[spartan_0214]

Not to brag, but I just got the Logitech X-540 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System. After taking the half-hour to figure out where all the satellite speakers and the subwoofer goes, unwiring my old system, and finally plugging in the new system, I have had an epiphany. Those of you who do not have a subwoofer to play Freespace on need to get one. Those of you who have a subwoofer but no 5.1 Surround Sound system need to get one. Let me explain.

Subwoofer:

   Without my subwoofer, I didn't quite realize how powerful a subspace disruption was. After listening to incoming ships with my subwoofer ..... erm, well.... I had trouble concentrating on defending my objective. Subwoofers, IMHO, offer so much more to the game; I didn't realize how much bass the subspace disruption required. Subwoofers make up for about half of the subspace sound. Guys, if you have the money, go buy yourself a subwoofer, at the least.

Surround Sound:

    Well, not much to explain here. I could hear ships warping in behind me, off to port, starboard, whatever. It was much easier figuring out where hostiles were warping in; I killed most of them when they reverted to realspace and were still acquiring targets. Kills nearly doubled after I got my Surround Sound system.

[Polpolion]

Kills nearly doubled after I got my Surround Sound system.

I'm glad my gaming skill isn't dependant on my speaker system.

[CP5670]

I doubt the speaker system was the reason for your getting more kills, unless your old speakers completely sucked. FS2's positional sound support is pretty poor right now and has a lot of odd behavior in how things sound at different distances. The sound code is supposed to be revamped in 3.7, I think.

I prefer headphones to speakers anyway.

[Jeff Vader]

I agree at least with the subwoofer part.
Back in the old days I only had the shoebox speakers that came with my computer. I never really paid attention to the sound quality since I didn't know of anything better. For example in Mafia shooting with a Colt 1911 resulted in a "bam bam bam" sound. I thought "ok, at lest it makes a sound".
Then,  few years ago my uncle bought me some Logitech 2.1 speakers. I decided to test how they handle. So, once again I played Mafia and shot with the Colt. The result was a "BOOM!" from the speakers, nearly throwing me off my chair.
I came familiar with FS way later and haven't even played it without a subwoofer, so I can't really compare them, but I'm sure that its better with the woofer, since it worked that way with Mafia too.

[Shining_Saber]

I only have 2 little speakers and my headphones.  I'd rather buy a new video card and RAM then get a sound card, no offense, but as long as I can hear it clear and it sounds alright, its fine with me.

[akenbosch]

whats a subwoofer?

[Snail]

whats a subwoofer?

It's a dog that barks really low notes.

[Jeff Vader]

No, no. You got it all wrong. It's an energetic dog that exists exclusively in subspace. That's why it is a key factor in FS.

[achtung]

I've had my 5.1 system for a while, and I'd never go back by choice.  What's really awesome is the floor in this house causes the thing to sound deeper.  I guess it's because of the hardwood floors and basement below.

[Snail]

I feel so deprived...

No HDRish, no subwoofer... Surround sound... Nothing...

[Pathwarden]

I feel so deprived...

No HDRish, no subwoofer... Surround sound... Nothing...

Same, all I have is two cheap generic brand speakers.

But ya, subwoofers add to any game, I remember playing Counterstrike for the first time at a friends house with his high end sound system, first time I heard a grenade go off I nearly jumped out of my chair.

[Game_Master64]

i have 5.1 with woofer, but my piece of crap sound card doesnt support full 5.1. i have to set the damn things to stereo mode

[IceFire]

All of you who just have the two cheapo speakers that come with pretty much any PC these days is doing themselves a disservice.  You don't have to have the 5.1 surround sound setup...sometimes thats not practical...but most people can afford to find a spot for a set of high quality 2.1 speakers which can fill the room decently well anyways.  Its not as good but its very close.  The subwoofer and a pair of good speakers is definitely worth it.  It makes sound much more important...you hear allot more...the experience is much more immersive and can increase your ability to play a game depending on how well the games audio was done.

FreeSpace's audio work in terms of sound effects is great but the audio system is not so good.  Something like Battlefield 2 on the other hand seems to generally sport a fantastic audio system where you hear so much more when you have the proper equipment and settings.  Just simple things like a grenade landing next to you or artillery off in the distance or bullets hitting the wall next to you...all good when you have the right speakers.  Hopefully we can make the current FreeSpace 2 sound system a bit better and more positional...that'd be great.

[spartan_0214]

Yea, a .50 cal on BF2 with a subwoofer.....


Hearing aides at 30 years.

[Pathwarden]

Yea, a .50 cal on BF2 with a subwoofer.....


Hearing aides at 30 years.

It be worth it.

<3 Battlefield

[IceFire]

...it doesn't have to be loud to enjoy the music/audio.  I prefer not to turn it up.

[blackhole]

I have a subwoofer, but i turn it waaaay down because its easy to bug everyone else in the house with it.

[Black Wolf]

Fully Sick SubWoofa Maaate!





Nobody at all gets that, do they?

[CP5670]

All of you who just have the two cheapo speakers that come with pretty much any PC these days is doing themselves a disservice.  You don't have to have the 5.1 surround sound setup...sometimes thats not practical...but most people can afford to find a spot for a set of high quality 2.1 speakers which can fill the room decently well anyways.  Its not as good but its very close.  The subwoofer and a pair of good speakers is definitely worth it.  It makes sound much more important...you hear allot more...the experience is much more immersive and can increase your ability to play a game depending on how well the games audio was done.

FreeSpace's audio work in terms of sound effects is great but the audio system is not so good.  Something like Battlefield 2 on the other hand seems to generally sport a fantastic audio system where you hear so much more when you have the proper equipment and settings.  Just simple things like a grenade landing next to you or artillery off in the distance or bullets hitting the wall next to you...all good when you have the right speakers.  Hopefully we can make the current FreeSpace 2 sound system a bit better and more positional...that'd be great.

I agree, a good audio subsystem makes a huge difference in a game's immersion factor and is often not given the attention it deserves. Once the audio code is fixed, FS2 has the potential to shine here with its wide variety of sound effects, along with the high quality music we now have.

However, I don't think I could go back to any kind of speakers after using closed headphones exclusively for several years. They won't quite provide the ground-shaking bass of a similarly priced speaker setup, but I find their overall clarity (allowing you to make out finer details in the audio) and positional staging to be incomparably superior.

Yea, a .50 cal on BF2 with a subwoofer.....


Hearing aides at 30 years.

Fly near an active flak turret in PI to get the same effect.

[G0atmaster]

Yea, a .50 cal on BF2 with a subwoofer.....


Hearing aides at 30 years.

Sry bud, that's from having your volume up too loud.  Subwoofers are, by definition, supposed to play only notes that are beyond the range of average human hearing (20 Hz and lower).  Of course, some subwoofers are crappy ones, like mine, and go all the way up to 100 Hz, and make using the Afterburners INCREDIBLY annoying.  I need a new sound system.

Anyway, yeah.  Bass notes generally don't cause as much hearing dmg as high notes.  Even really loud ones.


Oh, and what CP said about headphones.