Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2021/01/22/great-deal-on-solid-asus-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html
…
You’d be amazed with what you can hear with good quality stereo headphones when listening to a properly produced binaural recording (dummy head recording). The shape of the human head and the way it shades sound coming to each ear has a huge impact in how you perceive sound. You don’t actually need “10 neodymium drivers” for good sound. Two, left and right, is all you really need. (plus a sound engineer who can mix it properly for headphones)
I wish movies, especially on streaming platforms, offered an additional binaural mix. It can be quite immersive if done correctly.
1 Like
7.1 headphones?! Trumps legacy lives on: words don’t actually have meaning anymore; they’re just sounds we make to trigger emotions.
I’m going to brush my teeth with my 3D toothpaste and then to sleep on my HD mattress.
8 Likes
There’s a Binaural mix (DTS:X) on “Crimson Peak”.
I don’t remember any other discs having a custom track-- although there is something to be said for listening to horror movies in the wee hour of the mornings when headphones are neccessary, it may have been a thinly disguised advertisement for DTS’s then latest codec.
1 Like
Yup, really that’s great deal, I am so glad to hear it.
From what I’ve seen, most if not all of these “7.1 surround headsets” are in fact just stereo headsets with a processing chip that simulates surround from a multichannel input. In theory, you should be able to get the same effect with any stereo headphones and good software processing (or an even better effect for games, where the original source is material is fully dynamic positional audio instead of a multichannel premixed soundtrack).
One interesting implementation I’ve seen is Apple’s simulated surround mode on Airpods, which uses head tracking so the sound field remains fixed relative to the device you’re watching on instead of your head - but that only works with iOS devices (not even macs or Apple’s streaming boxes), unfortunately. It’s a pretty impressive effect when it works, though.
2 Likes
The ASUS STRIX 7.1 has 5 drivers in each ear cup. There is still a processing chip of course.
1 Like
Huh. I have to agree with you - that seems entirely pointless, except as a bulletpoint in marketing materials. Counterproductive, even? My understanding is that on-ear headphones usually avoid multi-driver designs (with a crossover, as in speakers and some IEMs) because it’s very difficult to keep the drivers from interfering with each other and producing distortion.
1 Like
Per Honey, lowest price in 120 days.
Hey, this will be a nice upgrade from my quadraphonic headphones.
OMG I thought I was making a joke… TIL.
2 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
