what audio

A

ALpha(N0va)

Guest
i was just wondering what people intent to do in regards to their audio. People in the doom3 forums are all going on about how good 5.1 headphones are while others say that speakers give better performance.

So how many channels of speaker/headphones do u people have and will u buy new speakers/headphones for the game like people are buying new vid cards?
 
no 5.1 here. sennheiser hd280pros for me, and ill keep the klipsch 2.1's going too so i can feel the bass from the subwoofer.
 
i use headphones because the my speakers are just a pair with no woofer, plus the headphones i have are a 100 dollar pair and the sound is steller..

half life half life 2 i want my half life 2.
 
I believe the doom3 people (and I'm not saying people here don't plan to get doom3 as well, I know I do), but anyway, they are perhaps more concerned with sound as it plays a far larger part in Doom3 than it does in Half life 2.
Doom3 is designed to be a pure phycological scarer, and so they put alot of money into the sound side, as sound provokes stronger emotions (such as fear) than visuals.
But to answer your question, I will stick with a 5.1 setup I've had for a few years (so pretty old now), or perhaps, if I can, move my PC to allow me to use my TV home cinima setup which is much better, though still only 5.1.
As for headphones, only have stereo myself, though if I find the neighbours complain enough that I use headphones alot, I'll get some 5.1 ones, can't recommend any specifically though, as not looked yet, but I have also heard they are very good.
 
yea good point but hl2 does support 5.1 so why not fully take advantage of it, i started this thread to find out what people generaly prefered so i can make a well informed decision when u buy me new sound set up.
 
Well, a decent 5.1 headphone setup will cost you less than a decent 5.1 speaker setup, but IMHO a HUGE point to remember is your neighbours and those around you.
If you like things loud, then those around might get pissed if you don't go the headphone route. With headphones you can have whatever volume you want, at whatever time of the night you want, without worrying about others.
However, if your lucky enough for this not to be an issue for you, then it is purely personal preference. The few headphones I've tried that were 5.1 I personally didn't think were as good as a 5.1 speaker setup, primarily due to the lack of a powerful sub. (admitadly they wern't top of the range 5.1 headphones).
poseyjmac method souds interesting though, 5.1 headphones with a real sub as well so you can feel the bass. but then you go into the same problem annoying neighbours again, as its the bass that does that.

Anyway, to make a long post short (too late, I know) I prefer speakers. ;)
And yes, as HL2 does support 5.1, you best get it, as purely by posting this topic, sound is something that concerns you. Might be worst considering 6.1 or 7.1 too, though unless you get a decent setup that can accuratly split the sound, this won't make a difference in HL2, just some other things.
 
5.1 headphones are no substitute for the real thing by a long shot. But if you want some very good quality headphones, they're perfect. :)
 
Not sure at this point what ill be using with HL2/D3...most likely headphones.

I have a quadrophonic stereo ....might use that......
 
I use the 5.1 Zalman headphones. It will do good enough for HL2
 
i was considering getting the zalmans, can i get a recomendation?
 
Sampson said:
If you like things loud, then those around might get pissed if you don't go the headphone route. With headphones you can have whatever volume you want, at whatever time of the night you want, without worrying about others.
Click to expand...

Well, If I crank my stereo system (Bose 901's for L&R, 2 recently rebuilt Advent speakers, and a Bose Center) up to like -20db it isnt that loud out side my house. I seriously doubt that my next door neighbor could hear me.

As for which audio set up I'm going to have. I just play games right now with a pair of headphones that came with my cd player. They're decent enough. I don't plan on hooking the computer up to my reciever to get 5.1 because a.) i got banned from playing games (so i have to steathily play now) b.) There's no cable hook up in there so I'd only be able to play single player. I've been thinking about getting a nice pair of headphones for college because I don't have or want to spend the money on nice speakers. I'll be living in a dorm and be restricted to when I play music. I mix audio and mixing it on a set of really low fidelity headphones will result in poorly mixed audio.
 
6.1 surround = SBAudigy 2 ZS = a WHOLE lot better then headphones.
 
I myself dont like all the surrond sound stuff, headphones are much better, plus they enclose all other outside sounds
 
Headphones seem to put you closer to the "action" and do cut off all outside noise which is a plus. Plus you tend to hear more subtle things in the background which you may miss with speakers (unless extremely loud). But....a good 5.1 (or more) home theater rules overall.

I will probably hook up my home theater system to the PC for both Doom3 and HL2....but if I need to be quiet, headphones are fine for me.
 
Im sticking with my 5.1, make me feel more ''in-tune'' with the game ;)

I agree with D3 using alot of good sounds to create an atmosphere,i'de like to see how they do it, Like the screams on Painkiller made it feel alot scarier :)
 
Well I bought the Logitech z-680's in preperation for Doom 3 and Halflife 2. :)
 
Although i do have a expensive good surround sound system , so ill try each of em and see what is better :)
 
For any given price range within the sort of bounds we're talking about for your average gamer, headphones are always going to give you better quality sound than speakers. I've found that all the PC speakers I've tried are wanting in terms of quality, but I'm reasonably satisfied with a good pair of stereo headphones. I find that even 5.1 surround heaphones aren't really necessary - you can get much higher quality stereo headphones that will do a better job, especially since you can simulate surround sound quite accurately nowadays.
 
I really don't understand why you need surround sound on your computer (How the Hell do you set that up anyway? Dedicate a whole room to it or what?!)... 2.1 is just fine. I really prefer it to any headphones as well... headpohones don't have a huge subwolfer. ;)
 
Go with 5.1 though the volume concern is a prob i'll guess i'll be using my headphones at nite. But if you like gaming and also music, then you should really get some nice speakers even if they are 2.1
 
/me has 5.1
Logitech Z-640s

Not the BEST speakers in the world, but definitely good for the cost ($50 USD)
 
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