First of all, from the googling I’ve done, I have come to the conclusion that:
You can either use the 7.1 in the headset itself (in this case my Razer Kraken 7.1 v2),
Or disable 7.1 on the headset and enable dolby atmos in game.
But which does better in terms of sound quality and omnidirectional awareness?
Dolby.
7.1 is a meme
7.1 Headsets are a meme and don’t offer you anything from a positional audio standpoint. Just get a good headset with one driver for each ear.
So I should use the dolby option in game?
If you have good headphones you really don’t need to enable the dolby option to get good positional awareness. It just makes everything sound weird imo, but it’s worth a try.
It sounds a little weird at first if you are not used to using Dolby Atmos, but after a few games, you’ll get used to it. The spatial audio difference between having it on versus off is quite noticeable, and I find the effect very helpful.
The cans I use are Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro. While they are not 7.1 headphones, I have no issue being able to audibly tell everything apart around me with Atmos on.
Use stereo mode with Atmos for it to work correctly.
But… you just said 7.1 headsets are a meme.
I’m using the Razer Kraken 7.1 v2. So should i disable 7.1 on my headset and go for dolby?
@Slashed So should i use 7.1 with dolby or 2.0 with dolby?
I guess it just comes down to personal preference, but I’ve never had any difficulty figuring out where enemies are, if anything their footsteps are so loud it seems kind of unfair.
I still remember when Sombra yelled “Behind you!” and everyone would turn around and blast her. So much for being a stealth character.
7.1 headsets are a meme, you can enable surround sound on normal headsets. The difference is dolby imitating surround for 2.0 headsets rather than sending audio to all the different drivers for a 7.1 setup.
I don’t know what you should do if you already own a razer kraken, maybe just do your own tests in the practice range and see what options work for you.
Honestly I’ve tested it and 7.1 seems to work better than dolby (for me).
However, many people has said that you have to get used to dolby and it’ll be better in the end.
So… here I am looking for opinions.
Thanks!
With audio, it always comes down to personal preference, doesn’t it? I swear by Dolby Atmos on my bass-heavy headphones. There is nothing wrong with using 7.1 if that is what you are used to. From what I recall, just don’t enable 7.1 and the built-in Atmos, or the game will definitely sound wrong.
Seeing as your headset is natively 7.1 that probably would be the best option for you.
I originally thought OP was trying to decide between a 7.1 headset and a 2.1 headset, 7.1 headsets don’t offer better positional tracking than 2.1 but if you already own one you might as well use the settings which best match it.
The thing is for 7.1 to work properly you need something, which a headset cannot provide: different distances between the loudspeaker and your ear.
So in order for 7.1 to work properly in a headset, it has got to emulate this. This means some complicated tasks between the hardware and software (driver) of such a thing.
The thing is that there are indeed headsets around, which can provide a good 7.1 experience. But those headsets plus needed amplifier start around a 1.000 US$ price tag, all below is just a nice marketing blurb without any relevance.
This is why you find this type of tag only on gaming headsets, because the audiophile customer base knows its garbage and won’t fall for it.
The 7.1 headset will take the 8-channel audio and decode it using its own hardware to output to the two analog drivers. Using Dolby Atmos means the sound decoding is done internally by the game software. If I remember correctly, I think the built-in Atmos is tailored just for the game itself, so the positional audio might be a little more accurate than the hardware decoding performed by the 7.1 headset.
You can use the 7.1 headset in stereo mode with Dolby Atmos enabled, or you can let the headset do its own decoding with Atmos off and 7.1 enabled.
The majority of 7.1 headphones offer only virtual 7.1 surround sound, and they are hit and miss.
Headphones are available that offer true 7.1, but they are relatively expensive.
I’ve heard that even high end 7.1 surround headsets that are properly amplified and interesting but still not very good.
I love good headphones and have often been surprised and how immersive 2 channel audio can be. I don’t know what wizzardry is going on but I can hear when something is behind or above me.
Could be; I’ve never tried them out.
The simple and plain truth is, that most people would be way off far better with a “non gaming” headset being made by a well known brand, which makes headphones since decades and not only some years, so I do mean brands like Sony, AKG, Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser and so on. You get the idea.
Stuff you should avoid is really all being marketed as “gaming headset”, so Logitech, Razer, Steelseries and such, where you are paying for the name, not the performance. Also Beats by Dr. Dre is being well regarded as too bassy, and overpriced due to its name.
Instead the way to go should be taking something like the Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro, put on some Zalman mic on it and there you go. This combination really wipes off the floor with most so called “gaming headsets” easily, and is by no means more expensive, but here you’re paying for the performance, not the name, and you get performance.
I use Astro A40’s with the Dolby 7.1 enabled. I can hear everything, things my friends don’t seem to notice like footsteps above or below, or when people reload.
For single-player narrative games, I turn it off. I find the sound is more broad and ambient and isn’t boosting certain signals that are unnecessary for said games.
So Dolby 7.1 is enabled on your headset settings.
What about the Dolby Atmos setting in overwatch itself?
Tbh I’m getting more and more confused with each post. xD RIP me
Yeah, I use a mix amp along with the headset. I know people here have said 7.1 is “a meme”, which honestly… I’m unsure what that exactly means anyway. There’s a noticeable difference when the Dolby is switched on and off, imitation or not. I leave the audiophile stuff to Home Theatre, not gaming necessarily.
I’ve actually never experimented with the Dolby Atmos setting in Overwatch.
I imagine the Dolby Atmos would be better in many cases, but perhaps just give each a try and find which suits your ears/headphones best? That’s all that matters.