Soundbar or 2.1 speaker for virtual 3d audio in PC games...

[Legolas84]

I'm considering purchasing a good system that can simulate 3D audio in games..
I don't want to set up a 5.1 system and have a lot of cables lying around, so I would like to focus on a good soundbar with subwoofer or 2.1 speaker focused firstly on positional sound in games and secondly on listening to music.

I have Razer Nommo V2 pro with THX spatial audio, but the overall quality is really low. Often crackling audio. Replaced under warranty, the problem persists, indicating that it is an engineering problem.
Now I'm trying to get them replaced with Leviathan V2 pro to see if this is better, but I don't know how it will end... razer support is slow and will probably end badly.

Looking around the alternatives are:
- Razer Leviathan V2 Pro
- Creative Katana V2
- Logitech G560 (If I bought this, I'd probably stick with Logitech for the mouse, keyboard, and headphones as well. Razer disappointed me in both audio and support. I had the z5500 from Logitech and I tried the assistance and I consider it a much better company).

What is the best alternative for 3d sound in games and secondarily music?

 

[Waldorf]

really depends on what games you play, and how the positioning is done.
i prefer good stereo HP/HS over cheaper ones using an algorithm to "fake" positioning.

nothing of the G series i tried in stores sounded good enough that i would try one, just not enough punch,
and/or not enough highs/too much midrange.
i would go with an old Z 2500, but even scrapyard-grade ones are usually overpriced.

but at 170-200$ for the G560, i would rather wait for others, to chime in on getting something from a different brand in similar price range,
that wont sacrifice SQ for rgb effects..

no rgb, but thx certified, so decent sound, for almost half of what logi wants for speakers that dont even have a tweeter.

Klipsch

 

[Veseleil]

Under 200USD I'd get something like the Edifier R1700BT or similar. 2.1 setup costs at least double. Check some reviews for similar stuff in the price range. I'm mentioning Edifier because once upon a time I was in the market for those, and then I decided to spend a bit more so I got an external audio interface and a pair of studio monitors large enough to skip the need for a subwoofer.

 

[#22]

I would start with checking if your acoustic complaints come from speakers or sound card. Especially if you use motherbard's built-in audio of potentially not so awesome capabilities and clarity.

I also came to discussion as somebody amazed by virtual surround provided by my combo of Sound BlasterX G6 and Logitech Z623. It works absurdly convincing. Literally to the point of feeling strange to know your only speakers are in front of you, but you just hear things from behind It also works well with then moving character around. I just can't complain, but probably there're even better options and I would love to know them. Don't know your Razers and audio reviews are stinky thing, but only looking at the price they just can't be worse than my Logi. On the other hand it's Razer and RGB kind of thing, so it may be anything, but as I said, I would start with making sure what is the source of problem here.

 

[Legolas84]

Thanks for your help. I don't care about RGB LEDs at all, I only care about audio quality and 3D sound.
Following your inputs... what do you think of this solution:

- Edifier S350DB (2.1) + Creative Sound Blaster CG7 (to use Super X-Fi for virtual 3d sound)

All at a cost of less than 400 euros.
Could this be the best option?

I would start with checking if your acoustic complaints come from speakers or sound card. Especially if you use motherbard's built-in audio of potentially not so awesome capabilities and clarity.

I also came to discussion as somebody amazed by virtual surround provided by my combo of Sound BlasterX G6 and Logitech Z623. It works absurdly convincing. Literally to the point of feeling strange to know your only speakers are in front of you, but you just hear things from behind It also works well with then moving character around. I just can't complain, but probably there're even better options and I would love to know them. Don't know your Razers and audio reviews are stinky thing, but only looking at the price they just can't be worse than my Logi. On the other hand it's Razer and RGB kind of thing, so it may be anything, but as I said, I would start with making sure what is the source of problem here.

hi,
The problem is certainly with the Razer Nommo v2 pro, as they are connected via USB and have a sound card integrated into the speakers.
The sound card is controlled by their driver contained in synapse.
I currently don't have a dedicated sound card and the integrated one is disabled, precisely because I use these USB speakers.
Unfortunately there are many users who are dissatisfied with Razer Audio.

I'm glad to hear you're happy with the 3d audio on your sound blasterX g6....is it really that good?

 

[#22]

Thanks for your help. I don't care about RGB LEDs at all, I only care about audio quality and 3D sound.
Following your inputs... what do you think of this solution:

- Edifier S350DB (2.1) + Creative Sound Blaster CG7 (to use Super X-Fi for virtual 3d sound)

All at a cost of less than 400 euros.
Could this be the best option?

hi,
The problem is certainly with the Razer Nommo v2 pro, as they are connected via USB and have a sound card integrated into the speakers.
The sound card is controlled by their driver contained in synapse.
I currently don't have a dedicated sound card and the integrated one is disabled, precisely because I use these USB speakers.
Unfortunately there are many users who are dissatisfied with Razer Audio.

I'm glad to hear you're happy with the 3d audio on your sound blasterX g6....is it really that good?

Maybe you do something wrong? Check Razer software letting playing with sound and try using mobo's built-in audio and it's software. Some progress here leads you to buying better sound card. Simply buying new speakers and sound card leads to random effect.

Looking at mentioned Edifier, there's the thing with audio what makes it not only about better or worse "quality". Some gear is more predisposed to music, some to movies or games. I don't know how about S350DB, but from shitty youtube comparisons I can say that even similarly priced Edifier's stuff massacrate my Z623 in music. It could be about test settings meeting my likings more, but I have never seen opposite, so it's rather clear tendency. However don't know how about gaming and 3D and that's the thing. And yes, it is as good as I described.

 

[Legolas84]

No, I'm not making any mistakes. I know Razer products and software well. I have a deathadder V3 with razer Atlas, a blackwidow V3 Pro and the blackshark V2 pro (2023).
I also did various tests in contact with assistance and it is the speakers that have difficulty in certain situations and crackle, because they are of low quality.
Blacksharks are fine though.
Now I use the speakers integrated into the LG OLED C2 via HDMI and I have no problems.

In the game settings do you select multi-channel audio when do you want the sound blasterX G6 to manage 3D audio on your 2.1 speakers?

 

[Veseleil]

Looking at mentioned Edifier, there's the thing with audio what makes it not only about better or worse "quality". Some gear is more predisposed to music, some to movies or games. I don't know how about S350DB, but from shitty youtube comparisons I can say that even similarly priced Edifier's stuff massacrate my Z623 in music. It could be about test settings meeting my likings more, but I have never seen opposite, so it's rather clear tendency. However don't know how about gaming and 3D and that's the thing. And yes, it is as good as I described.

Similar thoughts. I can't recommend anything regarding 3d or spatial sound, as I just don't have any experience with it. I have 2 motherboards with X-Fi capabilities, but I never really tried any 3d because I didn't have any kind of surround setup. What I would recommend is a speakers setup with a DSP, like mentioned Edifiers have. DSP is a thing, and can make small speakers sound big. My Soundcore 3 BT speakers used in pairs, properly positioned and tuned (equilized) sound like something much bigger and more expensive.

 

[#22]

No, I'm not making any mistakes. I know Razer products and software well. I have a deathadder V3 with razer Atlas, a blackwidow V3 Pro and the blackshark V2 pro (2023).
I also did various tests in contact with assistance and it is the speakers that have difficulty in certain situations and crackle, because they are of low quality.
Blacksharks are fine though.
Now I use the speakers integrated into the LG OLED C2 via HDMI and I have no problems.

In the game settings do you select multi-channel audio when do you want the sound blasterX G6 to manage 3D audio on your 2.1 speakers?

It's just hard to believe that such expensive stuff don't play well. How about using motherboard audio with Razer speakers? Plus when using C2 via HDMI you rather use next thing messing here - Nvidia audio. Checking combinations of Razers and sound card options you already have should be your thing to do now.

About 3D settings, I use SB app where I have it set to virtual 7.1. Game settings sometimes automatically set 7.1/home theater option, sometimes headphones or regular (2.0/1) speakers. I always check what sounds best. Even choosing in-game regular speakers you can clearly notice the difference when changing in SB app modes from stereo to virtual surround or between 5.1 and 7.1. Ofc it to some point depends on the game, because they vary much in overall audio quality, so also with how well virtual surround works.

 

[Waldorf]

@#22
not sure why you keep pushing to run usb speakers over audio jack.
ignoring that usb is digital and the audio out is analog, you still wouldnt get power, so it will never work.

@Legolas84
please fill out your location and sys info, and tick the box to make it visible to others, so we can see what other hw you are using,
makes recommendations much easier.

i will never use creative stuff again, after 3 higher tier died on me within 1-2y of use,
all experiencing crackling on output within 6-10 month of use, and besides that lack of driver/sw updates, requiring stuff like Kx drivers,
basically users having to rely on others to get proper use out of +100$ equipment.

asus had a decent card out when mb audio wasnt yet shielded/separated from other stuff,
and its now 4y without any trouble, no crackling on audio out during vol changes, and it has dedicated HP amp out,
not only allowing for higher ohm cans, but i can keep speakers (thx klipsch) and headphones connect, no plugging around.

using my open back sennheiser HD558 (HD598 mod), i have no problem with positioning in shooters, able to hear if others are above/below etc,
while also getting pretty good staging etc when listening to music, except for some missing on the lower end freq, common for "open" cans,
but nothing i cant fix with (preset) eq in audio player..

in short, a single SC for almost half what a creative would have cost me, working without any problems for longer than all my creative cards together,
ignoring the issues with certain settings (sampling/vol) and having the need for 3rd party drivers kX project
so not throwing money away anymore.

another option would be getting HP/HS that can do dolby headphones, as others using them in pvp shooters it works great,
and might negate the need for adding a dedicated SC, ignoring most mb now have something good enough that most audio
stuff would need to get more than avg user expensive to be able to tell the difference, at least for those listing dedicated area/shielded etc for audio.

in +20y of messing with pc audio, anything that most audio enthusiast would recommend, is usually also good for gaming,
for straight pc use speakers, thx certification is something i look for to get at least a min level of SQ, especially on the low end,
where most of those logitech/razer/etc below 200$ tend to be lacking, most that heard the klipsch would even say its better than any bose 2.1 they have heard..

as veseleil said, another option is a dsp, but i didnt need one so far, so havent looked at the specifics, but usually something decent starts at above 50-100$.

 

[#22]

@#22
not sure why you keep pushing to run usb speakers over audio jack.
ignoring that usb is digital and the audio out is analog, you still wouldnt get power, so it will never work.

I don't push anything and didn't even check what are the options to plug those speakers, but only suggested to check if there exist any option making speakers sound better. Solving any "problem", especially one leading to buying other things, should be started with what you already have

 

[Waldorf]

(arrg, hadnt finished my caffeine drink yet, sounded harsher than i ment.)

sure, but with usb audio devices (as in build in audio chip), there is no other option for hookup..

 

[Legolas84]

I entered all the data.

Unfortunately the Nommo V2 Pro can only be connected via USB and can only use their integrated sound card.
I tried several solutions to solve the problem but there is no way. As you can see I have a Razer mouse, keyboard and headphones and I would also like to have Razer speakers so I can control everything via synapse. But I'm not going to settle for spekaer that in some cases crackle heavily.

If Razer concludes my RMA positively I will still give the Leviathan V2 Pro a chance for this reason. Today we are at 10 days of waiting to find out what they want to do. And they've had my 525 euros blocked for a premium RMA for a month now. Really poor support.

I understand the options are:

1) Razer Leviathan V2 Pro - Geared towards gaming but with less audio quality. If at least it doesn't crackle like the Nommo V2 Pro it could be acceptable.

2) Edifier S350DB (2.1, yes with DSP) - Less oriented towards gaming, but much higher audio quality. But in this case which sound card should I use? The integrated on the mobo? Would I get good virtual audio quality in games? I do not believe. Yesterday I tried with a Sound Blaster AE-7 and the 3D audio result in games was insufficient.

3) I give up the convenience of a system without rear satellites and I give up the convenience of a system without rear satellites and buy the SteelSeries Arena 9. Audio quality probably better than Leviathan V2 Pro but inferior to Edifier. Gaming-oriented and with real 3D sound via the sound card integrated into the speakers.

I don't see any other options.

As for headphones, I'm happy with the BlackShark, although I prefer to play using the speakers.

 

[#22]

Unfortunately the Nommo V2 Pro can only be connected via USB and can only use their integrated sound card.
I tried several solutions to solve the problem but there is no way. As you can see I have a Razer mouse, keyboard and headphones and I would also like to have Razer speakers so I can control everything via synapse. But I'm not going to settle for spekaer that in some cases crackle heavily.

I'm not into audio gear, so maybe due to that it surprises me stuff from this price range being USB and sentence to use built-in sound card. In the end of the day it's good that now we got Nommo fully covered, so only thing to do is moving to another solutions.

If Razer concludes my RMA positively I will still give the Leviathan V2 Pro a chance for this reason. Today we are at 10 days of waiting to find out what they want to do. And they've had my 525 euros blocked for a premium RMA for a month now. Really poor support.

Not much related, but got me curious. What the hell is "premium RMA"? Some special kind RMA service when they treat you better or what?

I understand the options are:

1) Razer Leviathan V2 Pro - Geared towards gaming but with less audio quality. If at least it doesn't crackle like the Nommo V2 Pro it could be acceptable.

2) Edifier S350DB (2.1, yes with DSP) - Less oriented towards gaming, but much higher audio quality. But in this case which sound card should I use? The integrated on the mobo? Would I get good virtual audio quality in games? I do not believe. Yesterday I tried with a Sound Blaster AE-7 and the 3D audio result in games was insufficient.

3) I give up the convenience of a system without rear satellites and I give up the convenience of a system without rear satellites and buy the SteelSeries Arena 9. Audio quality probably better than Leviathan V2 Pro but inferior to Edifier. Gaming-oriented and with real 3D sound via the sound card integrated into the speakers.

I don't see any other options.

As for headphones, I'm happy with the BlackShark, although I prefer to play using the speakers.

If there's nothing against giving Leviathan a try, why not?

With built-in audio, they differ, but you already have one, so once again you can give it a try. And what speakers did you try AE-7 with? Plus did you use and set everything well in Sound Blaster Command software? I would start with default settings with just 7.1 and matching type of speakers chosen. Additionally and as I said earlier, games differ with how good virtual surround is to large degree, so test few. Games recent and AAA tend to give the best results. E.g. I've really liked it in Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk, but in old Talos Principle it was rather bad or in Green Hell purely awful. Another thing could be your expectations being just too high for trick like virtual surround, so making your choice easier with sentencing you to go proper home theater system

 

[AleXXX666]

I'm considering purchasing a good system that can simulate 3D audio in games..
I don't want to set up a 5.1 system and have a lot of cables lying around, so I would like to focus on a good soundbar with subwoofer or 2.1 speaker focused firstly on positional sound in games and secondly on listening to music.

I have Razer Nommo V2 pro with THX spatial audio, but the overall quality is really low. Often crackling audio. Replaced under warranty, the problem persists, indicating that it is an engineering problem.
Now I'm trying to get them replaced with Leviathan V2 pro to see if this is better, but I don't know how it will end... razer support is slow and will probably end badly.

Looking around the alternatives are:
- Razer Leviathan V2 Pro
- Creative Katana V2
- Logitech G560 (If I bought this, I'd probably stick with Logitech for the mouse, keyboard, and headphones as well. Razer disappointed me in both audio and support. I had the z5500 from Logitech and I tried the assistance and I consider it a much better company).

What is the best alternative for 3d sound in games and secondarily music?

cmon, bluetooth era... but, I personally hate "soundbar" style, but that's me.

like previous said, if you want SOUND, then get old Z series 7.1 OR make yourself serious and get good external soundcard, and put some studio-grade speakers.

 

[PLAfiller]

I'd say have a look at JBL soundbars, they have 2-in-1 bar with woofer. Good reviews in general and won't break the bank. Also Creative Stage 360 is pretty much the budget king for Atmos.

 

[Legolas84]

Not much related, but got me curious. What the hell is "premium RMA"? Some special kind RMA service when they treat you better or what?

You advance the money (in my case 525 Euros) to have a replacement shipped immediately, before you ship the defective product. This should speed up the whole process. Too bad though that my RMA has lasted for a month now.

I'd say have a look at JBL soundbars, they have 2-in-1 bar with woofer. Good reviews in general and won't break the bank. Also Creative Stage 360 is pretty much the budget king for Atmos.

The JBL soundbar is beautiful. But can I use Dolby Atmos in PC games like Cyberpunk 2077? I think it should be specifically supported by the game right? If it is not supported there will be no 3D sound...?

 

[AleXXX666]

You advance the money (in my case 525 Euros) to have a replacement shipped immediately, before you ship the defective product. This should speed up the whole process. Too bad though that my RMA has lasted for a month now.



The JBL soundbar is beautiful. But can I use Dolby Atmos in PC games like Cyberpunk 2077? I think it should be specifically supported by the game right? If it is not supported there will be no 3D sound...?

so better to purchase new product (and better another brand) and waste broken one, that's not "RMA" lol

 

[PLAfiller]

The JBL soundbar is beautiful. But can I use Dolby Atmos in PC games like Cyberpunk 2077? I think it should be specifically supported by the game right? If it is not supported there will be no 3D sound...?

I really can't say about Atmos in games and I don't want to mislead you. I personally have an old Wharfedale Vista 100 and it is quite fine for the money I paid, BUT what I didn't do is listen to the reviews and I should have. They said voices and speech isn't very clear and it is true....and it is a bummer for me, so check a review of the specific model and if you are OK with the pitfalls then you are good to go.

 

[Legolas84]

so better to purchase new product (and better another brand) and waste broken one, that's not "RMA" lol

Why waste? What I receive back from the RMA can always be resold on the second-hand market. I thought it was implied and very easy to understand, but sometimes that's not the case gigalol

I really can't say about Atmos in games and I don't want to mislead you. I personally have an old Wharfedale Vista 100 and it is quite fine for the money I paid, BUT what I didn't do is listen to the reviews and I should have. They said voices and speech isn't very clear and it is true....and it is a bummer for me, so check a review of the specific model and if you are OK with the pitfalls then you are good to go.

Yes indeed, as I imagined. Thanks to you and to all the users who contributed constructively, you have resolved several doubts for me and now I know what I'm getting into. I just have to wait to see how the RMA with razer works out and then decide what to do.

thank you all!

 

[AleXXX666]

Why waste? What I receive back from the RMA can always be resold on the second-hand market. I thought it was implied and very easy to understand, but sometimes that's not the case gigalol



Yes indeed, as I imagined. Thanks to you and to all the users who contributed constructively, you have resolved several doubts for me and now I know what I'm getting into. I just have to wait to see how the RMA with razer works out and then decide what to do.

thank you all!

the time you will spend on warranty wars are more precious than "resell" value. But that's me. If I need the thing RINGHT NOW and it's broken I'll get new one and then decide do I need to RMA or not depends on price of that thing.