Need a good guide on true 3 D gaming w/ headphones

[crackdaddy]

I've been working on PC's since the AT/XT IBM days and sometime between SB live! and today, I've lost track of 3D technology in todays games.

Does true 3D positioning really exist in source games and what is really needed to take advantage of it?

Do you have to spend $100 to find a pair of headphones that truly and accurately support 3 d positioning?

Are there any headphones that actually support 3d and not just emulate it?
(I think not, but asking anyway)

And lastly is a sound card necessary if your on-board sound chip supports 5.1 or 7.1 sound? ( I think not, but asking anyway)

 

[Ph?bus]

Sound cards aren't that necessary if you're gaming. Unless your motherboard is from the (computer's) middle ages, onboard should be plenty.

I'm not sure if any headphones can actually do 3D sound. If you're implying something like a 5.1 or 7.1 headset, those simply don't exist, and are pure marketing crap.

I believe it depends on the sound stage of the headphones. I'm not sure if Source supports true 3d sound.

 

[runo]

I'm not sure what the deal with 5.1/7.1 or surround headsets are; except for the ones with onboard sound cards (which means they tend to be very expensive,) I've never encountered a headset that has 'true' 5.1/7.1/surround sound.

 

[Ph?bus]

That's because it's impossible to have true 5.1/7.1 on a headset.

 

[Mr.Game]

I'm not sure what the deal with 5.1/7.1 or surround headsets are; except for the ones with onboard sound cards (which means they tend to be very expensive,) I've never encountered a headset that has 'true' 5.1/7.1/surround sound.

Every headset that uses USB and advertises 7.1 is virtual.

The only true 5.1 headsets that I am aware of are from Turtle Beach
(HPX/HP2) and Tritton.

As far as headsets go, true 7.1 is not available. I don't know about
headphones.

 

[mad pistol]

The Corsair HS1 does an amazing job of 5.1 audio. However, it is only from 2 cans. Some people don't consider that true 5.1, but it sounds incredible.

 

[crackdaddy]

That's why I said, a guide is probably needed, as my attempt at research for a definitive answer to how to maximize your game play through "environmental audio" has resulted in mostly marketing babble or it makes assumptions that you already know everything about it, so just buy this headset.

Almost everything I've seen is just marketing speak and I've seen no real world impartial guide to being able to locate the enemies in a game through 3d sound for the guy with deep pockets and the kid with only $40 to spend.

You know like this.

Step one. Buy This soundcard with this feature and these outputs, or insure your motherboard's onboard sound has "this" feature.
Step 2, get a headphone that has "this" feature.
Step 3, make sure you have "this" turned on in windows.
Step 4. Make sure you have "this" turned on in the game.

A comparison of features would be nice, as would different setups, for different budgets.

I mean if I wanted to enable 3d audio in CS:S and for it to actually work, what would it cost me in terms of hardware needed if my on-board sound already supports 7.1?

Is it as simple as turning on 5.1 audio in CSS and plugging in a USB headphone that supports virtual 3d?

Does this accurately work in true 3D sound?

 

[Mr.Game]

That's why I said, a guide is probably needed, as my attempt at research for a definitive answer to how to maximize your game play through "environmental audio" has resulted in mostly marketing babble or it makes assumptions that you already know everything about it, so just buy this headset.

Almost everything I've seen is just marketing speak and I've seen no real world impartial guide to being able to locate the enemies in a game through 3d sound for the guy with deep pockets and the kid with only $40 to spend.

You know like this.

Step one. Buy This soundcard with this feature and these outputs, or insure your motherboard's onboard sound has "this" feature.
Step 2, get a headphone that has "this" feature.
Step 3, make sure you have "this" turned on in windows.
Step 4. Make sure you have "this" turned on in the game.

A comparison of features would be nice, as would different setups, for different budgets.

I mean if I wanted to enable 3d audio in CS:S and for it to actually work, what would it cost me in terms of hardware needed if my on-board sound already supports 7.1?

Is it as simple as turning on 5.1 audio in CSS and plugging in a USB headphone that supports virtual 3d?

Does this accurately work in true 3D sound?

Here's a rundown of how it works...
A true 5.1 headset has 6 channels (3 speakers each cup) located inside it that
produce audio from each one. A 7.1 headset has 8 channels, but only produces
audio from the 6 speakers of a true 5.1 headset, hence the term "virtual."

7.1 is backwards compatible to 5.1, stereo and mono.
5.1 is backwards compatible to stereo and mono.

On-board sound from motherboards or sound cards that advertise 7.1 do
indeed provide it, but only for speaker systems (and maybe headphones?).

USB provides its own way of producing audio, more times than not it is virtual,
but there are headsets that include their own dedicated sound card to make
them true (such as Tritton).

Headsets (or speakers/headphones) that use audio jacks do provide true
audio, weather it be 5.1 or 7.1.

There is lots of controversy about the difference when playing games. Many
people say true 5.1 is better and many others say virtual 7.1 is greater.


As for CSS and 3D sound, I do not know since I do not play that game.

 

[crackdaddy]

Thank you for the helpful info.

Can Any CSS players confirm that 3D audio works accurately in the game?