5.1 Headphone experience *Foobar configuration for all stereo music files* - Page 7

Its hard to hear distortion/clipping when no dsp are enabled. Once channel mixer is on it adds enough gain to make it very noticeable. I think the settings needs to be revised or use another DSP.

2Pac- All Eyez on Me(LAME V0)

Lately I've been listening to lots of rap which usually is above 0db. I tried out ATsurround and it normalizes the audio properly but not many features like Channel Mixer.

I don't think it's due to the equipment. The HD555 is hardly a can that can resolve detail to that extent. It must be with the music files. Since they're lossy files, why don't you try ReplayGain? That tends to reduce or eliminate clipping. This doesn't apply to lossless, only lossy.

I posted something similar in another thread.
The full thread is here.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f9/lou...ml#post6238207

The new settings seem to work... but I think I'm going back to normal 2ch listening. It's fun to listen to for a while but I think I loose some high freq when using dolby headphone. One time I was using replaygain but I just gave it up and listened normally.

ah well. maybe its not for everyone. Myself, I can't go back to listening to music the same way again. I feel spoiled. This is the closest I'll get to having a decent sounding surround sound system for a fraction of the cost anytime soon. I only wish that I could get dolby headphone and this setup on my iphone.

Almost everyone who has tried this can't go back. Welcome to the club. haha

Listening to "Black Cherry" now using the default setting w/o LFE enabled and going back and forth with your OP setting...

I'm not sure I agree with turning off the front to back cross feed, or the subwoofer setting either.

Every effect I disable makes the sound, sound flatter............ until everything is turned off and I'm back to where I started... stereo.

Did you discover a problem with the front to back cross feed or the sub woofer setting?

USG

It may or may not have to do with anything but someone has reported a problem with the rear channels being out of phase:

Channel Mixer (foo_channel_mixer) - Hydrogenaudio Forums

5.1 Virtualization or surround upmixing is not for everybody. Purists frown on it and some just don't like the sound. As far as I am concerned if it sound good to you, then it is good.
To each their own.

Well I'm using A700's out of an X-Fi and this makes my music sound less like its playing inside my head, which is a good thing I guess. There's no longer any clear distinction between L and R, instruments that you could previously only hear through one ear sound more like they're further out away from me instead of being right next to my ear. Is this what people refer to when they mention soundstage? How spread out everything sounds? Vocals also sound less prominent relative to the overall music.

Overall it sounds pretty great, there's just the issue of making the switch from iTunes to foobar, and overcoming the doubts raised by my inner purist. I may be using a terrible source to drive ampless budget headphones but messing this much with a recording still makes me uncomfortable.

More or less.

Your source is one of the most important links. Just do the switch. I switched from iTunes and I haven't looked back.

Yeah I think I'll do that. Do you think you could give me a quick run down of how to set up foobar's output optimally? I've heard people use stuff like ASIO or whatever and I have no idea what any of it means. My foobar atm is just a fresh install with the modifications posted in this thread. I've got my XtremeMusic in audio creation mode with bit perfect output on. Thanks.

this is absolutely amazing. definitely the revolutionary listening experience i've been looking for since i joined head-fi. i love you. if i was a woman i'd ask you to bear my children.