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best 5.1 surround (6 channel) laptop option - Page 2

post #21 of 26
7/6/05 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gsferrari
I havent noticed any issues with USB overhead and honestly...in this day and age...with the USB2.0 drivers...if you complain about USB overhead then it is time to revamp your system.
Indeed, USB interface is not a problem for games (Just make sure that it is USB2 because USB1.1 does not have enough bandwidth for 6 channel quality sound).

But since this is not Gaming subforum but Audio & Video Editing, the most important thing is that Audigy 2 NX, for instance, does not have ASIO drivers. That immediately makes it unacceptable for (semi-)serious audio work. I know there are 3rd-party ASIO drivers for NX - commercial and free (ASIO4ALL) - but I had some problems with the latter and I have not tried the former.
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post #22 of 26
7/6/05 at 4:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gsferrari
Exactly...what exactly are you not in agreement with? With the current processors that have superb performance overhead capacity - USB related cpu cycle usage is the least of your worries.
I think I was fairly clear. USB incurs measurable CPU overhead - more so than a non-USB sound card solution such as PCMCIA or PCI. This is due to the CPU intensive nature of the USB standard. Todays CPU's and GPU's are certainly powerful. But as quickly as hardware grows in power the software (O/S, drivers, applications, games, etc.) grows in complexity to gobble up the available cycles. So in this day and age performance is STILL something to consider.

I did not say that a USB sound card solution was unacceptable. Rather I simply stated that it does carry some additional overhead. So if you had to compare two solutions, for example a USB sound card vs. a PCMCIA sound card - then all things being equal the PCMCIA solution will likely provide measurably better performance. So if you are one of those people who tries to get the absolute maximum performance from your PC / notebook - then the overhead of USB is something to consider.
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post #23 of 26
7/10/05 at 9:26am

Headphones not such a dead end.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gsferrari
Dont want to rain on your party but 6 driver headphones are hardly surround sound. Look at it from a "practical" point of view. Having 4 speakers, 2 on each side of your head in line with the ear, ,and a subwoofer+center channel in front - IS NOT SURROUND SOUND. It is all about spatialization and the interaction of sound with your physical "attributes" like your ear canal, outer ear, head shape etc.

6 drivers at close range to the ear is not surround sound. It is merely confused and conflicting stereo sound.

None of the 5.1 headphones (so called surround headphones) have done a passable job. I have always reverted to common stereo headphones.

Save your money and invest it in a good 5.1 speaker system for best results...or stick with stereo headphones and an external processor.
I'm sorry but I have a pair of turtle beach headphones that plug into my Audigy 2 (PCMCIA) and I can clearly hear the rear channel....

Everywhere on the web I always read of people bitching about these headphones but I don't think it's fair. If they just plug them in and expect a clear and distinct channel for the rear its not going to happen.. you have to configure the rear. In my case it was lowering the rear volume a touch below the volume of the fronts.

As for your argument about the subs not sounding great.. you've obviously never worn these headphones they have awesome low tone reproduction and with the audigy settings I can adjust what frequency is the cutoff for the subs. Plus bass boosting options.

Honestly as much as people piss on surround headphones they actually perform very well when compared to more expensive speaker set-ups.
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post #24 of 26
7/11/05 at 3:10pm
You are quite correct. The problem is - with normal stereo headphones you will have the same imaging! This is not a unique quality of the 5.1 headphone and doesnt justify the extra price. Get a nice circumaural open headphone and enjoy higher quality sound without the OBVIOUS distortion and coloration that accompanies multiple drivers active in the same soundspace.

Technically flawed.

If I were you I would think twice before telling me that I havent heard a pair of headphones. Especially when I talk about them. You may be a geek but you are not the sort of headphone geek that I am so back off...
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post #25 of 26
7/11/05 at 7:12pm
Wow... I wasn't saying you never wore a pair of headpones. I said these headphones. No reason to call me a geek no reason to insult someone. It was my opinion. Which I believe this post was all about, getting people's opinions. You think surround headphones don't work because the speakers are too close to eachother, I say differently. Nothing to take personally.
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post #26 of 26
7/15/05 at 4:42pm
I apologize for that outburst...raw nerves with some crazy deadlines
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