[scottymac]

is this kind of what crossfeed is like? i might be looking into buying an amp (total bithead?) and the crossfeed feature sounds interesting. i might already have it though...

Quote:

"Going beyond ordinary stereo playback is Creative's Multi Speaker Surround 3D technology option (also known as CMSS 3D). CMSS 3D is perfect for up-mixing stereo content such as CD, Wave, MP3, and WMA files into full, immersive 7.1 surround. Or if you prefer, enable the Stereo Surround to mirror the front speaker image to the rears. This is common to the multi-speaker mode found on many home receivers. How CMSS 3D works is by reading specific bands of frequencies from your music and placing them into unique speaker positions. Can't wait for a multi-channel mix from your favorite artist? Simply enable the CMSS 3D feature and create your own. That's how average stereo audio gets a modern, multi-channel treatment. CMSS 3D comes in 2 modes: CMSS and CMSS 2. The original CMSS was designed to bring staid, static stereo content into the 5.1 realm. Exclusive to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 series, CMSS 2, the new addition to CMSS 3D, goes above and beyond that basic 3D up-mix technology and introduces a few new features. For starters, only CMSS 2 takes advantage of the rear center channel for stereo to 7.1 up-mixes of CD, Wave, MP3, and WMA files. CMSS 2 also has a sophisticated DVD/Muti-channel wave playback mode created just for headphones and two channel speaker systems. This mode allows for a wide, virtualized surround sensation from multi-channel sources like DVD movies without the burden of a multi-channel speaker set-up. To sweeten the effect, a touch of room ambience is added in the rear virtual speakers simulating a larger listening environment. It's unlike anything you've ever heard!"

http://www.soundblaster.com/resource...4&page=1&cat=0

 

[Duggeh]

Its good for computer games when combined with EAX. For upmixing stereo to surround, I dont like what it does to the sound. For downmixing surround to stereo or headphones, I much prefer Dolbys downmixers.

Its not related to crossfeed and to my knowledge, does not perform any crossfeed function. What youve pasted below looks like it came straight from the marketing guys at creative, these are the same people who can make an MP3 sound better than the original studio master tapes and who can quantify "experience" on a linear scale.

Basically, get the bithead.

 

[scottymac]

ah, i see. and i meant the "Airhead"

http://www.headphone.com/products/he...al-airhead.php

 

[Redo]

It isn't crossfeed. CMSS3d downmixes sources (eg 5.1 to 2 channel) or upmixes sources (eg 2channel to 5.1 or 5.1 to 7.1).

 

[Davesrose]

I haven't listened to creative's new 3d effect.....but there's a ton of 3D headphone effects! I have listened to Dolby Headphone, SRS headphone, DTS, etc. They all have schemes to try to get the sound to seem as if it's going in all directions around your head. It's not as good as a surround speaker system for localization.....but I do kinda like those dsps for movies and games. Some techno as well. It actually really hurts some music, because it can de-emphasize various instruments.

crossfeed on the HR products is pretty different. It's actually trying to make the headphones sound less headphone and more stereo speaker......that instead of having the music inside your head (because you have one speaker right on your ear), the music will come out in front of your head. So it's not really "surround"....it tries to make it seem like stereo speakers. I like HR's crossfeed....especially classical and pop music.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

CMSS is pretty awesome in surround speaker setups, but for headphones (especially music) they suck. EAX is good in games. But I switch it off when I listen to music using headphones.

NP:Angel of Death - Slayer

 

[daos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing CMSS is pretty awesome in surround speaker setups, but for headphones (especially music) they suck. EAX is good in games. But I switch it off when I listen to music using headphones. NP:Angel of Death - Slayer

Are you kidding me? CMSS was virtually designed for headphone use and giving the user the ability to have surround out of headphones. I have personally listened to CMSS in its "beta" phases and it was nothing short of amazing how the engineers can manipulate the effects to give surround sound on headphones.

IMHO, CMSS does an excellent job rendering surround effects on cans.

 

[JonestownRed]

I find that I really enjoy the CMSS effect on recordings that have a wall of sound, such as psychedelic rock. On other types of music it doesn't sound too great.

 

[jdimitri]

EAX+CMSS in games with surround speakers = great gaming experience

With music, not so much

 

[lini]

scottymac: Well, you could regard crossfeed as a kind of deliberate, controlled and delayed analogue crosstalk, that's supposed to counteract the unfamiliarly strong (for speaker listeners, that is) channel separation of headphones in order to achieve a more stereo-speaker-like presentation. Whereas modern multichannel virtualisation systems like CMSS 3D Headphone, Dolby Headphone et cetera are much more complicated - usually a combination of applying (so far averaged - in the future probably individual) HRTF (= head-related transfer funtions) for localisation and the impulse response of a room (using a convolution/folding algorithm) for externalisation (i.e. getting the sound out of your head) to a 5.1 soundstream in the digital domain. Comparing both, you'll probably notice that crossfeed is by far more subtle and more natural/less invasive - while the 3D virtualizers produce a far more obvious and spectacular effect, but at the same time also introduce a lot more noticable artefacts.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[Sundawg]

I leave CMSS off for 2 channel stuff, and actually don't use my creative card at all now that I have the Echo Indigo. For my 5.1 speakers, I will use the surround split for most music, otherwise you are not getting the full sound from the front speakers.

CMSS does do a decent job, though splitting up channels for some video and live recordings, such as throwing applause to the back speakers.

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundawg /img/forum/go_quote.gif I leave CMSS off for 2 channel stuff, and actually don't use my creative card at all now that I have the Echo Indigo. For my 5.1 speakers, I will use the surround split for most music, otherwise you are not getting the full sound from the front speakers. CMSS does do a decent job, though splitting up channels for some video and live recordings, such as throwing applause to the back speakers.

What about for gaming?

 

[Harphy]

It's "CMSS 3D Headphone", which is designed to make stereo recordings more suitable for headphone listening. I personally found that enabling it will muffle the sound a bit; but for some recordings, it just has that magical effect to give you a very realistic soundstage. Using it or not should really depends on the music you listen to.

 

[Sundawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure /img/forum/go_quote.gif What about for gaming?

It could have some effect for gaming, but the best choice is to let the game itself do the sound encoding (That's why it asks you what speaker setup you have)