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[Dragona Akehi]

So I bought that receiver awhile back. Now I managed to get a decent set of speakers for the damn thing. GC DLPII games sound absolutely great. It's awesome that pretty much every single first party game has PLII. I've been replaying some games just so see how surround was implemented. Very nice.

Moving on to the PS2. Almost no games have an in-game surround sound option. At least the ones I own. So... what games do have a good implementation of 5.1 that don't include sports or FPS titles? Are there really any? I know that 5.1 cutscenes abound, but that doesn't count, if you ask me.

No Xbox here yet, but I understand it's about the same (?) as the PS2, support wise.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Also, Resident Evil and F-Zero don't support DPLII, but they sound great coupled with a DPLIII receiver and RE benefits from a good subwoofer.

i don't own an Xbox myself, but the 5.1 and Dolby Surround/Pro Logic support is at least as good, if not better than the Cube.

 

[Schmo Florez]

Surround sound with no Xbox?! thats a travesty. ive had my surround hooked up for almost 2 years and ill never go back. Halo sounds sweet with in-game surround. when you're being chased around by those big ass monster sized aliens you can hear the clinging and clanging of their armor all over the speakers.

serously tho since you've never had 5.1 b4 you will be blown away by how the ps2 sounds, but once you play Halo, Spliter cell, KOTOR, Rainbox six, etc, etc on Xbox you'll be in heaven.

Real time in game 5.1 > anything else

 

[Dragona Akehi]

FPS suck. And I hate stealth games.

I plan on getting an Xbox eventually to be my media centre, and for three games: Panzer Orta, JSRF and GunValkyrie.

 

[Cafeman]

I finally get to write the letters .. IAWTP! HAW HAW HAW! (tm Warpig! whether you know it or not!)

I got a Panasonic receiver in early July, and I've been loving the GCN surround, especially Rogue Leader! It's fantastic!

 

[FightyF]

Yeah man...a surround sound system without an Xbox is like a PB & J sandwich without the PB & J.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Maybe i haven't played the right games, but i wasn't blown away by 5.1 Xbox sound. Having played Metroid Prime and Halo on the same HT system as a rough test, there seemed to be better separation on Halo between channels, but that's about it.

 

[Schmo Florez]

FPS suck. And I hate stealth games.

I plan on getting an Xbox eventually to be my media centre, and for three games: Panzer Orta, JSRF and GunValkyrie.

FPS are the best showcases of surround capabilities IMO, but JSRF will definatley sound great in 5.1. Haven't tried Panzer yet.

 

[Goreomedy]

Maybe i haven't played the right games, but i wasn't blown away by 5.1 Xbox sound. Having played Metroid Prime and Halo on the same HT system as a rough test, there seemed to be better separation on Halo between channels, but that's about it.

Agreed. While Xbox offers true 5.1, that Pro Logic II voodoo Factor 5 and Dolby pulled off is damn spooky. Fucking impressive.

Here's a list(not quite complete, add Freedom Fighters) of Pro Logic 2 games for Gamecube and Playstation 2:

http://www.mobygames.com/attribute/sheet/attributeId,206/

 

[Seth C]

Xbox is THE surround sound gaming system. Full 5.1 in-game, in many games.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

FPS might be a good showcase, but that doesn't mean they suck less.

Since Panzer has enemies all around you, I'd hope it'd have 5.1. If Fzero GC (even though it doesn't have DPLII sucks!) is any indication of how much JSRF will rock my system, I can hardly wait. Heh.

 

[Schmo Florez]

Dragona, it sounds like you prefer pseudo-surround and JSRF has plenty of that.

What kind of receiver is it? Wattage, brand, connections, etc.?

 

[FightyF]

I found it to be most impressive with racing games. In SEGA GT you can hear the cars creep up from behind, you don't have to look behind you to know that he's trying to creep up on your right.

 

[seismologist]

FPS suck. And I hate stealth games.

I plan on getting an Xbox eventually to be my media centre, and for three games: Panzer Orta, JSRF and GunValkyrie.

At least get one for Ninja Gaiden. Gunvakyrie sucks ass.

What kind of surround sound system do you have?

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Oh, I forgot about Ninja Gaiden. That's four games then. However, the three named earlier are games I already have.

The receiver I have is the JVC RX-6042S .

From the website:


* 100 watts x 2 min. RMS, both channels driven into 8 ohms from 40Hz to 20kHz with no more than 0.8% THD
* 100 watts x 5 min. RMS, into 8 ohms, 1kHz, 0.8% THD
* 5.1 channel pre in/DVD Multi-Channel audio compatable
* High-Performance Motorola 160-MIPS 24/48-bit DSP
* DSP Digital Equalizer
* Dolby Digital, dts, and dts 96/24 decoders built-in for theater quality surround from digital sources

From what little I know about Home Theatre options, it just seems to lack 6.1 and Dolby Digital EX or what have you. The connections are via regular speaker wire, not banana plugs. (It has a sub out though, with A/V connections.)

The speaker set are 110 W, 8 ohm, 89DB. For such a cheap set the subwoofer seems to be pretty good too. Has it's own amp and GAIN and FREQ settings.

 

[Subitai]

FPS suck. And I hate stealth games.

I plan on getting an Xbox eventually to be my media centre, and for three games: Panzer Orta, JSRF and GunValkyrie.

My top DD5.1 games.

1. Steel Battalion - no explanation needed
2. MechAssault - you can hear lvl 3 PPC shots as they approach and distant ambient explosions second only 2 SB
3. Halo (sorry) - You'll quickly appreciate how much more clearly you can hear enemies not in front of you
4. Soul Calibur II - You can hear echo of weapons in certain levels
5. JSRF - music comes out crystal in this game
6. Otogi - insane use of ambient sound on top of destructive sound effects
7. Ninja Gaiden - Same as Otogi, but not quite as good

 

[isamu]

----------------------------------

 

[Deleted member 284]

5.1 rawks? Which bank did you burn down?

 

[teepo]

steel batallion puts any surround sound system to good use. socom2 also.

 

[isamu]

______________________________

 

[COCKLES]

FPS suck. And I hate stealth games.

I plan on getting an Xbox eventually to be my media centre, and for three games: Panzer Orta, JSRF and GunValkyrie.

A pre-emptive.

 

[Deg]

You can try out 7.1 in Rebel Strike. The Rogue games are superb for testing and pushing your system to the limits(so many sounds all around and over you!). Be prepared to make tweaks for the best result if you havent spent too much time tinkering before. Its worth it. Some people are careless and dont seem to care about clarity.

EA games also have great surround on all systems. 007 EON is a good example. Clean sounding games.

Many pc games worthy of attention. Higher quality sound as well as surround. Overall end effect depends on game of course. Good news is sound cards are much cheaper nowadays.

Nintendo's stuff is nice. I like MKDD best for sound amazingly because of everything happening around you. Its quite accurate and distancing is well done.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Oh, I forgot about Ninja Gaiden. That's four games then. However, the three named earlier are games I already have.

The receiver I have is the JVC RX-6042S .

From the website:


* 100 watts x 2 min. RMS, both channels driven into 8 ohms from 40Hz to 20kHz with no more than 0.8% THD
* 100 watts x 5 min. RMS, into 8 ohms, 1kHz, 0.8% THD
* 5.1 channel pre in/DVD Multi-Channel audio compatable
* High-Performance Motorola 160-MIPS 24/48-bit DSP
* DSP Digital Equalizer
* Dolby Digital, dts, and dts 96/24 decoders built-in for theater quality surround from digital sources

From what little I know about Home Theatre options, it just seems to lack 6.1 and Dolby Digital EX or what have you. The connections are via regular speaker wire, not banana plugs. (It has a sub out though, with A/V connections.)

The speaker set are 110 W, 8 ohm, 89DB. For such a cheap set the subwoofer seems to be pretty good too. Has it's own amp and GAIN and FREQ settings.

Maybe they didnt bother to include DLPII in the features since its analog, but did you verify that it has it? Not all receivers have DPLII, and thats what you want if you're gonna play on gamecube

Nm, its included in the description tab on the product's site.

 

[shpankey]

Moving on to the PS2. Almost no games have an in-game surround sound option. ...
No Xbox here yet, but I understand it's about the same (?) as the PS2, support wise.

Say what? I think you're confused... all Xbox games support Dolby Digital 5.1, all of them. The "support" is %100, so I don't know what you mean.

 

[isamu]

Say what? I think you're confused... all Xbox games support Dolby Digital 5.1, all of them. The "support" is %100, so I don't know what you mean.

Not all of them. RalliSport Challenge 2 and PGR2 do *not* support 5.1

 

[Buggy Loop]

Not all of them. RalliSport Challenge 2 and PGR2 do *not* support 5.1

They certainly do, hdtvarcade.com and xbox's own site confirms it, and i certainly didnt hallucinate when i saw the dolby digital logo when booting up RSC2 and what i was hearing.

 

[TekunoRobby]

I'm pretty sure music in JSRF is in full 5.1 along with the sound effects. With a heavy bass/system playing that game has you totally sucked in.

 

[teepo]

a lot of xbox games have 5.1 sound but they're not surround.

 

[firex]

What's up Dragona. I'm glad you are enjoying your receiver. Nothing like a good surround sound system!

Being that you are Japanese, I can understand why you don't like FPS and Stealth games. I don't really like them either. Are you into racing games? If so, you might want to pick up an Xbox along with OutRun 2 this November. Are you living in Japan? If so, you might be able to pick up the game earlier. From what I've heard OR2 is gunna have excellent 5.1 support.

rofl

 

[mrklaw]

do people think that the next gen consoles will be DD5.1, or an analog option like DPLII?

I've got a DD/DTS system which is fine for my DVD needs, but it doesn't have DPLII.

I haven't actually hooked it up to my xbox, I must try that some time for Burnout 3 and ready for Halo 2.

 

[Shompola]

Ehh I can't see why next gen consoles won't be DD. DPL II is just a compromise and should be obsolote in a near future.

 

[mrklaw]

Thats why I'm wondering. But then why introduce DPLII at all?

It does seem to be a natural match with consoles, as you can still get discrete, positional audio, but the mixing is simpler.

DD still has lag potential when creating the bitstream. I guess/hope it'll be standard though.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Thats why I'm wondering. But then why introduce DPLII at all?

It does seem to be a natural match with consoles, as you can still get discrete, positional audio, but the mixing is simpler.

DD still has lag potential when creating the bitstream. I guess/hope it'll be standard though.

They introduced DPLII for 2 channel analog sounds and "trying" to position the sound as best as it can. A DVD movie with a 2ch track for example, which is often the case with foreign movies not in their original dubbing, DPLII makes a big difference than if it was turned off.

Its not a technology that will live into the next gen though, at least i hope it wont.

 

[teepo]

pl2 is great for my mp3s

 

[BeOnEdge]

errrr....rsc2 ang pgr2 do have 5.1.

 

[DCX]

I love surround sound in gaming, it has made audio have a soul, a heart beat and some impact!! Gunshots, explosions, music, voice work, rear channel effects...it brings you closer to the game.

DCX

 

[Naked Snake]

Twin Snakes and Wind Waker have good DPLII.

A good way to test it in WW is to throw a bomb, then quickly turn 180 degrees and press the L (or R?) button to center the camera behind Link, you should hear the bomb explosion coming directly from behind you.

 

[Scrow]

DCX
I like to sign my name after every post. Mock me pls.

:lol

consider yourself mocked

 

[Ghost]

Best DD5.1 game ive played by far was Fifa (even though the game isnt so great) the crowd noise is just incredible, really makes you feel like your right there in the stadium.

 

[Project Midway]

Good, old Halo is awesome in DD5.1. Just listen (from your rear speakers) those rocks fly when you drive warthog. vrooom vrooom!

 

[norinrad21]

I know ICO doesn't support 5.1 but damn its still rocks with surround sound

 

[Alucard]

FPS suck. And I hate stealth games.

I plan on getting an Xbox eventually to be my media centre, and for three games: Panzer Orta, JSRF and GunValkyrie.

Yeah, those games sound about right. Although I'd probably replace GunValkyrie with something else.

 

[DCX]

:lol

consider yourself mocked

:lol GAF Popularity +1

DCX

 

[isamu]

Oh, I forgot about Ninja Gaiden. That's four games then. However, the three named earlier are games I already have.

Greetings Dragona. Hope you're doing well. I'm glad you are enjoying your receiver. Nothing like a good surround sound system!

Y'know, being that you are Japanese, I can understand why you don't like FPS and Stealth games. I don't really like them either. Are you into racing games? If so, you might want to pick up an Xbox along with OutRun 2 this November. Are you living in Japan? If so, you might be able to pick up the game earlier. From what I've heard OR2 is gunna have excellent 5.1 support.

 

[ChrisReid]

Hey, sorry for the probably obvious question.. but is the receiver part necessary when going from an XBox to 5.1? I couldn't just plug the optical cable from the XBox/Monster sound pack to the speaker system, could I? Is a receiver required in between?

 

[Tabris]

Isn't Gamecube's DPLII still just stereo in the end (2.1)?

I mean I have my PS2 hooked up through optical and my Gamecube hooked up through normal RCA cables (for sound, component for video).

The difference seems quite noticeable between the two.

 

[Shompola]

"Hey, sorry for the probably obvious question.. but is the receiver part necessary when going from an XBox to 5.1? I couldn't just plug the optical cable from the XBox/Monster sound pack to the speaker system, could I? Is a receiver required in between?"

You need a sound processor that can decode the digital signal i.e. separate it. Most of this sound processors are found in receivers. So no you don't necessary need a receiver to decode it properly. So if your speaker/stereo system has optical in that can decode DD 5.1 signals, then there should be no problem with Xbox.

"Isn't Gamecube's DPLII still just stereo in the end (2.1)?

I mean I have my PS2 hooked up through optical and my Gamecube hooked up through normal RCA cables (for sound, component for video).

The difference seems quite noticeable between the two."

Yup it's essentially 2.0, only two channels. But with clever sound engineering Dolby has found a pretty good way to separate the various frequencies to various channels.
And if you want to take advantage of GC's surround capability you would also need to actually decode those two channels wich is what DPL II does. So set the receiver to receive DPL II and see if you hear any difference.

 

[darscot]

Pikmin 2 was one of the biggest surprises for me. The DPL II in it is unexpectently good.

 

[Tabris]

So set the receiver to receive DPL II and see if you hear any difference.

I do, and I do. It just doesn't compare to PS2 (when the game actually supports 5.1), the difference between optical and stereo cables seems pretty high.

 

[Shompola]

I do, and I do. It just doesn't compare to PS2 (when the game actually supports 5.1), the difference between optical and stereo cables seems pretty high.

Ohh I thought that you didn't notice any surround sound. And I agree with you, DPL II is kinda weak compared to the "real" thing, but still it's pretty neat for what it is I guess.