Whenever assembling a proper home theatre or a gaming system, audio is an essential component. A true audiophile whether a hardcore gamer a TV enthusiast, never compromises the true surround sound experience. However, components like bulky speakers and sub woofers may not always be economical and they require much space. Surround headsets may be the best alternative; they provide highly immersive experience while not being heavy on your wallet and real estate. The whole world of Surround audio solutions may be divided into two categories, one being ‘True surround’ and other being ‘Virtual surround’.
What’s The Difference?
As sound generated in stereo headphones is originated from the drivers (speakers) which are right next to ear rather the Television itself, stereo headphones may sometimes have a detached feel to them which may lead to an unpleasant audio experience. Sometimes, lack of synchronization may also be experienced between the audio and frame (visual) reproduction. This issue is addressed by True surround headsets by implementing multiple drivers at different angles broadcasting audio, while virtual audio solutions feature complex audio processing to stimulate multiple direction affect to tackle this.
True Surround Sound follows the same ideology that of Surround sound speakers; it uses various drivers (speaker) positioned at various angles in each headphone cup which control specific direction. Early models offered quadraphonic sound (4 channels). However, now days mostly all models offer 5.1 or 7.1 surround (.1 signifying one sub woofer). They solved the problem of unnatural audio, as sound comes in from all different angles, the audio no longer appears to originate from the head as in case of stereo headsets.
Virtual Surround offers the same experience by artificial means. Similar to stereo headphones, Virtual Surround sound headsets have two drivers (speaker)-one on either side. Therefore the surround audioexperience is offered by tweaking the pre-amp. This is done by sound card or an external mix-amp, however now days great software utilities like Razer Surround offer surround experience on any stereo headphone by calibration. These pre-amps work on algorithms to divide sound into smaller segments. It offsets the sound and volume from one driver to the other providing a feel of direction to the brain. These algorithms may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer and therefore the surround sound experience may also vary. These headphones basically redirect emanating sound to the outer edge of the ear which enables the sound to roll in over a period of time working somewhat similar to True surround sound. This generates a feel that the sound originates from the visual source rather than the user’s head.
Disadvantages of Surround Sound Headphones.
As True surround sound uses multiple drivers which are located at different angles, it provides a more promising experience. This may be a real benefit competitive gaming as sound placement can turn out to be the difference between triumph and defeat. However, there is also a downside of True surround headsets; as manufacturers utilize multiple driver and sound processing while keeping the cost low, it may result in inferior built quality than Virtual surround headsets. Due to limited supply of power and larger drivers or more number of drivers, the overall sound output may be quite less and may result in a rather unpleasant experience.
As Virtual surround utilizes two drivers-one for each side, this results in cost reduction and better built quality relative to True surround. As the majority of the work load is on the mix-amp or the pre-amp the cost of higher end driver and components is lessened. Users already having a decent pair of headset can also purchase external pre-amps or sound cards make use of this technology. Astro provides an external mix-amp separately at a low cost; however a new alternative to this is the Razer Surround software utility which calibrates a pair of stereo headset to operate in surround 7.1 surround mode. Still, a pair of certified Virtual surround headphones is recommended to achieve the best possible result. Though True surround and Virtual surround may seem a good alternative they have a hard time living up to the ideal audio fidelity offered by a Surround Sound System. While multiple drivers and advanced positioning may produce a surround effect, it cannot recreate the physical distance nor can it replicate the wide range of tones created by a large speaker. Realistically, certain degree of compromise has to be made keeping in mind the physical and economical constraints. For some users full physical Surround Sound setup may not be viable solutions, to them True or Virtual surround sound may be a good alternative.
