[nonothing]

Been testing out my Asus U3(7.1 virtual surround sound) all day, and while the sound is much cleaner, and maybe some hint's of things above and behind me while playing first person shooters, I was left a little disappointed. Is the technology to trick the ear into thinking a sound is coming from various directions(other than left/right) capped? Does anyone see the technology greatly improving to the point it is very clear?

 

[cdsa35000]

Only with true binaural/hrtf 3D head stereo recording can give the front/back distant sounds.
http://www.google.com/search?q=3d+head+recording

Virtual headphone surround processing is a gimmick that downmix the discrete 5.1/7.1 speaker sounds to "3D" stereo.
SBX surround processing is mostly better than Dolby Headphone as you can adjust the surround intensity 0-100%.
DH is designed for DD5.1 movies for the "movietheater" feel with added "cave" reverberation.

See for more details and comparations here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/748785/dolby-home-threater-v4-7-1-vs-sbx-pro-5-1

 

[RRod]

You may also be interested in reading about virtualization from games via libraries like OpenAL. See:
http://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/10/864980278184895534/?l=english
http://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/1fzonq/psa_for_games_using_openal_including_minecraft/cagd3lb
 
The best virtual surround I've heard is from OpenAL with a custom HRTF loaded.

 

[Stillhart]

Only with true binaural/hrtf 3D head stereo recording can give the front/back distant sounds.
http://www.google.com/search?q=3d+head+recording

Virtual headphone surround processing is a gimmick that downmix the discrete 5.1/7.1 speaker sounds to "3D" stereo.
SBX surround processing is mostly better than Dolby Headphone as you can adjust the surround intensity 0-100%.
DH is designed for DD5.1 movies for the "movietheater" feel with added "cave" reverberation.

See for more details and comparations here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/748785/dolby-home-threater-v4-7-1-vs-sbx-pro-5-1

 
There's also the new DTS Headphone:X that is better than either SBX or DH.  
 
Many of us who regularly spend time in the Mad Lust Envy thread have noticed that some people tend to prefer Dolby Headphone or SBX pretty strongly.  You might check some of the comparison videos to see what you think.  Here's one of my favorites:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ROujJ8Ae8

 

[cdsa35000]

There's also the new DTS Headphone:X that is better than either SBX or DH.  

Many of us who regularly spend time in the Mad Lust Envy thread have noticed that some people tend to prefer Dolby Headphone or SBX pretty strongly.  You might check some of the comparison videos to see what you think.  Here's one of my favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ROujJ8Ae8

Did you read what guy wrote about his DH: "I was left a little disappointed."
Clearly he is not satisfied with HP surround and think/want something else that are "better" and the best compromise in SQ is SBX with adjustable surround intensity 0-100% for finetuning.
DTS Headphone:X is not any better than DH and is aimed for smartphones etc.

http://listen.dts.com/pages/headphone-x

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dts+headphone+x.

 

[Stillhart]

Did you read what guy wrote about his DH: "I was left a little disappointed."
Clearly he is not satisfied with HP surround and think/want something else that are "better" and the best compromise in SQ is SBX with adjustable surround intensity 0-100% for finetuning.
DTS Headphone:X is not any better than DHand is aimed for smartphones etc.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dts+headphone+x.

Yes, I find DH a little disappointing too and prefer SBX by quite a bit.  I was agreeing with you in different words.  If you check my signature, you'll see that I have one DH device and two SBX/THX devices (tho I have 2 Recons, so technically three!).  
 
Regarding DTSHX, what I've heard of it has been really impressive as it adds a vertical element that isn't present in DH or SBX.  Unfortunately, the only devices incorporating it right now are TB's headphones, which kinda suck compared to things like the Q701.
 
Speaking of which, that's another thing the OP should consider.  Some headphones lend themselves really well to virtual surround.  MLE's guide is a really good resource for that.

 

[cdsa35000]

Yes, I find DH a little disappointing too and prefer SBX by quite a bit.  I was agreeing with you in different words.  If you check my signature, you'll see that I have one DH device and two SBX/THX devices (tho I have 2 Recons, so technically three!).  

Regarding DTSHX, what I've heard of it has been really impressive as it adds a vertical element that isn't present in DH or SBX.  Unfortunately, the only devices incorporating it right now are TB's headphones, which kinda suck compared to things like the Q701.

Speaking of which, that's another thing the OP should consider.  Some headphones lend themselves really well to virtual surround.  MLE's guide is a really good resource for that.

Yes, any increase of out-of-head surround effect is decrease in SQ.
GO listen to many samples yourself:
http://listen.dts.com/pages/headphone-x

 

[Stillhart]

Yes, any increase of out-of-head surround effect is decrease in SQ.
GO listen to many samples yourself:
http://listen.dts.com/pages/headphone-x

 
You maybe missed the part above where I said that I'd heard it already.
 
Regardless, you may or may not be correct about the resultant loss in SQ, but I think that's an unimportant distinction when it comes to gaming.  Most cideo game SQ is poor to begin with so losing some SQ doesn't really do much.  However the increased immersion and playability of certain games is worth the trade-off to many of us.

 

[cdsa35000]

You maybe missed the part above where I said that I'd heard it already.

Regardless, you may or may not be correct about the resultant loss in SQ, but I think that's an unimportant distinction when it comes to gaming.  Most cideo game SQ is poor to begin with so losing some SQ doesn't really do much.  However the increased immersion and playability of certain games is worth the trade-off to many of us.

You can get Turtle Beach Z60 use a 3.5mm headphone output, so can connect to any HP.
http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Beach-Ear-Force-Headphone/dp/B00I0S7JH6

 

[Stillhart]

Yeah, caught that at PAX last year.  But it doesn't work on consoles.  

 

[nonothing]

Wow guys, this is more information than I could have hopped for. Thanks.