Solid stereo headphones for DOLBY HEADPHONE circa $50

I've read that Dolby Headphone (e.g. on Asus Xonar DG soundcard) gives very good results when it comes to positional sound even on (decent) stereo headsets. Hence the topic. I'll appreciate your recommendations. Helpful and fast replies will be awarded with appropriate emoticon ;)

Few notes:

- only popular brands and models as I've decided I'll buy them today

- extremely big ears warning :)

- over $50 acceptable but only in case of extremely formidable bang-for-the-buck cases

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I have just ordered myself a Corsair HS1A (normal flexi-jack, HS1 is USB) headset.

Normally goes for around $99, but I got it in a special sale for $40. Once its here I will post my findings, but here's a link already to the product page to see if its something you would be interested in:

http://www.corsair.com/pc-computer-audio/gaming-headsets/gaming-audio-series-hs1-usb-gaming-headset.html

And a review (note they talk about the earcups being 'very large'?! Even YOUR ears should fit! ;) )

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/peripherals/2010/09/11/corsair-hs1-review/1

Thanks. I've already bought AKG K 514 for like $70. My ears barely fit in them but they do :) I also tried the cheaper K 512 but they were too bass-castrated to my taste.

As for the Dolby Headphone (with Asus Xonar DG + ArmA 2) - it does improve audio location possibilities but with one side effect. The sound will get a bit room'ized. Obviously it's the biggest culprit when you play a game with outdoors scenery. But in the end it's worth it anyway. You don't have to turn your head left and right 10 times to figure out from which direction that chopper is coming from.

AKG is a solid brand. I am sure you will have many hours of enjoyment from them.

I don't like 'room'ized' effects or other sound filters for the most part. I am all for clean original sounds, hence I never put on the Chrystalizer or CMSS3D effects on my X-Fi soundcard.

I hope the Corsair will cater well to my 'vanilla preference'. ;)

As I said it's a tradeoff. Roomized sounds for your enemy location and, often, survival.

I've just read that 514 are semi-open while 512 are closed. Closed generally means better outside noise isolation and less leaking out, while semi-open/open are supposed to give better sound quality.

Windows Settings for Dolby Headphones?

Hey guys -- I read this from the dolby website:

My question is -- I've got the Corsair HS1 set referenced above -- and I've enabled Dolby Headphone in the Corsair control panel; how should I configure them in the Windows control panel? I can choose stereo, 5.1 or 7.1 I think.

I guess really I would like to know -- does Dolby Headphones take a stereo input from the simulation and apply effects so that it sounds like 7.1, or does it take the 7.1 input from the

simulation and then apply effects to it so that it works albeit going through only two outputs (the headphones)?

Is it "standard" operating procedure these days for game developers to preprocess with Dolby Pro Logic IIz so that gamers can enjoy 7.1 surround with headphones (utilizing Dolby Headphone technology?)

 

I guess really I would like to know -- does Dolby Headphones take a stereo input from the simulation and apply effects so that it sounds like 7.1, or does it take the 7.1 input from the

simulation and then apply effects to it so that it works albeit going through only two outputs (the headphones)?

 

I think the latter but you have to get a confirmation on this. On the whole *.1 > stereo emulation - it's still only an emulation. To get a proper 5.1 or 7.1 get compatible headphones.

I think the latter but you have to get a confirmation on this. On the whole *.1 > stereo emulation - it's still only an emulation.

Binaural algorithms work *very* well when done correctly. This has nothing to do with emulation. The quality somewhat differs from user to user depending on the individuals hearing apparatus transfer function, though.

To get a proper 5.1 or 7.1 get compatible headphones.

I'm still not very convinced how well these units actually work, especially regarding localization in the lower frequency regime where the localisation is based on interaural time differences.

I think the latter but you have to get a confirmation on this. On the whole *.1 > stereo emulation - it's still only an emulation. To get a proper 5.1 or 7.1 get compatible headphones.

What do you mean by getting a proper 5.1/7.1 set of headphones? AFAIK there is no such thing -- i.e., headphones with 6 or 8 different speakers! To say they are "compatible", AFAIK, is to say that they have Dolby Headphone technology (or something similar), which is what I'm referring to. Emulation is the only option, and it's really quite amazing -- if you haven't already, check this demo out.

Put on some headphones first -- and be amazed! (at least I was :thumbup:)

There are quite a few true 5.1/7.1 headsets. From the reviews I've read on the tiamat 7.1 the positional sound is better than Dolby headphone but the sound quality is lower than a normal set of cans due to smaller drivers.

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-audio/razer-tiamat-71

Binaural algorithms work *very* well when done correctly. This has nothing to do with emulation. The quality somewhat differs from user to user depending on the individuals hearing apparatus transfer function, though.

 

 

 

I'm still not very convinced how well these units actually work, especially regarding localization in the lower frequency regime where the localisation is based on interaural time differences.

I only passed along what I read myself. I've never used multi-channel h-phones. My only complaint with dolby headphone when playing in ArmA was that the sounds got a little bit "churched" (a slight echo/reverbation?). IDK whether it was ArmA's fault or not. And this is where the multi-channel head. comes into play. I assumed multi-channel headphones do not "church" sounds.

Overall my ability to locate sound sources improved greatly with dolby headphone, this I can say.

I've switched from AKG K 514 to creative Aurvana Live. CAL wins hands down in every aspect but sturdiness of the build. A quick comparison:

- AKG K 514 leak sound leak sound like crazy. Forget about in-office techno sessions.

- AKG K 514 have hard cushions which adds to the leaking. The cushions get even less pleasant after a while (fat). CAL's cushions are soft, retain their properties for what seems to be years.

- AKG K 514 cuts out some bass.

I recommend Razer Surround sound, which is free software. This will let you buy some good quality Stereo headphones that you like and still get decent surround sound, as well as not having to worry about whether the soundcard you want to get does CMSS-3D or Dolby Headphone.

You can try it out with whatever headphones you've got now to see if you like it. I think the sound does lose a bit of quality but I understand that's just an unavoidable side-effect of virtual surround sound algorithms and from what I can recall, CMSS-3D is much worse in this respect, although it does have good directionality.

What would be great is if some users of CMSS-3D and Dolby Headphone could try Razer to compare and share their impressions.

Oh and I bought the Samson SR-850 headphones, which are amazingly clear and sharp and only cost about £30 :) These are semi-open backed but this is meant to make them sound more roomy and spacious, which helps surround sound by creating a wider soundstage and giving more feeling of sounds coming from outside the headphones, as compared to closed-backed which can give a bit of a constricted, boxed-in sound.

All the reviews I read for budget hifi headphones recommended the SR-850 and all the reviews of 5.1 (i.e. multi-speaker) vs stereo headphones recommended to get a good pair of stereo headphones and then use software like Razer on soundcard virtual surround, like CMSS-3D or Dolby headpone.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18543869

My own review of DH to follow.

looks good - one question though..

how does the TrackIR-ProClip fit on these headsets??

it looks pretty "thick"

does anybody have any input on this?

looks good - one question though..

 

how does the TrackIR-ProClip fit on these headsets??

 

it looks pretty "thick"

 

does anybody have any input on this?

If you were asking about the Aurvana 1, then I can provide you with any specific dimension you request.

A post re DH settings:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?192418-Dolby-Headphone-settings-in-ASUS-Xonar&p=2947503