Surrounded by audio and the value of pie: 3.1415926535898

lorax · Post by **lorax** » Tue May 31, 2005 5:56 pm

Hearing is believing? The saying is actually: “Seeing is believing”, but not in the case of Surround Sound audio. Lately, PC gamers have been bombarded with sound gadgets, including 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 Surround Sound devices. What exactly does this mean beyond the obvious aim of seducing gamers with marketing jargon? Why is the surround sound phrase preceeded with decimals and numbers?

The decimals are mere marketing gadgets. They make the advertised sound gadget appear technologically sophisticated (“techy”). Do you succomb to buying techy devices? 5.1, 6.1, 7.1. Meaningless jargons. In reality, 5.1 is another way of saying 6 speakers. And 6.1 is 7 speakers, and so on. So, do 8 speakers enhance the gaming experience?

Usually not. First off, having 8 mediocre speakers is a lot worse than having 2 good ones. Bad sound equals bad sound. If the quality of sound is poor coming from 2 speakers, imagine being surrounded by 8 of these? This would indeed put the gamer in a very noisy pickle.

And, for the very expensive surround sound setups? Does this enhance the gaming experience? Obviously not much because there is little discussion of this among the cephalopods. The very same cephalopods who inhabit these gaming boards. Remember this: an octopus has 8 arms. Is it necessary to have 8 speakers, too?

What say you?

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue May 31, 2005 6:17 pm

Actually the ".1" does have a meaning, and it's not just another speaker - it indicates a subwoofer. 5.1 = equals 5 "normal" range speakers and a very low range subwoofer that behaves very differently from the 5.

The marketing dept at Creative Labs did not just make that up - Dolby Labs came up with that specification many moons ago.

killbot737 · Post by **killbot737** » Tue May 31, 2005 6:31 pm

Yes, games that support 5.1 sound better, especially the master of ambient sound use: Thief. (Though I think Thief only did surround, so 4 speakers there.)

8 good speakers are better than 2 crappy ones.

PS You should have stopped at 3.14159 (that's 3 + 5 speakers)

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Tue May 31, 2005 6:35 pm

Four plus the subwoofer.

qp · Post by qp » Tue May 31, 2005 6:43 pm

killbot737 wrote:Yes, games that support 5.1 sound better, especially the master of ambient sound use: Thief. (Though I think Thief only did surround, so 4 speakers there.)

8 good speakers are better than 2 crappy ones.

PS You should have stopped at 3.14159 (that's 3 + 5 speakers)

Playing this on the Xbox which is hooked to my full dolby digital/dts receiver (since the munchkin was wreaking havoc with it, it ended up in my office/gameroom) - It's quite cool indeed! immersive enough at times that I don't think about the SFX, it's more like "hey there's a guy over there, better be careful!"

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Tue May 31, 2005 6:47 pm

i voted for 5.1 because i have one PC hooked into my home theater as a music/media server, as well as a 4.1 setup on my gaming PC. as others have said, the ".1" is more than just a sneaky way to indicate another normal speaker...it's an industry-standard indication that a speaker system includes a subwoofer, or that an audio signal includes a subwoofer channel.

as for the benefits of a 2.1/4.1/5.1 or more sound system, i bet anyone that owns one will attest to the improved audio quality of a system with a designated subwoofer to handle the low-frequency range...makes all the difference in the world if you have even an inexpensive setup.

is it necessary to have more than two speakers? no, it's not...but i know my surround setup makes for a much more immersive and enjoyable audio experience both with music and in games. after having a surround system on my gaming PC for the last 5 years, i know i'll never go back 8)

geezer · Post by **geezer** » Tue May 31, 2005 7:30 pm

7.1 here.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Tue May 31, 2005 8:03 pm

2.1 here. Logitech z-340.

WPD · Post by **WPD** » Tue May 31, 2005 8:24 pm

I always eat my pie in one sitting, no need for 3.1415926535898 slices.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Tue May 31, 2005 8:48 pm

3.1415926535897932384

killbot737 · Post by **killbot737** » Tue May 31, 2005 9:22 pm

The Meal wrote:3.1415926535897932384

Now my ship will never reach the Andromeda galaxy!

Damn you lorax!

Ripstar · Post by **Ripstar** » Tue May 31, 2005 9:29 pm

Creepy_Smell · Post by **Creepy_Smell** » Tue May 31, 2005 9:39 pm

I have 2.1 yet normally just wear headphones.

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Tue May 31, 2005 9:47 pm

lorax wrote:What say you?

I think you need to get pithier. I was bored after the second paragraph.

knob · Post by **knob** » Tue May 31, 2005 10:23 pm

Plus

I rarely use the headphones after getting the Klipsch's just because the headphones tend to get annoying to wear after a while. And while the headphones sound better, the Klipschs are absolutely incredible speakers.

CeeKay · Post by **CeeKay** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:08 pm

i own pi squared!

Two Sheds · Post by **Two Sheds** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:47 pm

Those are some pretty sweet-looking speakers, Valael.

I think you need to get pithier. I was bored after the second paragraph.

Agreed. He's really trying too hard at this point.

Atheist · Post by **Atheist** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 12:19 am

I'm rocking the Creative Inspire 5.1 Digital 5700.. and I've loved every second I've had it.

http://www.creative.com/products/produc ... roduct=439

Rock on Wayne!

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 1:29 am

I voted 5 since I have 4 mains plus 1 subwoofer.

yossar · Post by **yossar** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 2:39 am

The Meal wrote:3.1415926535897932384

He was just rounding it. Really, any more digits of pi than that is just silly.

Napoleon · Post by **Napoleon** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 8:54 am

Three.

2 mains and a subwoofer. I don't have space in my room for surround speakers.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 8:58 am

I have a 4.1 setup, but since I upgraded my NForce 2 software, I can no longer get the calibration program to calibrate for my subwoofer (and thus I'm not sure if it's used in games).

Two Sheds · Post by **Two Sheds** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 9:24 am

Whether the sub is working or not should be pretty obvious. Just, you know, touch it.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 9:42 am

yossar wrote:
The Meal wrote:3.1415926535897932384
He was just rounding it. Really, any more digits of pi than that is just silly.

[monotone]Thaaaaanks yossar.[/monotone]

I was going for wordlessly pithy and avoiding the obvious troll about the spelling of the greek letter in question.

~Neal

Spiff · Post by **Spiff** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 9:50 am

Nice setup Valael. I own a set of Klipsch also, and they're great.

The best part about Klipsch though is their customer service. I had a problem with my sub, and they shipped me a new one prior to my shipping my original one to them. Best CS experience I've ever had with a company.

On a related note - While my brother-in-law was working for a TV station in Tulsa, he went to the Klipsch factory in Arkansas and interviewed some people for a morning show he did. They gave him a tour of the facilities and QA process. He told me that speakers that don't meet certain standards, are just thrown in the trash. He said he really couldn't tell the difference in sound (and he's a huge audiofile), but that Klipsch won't ship anything that doesn't meet certain standards.

Beer Goggles · Post by **Beer Goggles** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 10:06 am

Logitech Z-5500 5.1 system.

morlac · Post by **morlac** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 2:17 pm

Spiff wrote:Nice setup Valael. I own a set of Klipsch also, and they're great.

The best part about Klipsch though is their customer service. I had a problem with my sub, and they shipped me a new one prior to my shipping my original one to them. Best CS experience I've ever had with a company.

On a related note - While my brother-in-law was working for a TV station in Tulsa, he went to the Klipsch factory in Arkansas and interviewed some people for a morning show he did. They gave him a tour of the facilities and QA process. He told me that speakers that don't meet certain standards, are just thrown in the trash. He said he really couldn't tell the difference in sound (and he's a huge audiofile), but that Klipsch won't ship anything that doesn't meet certain standards.

Not very unusual to ship the new one before recieving the broken one...they usually want you to return the old one in the new packaging and put prepay fedex tags in there for that purpose. Both Dell and Gateway do this that i have had expierence with.

Runs off to find location of nearest Klipsch dumpster!

morlac · Post by **morlac** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 2:21 pm

? for you sorround sounders...

Where do you put your rear speakers? I game at my desk and if I had them they would have to be about 15 feet behind me unless I put them in the middle of the room on top of my foosball table.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:04 pm

After moving to a smaller apartment, I put my rear speakers on the floor under my desk. It's not as good as having them behind me, but I can still get accused of wallhacking in Counterstrike, so the surround effect must be working.

JonathanStrange · Post by **JonathanStrange** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:41 pm

killbot737 wrote:Yes, games that support 5.1 sound better, especially the master of ambient sound use: Thief. (Though I think Thief only did surround, so 4 speakers there.)

8 good speakers are better than 2 crappy ones.

PS You should have stopped at 3.14159 (that's 3 + 5 speakers)

Agree, having having six great speakers turned what was a minor detail (a game's sounds) into a very amusing, immersive and enjoyable "big deal". Never would've believed that I'd care one way or the other. Thief, SS2, and others are just that much more enjoyable.

geezer · Post by **geezer** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:45 pm

morlac wrote:? for you sorround sounders...

Where do you put your rear speakers? I game at my desk and if I had them they would have to be about 15 feet behind me unless I put them in the middle of the room on top of my foosball table.

My desk is in a corner of my office -- center channel is right in front of me, FL and FR ar on the far corners of the desk, the side channel speakers sit on the right and left back corners of the desk and the two rear channels sit on the bookcase about 2 feet behind my head

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 5:01 pm

morlac wrote:? for you sorround sounders...

Where do you put your rear speakers? I game at my desk and if I had them they would have to be about 15 feet behind me unless I put them in the middle of the room on top of my foosball table.

in my current apartment, my computer desk is in the bedroom, so i have some other furniture to set the surround speakers (4.1) on behind me. the two front speakers are on opposite ends of my desk. one surround is on the corner of a dresser, and the other is on top of a short bookshelf...both are almost exactly equal distance to the back and sides from my chair (about 6.5 feet from my head), and all the speakers are only about 6 inches below ear-level. it's a damn near perfect setup and sounds great 8)

unfortunately, i'm moving in about 2 weeks and i'm not quite sure yet how i'm going to work out a nice setup in my new office. i will be arranging the furniture in some way that allows me good speaker positions though.

martindemon · Post by **martindemon** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 6:48 pm

I have a 5.1 system but I use the stereo mode because my sound card driver is TOO DUMB to recognise it

In fact, it works in 2.1 with the subwoofer receiving the signal splitted by my Denon receiver.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 12:52 am

The Meal wrote:3.1415926535897932384

Didn't you hear? Pi is defunct. All circles are now squares.

Peacedog · Post by **Peacedog** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:42 am

Didn't you hear? Pi is defunct. All circles are now squares.

You think cubic. You are wisest.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:59 am

Peacedog wrote:
Didn't you hear? Pi is defunct. All circles are now squares.
You think cubic. You are wisest.

Aren't these references more appropriate for a U2K thread?

~Neal

Papa Smurph · Post by **Papa Smurph** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 11:14 am

The Meal wrote:
Peacedog wrote:
Didn't you hear? Pi is defunct. All circles are now squares.
You think cubic. You are wisest.
Aren't these references more appropriate for a U2K thread?

~Neal

So, The Meal is implying that U2K == Lorax... you might be on to something there!!

Peacedog · Post by **Peacedog** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 2:41 pm

Aren't these references more appropriate for a U2K thread?

There are four simultaneous days in the earth's rotation.

you are educated singularity stupid by academic bastards.

point, though

Octopus Overlords

Surrounded by audio and the value of pie: 3.1415926535898

How many speakers do you connect to your sound device?

Surrounded by audio and the value of pie: 3.1415926535898

Re: Surrounded by audio and the value of pie: 3.141592653589