Posted May 30, 2025
So, as someone spoiled by having a 5.1 and then a 7.1 setup of physical speakers from the late 90's through about 2010 or so where I could easily and accurately tell from which direction I heard an enemy, or gunshots, I have been bitterly disappointed since having to use headphones. The first pair I got around 2010 or so (guessing) were great, and about as accurate as separate physical speakers. But since those wore out (2015 to 17 time frame IIRC) I have gone through probably a dozen more, NOT A ONE which makes it easily distinguishable between front and rear (left and right is easy, obviously since it has left and right physical speakers) despite all of them claiming to be 7.1, One or two was a little better at it than others, but none matched that first set of headphones or the physical 7.1 speaker system.
I mean shouldn't technology be getting better??? It seems absurd that the best 7.1 headphones were made around 2010 and now in 2025 all of them are crap? I have tried several brands, several top rated (and top priced) ones, as well as a couple of cheap ones since.. why not? None of them offer what I want... a true 7.1 sound experience where I can easily and immediately tell whether a sound is in front of or behind me like I could with that first set of headphones I got. So why not just go cheap since, you know, it makes no difference.
And for the record, it's not just me. I wondered this as I age even more and wondered if it was maybe something to do with me and my aging process. Nope. I friend came over not long ago and I had him wear them, then loaded up a save where I knew a gunfight would happen within minutes of that save, and when I experienced it as usual I couldn't tell forward or backward (in this case the fight was obviously to the left of center (as my character was facing) but it was impossible to tell whether it was directly to the left, ahead and to the left, or behind and to the left (and this is how it is with ALL sounds... forward and back is just indistinguishable). And he too couldn't tell. In fact he did what I did in an attempt to join in the action and immediately ran forward to the left (it turns out it was almost directly behind and slightly to the left). And now, since he was here, this set has started having awful static and stuff on the right side... so these are done.
So, dear goggers, is it in fact, POSSIBLE, to get accurate directional sound from headphones in 2025? Do any of you know of any good recommendations? FTR, the Razor headphones that were so good back in 2010 are no longer available and I have tried other Raxor headphones that just don't seem to work as well (again.. isn't technology supposed to be always IMPROVING???) as well as many other brands. My current ones, according to what it says on my sound setup page, are Hyper X Cloud Revolver X, which, again, did NOT distinguish front and back well and are now not working well so it's time for something new.
Just spend 10 bucks and get the cheapest set and game with a disadvantage, or is there out there, somewhere, a set of headphones that will actually help me distinguish the accurate direction of sound when trying to survive a post-apocalyptic hell?
EDIT: I just went into Windows Sound Control Panel and went into "Configure" where you set up the headphones as either Stereo or 7.1 and then it lets you test, and I learned the awful static or noise is when the subwoofer sound plays, so I guess that's the part of these that has worn out. I was wondering why I only heard it sometimes like certain music or sound effects but not others so I guess this explains it as it's the subwoofer part that's gone bad.
I mean shouldn't technology be getting better??? It seems absurd that the best 7.1 headphones were made around 2010 and now in 2025 all of them are crap? I have tried several brands, several top rated (and top priced) ones, as well as a couple of cheap ones since.. why not? None of them offer what I want... a true 7.1 sound experience where I can easily and immediately tell whether a sound is in front of or behind me like I could with that first set of headphones I got. So why not just go cheap since, you know, it makes no difference.
And for the record, it's not just me. I wondered this as I age even more and wondered if it was maybe something to do with me and my aging process. Nope. I friend came over not long ago and I had him wear them, then loaded up a save where I knew a gunfight would happen within minutes of that save, and when I experienced it as usual I couldn't tell forward or backward (in this case the fight was obviously to the left of center (as my character was facing) but it was impossible to tell whether it was directly to the left, ahead and to the left, or behind and to the left (and this is how it is with ALL sounds... forward and back is just indistinguishable). And he too couldn't tell. In fact he did what I did in an attempt to join in the action and immediately ran forward to the left (it turns out it was almost directly behind and slightly to the left). And now, since he was here, this set has started having awful static and stuff on the right side... so these are done.
So, dear goggers, is it in fact, POSSIBLE, to get accurate directional sound from headphones in 2025? Do any of you know of any good recommendations? FTR, the Razor headphones that were so good back in 2010 are no longer available and I have tried other Raxor headphones that just don't seem to work as well (again.. isn't technology supposed to be always IMPROVING???) as well as many other brands. My current ones, according to what it says on my sound setup page, are Hyper X Cloud Revolver X, which, again, did NOT distinguish front and back well and are now not working well so it's time for something new.
Just spend 10 bucks and get the cheapest set and game with a disadvantage, or is there out there, somewhere, a set of headphones that will actually help me distinguish the accurate direction of sound when trying to survive a post-apocalyptic hell?
EDIT: I just went into Windows Sound Control Panel and went into "Configure" where you set up the headphones as either Stereo or 7.1 and then it lets you test, and I learned the awful static or noise is when the subwoofer sound plays, so I guess that's the part of these that has worn out. I was wondering why I only heard it sometimes like certain music or sound effects but not others so I guess this explains it as it's the subwoofer part that's gone bad.
Post edited May 30, 2025 by OldFatGuy