Is "surround sound" better then "stereo" with headphones?
ByI am planning on getting some surround sound speakers but i was wandering, are they actually better then heaphones with stereo. Because they work pretty well for getting a feeling that things are happening around you.
It depends on a number of factors.
1 the Room
If you have a large open room surround sound is very difficult to make work well.
2 the quality
A pair of Grado headphones will blow away a terrible bose, sony, or phillips surround sound system.
Whereas an svs, kef, infinity, mirage system amongst others would blow away the experience of most headphones. For movie watching
3 The setup
A well setup and placed surround system is just plain great, but a poorly placed one is like wearing half the headphones and won’t sound as nice.
4 the price
a good surround system even on a budget will add up to around 500 once you factor in the cables and wires and stands and whatever else you need. While headphones are a fraction of the cost.
5 the crowd.
A crowd that watches movies together wants surround sound.
if you are the one amongst others reading and doing other things be considerate and consider sticking to headphones
6 Size
Good speakers do take up size even a Kef 3000 series. headphones take up your ears.
7 Better is the ear of the hearer.
None of us can decide what sounds best to you some people tell me Bose sounds great, but I want to cry in pain everytime I hear them.
So we all have different tastes and ultimately the decision is yours. You can try both and decide for yourself what you prefer.
10 Comments
September 25th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
headphones are only good for keeping things quiet. surround sound makes you live what your watching, get surround sound, watch the matrix, if your not satisfied, i’ll give you your money back
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September 25th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Surround sound is awesome. It does not compare to stereo on headphones, because you will actually think someone is standing in a corner of the room and saying stuff. Or that a car drove past behind you. it is MUCH better.
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September 25th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
well for music stereo all the way, it always sounds better, i dont know any thing about head phones tho, i dont use them..
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September 25th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Dont wander too far,or youll hear jack sh..it from either.
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September 25th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
It all depends on your headphones. They make some now that can’t be beat as far as experience goes.
I hate having thing on my head so my vote would be surround sound.
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September 25th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
I have both …..got surround sound tied in with my entertainment centre…..but still find headphones gives music a personnel touch…but there again its the way the mood takes me…and of course the type i`m playing
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September 25th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Well the more sound source the better the quality. In stereo, the maximum sound source is two since you only have left and right. Surround sound usually refers to more than two sound sources such as 5.1 meaning 5 speakers plus 1 bass.
Obviously headphones can not offer that. You put something over your ears and you will only get 2 sound sources out of it, being left and right. Some fancy headphones try to mimic the effects but it can never replace a proper surround sound system.
So to answer your question, yes surround sound is definitely better than stereo with headphones.
References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_sound
September 26th, 2009 at 12:41 am
If it is music you are listening to, then stereo will always be better unless of course the music you are listening to has been mastered in more than two channels, ie. Super Audio CD (SACD).
For movies, providing you have a multi channel source, ie. A DVD player outputting 5 or more separate channels of audio, then surround sound will be far superior.
Having said that, a good quality pair of headphones are capable of creating an excellent soundstage, giving the impression of surround sound from only two channels (Stereo).
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September 26th, 2009 at 1:24 am
It depends on the quality of the product, but objectively speaking 5.1 surround has 6 channels of sound whereas headphones have 2. So while the headphones will probably be better for things that play in 2 channels (i.e. music) it won’t be able to match the true surround experience. That said, whether or not the cost of surround sound is justified is something you will have to determine for yourself.
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September 26th, 2009 at 1:42 am
It depends on a number of factors.
1 the Room
If you have a large open room surround sound is very difficult to make work well.
2 the quality
A pair of Grado headphones will blow away a terrible bose, sony, or phillips surround sound system.
Whereas an svs, kef, infinity, mirage system amongst others would blow away the experience of most headphones. For movie watching
3 The setup
A well setup and placed surround system is just plain great, but a poorly placed one is like wearing half the headphones and won’t sound as nice.
4 the price
a good surround system even on a budget will add up to around 500 once you factor in the cables and wires and stands and whatever else you need. While headphones are a fraction of the cost.
5 the crowd.
A crowd that watches movies together wants surround sound.
if you are the one amongst others reading and doing other things be considerate and consider sticking to headphones
6 Size
Good speakers do take up size even a Kef 3000 series. headphones take up your ears.
7 Better is the ear of the hearer.
None of us can decide what sounds best to you some people tell me Bose sounds great, but I want to cry in pain everytime I hear them.
So we all have different tastes and ultimately the decision is yours. You can try both and decide for yourself what you prefer.
References :