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Nu Audio virtual surround

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Vivicector
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2020/02/18 21:11:17 (permalink)
Hi! I am currently choosing the audio card for my PC. I need nice music and gaming audio alike.
I see that Nu Audio has no integrated support for virtual 7.1 sound in headphones. However, it supports the Nahimic software that has the sound virtualization, AFAIK. Can anyone explain, how good does that work? Does that require support from the game itself or is that a universal feature? Will the audio card show the 7.1 sound config when surround enabled? Is that comparable to Creative SBX or the older CMSS-3D? What are your opinions about it?
 
No native support for virtual 7.1 is one of the biggest drawbacks that are holding me from the buy when comparing to Creative AE5/9. I am worried that I'll need to install 3rd party soft and be dependant on it. how buggy is it?
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    ty_ger07
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    Re: Nu Audio virtual surround 2020/02/19 05:23:09 (permalink)
    In my opinion, virtual surround is never as good as the game developer's stereo sound. I've tested multiple virtual surround devices and methods; some software based and some hardware based (or software in the hardware ... firmware?). None of them were as good as proper stereo positional audio already built into the game. Why? The game developers spend years developing the game, including ensuring that the positional sound matches where its supposed to be within the virtual 3d environment. What was finely tuned by the game developer is then arbitrarily changed by the third party virtual surround, and it no longer makes positional sense.

    Playing first person shooters, I have tested multiple virtual surround solutions, got hopelessly frustrated by how misleading and confusing the positional audio was, and always reverted back to the default stereo sound where the positional audio makes sense.

    It's a gimmick. Don't use it. Don't worry about it. Those are my opinions.

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    Vivicector
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    Re: Nu Audio virtual surround 2020/02/19 07:43:58 (permalink)
    ty_ger07

    It's a gimmick. Don't use it. Don't worry about it. Those are my opinions.

    I agree that proper 3D positioning sound build ingame will always win. Simply cause game sound engine may take the positioning details of an object from the game itself, while virtual surround has to pretend itself a 7.1 system, get the audio stream from 8 channels and then imitate not the position of the sound, but the positions of the speakers emiting it. 
    However, properly made engine is not always the case and sound positioning is not always done right. So, gimmic is useful in some cases.
     
    I am currently running real hardware 5.1 headphones and I must say they DO give the sound positioning perfect (while having an overall terrible sound quality). However, there are no new physical 5.1 headphones so I wish to have a "virtual" fallback when my current ones will die. 
     
    I really hope someone here is using the Nahimic and can provide some feedback. 
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    gaz2000
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    Re: Nu Audio virtual surround 2020/02/19 12:14:48 (permalink)
    Well, I was in your shoes a couple of months ago while building my newest gaming rig.  I first went for the Sennheiser GSX1000 external USB sound card coupled with their open back GS500 gaming headset.  
     
    This is built for pure gaming and nothing else with what is a very good hardware-only 7.1 built into the small puck GSX1000.  

    However, on doing more research I decided to give the NU Audio Pro a try.  And let me tell you, I'm glad I made the switch!  The GSX was never able to properly deliver the punch/volume I really like from my gaming whist the NU Audio really can.  It's night and day let me tell you.  
     
    I promptly returned both of the Sennheiser products and got some AKG X7XX from Drop to marry with the NU Audio...so much better!  Yes it's a software 7.1 solution on the NU Audio, but, as people have said above, the in-built surround in games like The Division 2 works great with or without that software being enabled...and with the NU Audio the sound reproduction is loud, clear, punchy, and, as it says on the box, far more lifelike.  
    And best of all, you'll be left with a superior sound card which is awesome at music as well.  
     
     
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