Avvy and Siggy Rating

[noodles]

[Maxine MagicFox]

[scy]

Edit: I feel obliged to say right now that I am not an audiophile. I just know the difference in sound with shitty speakers (say, built-in on a monitor or those $2-3 ones~) and good ones (my current "cheap" 2.1 set-up).

[spoiler]Retails at like $140 or something? Picked it up for ~$75 if I recall new. Worth the price, though I kind of wish I had picked up a Klipsch set for 2.1 or spent the extra ~$200 for a decent 5.1 set.[/spoiler]

...yeah wow I butchered that in regards to it being coherent >> All because I forgot to say "price range."

Low-range (low-end) / Mid-range / High-end just refer to the price point. Low-end pricing tends to end at the $100-ish mark so "higher end of the low-range" just refers to ~$50+ in price; likewise, "bottom end of the mid-range" is just the $100-ish range.

High-end headphones are just ridiculous and there's little to doubt that they sound like awesome ... that said, you can get good headphones for <$100 so ... meh (though they'll probably suffer in the low-end of sounds like ALL headphones do and good sound/noise canceling is pretty rare at the <$100 range).

I have no idea how sound dampening (or sound [noise] canceling) is a foreign concept; I mean, they're rather intuitive concepts and define themselves in the term. Sound dampening ... well, dampens sound that isn't from the headphones; likewise, sound/noise canceling will practically zero out outside sound. It's the difference between having to hear other things going on or getting to enjoy just your music.

2.1 is "normal" audio; 2 speaker set-up (or 2 speaker with subwoofer). 5.1 is basic surround (2x front, 2x rear, center, sub); 7.1 is "LIEKWHOAOMG" surround (2x front, 2x rear, 2x side, center, sub). Not much supports 7.1 (blu-ray) so not a big deal there personally. Surround makes a lot of games these days just that much different to play (for instance, any survival horror will now have the sound coming from just the rear when something COMESOUTOFNOWHEREOHSHITYOUDIED.)

That said, it's all a non-issue if you use mp3s or other low quality audio containers. I have a lot of lossless high bit-rate audio and there is a sharp difference between terrible mp3s and shitty headphones/speakers and FLAC files with amazing sound setups.

Edit: Let me rephrase this a bit. MP3 itself isn't bad as it can still handle higher bit-rates. It, however, is plagued with a lot of shitty encodes. The average MP3 file is awful quality.

Moral of the story: $FREE-$30 headphones/earbuds are fucking terrible at actually reproducing the sound. Do your ears a favor and get a decent pair. While you're at it, start finding better music files (or TV/Movie/Anime with better audio encodes).

Also, good headphones != BLARING NOISE IN EAR. It's more in line with accurately reproducing the sounds; it is a bonus, yes, that better headphones/speakers allow the use of more volume and for less distortion but that is more a function of the audio container/encode/bitrate/not sucking at life (?!).

No low-end set of headphones will adequately reproduce the low-end of the frequency spectrum, notably bass in general. A lot will struggle to reproduce higher frequencies as well.

[Maxine MagicFox]

[scy]

Sound dampening is done usually just through material (highly dense foam, for instance) that muffles incoming sound. Sound canceling tends to be done through a combination of that and utilizes phase canceling to kill any sound that gets "through" the material.

Phase canceling is done via a microphone within the headphones that picks up incoming sound and then outputs the exact same sound (pitch, frequency, intensity, etc.) but 180 degrees out of phase, effectively canceling the two waveforms out.

[spoiler]"Passive" Sound Canceling is pretty much just foam; "Active" Sound Canceling is the combination of the material AND the phase canceling.[/spoiler]

2.1 = 2 speakers + .1 for the LFE*.
5.1 = 5 speakers + .1 for the LFE*.
7.1 = 7 speakers + .1 for the LFE*.
...
10.1** = 10 speakers, +.1 for the LFE*.

*LFE just refers to the bass. Low Frequency Effects. "5.1" without a subwoofer is 5.0, for example. Out of habit, I just use 2.1/5.1/etc. and note if there isn't a sub rather than say 2.0 >>.

**...if it existed. 10.2 does but it's merely named that due to the slogan being "twice as good as 5.1!" It's actually 14 speakers (though 2 are subs and 2 are something else I don't remember) if I recall and is pretty much sex in the form of audio. Or so I'm told >>. Also, .2 since ... well, two subs yo.

[spoiler]Technically, it's "full range channels" and not speakers but ... yeah, easier to just say speakers. 5.1 is technically 6 speakers (2 front, 2 rear, center, sub) but it's only 5 capable of full range and then .1 for the LFE from the sub.

SEMANTICS.[/spoiler]

It's ... pretty intuitive. And, no, I won't use those, sorry. It's an industry standard damn it~ Pretty much just think of it as the amount of speakers in use with the .1 signifying a subwoofer being used ... because that's pretty much how it works.

Also, there's also 6.1 (well, 3 and 4 too) for surround but it's not as often seen. 5.1 is surround and 7.1 is ... well, "surround" as well. It's just normally not seen outside of HD (notably mostly blu-ray and not HD over the air). To refer to 5.1 as "surround" in general is a bit misleading as "surround" encompasses more than JUST that set-up. 7.1 is just the next generation of "surround" sound as we know it.

[Maxine MagicFox]

[Kimiko]

Extra bass speakers or stuff is annoying, because it makes the sound so much louder (carrying further) that you have to turn down the volume, which makes the actual music (as opposed to just the beats and explosions) harder to hear. So I would actually prefer speakers with 'crappy' bass over the super expensive ones.

[Twat]

I always have my bass at minimum. .-.

[ZetaBladeX13]

[scy]

Meh. The effect of bass isn't that ridiculous on the overall volume ... and it isn't that hard to find a happy medium. I'd rather have my bass on low than have no/terrible bass; good bass is an amazing experience.

[spoiler]Also, it's fun to max it and watch things rattle from bass.

Most high-end bass isn't loud (high dB) but really, really low frequency wavelengths that you can feel. It's not an issue of volume but intensity. You can feel bass. It's a sound that reverberates. You don't NEED loud bass but good reproduction of the sounds; hell, some bass distorts at higher volumes.[/spoiler]

A subwoofer is merely a speaker used to reproduce low frequency (<20 Hz to 150 Hz) sounds. They're usually the "thumps" in a lot of music. Normal speakers (+ headphones) can't accurately reproduce low frequencies hence the use of a subwoofer.

[spoiler]Technically, a subwoofer is a combination of multiple woofers ... and a woofer is merely a loudspeaker driver used to reproduce low frequencies.[/spoiler]

There's 3.1 Surround and 4.1 Surround [Quadraphonic] as well. They're considered surround but 5.1 is the more prevalent form, if only due to it being the most complete.

3.0 is 2 speakers in the front (one left, one right) and a single rear speaker (+.1 if subwoofer is used).
4.0 is 2 speakers in the front (left, right) and two in the back (left, right) (+.1 if subwoofer is used).

The best example that is relatively cheap to demonstrate, watch a movie in a theater (5.1) and then watch something at home with a non-5.1 set-up.

[spoiler]Though it's so much quieter at home >> Not a fan of theaters and their need to LOOK VOLUME HIGH!

If nothing else, gaming benefits a lot from surround; directional sounds (i.e., something on your left you only hear ... on your left) and the like. That or just scenes of "omg epic" that just envelop you in sound.

Again, this isn't an issue of volume. It is a question of sound quality. Surround lets you be surrounded by the sounds for immersion. You don't hear things that happen "behind" you in a game (or from your perspective in a movie) come in front of you; it works like it would if it ACTUALLY happened and hear it come from behind you.[/spoiler]

[Kinokokao]

You know what drives me batshit crazy? Sound coming from behind me. I can't sit in the backseat of a car and have music playing; it comes out behind my head and freaks me out. Same with surround sound. I have no idea what causes it, but I hate hate hate it.

Also, for my purposes, headphones without noise cancelling/dampening work best. I listen to my mp3 player while bicycling, but I still need to be able to hear cars and such.

[noodles]

[scy]

So you can't have people behind you speaking? oic...

And, yeah, there's reasons to not use noise canceling headphones ... that said, those are more for leisure time where you're sitting somewhere just losing yourself in the music*. When I go out to run I use my shitty earbuds (and only keep one in as is) and not my good headphones.

*
[spoiler]OBLIGATORY VIDEO

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRRn9NoZs8s[/youtube]

"Lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it go."[/spoiler]

[Twat]

Paula, Kumatora, Ana, Ninten, Ness, Boney, Lucas, Duster, Poo, Jeff, Teddy and Loid.

Edit - Jeff has come here to , but he gave all his bubblegum to a monkey.

[Kinokokao]

HE'S JUST THAT BADASS

P.S.

Have you ever watched They Live? Horribly intriguing concept, horrible movie.