Real vs Virtual surround sound

[youssef 2010]

I currently have a Roccat Kave headset. It's a 5.1 real surround sound headset. I've been using them for a little more than 3 years now and I'm considering replacing them. My main question is if there's a significant difference between real and virtual surround sound.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message

 

[Killmeplsok]

No, not really actually, the position of each driver in those real surround headset are too close to each other to produce actual surround experience. Almost all surround headset in the market now are closed back, so an actual open back one, stereo headphone, could sound more surround than a lot of surround headsets.

 

[youssef 2010]

But with my Kave, I could literally close my eyes and accurately tell where the sound is coming from. I checked out the virtual barber shop video on youtube and was able to constantly tell where the sound was coming from. Have you tried real and virtual surround sound headsets? and my other question is can any premium gaming headset (I mean in the $150 range) be used as a surround headset?

Bear in mind that I have a Xonar DX sound card and therefore I only consider headsets that have a 3.5mm jack (Not a USB cable)

 

[Killmeplsok]

The Kave and Tiamat is what I actually had, out of about 30 headsets I own, Tiamat is one of the worst audio quality wise, while the Kave is barely in the mid range. IMO cramping several drivers in each can does not actually enhance the audio quality, in some cases, that actually make them worse. The surround effect is there, but I'll say its definitely not worth the tradeoff of audio quality since you actually have a quite decent sound card that supports Virtual surround.

Believe me, I watched the video with my Sennheiser HD600, Sennheiser HD558, Audio Technica m50x, Takstar Pro 60, Superlux HD668b, and Hyperx Cloud, and with each of them I have no problem telling where the sound of the barber coming from.

 

[youssef 2010]

Wow, that's a serious number of headsets. So which headset would you recommend in the $150 range?

 

[Killmeplsok]

I would recommend an Audio Technica m50x or a Sennheiser HD558 headphones with a modmic to make it a complete headset.

 

[youssef 2010]

I generally prefer sound isolating headphones and the HD 558 look to be an open design. Is there something similar with sound isolation? Let's just forget the mic for now as I rarely use it. Forgive my ignorance but I want to know if there's a big difference between these two options and the Roccat Kave? I've checked the reviews for both of them and they are an inspired choice but I need the opinion of someone who used the kave, the HD 558 and the m50x

 

[Killmeplsok]

Yes it is a open back one.

I have a Sennheiser hd380 pro and its pretty good, and there is also their hd280 pro which is not that much of a difference.

I do think there are other manufacturer that makes better closed back headphones though, AKG K271 is a decent one, the bass is a little weak though based on my experience, the Beyerdynamic DT770 sound isolation is very good, with great audio, I would recommend to go with that.

Note that a lot of my experience with closed back headphones comes from my experience while testing products as a headphones reseller (I am an open back fan myself so I do not owned a lot of closed back one, only7~8)), so they're mostly brand new and not burn in therefore they might sound different after some time, mostly better according to a lot of audiophiles.

As for your question, if you're using them purely for gaming, I don't think the difference is significant enough for you to replace it with the two I suggested, honestly, if you do, however, want to do other stuff like listening to music or watching movie with them, they sound a lot more better than the Kave and I would definitely recommend the other 2 over Kave.

 

[youssef 2010]

which headphones do you mean by the other 2?

The 558s, the m50x, the 380 pro, the 280 pro, the K271, or the DT770s

And I do watch a lot of movies and listen to a fair bit of music as well. The kaves are getting old and they are a bit worn down after 3 hears of continuous use. That's why I'm looking for a replacement. I just knew yesterday that Sennheiser has been making headphones for over 60 years. I don't think there's another headphone company with that much experience. That's why I want to try one of their headphones.

Also, after considering the prices in my country. The HD 558s will cost me $148 after shipping and everything else. That's only because it's priced at $119 at Amazon. That's the lowest price I could find. So, I decided to stick to the range of $100-$150

 

[Killmeplsok]

which headphones do you mean by the other 2?

The 558s, the m50x, the 380 pro, the 280 pro, the K271, or the DT770s

And I do watch a lot of movies and listen to a fair bit of music as well. The kaves are getting old and they are a bit worn down after 3 hears of continuous use. That's why I'm looking for a replacement. I just knew yesterday that Sennheiser has been making headphones for over 60 years. I don't think there's another headphone company with that much experience. That's why I want to try one of their headphones.

Also, after considering the prices in my country. The HD 558s will cost me $148 after shipping and everything else. That's only because it's priced at $119 at Amazon. That's the lowest price I could find. So, I decided to stick to the range of $100-$150

The two you mentioned.

 

[youssef 2010]

I've just seen on Amazon that the HD 598 are on sale for about $175. I'm thinking of getting these instead of the HD 558. Are they a step up from the 558 in your opinion?

 

[youssef 2010]

I've ordered the HD 598's. I'll update this thread when I receive them to tell you how it compares to the Kave IMHO. Thank you for all your support, you've been very helpful

 

[youssef 2010]

The sound quality is quite a bit better than the Roccat Kave but I'm sorry to say Virtual Surround in nowhere as good as real surround sound