[pj325is]

I was fiddling with my audio options trying to remove this odd reverb (I never found the cause but i'm sure it's somehow related to warcraft 3), i solved it by restoring default settings for everything..

Anyway, while looking for the restore thing i found the creative mixer program that came with my computer and saw that it has the option to switch between 2 speakers, 4 speakers and headphones. Being the curious person that i am, i compared the 2 speakers setting (default), to the headphones setting.

There is an extreme difference, I'm pretty sure the main thing it does is crossfeeding, and a lot of cross feeding at that. The sound seems less detailed and separate..but at the same time the soundstage is better. And although the soundstage is better, it is also much smaller..normally an instrument vaguely sounds like it's far off on the left, but with the headphones setting on, i know directly where it is, but since the soundstage is smaller, instead of the instrument seeming like it's out in front of me and around my sides...it is precisely placed inside my head.

I'm having difficulty determining whether i like the way it sounds or not, i like how it places things more precisely, but i don't like how compressed the soundstage is, and the small soundstage is the obvious cause of the lack of detail and separation...

I guess my question is..do any of you use the headphones setting on your computer? or since it's basically just crossfeeding, do you use crossfeeding? Is the decreased size of the soundstage a normal side effect of crossfeeding?

note: as a self diagnosed dyslexic, I sometimes have trouble expressing my thoughts on the screen..if you need clarification on anything, ask to free feel.

 

[NewSc2]

Yes, clarification needed. If what you want us to reply is

Quote:

do any of you use the headphones setting on your computer? or since it's basically just crossfeeding, do you use crossfeeding? Is the decreased size of the soundstage a normal side effect of crossfeeding?

Then no, I don't use any special headphone settings for my computer.

 

[radrd]

I'm guessing you have an SBLive! card. The headphone setting is generally considered to be quite poor on those cards. I have no idea if they improved it for the Audigy series.

 

[kcits]

i've got an sblive, and the 'headphone' mode sounds terrible - it seems to crossfeed way too much, adds too much bass, and makes the treble extremely grainy (as if it downsamples the signal or something...)

if you do like crossfeed though, there's a pretty good winamp plugin here. it's much better than the sblive's 'headphone' mode.

 

[pj325is]

Quote:

Originally posted by kcits i've got an sblive, and the 'headphone' mode sounds terrible - it seems to crossfeed way too much, adds too much bass, and makes the treble extremely grainy (as if it downsamples the signal or something...) if you do like crossfeed though, there's a pretty good winamp plugin here. it's much better than the sblive's 'headphone' mode.

Yeah i've been listening some more and it does have way too much bass.. I would only recommend setting it to headphones if one of your drivers is busted and you still want to hear everything

p.s. i have an sb live

 

[ls20]

i have sb live value with the same mixer and this is how mine is setup:


portapro hooked up to main speaker jack
speakers hooked up to 'surround' jack



i keep the system volume at around 65% because i dont want the headphones too loud.

iwhen im listening to the speakers i put it to "4 speakers" mode and use the speaker's volume control. (headphones play in the background)

when im listening to headphones i switch it to headphone mode (it sounds better that way) and use the wave/mp3 volume to adjust the volume. 65% system volume + 100$ mp3/wave = pretty loud

 

[kcits]

have a look at the kx project drivers for the sblive, audigy1/2. you can swap front/rear outs with 1 button

 

[Rotareneg]

The Headphone mode is really meant to be used in games that support 3D sound, works great in that situation. With normal stereo sound it sounds like it's being crossfed though a bowl of jello or something.