Dolby Headphone technology

[September Born]

Hey, I have a laptop and just recently purchased an external sound card for it. It's the Asus Xonar U1. It has Dolby Headphone technology, simulated 7.1, and pro logic IIx. My question is if my headphones (ATH AD700s) are plugged right into the Xonar, should I set the audio channels to 2 or 6? I can set them from 2,4,6, or 8 channels. I guessing anything over 2 is just simulated, which is what Dolby technology does. I'm not an audiophile by any means but to my nooby ears, the best sounds seems to be just straight stereo sound with no DSP. I have read though that Dolby headphone technology can take a while to "train" you ear on how to properly interpret the sound. Even after going to Dolby's website I'm still not sure what Dolby Pro Logic IIx even is or if I should only use it on movies and not games.
 
My second concern is I'm not really hearing the great sound stage of the ATH-AD700s. I sometimes can tell exactly where an enemy is, but there have a lot of times when I have no clue. I have only had them for a few days and I'm pretty sure they're not burned in yet though, which could make a difference. The games I play are Black Ops, Left for Dead 2, and Quake live, if that matters. Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

You have to make sure the Dolby Headphone option (or maybe it's called Dolby Digital Live or something else) is set IN GAME as well.

 

[September Born]

Thanks for the reply, Mad Lust.  I can't find any options in-game for Dolby anything.  I did just turn it back on in my sound card's option and the sound stage is starting to get better.  I think my cans just need to be burned in more.  Should I keep the channels set to 2 or up it to 6?  It would seem the 6 channel option is really for people who are running a 5:1 speaker setup.  Also, have you ever tried the Dolby Pro Logic IIx for gaming?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I don't know as I'm not a PC Gamer whatsoever.

I have tried Pro Logic II on game consoles. It works almost as well as Dolby Digital, but has a more 'processed' sound to it. Sound positioning was just as good though.

 

[tarbo]

I have the xonar DX internal soundcard for my pc and it suggests 8 channel is for  "3d games". My soundcard "typical suggestions":
 
2CH: MP3, WMA, AAC, CD, VCD,
6CH: DVD with DOlby Digital or DTS, WMA-Pro
8CH: DVD with Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES
8CH: 3D Games
 
So try using 8ch. When I had the AD700's I found they worked very well with my card.