS companies like Zalman. I guess making good heatsinks means they know how to make headphones too huh?

Then you get someone who recommends Stax ELECTROSTATIC headphones for a Surround Sound setup. Hmmm. Wow. What was the point of that? Other than to show off that he uses expensive headphones at work.

Anyone heard of Dolby Headphone? Can you get surround sound with headphones, just two drivers? Yes. The BEST positioning is done with headphones, not speakers.

Try the Pioneer line. http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Pione...Dolby_Digital_Surround_Headphones.html
Audio Technica also has some, and I believe possibly Sony.

 

[Cattlegod]

Originally posted by: sygyzy
It's amazing how there could be an entire thread and not a single helpful answer. Do any of you know ANYTHING about headphones?

OP - You want the BEST surround sound headphones and you want them to be affordable? Affordable is how much? Is that your way of saying cheap? And you are looking up POS companies like Zalman. I guess making good heatsinks means they know how to make headphones too huh?

Then you get someone who recommends Stax ELECTROSTATIC headphones for a Surround Sound setup. Hmmm. Wow. What was the point of that? Other than to show off that he uses expensive headphones at work.

Anyone heard of Dolby Headphone? Can you get surround sound with headphones, just two drivers? Yes. The BEST positioning is done with headphones, not speakers.

Try the Pioneer line. http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Pione...Dolby_Digital_Surround_Headphones.html
Audio Technica also has some, and I believe possibly Sony.

did your valentine crush the flowers you gave today?