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rfreiberger
12
Feb 28, 2016
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I'm confused on the 7.1 part of this DAC/Amp. Does this mean I could experience virtual 7.1 sound in my headphones, or is it really decoding 7.1 from a DVD to my headphones? I tried some software surround features and they often sound like a echo layer added on the normal EQ.
laklak
2
Feb 28, 2016
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rfreibergeri think it enables 7.1 ready headphones, may be targeted for gamer's.
BetaWolf
13
Feb 28, 2016
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rfreibergerIt encodes 7.1 into stereo to give you a surround sound effect through your headphones. It's only via USB, so it will only work on a PC. I've used an older version on a Creative sound card, and it does add a deep reverb-like effect. I hope this sounds a bit better, because it did improve my gaming performance.
DigitalRonyn
558
Creative Labs
Feb 28, 2016
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rfreibergerHi rfreiberger,
This 7.1 is indeed virtual surround.
By having the Sound Blaster E5 now appear as a 7.1 device at the system level (before it would only appear as a stereo device) game engines and the OS can feed our surround algorithm the 7.1 streams and this allows for a MUCH more immersive and convincing experience. The streams go to the E5 and the E5 takes those streams and then creates a virtual 7.1 experience over your headphones.
At the risk of sounding too snarky here...the reason why "some surround features" sound like an echo layer from the "other guys" is that most are just adding a reverb effect to broaden the soundstage. With SBX Surround powered by an actual audio processor we're able to create a much more convincing psycho acoustic binaural effect that is much more convincing when it comes to simulating location based audio. You can read several reviews about our tech versus other folks. We hang our hat on the technologies we've been developing for over 30 years and have dedicated engineers and audio scientists developing and refining the tech every day.
This 7.1 is indeed virtual surround.
By having the Sound Blaster E5 now appear as a 7.1 device at the system level (before it would only appear as a stereo device) game engines and the OS can feed our surround algorithm the 7.1 streams and this allows for a MUCH more immersive and convincing experience. The streams go to the E5 and the E5 takes those streams and then creates a virtual 7.1 experience over your headphones.
At the risk of sounding too snarky here...the reason why "some surround features" sound like an echo layer from the "other guys" is that most are just adding a reverb effect to broaden the soundstage. With SBX Surround powered by an actual audio processor we're able to create a much more convincing psycho acoustic binaural effect that is much more convincing when it comes to simulating location based audio. You can read several reviews about our tech versus other folks. We hang our hat on the technologies we've been developing for over 30 years and have dedicated engineers and audio scientists developing and refining the tech every day.
rfreiberger
12
Feb 28, 2016
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DigitalRonynThanks for the reply! I'm intending to use this as a portable device, have a O2 at home and a Fiio, but the features for the E5 would work while on the train and at work.
rfreiberger
12
Feb 28, 2016
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BetaWolfI've been using Asus Xonar in my PC, used Creative Labs for years before that. Thanks for the reply.
Evshrug
3772
Community
Feb 29, 2016
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rfreibergerJust IMO, but... you may find the E5 being very similar or replacing your FiiO. The E5 also has a line-out you can connect to the O2 if you want to use the O2 as your amp and your E5 as a DAC/Processor/Mixer.
Edgar
195
Mar 1, 2016
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DigitalRonynNot related to this drop really but it bugs me that the G5 is advertised as "True 7.1 surround sound" when it is nothing but virtual surround. I went and bought the G5, already owning the E5, thinking I'd eventually be able to dock my laptop with it and hook it up to speakers through optical and have it output true 7.1 surround. Now the E5 get's a firmware upgrade and there was basically no reason for me to buy the G5. Am I wrong in this? Does this "True 7.1 surround sound" really just mean virtual surround? Should I just go ahead and sell my G5 since my E5 does the same thing now with the firmware upgrade?
DigitalRonyn
558
Creative Labs
Mar 1, 2016
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EdgarEdgar, totally get where you are coming from. The E5 and G5 surround is virtual and based on the same tech / algorithms. Functionally they are identical. We're able to take the multiple surround streams and virtualize them over headphones. So the E5 can do the same surround output at the G5 does.
Our rationale was if we CAN add it to the E5 then we should as it was a feature that was highly requested from the user base of the E5. Originally we targeted the E5 to focus on the stereo output as the audio enthusiast crowd tends to gravitate towards "pure stereo" devices (or a large segment of the user base does) and is looking for the best possible accuracy to the source material. So we did just that with the E5.
And THEN we added our tech on top of it once we established the E5 on the hardware level with the audio purists. With the E5 you have the option to experience the best of both worlds . Audio purity or enhanced audio for entertainment and immersion.
Our rationale was if we CAN add it to the E5 then we should as it was a feature that was highly requested from the user base of the E5. Originally we targeted the E5 to focus on the stereo output as the audio enthusiast crowd tends to gravitate towards "pure stereo" devices (or a large segment of the user base does) and is looking for the best possible accuracy to the source material. So we did just that with the E5.
And THEN we added our tech on top of it once we established the E5 on the hardware level with the audio purists. With the E5 you have the option to experience the best of both worlds . Audio purity or enhanced audio for entertainment and immersion.
Evshrug
3772
Community
Mar 1, 2016
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EdgarThe E5 is a G5 with added features, but minus the LED brightness to indicate volume level.
Both devices are designed for headphones, neither device has the connections for 8 speakers or the Dolby/DTS encoding to put 7.1 channels through optical to a home theater receiver... though the optical port can be used if you separately buy Dolby or DTS encoding software for your computer (don't quote me/double check me on this, but I think Mac OSX can send already encoded content like DVDs or movies bought on iTunes out through optical?).
Both devices are designed for headphones, neither device has the connections for 8 speakers or the Dolby/DTS encoding to put 7.1 channels through optical to a home theater receiver... though the optical port can be used if you separately buy Dolby or DTS encoding software for your computer (don't quote me/double check me on this, but I think Mac OSX can send already encoded content like DVDs or movies bought on iTunes out through optical?).
Edgar
195
Mar 1, 2016
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DigitalRonynI appreciate your response, and I have no problem adding functionality, it's just the advertising is a bit confusing, when the word "True" is used. I'll probably just gift the G5, or something but it is truly disappointing. That being said the E5 sold here is really a great device and this conversation takes nothing away from this.
Tararam
0
Mar 4, 2016
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DigitalRonynHi DigitalRonyn, as far as I understand the 7.1 is available on PC, what about Playstation 4? Is the E5 capable on converting 7.1 output from PS4 into the virtual 7.1?
denizc
5
Mar 4, 2016
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TararamI heard that they were working on implementing Dolby / DTS decoding from the optical in from a thread in Head-Fi, where one of the Creative representatives said they were going to support it via a firmware update. Haven't heard anything about it since then though.
maverickwoo
3
Mar 30, 2016
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denizc@DigitalRonyn: given the firmware upgrade on the E5, is there a reason to get the G5 any more? Most importantly, can the E5 with the firmware upgrade do everything that G5 can do?
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