Am I the only who did not know this Windows setting for Headphones?

[5genez]

I have been listening with HP's for some time now.
It keeps my fellow apartment dwellers being friends and myself happy.

There had been an app sitting in Windows that I did not pay attention to up until recently.

In the past it was normal for me when listening with speakers to reset sample rate and bit depth for videos and music.
I did so by going into the Windows Sound app.

In the Windows Sound app I would click on Speakers..

Then, clicking 'Properties'.
While looking at Speaker Properties, I would click on top of the box "the advanced tab."
Then I would set the sample rate and bit depth. accordingly.

But, now that I am listening exclusively with headphones I recently made a setting discovery.
To the right of that Advanced tab? There is another tab... " Spatial sound."

Spatial sound is designed for Windows for improved headphone use.
It can make a very good live recording sound even more real and alive.
Its not echo.

Just want to pass this on in case not everyone is aware of this function yet.

From my ears to yours..... 5GeneZ

 

[msing539]

Thank you, many of us actually turn spatial sound and audio enhancements off. But there is no wrong way.

 

[5genez]

Thank you, many of us actually turn spatial sound and audio enhancements off. But there is no wrong way.

Some audio enhancements in different software I have not liked.
The one I am speaking of is the one found in Windows 10.

I am a musician, and what it does makes it sound more like what I hear when I am there.

 

[msing539]

Some audio enhancements in different software I have not liked.
The one I am speaking of is the one found in Windows 10.

I am a musician, and what it does makes it sound more like what I hear when I am there.

Understood. I mean many people turn the Windows enhancements off. I also run Windows 10 x64 on my main computer.

 

[5genez]

Understood. I mean many people turn the Windows enhancements off. I also run Windows 10 x64 on my main computer.

To each his own....

What I spoke of was only intended for "those who have ears to hear."

 

[gregorio]

To each his own....
What I spoke of was only intended for "those who have ears to hear."

How well the Spatial Audio setting works depends on a number of factors, including an individual’s HRTF and the material you feed it to start with. Surround format TV/Film sound tends to work best, two channel (stereo) music recordings tend to work less well and some people want or prefer to hear what the engineers/artists created rather than what a Windows App decides. But of course, this is only intended “for those who have ears to hear” and/or those who have a brain capable of learning knowledge and understanding what Spatial Audio is attempting to accomplish.

G

 

[5genez]

How well the Spatial Audio setting works depends on a number of factors, including an individual’s HRTF and the material you feed it to start with. Surround format TV/Film sound tends to work best, two channel (stereo) music recordings tend to work less well and some people want or prefer to hear what the engineers/artists created rather than what a Windows App decides. But of course, this is only intended “for those who have ears to hear” and/or those who have a brain capable of learning knowledge and understanding what Spatial Audio is attempting to accomplish.

G

All those other things you mentioned?
If I remember my search results correctly?
Spatial Audio in Windows 10 is intended for Headphones.. not speakers.

Headphones normally are a controlled and predictable audio environment.

I used to try it with my speakers and would turn it off.

With that in mind.
I still think some ought to try it only with their headphones.

 

[gregorio]

All those other things you mentioned?

I didn’t mention any other things, everything I mentioned is part of Spatial Audio.

Spatial Audio in Windows 10 is intended for Headphones.. not speakers.

I didn’t mention speakers and Spatial Audio is a binaural process and therefore has nothing to do with speakers, only headphones.

Headphones normally are a controlled and predictable audio environment.

No, headphones normally are an uncontrolled and unpredictable audio environment! Because by definition, the audio environment for headphones requires actually putting them on someone’s head and we all have different pinnae (they’re as individual as fingerprints), as well as somewhat different head sizes and shapes, somewhat different ear canals, somewhat different hearing and not uncommonly, a somewhat different perception of what our ears are hearing. And all this is without even considering individual preferences and lastly, the audio environments we’re actually reproducing (the audio recordings) are hugely variable to start with.

I still think some ought to try it only with their headphones.

No one is making the argument that people ought not to try it, that is an entirely different assertion! We’re disputing your assertion that Spatial Audio is an improvement which “makes a very good live recording sound even more real and alive” for “those who have ears to hear.", which is false! Almost all of us “have ears to hear”, some of us even have formally trained listening skills and whether Spatial Audio is an improvement or actually worse is dependent on a number of factors, as already mentioned.

G

 

[5genez]

I didn’t mention any other things, everything I mentioned is part of Spatial Audio.

I didn’t mention speakers and Spatial Audio is a binaural process and therefore has nothing to do with speakers, only headphones.

No, headphones normally are an uncontrolled and unpredictable audio environment! Because by definition, the audio environment for headphones requires actually putting them on someone’s head and we all have different pinnae (they’re as individual as fingerprints), as well as somewhat different head sizes and shapes, somewhat different ear canals, somewhat different hearing and not uncommonly, a somewhat different perception of what our ears are hearing. And all this is without even considering individual preferences and lastly, the audio environments we’re actually reproducing (the audio recordings) are hugely variable to start with.

No one is making the argument that people ought not to try it, that is an entirely different assertion! We’re disputing your assertion that Spatial Audio is an improvement which “makes a very good live recording sound even more real and alive” for “those who have ears to hear.", which is false! Almost all of us “have ears to hear”, some of us even have formally trained listening skills and whether Spatial Audio is an improvement or actually worse is dependent on a number of factors, as already mentioned.

G

Take it easy...... please. Relax.

Thanks for the info.

Why did you assume that many turn it off?
When its not turned on by default?

 

[RoThe]

Sorry to revive this older thread but this is the newest one I found about this topic. In my experience "activate audio enhancements" should not be ticked.
At work I use my Topping G5 as DAC/Amp attached to a windows machine with Spotify. I realized when I turn down the volume in the Spotify application and increase it on the G5 the sound becomes really dull and overly bassy, treble and upper mids strongly recessed. If I decrease the general Windows volume however and turn up G5 volume this doesn't happen. I figured it'd be a problem with Spotify but changing settings didn't help, also I couldn't find anything on the internet.
Disabling the "audio enhancements" solves this issue however. I don't know what this feature does or how it works, maybe it somehow also depends on the audio device, but for me that's a no-go.

 

[BrokeAudiophileMan]

To each his own....

What I spoke of was only intended for "those who have ears to hear."

It's not about that at all. Different people have different preferences. Hearing is the most subjective sense in the human body. We can all agree red is red, green is green, skunk smells like skunk, strawberry ice cream smells like strawberry ice cream, OLED TV looks better than LED TV, etc. But when it comes to sound, no two people hear alike. Different shaped ears, eardrums, ear canals. One of the reasons why there are like 5000 IEM/headphone/earbud options in the global market is that everybody hears differently. You could never have 5000 models of TV for example because vision is pretty standardized across humans (with good vision, not counting color blind or vision impaired people). HTH.