Mad Lust Envy's Headphone Gaming Guide: (8/18/2022: iFi GO Blu Review Added)
Aug 28, 2018 at 4:34 PM Post #40,847 of 48,560
I've never really sat down and tried to figure out if there was a quality difference. Half the time I am not even sure a source is actually mixed for 7.1 or 5.1 so, yeah.

I imagine it would be another variable in these format competitions. (SBX vs. Dolby Headphone vs. GSX and on and on.) Theoretically though, a highly accurate VSS in 7.1 should be better than 5.1 for rear cues, assuming the game or movie is actually mixed with surround rear channels and it is not just upmixing.
 
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Aug 28, 2018 at 4:38 PM Post #40,848 of 48,560
Pretty sure you can't tell the difference between 5.1 vs 7.1 vss.
With 7.1, you can have virtual speakers that are directly behind you, which is pretty good at creating that "oh god, it's right behind me" effect. With 5.1, those rear virtual speakers are usually more to the side.

Panning can help do that with 5.1, so the difference is most noticeable in situations where there is less movement.

This is ultimately why I passed on buying a soundblasterx ae5. You could only set windows up to 5.1 with it.
 
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Aug 28, 2018 at 4:42 PM Post #40,849 of 48,560
Saying that 7.1 is better than 5.1 in virtual surround is like saying you should cut the pizza into 8 slices instead of 6 to have more of it
 
Aug 28, 2018 at 5:41 PM Post #40,850 of 48,560
I mean, theoretically, a speaker behind your head's right ear is going to give you a better rear cue than a speaker to the right of your ear. Again assuming an accurate VSS implementation and an audio source that is actually using that discrete channel and not just a soupy mix of the right and right rear surround.
 
Aug 28, 2018 at 5:46 PM Post #40,851 of 48,560
Is there a reason to get the X7 over the G6 if I have my own dac and amp and only interested in the passthrough for vss?
 
Aug 28, 2018 at 5:52 PM Post #40,852 of 48,560
Pretty sure you can't tell the difference between 5.1 vs 7.1 vss.
I second this. You really can't.

In a real speaker setup a real speaker behind you makes more difference. In a 7.1 virtualized into tewo speakers, it's essentially the same. In VSS, I tried, and rear cues sounds the same regardless of whether it's 5.1 or 7.1. The bigger factor is WHICH VSS you're using. Some do better than others.
 
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Aug 28, 2018 at 6:01 PM Post #40,853 of 48,560
Thanks for the responses guys, since the amps capabilities to drive the Q701 correctly are inconclusive and the SBX on it seems to be the same as on my Audigy FX card I think I might be better off just getting a Schiit Magni to drive the heaphones and still get SBX VSS.
 
Aug 28, 2018 at 7:26 PM Post #40,854 of 48,560
Very excited to check the G6 out, hope they get them shipped out quickly. I was also considering getting an X7 again, but this is perfect timing.

I’d agree with some of ya... this sounds like what the G5 should have been. That was a very disappointing experience.

Think I’ll just be using the sbx to process for my PS4.
I’ve been happy enough with the Dolby Headphone and Windows Sonic on the Xbone.

Haven’t been on here for a while, glad I looked in the other day. I’ve really been enjoying it the Th-900 for games as of late... very fun headphones!

Is there a reason to get the X7 over the G6 if I have my own dac and amp and only interested in the passthrough for vss?

Some of the reasons you may prefer the X7 over the G6. You could use the X7 for speakers, the X7 allows for op amp upgrades, the X7 has more connection options and can be controlled remotely by the app.
 
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Aug 28, 2018 at 7:47 PM Post #40,855 of 48,560
on 5.1 vs 7.1 -
Dolby digital is limited to 5.1, so in that case, 7.1 support doesn't really matter. The other situation is if you are doing a lot of lateral movements with the mouse/analog sticks, you can listen to the changing channel balance on the virtual rear speakers on 5.1 and get a really good sense of rear direction like that.

But when there is less movement, the extra channels on 7.1 really shines.
 
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Aug 29, 2018 at 1:20 AM Post #40,857 of 48,560
According to Creative support you still need a PC to get Virtual Surround as the drivers are doing the upmix.

Creative Support" said:
With regard to your enquiry, please be informed that virtual 7.1 surround requires our custom Creative driver to work. The upmixing is done by the driver which can be downloaded from our support site. The driver only supports Windows PC hence Virtual Surround only works when it is connected to a PC.

You can connect your Xbox One to the G6 via Optical while the USB is connected to a PC to get Dolby Digital and Virtual 7.1 Surround. Connecting to a PC also supplies power to the G6 unit itself.

If you require further assistance, please reply to this email and we will get back to you.
 
Aug 29, 2018 at 2:36 AM Post #40,858 of 48,560
According to Creative support you still need a PC to get Virtual Surround as the drivers are doing the upmix.

Thanks for sharing. That's pretty hoopty if that is how it has to work. I have a PC next to my Xbox anyways so although that's not a problem for me I imagine that is probably a really annoying handicap for 90% of console users.

Also they may just be wrong, I'll see when I get mine. Tech support is not infallible...
 
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Aug 29, 2018 at 2:39 AM Post #40,859 of 48,560
According to Creative support you still need a PC to get Virtual Surround as the drivers are doing the upmix.

Are they talking about the 5.1 to 7.1 upmix or virtual surround in general?

Everything else on their website indicates that you get the virtual surround from optical port and PC is not needed for that. Even the PS4 diagram shows that you plug both USB (chat? and power) and Optical to PS4.

PS4
  • Firmware Version 5.0 or later
  • Available USB port
  • Available Optical Out port (for Dolby Digital decoding)
Xbox One
  • Xbox OS Version 10.0 or later
  • Available Optical Out port (for Dolby Digital decoding)
  • External USB Power (not included)
  • Voice communications not supported
 
Aug 29, 2018 at 2:40 AM Post #40,860 of 48,560
Are they talking about the 5.1 to 7.1 upmix or virtual surround in general?

Everything else on their website indicates that you get the virtual surround from optical port and PC is not needed for that. Even the PS4 diagram shows that you plug both USB (chat? and power) and Optical to PS4.

PS4
  • Firmware Version 5.0 or later
  • Available USB port
  • Available Optical Out port (for Dolby Digital decoding)
Xbox One
  • Xbox OS Version 10.0 or later
  • Available Optical Out port (for Dolby Digital decoding)
  • External USB Power (not included)
  • Voice communications not supported

Yeah. Seems like a pretty important detail that they also left out of the user manual. My money is on that support person just being incorrect.
 

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