5.1 Speaker Set-up
DY357LX
Playing since day 1. Still can't Comm.England Join Date: 2002-10-27 Member: 1651Members, Constellation
Playing since day 1. Still can't Comm.England Join Date: 2002-10-27 Member: 1651Members, Constellation
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Any Good On A Pc?</div> I'm considering getting my hands on <a href='http://www.shopgenie.co.uk/UK_listing/gen_1/J000060601.html' target='_blank'>this set-up.</a>
It's being offered to me at a very nice price by
a friend who owns his own shop, and ever since seeing
the huge box on the shelf a few weeks back, i've been
thinking about getting it.
But i've lived my life with a mere 2 speakers for practically
everything so I know very little about.... well, everything 5.1.
How difficult is it to set-up these things up on a pc?
I presume I just plug it all in and use the Windows XP Pro
sound set-up in the Control Panel to change "2 Speakers"
to "5 Speakers" and thats it?
But am I going to notice an immediate difference
or is it down to the game i'm playing?
(It's mainly Half-Life based mods but Doom 3 is just around the
corner and 5 speakers might add to the experience.)
Whats the advice of the sound guru forum guru's?
It's being offered to me at a very nice price by
a friend who owns his own shop, and ever since seeing
the huge box on the shelf a few weeks back, i've been
thinking about getting it.
But i've lived my life with a mere 2 speakers for practically
everything so I know very little about.... well, everything 5.1.
How difficult is it to set-up these things up on a pc?
I presume I just plug it all in and use the Windows XP Pro
sound set-up in the Control Panel to change "2 Speakers"
to "5 Speakers" and thats it?
But am I going to notice an immediate difference
or is it down to the game i'm playing?
(It's mainly Half-Life based mods but Doom 3 is just around the
corner and 5 speakers might add to the experience.)
Whats the advice of the sound guru forum guru's?
Comments
Edited ( Duh i meant to say headphones not speakers)
Yes. If it won't put any strain on your fiscal then by all means buy buy buy! Make sure you have a good sound card to back your speakers up; creative audigies are good from what I hear.
Seeing how you have been living with two speakers, you'll definately notice the drop in bass from the sub, and especially surround sound.
It shouldn't be to difficult to install; who designs products that require hours of tinkering with?
Now imagine playing Doom 3 on a projector.
Just them not having support for it isn't much of anything. Thing is, if it has EAX 2, it supports up to 4.1, maybe 5.1(I'm not sure). EAX 3 supports 5.1-7.2, and a lot of games are getting those these days. And for those games with NO EAX support, a lot of times there are plugins for the speakers that you just run in the background, and work quite nicely.
Though all in all, I'd reccommend using 5.1 Headphones. Cheaper, and better if you want skill in your games. Here's the pair I'm getting soon, thanks to Xyth- $60
<a href='http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=36-501-001&depa=0' target='_blank'>http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc....-501-001&depa=0</a>
...though, I am looking for a pair with full-headset functionality(aka, its got a mic attached).
Just them not having support for it isn't much of anything. Thing is, if it has EAX 2, it supports up to 4.1, maybe 5.1(I'm not sure). EAX 3 supports 5.1-7.2, and a lot of games are getting those these days. And for those games with NO EAX support, a lot of times there are plugins for the speakers that you just run in the background, and work quite nicely.
Though all in all, I'd reccommend using 5.1 Headphones. Cheaper, and better if you want skill in your games. Here's the pair I'm getting soon, thanks to Xyth- $60
<a href='http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=36-501-001&depa=0' target='_blank'>http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc....-501-001&depa=0</a>
...though, I am looking for a pair with full-headset functionality(aka, its got a mic attached). <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thats also not true 5.1. Generally it just runs the front left / right speaker through the rear and center.
Just them not having support for it isn't much of anything. Thing is, if it has EAX 2, it supports up to 4.1, maybe 5.1(I'm not sure). EAX 3 supports 5.1-7.2, and a lot of games are getting those these days. And for those games with NO EAX support, a lot of times there are plugins for the speakers that you just run in the background, and work quite nicely.
Though all in all, I'd reccommend using 5.1 Headphones. Cheaper, and better if you want skill in your games. Here's the pair I'm getting soon, thanks to Xyth- $60
<a href='http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=36-501-001&depa=0' target='_blank'>http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc....-501-001&depa=0</a>
...though, I am looking for a pair with full-headset functionality(aka, its got a mic attached). <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thats also not true 5.1. Generally it just runs the front left / right speaker through the rear and center. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually, these are true 5.1s. Look at the setup.
Interesting. I guess I'm a complete fool.
With my 5.1 setup, I sometimes get accused of wallhacking because I can track enemy locations all around me. Very helpful in NS.
I tried standard stereo headphones with EAX enabled in NS, and I had some problems locating sound sources around me. Perhaps I messed up the configuration in NS ?
In summary, 5.1 is excellent.