TRUE 5.1 headphones. could someone point me in the right direction?

I also put this in general discussion so please dont murder me for being a jerk.

-I am looking for a reasonably priced pair of true 5.1 gaming headphones with a mix and everything. I wont go into the gritty details, but I will say that I have done my research, and i know the difference between the turtle beach etc brands claiming to have 5.1(because they have pro logic, or SUPPORT dolby digital), and eveything else.

I have looked a bit but im so tired from work and school all the time i just dont want to take hours to research this, so i thought i would ask my fellow gaming community if they have had any luck. i was looking at the tritton AX360s, and they look pretty legit, but im still not sure... its been a long ass day.

If anyone could help me out, anything, any price, preferably cheaper, but anything will do really. i just want something that actually seperates the channels, rather than just tricks my brain into THINKING that there are seperate sounds. i want footsteps and gunfire behind me to REALLY come from back speakers. blah blah blah.

anyone?

and thanks so much in advance guys.

L

Sure thing. Here you go

In all seriousness, you don't want any form of surround sound headphones. You want a good pair of regular headphones. Combine that with a decent headphone amplifier and you're golden. Please do not look for them, as they are all trash. I personally owned the AX360s, and despise them. I thought they were good until I got my Sennheiser HD555s, which are leagues better and cost a lot less.

If you still want to get them, then the only ones that come with a digital decoder needed for consoles (assuming you're a console game) are the Tritton AXPros.

Is this for PC or console ? And true 5.1 means your headset/headphone has the individual speakers.... it would have the 4 speaker wires that connect to your sound card, and for the most part these do sound decent, but adjusting each speaker can be a hassel. Also what most people suggest, and what I'm using now is getting a good pair of stereo headphones, this will also give you great sound. On consoles I could recommend getting the Ear Force DSS 7.1 its a decoder box with this you can just pick any headset you want, and the 360 will send the 5.1 signal to them. It will be using dolby headphone technology though. But if you dont like it you can always change your 360 to stereo in the sound options menu.

Alright, i guess i should clear some things up.

First-yes this is for console. 360 to be exactly. please dont turn this into a PC vs 360 or whatever type of thing, i dont care. i play PC and 360 equally, but i couldnt care less about the phones working with my PC. just the console for now.

moving on-
I have an amazing surround sound system, and i even have a pair of true 5.1 headphones. problem is that they dont have the built in MIC. I liked them quite a bit, even though they didnt sound the best ever. They did provide me with a digital decoder, and it actually worked.(i know because im crazy and i checked each specific speaker in the headset blah blah blah)

i KNOW for a FACT that people out there want to say there are only 1 or 2 pairs on the market, but i know this cant be true anymore. it was true about 3 or 4 years ago and i cant imagine a company at this point has not stepped up their game. no way. people told me when i purchased these other pair that there were only 1 pair. guess i found the only other pair in the world that were not the expensive brand... hmm.

anyways, not trying to be a jerk about it, but i know someone out there must have a decent pair, or at least know of some that arent 500 dollars.

so i ask again!
where can i get some decent true 5.1 headphones. i have a pair of regular ones, and they are cool and everything, but i can tell that its just stereo, and it drives me nuts(cause im a crazy a-hole)

thanks

L

Sound quality isn't nearly as important as being able to pin point where said sound is coming from.i5750at4Ghz

I'll take sound quality from a good pair of headphones over a really bad quality with a cluster**** of drivers.

BTW TC, this has nothing to do with console vs PC. It's a matter of quality vs marketing crap. Also you didn't state you needed a mic. Yes you only have 1 choice, the AX pros. There's a reason they're being phased out, because these kinds of headphones are nothing but a gimmick.

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"] Sound quality isn't nearly as important as being able to pin point where said sound is coming from.ChubbyGuy40

I'll take sound quality from a good pair of headphones over a really bad quality with a cluster**** of drivers.

BTW TC, this has nothing to do with console vs PC. It's a matter of quality vs marketing crap. Also you didn't state you needed a mic. Yes you only have 1 choice, the AX pros. There's a reason they're being phased out, because these kinds of headphones are nothing but a gimmick.

I would say go with a turtle beach headset. One of the things that make them worth it is the chat boost feature. Basically you can hear your game and also hear your friends at the same time, very clearly I'll add. And the quality is very good from my experience with the X41, the only negative I had with my pair is that they are wireless, but at times you get a radom static or pop, and can get very annoying. But when they work which is 98% of the time they are amazing.

I found this looking at amazon.... Its for the 360 and it says its a ture 5.1 headset, and it has the individual speakers in the ear cups.

http://www.amazon.com/Sharkoon-X-Tatic-Surround-Not-Machine-Specific/dp/B003H4QIC0/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1317616966&sr=8-11

Those actually look decent, and definitely have seperate speakers... hmm

So i picked up some turtle beach X31s and... honestly i think they sound pretty bad. i can tell that they are stereo for sure, and they dont even support optical or spdif...

Can anyone direct me in the way of some nice, true 5.1 headphones for xbox360 with all the fancy features. ill pay whatever i need to pay after i sell these. hundreds of dollars? no issue. basically if its under 200 ill buy them

anyone, please help me out here.

im dyin. hehe.

thanks

Also- is ther a pair out there that can ACTUALLY do 5.1 wirelessly?

i was looking at these PX5s but there are some features i dont like. i do like the fact that they are wireless, and they can do blutooth to my xbox, AND my phone or whatever. pretty pimp.

basically im just looking for a pair that does true 5.1 with multiple speakers, has adjustable speaker volumes etc etc. and still have decent sound quality.

im looking at the sharkoons xtatic true 5.1s right now, but im not sure. some reviews say they sound like crap, but have awesmoe ways to make the sound custom etc etc.


wireless would be alright, but whatever. wired that sounds good will do fine.

can ANYONE friggin help a homie out here? throw me a bone, you know?

thanks again. sorry for the double post im sure its annoying.

Nik

Also- is ther a pair out there that can ACTUALLY do 5.1 wirelessly?

i was looking at these PX5s but there are some features i dont like. i do like the fact that they are wireless, and they can do blutooth to my xbox, AND my phone or whatever. pretty pimp.

basically im just looking for a pair that does true 5.1 with multiple speakers, has adjustable speaker volumes etc etc. and still have decent sound quality.

im looking at the sharkoons xtatic true 5.1s right now, but im not sure. some reviews say they sound like crap, but have awesmoe ways to make the sound custom etc etc.


wireless would be alright, but whatever. wired that sounds good will do fine.

can ANYONE friggin help a homie out here? throw me a bone, you know?

thanks again. sorry for the double post im sure its annoying.

Nik

silveriris

Let's put it this way;

You will not find headphones with true 5.1 AND decent sound quality. They simply don't exist.

I guess those sharkoons have adjustable sound volumes in every way... so unless its straight up distorted, or i play at some ridiculous level of volume, perhaps ill be ok.

anyone know anything about amazons return policy?

heh

anyone know anything about amazons return policy?

heh

silveriris

Superb, returned open package no questions ask. I hope nobody abuses this though.

Not at all in it for the abuse factor, I just want headphones that dont totally suck, and If i pay hundreds of dollars for them, i wan to be able to return them with no issues.

That being said, the 2 nights I have used these turtle beaches... i am in love with the way i can hear my own voice so i dont have to be loud when i talk.

i wish the sharkoons had this... sigh..

so what are the best turtle beaches... damnit. i dont want to have to give in to a brand name if theres something better, but im loving this feature.

What you are looking for is a pair of digital surround sound headphones with discrete drivers for each channel. The concept has existed for over 10 years, but most companies are not interested in manufacturing them because:

1. It is a very small market
2. It is expensive to manufacture
3. It is expensive to market and distribute
4. It requires significant consumer education (discrete versus matrixed)

Dolby Headphone is a matrixed surround sound processing system, which is what you're getting with something like the Turtle Beach Earforce X31. This type of surround sound is not specific to the headset, but to the processor. All headphones support Dolby Headphone.

If you have a discrete, surround sound headphone that you like, you are better off getting an external microphone and using your existing headphones. If you are bound and determined to go the discrete driver route with an attached mic, the Tritton AX Pros are currently the only pair immediately available on the market, with Razer introducing its Tiamat headphone in the near future. Personally I would wait for the Razers to actually do a comparison.

If you haven't read the sticky "Headphone FAQ," please do so.

Good luck, I hope you find what you're looking for.

Boz

I would reccomend something like the hd 555 or 558. They sound great. They blow out these fake 5.1 headsets out of the water

What you are looking for is a pair of digital surround sound headphones with discrete drivers for each channel. The concept has existed for over 10 years, but most companies are not interested in manufacturing them because:

1. It is a very small market
2. It is expensive to manufacture
3. It is expensive to market and distribute
4. It requires significant consumer education (discrete versus matrixed)

Dolby Headphone is a matrixed surround sound processing system, which is what you're getting with something like the Turtle Beach Earforce X31. This type of surround sound is not specific to the headset, but to the processor. All headphones support Dolby Headphone.

If you have a discrete, surround sound headphone that you like, you are better off getting an external microphone and using your existing headphones. If you are bound and determined to go the discrete driver route with an attached mic, the Tritton AX Pros are currently the only pair immediately available on the market, with Razer introducing its Tiamat headphone in the near future. Personally I would wait for the Razers to actually do a comparison.

If you haven't read the sticky "Headphone FAQ," please do so.

Good luck, I hope you find what you're looking for.

Boz

Bozanimal

The x31 is actually a a stereo headset, and does not have the dolby headphone technology. Other than that you are correct.

The x31 is actually a a stereo headset, and does not have the dolby headphone technology. Other than that you are correct.GTSaiyanjin2

using the Roccat Kave 5.1 true surround headset and I am loving it for gaming. Its great.

Its got 3 separate drivers in each side.

The very concept of "surround sound headphones" just sounds like a load of bull to me. How can you have true surround sound when you have 2 speaker pods strapped directly over your ears?

The very concept of "surround sound headphones" just sounds like a load of bull to me. How can you have true surround sound when you have 2 speaker pods strapped directly over your ears?

hartsickdiscipl

That's one reason that I'm making my own set of 7.1 headphones. I made the casing very wide, so I can have clear seperation between each channel. The casings were wide enough in fact for me to install 2x drivers (subs) side by side horizontally behind the 4x highs in each ear piece. I'll debut them here when I'm done, but I still have to get headphone amps for each set of channels. I'm using a small labtec subwoofer amp to push the drivers...superclocked

[QUOTE="superclocked"]That's one reason that I'm making my own set of 7.1 headphones. I made the casing very wide, so I can have clear seperation between each channel. The casings were wide enough in fact for me to install 2x drivers (subs) side by side horizontally behind the 4x highs in each ear piece. I'll debut them here when I'm done, but I still have to get headphone amps for each set of channels. I'm using a small labtec subwoofer amp to push the drivers...NamelessPlayer

So boz says there is only one headset on the market that has discrete drivers eh?silveriris

i have the tritton ax pro, and it sucks.

so my recommendation is NOT to get this one, which brings me to another topic lol should i get DPX21? i heard quite a lot of ppl are complaining this product as well. Or are there any non-gaming manufactureres(say sennheiser or bose etc.) making 5.1 headsets w/mic for 360 or ps3?

pls pm me thanks