Questions from a surround sound newb.
07-04-08, 10:07 PM
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Questions from a surround sound newb.
I learned a lot about HDTVs and such last summer, but I honestly don't know a thing when it comes to surround.
My g/f and I tend to watch movies/ play video games late at night since we work second shift. This doesn't jive very well with our downstairs neighbor as she's made a few complaints to our landlord.
The problem I'm having is hearing dialogue late at night. I have to crank the TV up extremely loud to hear a word they're saying, but then explosions, music etc are blaring. I can't really pay attention to films the way I want since my finger is constantly on the remote. I have this problem more so with the 360 HD-DVD add on than with Blu Rays on PS3.
So I was thinking maybe a pair of wireless headphones would be our best option. But I honestly have no idea what I need for a decent 5.1 (or 7.1) headphones. Do I just need a receiver? Do I need a complete surround sound set up (which I'm not adverse to for the times we are able to watch movies at a decent hour). I have to admit I am dying to hear games like GTA 4 and MGS 4 out of something other than the TV speakers.
What's a cheap but easy solution here? I don't need the best of the best since I've never had surround sound in my life. Although I feel like if I don't future proof with 7.1 I'll be missing out (just like when I splurged on 1080p for no real reason). Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks in advance.
My g/f and I tend to watch movies/ play video games late at night since we work second shift. This doesn't jive very well with our downstairs neighbor as she's made a few complaints to our landlord.
The problem I'm having is hearing dialogue late at night. I have to crank the TV up extremely loud to hear a word they're saying, but then explosions, music etc are blaring. I can't really pay attention to films the way I want since my finger is constantly on the remote. I have this problem more so with the 360 HD-DVD add on than with Blu Rays on PS3.
So I was thinking maybe a pair of wireless headphones would be our best option. But I honestly have no idea what I need for a decent 5.1 (or 7.1) headphones. Do I just need a receiver? Do I need a complete surround sound set up (which I'm not adverse to for the times we are able to watch movies at a decent hour). I have to admit I am dying to hear games like GTA 4 and MGS 4 out of something other than the TV speakers.
What's a cheap but easy solution here? I don't need the best of the best since I've never had surround sound in my life. Although I feel like if I don't future proof with 7.1 I'll be missing out (just like when I splurged on 1080p for no real reason). Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Last edited by OKWORDYODA; 07-05-08 at 08:00 PM.
07-07-08, 03:32 PM
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Hi,
I sort of had a similar thing, only that I have a sleeping child in the other room. So I was looking for DD 5.1/DTS home theater headphones. I did a lot of research and I settled on the Sony MDR-DS6000 Headphones. I've updated the CONS only in this forum. I'll need to update my epinions review. If I had to buy new home theater headphones, I would search more for wired surround sound home theater headphones. But when I was doing research, I could only find wire-less. Wired headphones supposedly avoid any interference (whether it's a Radio Frequency or if you are not sitting in a good area of the couch, for example).
All you need is a DVD player. The Home Theater headphone base acts as the receiver.
These types of headphones are great if you are into surround sound. If you prefer watching movies with great bass, then maybe invest in a good pair of stereo BOSE headphones.
I would love to see someone invent home theater DTS/DD 5.1 headphones with a SUBWOOFER!
I reviewed these headphones at Epinions.com: http://www.epinions.com/content_422316838532
Great Urban Home Theater Headphones
Written: Mar 16 '08
Product Rating:
Pros: Awesome DD 5.1/DTS (it's not pseudo-surround!), good option if you live in city
Cons:
-there's sometimes crackling interference if you are not positioned right on your couch. Move to another part of the couch and it may go away.
-not too much bass
The Bottom Line: Excellent technology! I recommend it even to people who don't even want home theater headphones!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
toddly6666's Full Review: Sony MDR-DS6000 Headphones
After researching all the other options (Pioneer SE-DIR800C, Sennheiser, hard-to-find Korean/Japanese imports, older Sony versions, even wired home theater headphones), I narrowed it down to the Sony MDR-DS6000 Wireless headphones - and i'm just blown away by this technology! I've listened to good regular quality stereo headphones (such as Bose), but these Sony headphones make a huge difference.
Over the past 5 years I've had different forms of home theater audio systems - wired surround sound home theater system, Soundmatters Mainstage virtual surround sound speaker, and now these wireless surround sound speakers. I would now rate these Sony wireless headphones slightly below a normal surround sound speaker setup only due to the tame bass within the headphones. I'm not saying that the bass is poor - these headphones actually do have a perfectly acceptable amount of bass action which I was impressed with - but they are obviously no comparison to a real subwoofer. So it's not really fair to compare the headphone bass to a floor-shaking subwoofer. Other than that, the surrounds actually do sound like an actual surround sound system. And the non-action, subtle dialogue scenes in a movie actually outperform the audio quality of a regular home theater system. I've been testing many DVDs (such as Gladiator, Matrix Reloaded, The Warlords, Return of the King) with the DD 5.1 option versus the DTS option, and so far, they sound pretty even, maybe the DTS sounds a tiny bit louder, but other than that, there's not an obvious difference between the DD 5.1 and DTS. But they both equally rock!
Another great thing about these headphones is that I live in a thin-walled apartment building in NYC with apartments below, above, and next to mine. I was warned that the RF headphones are prone to interference such as cell phones and microwaves. So I took a chance after reading another positive "city" review of these headphones, and I got lucky! No interference at all, no break-ups. Just perfect so far. Maybe earlier RF models were more sensitive? I don't know. But these Sony MDR-DS6000 work perfect if you live in the city.
The only other headphone feature that I can think of when watching DVDs is that there is an EFFECT option on these headphone base - you can click it to OFF, CINEMA, and MUSIC (for CDs). I've been testing movies with the CINEMA EFFECT on and off - and I think that the CINEMA effect is the way to go when watching movies. The audio does sound slightly better with this option chosen - the audio expands and the spoken-dialogue scenes do sound better as if in a movie theater.
I sort of had a similar thing, only that I have a sleeping child in the other room. So I was looking for DD 5.1/DTS home theater headphones. I did a lot of research and I settled on the Sony MDR-DS6000 Headphones. I've updated the CONS only in this forum. I'll need to update my epinions review. If I had to buy new home theater headphones, I would search more for wired surround sound home theater headphones. But when I was doing research, I could only find wire-less. Wired headphones supposedly avoid any interference (whether it's a Radio Frequency or if you are not sitting in a good area of the couch, for example).
All you need is a DVD player. The Home Theater headphone base acts as the receiver.
These types of headphones are great if you are into surround sound. If you prefer watching movies with great bass, then maybe invest in a good pair of stereo BOSE headphones.
I would love to see someone invent home theater DTS/DD 5.1 headphones with a SUBWOOFER!
I reviewed these headphones at Epinions.com: http://www.epinions.com/content_422316838532
Great Urban Home Theater Headphones
Written: Mar 16 '08
Product Rating:
Pros: Awesome DD 5.1/DTS (it's not pseudo-surround!), good option if you live in city
Cons:
-there's sometimes crackling interference if you are not positioned right on your couch. Move to another part of the couch and it may go away.
-not too much bass
The Bottom Line: Excellent technology! I recommend it even to people who don't even want home theater headphones!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
toddly6666's Full Review: Sony MDR-DS6000 Headphones
After researching all the other options (Pioneer SE-DIR800C, Sennheiser, hard-to-find Korean/Japanese imports, older Sony versions, even wired home theater headphones), I narrowed it down to the Sony MDR-DS6000 Wireless headphones - and i'm just blown away by this technology! I've listened to good regular quality stereo headphones (such as Bose), but these Sony headphones make a huge difference.
Over the past 5 years I've had different forms of home theater audio systems - wired surround sound home theater system, Soundmatters Mainstage virtual surround sound speaker, and now these wireless surround sound speakers. I would now rate these Sony wireless headphones slightly below a normal surround sound speaker setup only due to the tame bass within the headphones. I'm not saying that the bass is poor - these headphones actually do have a perfectly acceptable amount of bass action which I was impressed with - but they are obviously no comparison to a real subwoofer. So it's not really fair to compare the headphone bass to a floor-shaking subwoofer. Other than that, the surrounds actually do sound like an actual surround sound system. And the non-action, subtle dialogue scenes in a movie actually outperform the audio quality of a regular home theater system. I've been testing many DVDs (such as Gladiator, Matrix Reloaded, The Warlords, Return of the King) with the DD 5.1 option versus the DTS option, and so far, they sound pretty even, maybe the DTS sounds a tiny bit louder, but other than that, there's not an obvious difference between the DD 5.1 and DTS. But they both equally rock!
Another great thing about these headphones is that I live in a thin-walled apartment building in NYC with apartments below, above, and next to mine. I was warned that the RF headphones are prone to interference such as cell phones and microwaves. So I took a chance after reading another positive "city" review of these headphones, and I got lucky! No interference at all, no break-ups. Just perfect so far. Maybe earlier RF models were more sensitive? I don't know. But these Sony MDR-DS6000 work perfect if you live in the city.
The only other headphone feature that I can think of when watching DVDs is that there is an EFFECT option on these headphone base - you can click it to OFF, CINEMA, and MUSIC (for CDs). I've been testing movies with the CINEMA EFFECT on and off - and I think that the CINEMA effect is the way to go when watching movies. The audio does sound slightly better with this option chosen - the audio expands and the spoken-dialogue scenes do sound better as if in a movie theater.
07-07-08, 11:29 PM
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Originally Posted by toddly6666
Hi,
I sort of had a similar thing, only that I have a sleeping child in the other room. So I was looking for DD 5.1/DTS home theater headphones. I did a lot of research and I settled on the Sony MDR-DS6000 Headphones. I've updated the CONS only in this forum. I'll need to update my epinions review. If I had to buy new home theater headphones, I would search more for wired surround sound home theater headphones. But when I was doing research, I could only find wire-less. Wired headphones supposedly avoid any interference (whether it's a Radio Frequency or if you are not sitting in a good area of the couch, for example).
All you need is a DVD player. The Home Theater headphone base acts as the receiver.
These types of headphones are great if you are into surround sound. If you prefer watching movies with great bass, then maybe invest in a good pair of stereo BOSE headphones.
I would love to see someone invent home theater DTS/DD 5.1 headphones with a SUBWOOFER!
I reviewed these headphones at Epinions.com: http://www.epinions.com/content_422316838532
Great Urban Home Theater Headphones
Written: Mar 16 '08
Product Rating:
Pros: Awesome DD 5.1/DTS (it's not pseudo-surround!), good option if you live in city
Cons:
-there's sometimes crackling interference if you are not positioned right on your couch. Move to another part of the couch and it may go away.
-not too much bass
The Bottom Line: Excellent technology! I recommend it even to people who don't even want home theater headphones!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
toddly6666's Full Review: Sony MDR-DS6000 Headphones
After researching all the other options (Pioneer SE-DIR800C, Sennheiser, hard-to-find Korean/Japanese imports, older Sony versions, even wired home theater headphones), I narrowed it down to the Sony MDR-DS6000 Wireless headphones - and i'm just blown away by this technology! I've listened to good regular quality stereo headphones (such as Bose), but these Sony headphones make a huge difference.
Over the past 5 years I've had different forms of home theater audio systems - wired surround sound home theater system, Soundmatters Mainstage virtual surround sound speaker, and now these wireless surround sound speakers. I would now rate these Sony wireless headphones slightly below a normal surround sound speaker setup only due to the tame bass within the headphones. I'm not saying that the bass is poor - these headphones actually do have a perfectly acceptable amount of bass action which I was impressed with - but they are obviously no comparison to a real subwoofer. So it's not really fair to compare the headphone bass to a floor-shaking subwoofer. Other than that, the surrounds actually do sound like an actual surround sound system. And the non-action, subtle dialogue scenes in a movie actually outperform the audio quality of a regular home theater system. I've been testing many DVDs (such as Gladiator, Matrix Reloaded, The Warlords, Return of the King) with the DD 5.1 option versus the DTS option, and so far, they sound pretty even, maybe the DTS sounds a tiny bit louder, but other than that, there's not an obvious difference between the DD 5.1 and DTS. But they both equally rock!
Another great thing about these headphones is that I live in a thin-walled apartment building in NYC with apartments below, above, and next to mine. I was warned that the RF headphones are prone to interference such as cell phones and microwaves. So I took a chance after reading another positive "city" review of these headphones, and I got lucky! No interference at all, no break-ups. Just perfect so far. Maybe earlier RF models were more sensitive? I don't know. But these Sony MDR-DS6000 work perfect if you live in the city.
The only other headphone feature that I can think of when watching DVDs is that there is an EFFECT option on these headphone base - you can click it to OFF, CINEMA, and MUSIC (for CDs). I've been testing movies with the CINEMA EFFECT on and off - and I think that the CINEMA effect is the way to go when watching movies. The audio does sound slightly better with this option chosen - the audio expands and the spoken-dialogue scenes do sound better as if in a movie theater.
I sort of had a similar thing, only that I have a sleeping child in the other room. So I was looking for DD 5.1/DTS home theater headphones. I did a lot of research and I settled on the Sony MDR-DS6000 Headphones. I've updated the CONS only in this forum. I'll need to update my epinions review. If I had to buy new home theater headphones, I would search more for wired surround sound home theater headphones. But when I was doing research, I could only find wire-less. Wired headphones supposedly avoid any interference (whether it's a Radio Frequency or if you are not sitting in a good area of the couch, for example).
All you need is a DVD player. The Home Theater headphone base acts as the receiver.
These types of headphones are great if you are into surround sound. If you prefer watching movies with great bass, then maybe invest in a good pair of stereo BOSE headphones.
I would love to see someone invent home theater DTS/DD 5.1 headphones with a SUBWOOFER!
I reviewed these headphones at Epinions.com: http://www.epinions.com/content_422316838532
Great Urban Home Theater Headphones
Written: Mar 16 '08
Product Rating:
Pros: Awesome DD 5.1/DTS (it's not pseudo-surround!), good option if you live in city
Cons:
-there's sometimes crackling interference if you are not positioned right on your couch. Move to another part of the couch and it may go away.
-not too much bass
The Bottom Line: Excellent technology! I recommend it even to people who don't even want home theater headphones!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
toddly6666's Full Review: Sony MDR-DS6000 Headphones
After researching all the other options (Pioneer SE-DIR800C, Sennheiser, hard-to-find Korean/Japanese imports, older Sony versions, even wired home theater headphones), I narrowed it down to the Sony MDR-DS6000 Wireless headphones - and i'm just blown away by this technology! I've listened to good regular quality stereo headphones (such as Bose), but these Sony headphones make a huge difference.
Over the past 5 years I've had different forms of home theater audio systems - wired surround sound home theater system, Soundmatters Mainstage virtual surround sound speaker, and now these wireless surround sound speakers. I would now rate these Sony wireless headphones slightly below a normal surround sound speaker setup only due to the tame bass within the headphones. I'm not saying that the bass is poor - these headphones actually do have a perfectly acceptable amount of bass action which I was impressed with - but they are obviously no comparison to a real subwoofer. So it's not really fair to compare the headphone bass to a floor-shaking subwoofer. Other than that, the surrounds actually do sound like an actual surround sound system. And the non-action, subtle dialogue scenes in a movie actually outperform the audio quality of a regular home theater system. I've been testing many DVDs (such as Gladiator, Matrix Reloaded, The Warlords, Return of the King) with the DD 5.1 option versus the DTS option, and so far, they sound pretty even, maybe the DTS sounds a tiny bit louder, but other than that, there's not an obvious difference between the DD 5.1 and DTS. But they both equally rock!
Another great thing about these headphones is that I live in a thin-walled apartment building in NYC with apartments below, above, and next to mine. I was warned that the RF headphones are prone to interference such as cell phones and microwaves. So I took a chance after reading another positive "city" review of these headphones, and I got lucky! No interference at all, no break-ups. Just perfect so far. Maybe earlier RF models were more sensitive? I don't know. But these Sony MDR-DS6000 work perfect if you live in the city.
The only other headphone feature that I can think of when watching DVDs is that there is an EFFECT option on these headphone base - you can click it to OFF, CINEMA, and MUSIC (for CDs). I've been testing movies with the CINEMA EFFECT on and off - and I think that the CINEMA effect is the way to go when watching movies. The audio does sound slightly better with this option chosen - the audio expands and the spoken-dialogue scenes do sound better as if in a movie theater.
So I've been researching wireless headphones ever since I made this post, and I'd actually narrowed it down to the same pair the Sony MDR-DS6000. The Sennheiser's are cheaper but they don't seem to replicate 5.1. The Pioneer seems good too, but it's a bit pricier than Sony's.
The only "problem" I'm having is find out if I can sync two pair to one "base". And if I am able to do that, how do I get a second pair? I can't seem to find a stand alone pair, and I'd hate to buy two (with two bases) for 400+ if there's a way I can save a bit of money. Any help in this area would be awesome, because once I have this part figured out, I think I've made my decision.
07-08-08, 09:07 AM
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OKWORDYODA,
Here's the manual for the Sony MDR-DS6000 (click on Operating Instructions): http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/mod...00®ion_id=1
Concerning another pair of headphones, on page 23 of the manual, it says you have to purchase the MDR-RF6000 wireless headphones. Here's a review of them here: http://www.gamemanx.com/reviews/revi...es/2008/06/07/
I wouldn't buy another set of headphones until you speak to a Sony rep differentiating why you have to buy a MDR-RF6000 instead of another MDR-DS6000.
UPDATE: I looked closely at this MDR-RF6000 review and it shows a picture of the MDR-DS6000. So maybe it's all the same thing. Definitely call a Sony rep.
Here's the manual for the Sony MDR-DS6000 (click on Operating Instructions): http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/mod...00®ion_id=1
Concerning another pair of headphones, on page 23 of the manual, it says you have to purchase the MDR-RF6000 wireless headphones. Here's a review of them here: http://www.gamemanx.com/reviews/revi...es/2008/06/07/
I wouldn't buy another set of headphones until you speak to a Sony rep differentiating why you have to buy a MDR-RF6000 instead of another MDR-DS6000.
UPDATE: I looked closely at this MDR-RF6000 review and it shows a picture of the MDR-DS6000. So maybe it's all the same thing. Definitely call a Sony rep.
Last edited by toddly6666; 07-08-08 at 09:17 AM.
07-17-08, 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by toddly6666
OKWORDYODA,
Here's the manual for the Sony MDR-DS6000 (click on Operating Instructions): http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/mod...00®ion_id=1
Concerning another pair of headphones, on page 23 of the manual, it says you have to purchase the MDR-RF6000 wireless headphones. Here's a review of them here: http://www.gamemanx.com/reviews/revi...es/2008/06/07/
I wouldn't buy another set of headphones until you speak to a Sony rep differentiating why you have to buy a MDR-RF6000 instead of another MDR-DS6000.
UPDATE: I looked closely at this MDR-RF6000 review and it shows a picture of the MDR-DS6000. So maybe it's all the same thing. Definitely call a Sony rep.
Here's the manual for the Sony MDR-DS6000 (click on Operating Instructions): http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/mod...00®ion_id=1
Concerning another pair of headphones, on page 23 of the manual, it says you have to purchase the MDR-RF6000 wireless headphones. Here's a review of them here: http://www.gamemanx.com/reviews/revi...es/2008/06/07/
I wouldn't buy another set of headphones until you speak to a Sony rep differentiating why you have to buy a MDR-RF6000 instead of another MDR-DS6000.
UPDATE: I looked closely at this MDR-RF6000 review and it shows a picture of the MDR-DS6000. So maybe it's all the same thing. Definitely call a Sony rep.
What it boils down to is that the model number MDR-DS6000 is the number for the entire package, but the model number MDR-RF6000 is just the headphones themselves. Which you can't really get on it's own, and after I thought about I wouldn't want to anyway. I didn't think about the whole charging situation, and how much easier it'd be with two bases.
07-17-08, 10:45 AM
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OKWORDYODA,
Do you by chance have a subwoofer? If so are you curious to experiment? I'm curious what would happen if you can plug your subwoofer into the headphone base or the DVD player. That would be my ideal home theater headphones. Concerning neighbors/sleeping family, I'm more concerned with volume being too high than neighbors/sleeping family hearing the subwoofer rumble. I don't have a subwoofer, and they are too expensive to buy one just to see what happens if it gets plugged into the headphone base or the dvd player.
Tell me if you start hearing crackling sounds. Because mine worked perfectly in the beginning, but now I have to be stragically placed on the couch to not get the crackling. Once you break them in, please fill me in on any tricks of how to get the least interference (is the base better placed high or lower than ear level, don't have any radios plugged in close by, etc.).
Do you by chance have a subwoofer? If so are you curious to experiment? I'm curious what would happen if you can plug your subwoofer into the headphone base or the DVD player. That would be my ideal home theater headphones. Concerning neighbors/sleeping family, I'm more concerned with volume being too high than neighbors/sleeping family hearing the subwoofer rumble. I don't have a subwoofer, and they are too expensive to buy one just to see what happens if it gets plugged into the headphone base or the dvd player.
Tell me if you start hearing crackling sounds. Because mine worked perfectly in the beginning, but now I have to be stragically placed on the couch to not get the crackling. Once you break them in, please fill me in on any tricks of how to get the least interference (is the base better placed high or lower than ear level, don't have any radios plugged in close by, etc.).
