DIY Surround Sound Headphones

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.zapwizard.com/Mods/Headphones/index.html' target='_blank'>http://www.zapwizard.com/Mods/Headphones/index.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"I love surround sound, and have made my self expert in it. I play my video games with four speakers, two in front and two behind. They connect to my sound blaster live and I can tell where anyone in the game is located if they make a sound. Well at night, as not to wake anyone, I used headphones, but I sucked when I didn't have that edge that surround sound gave me. So I decided to make a pair of headphones that could duplicate the effect of four speakers."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/diy-surround-headphones.jpg" /> <br /><br />This is WAY beyond my skills, but if you enjoy messing with audio equipment and want the joy of building your own surround sound headphones check this article out.

[jeffd]

Hmm, saddly this guys experience and knowledge with real audio equipment is also as lacking as james. ;)

the koss pro 35's are indeed some it the nicest dirt cheap (ie $20-30 phones) speakers I've heard.. but you can do far better. Also the mixing of the sound to 4 channels with that huge box is just so un-needed. MOST 5.1 or 6.1 surround sound cards (incl motherboards like the Nforce that do it) allow you to select your speaker arrangements, from 2, 4, and 5.1 speakers.

The problem im finding with any surround sound headphones is space, fitting 2 speakers in a cup means you need small speakers. This makes it even harder to produce HQ sound. I own a sweet pair of grados ($80) and could never drop back down to a worse quality phone. Saddly modding 2 of the same type of drivers to one ear isnt possible.. they are big. ^^

Also I really question just how much of a convincing surround sound effect you can get when the 2 speakers are right next to your ear. Most surround sound output is designed with speakers planted a few feet from the user. You might beable to identify sounds infront and behind you, but does it sound REAL? or does it sound like 2 speakers in one ear of your headphone? ;)

[James Fee]

I think the issue is really with games on this one. As far as I can tell (I don't play games on my PC) some sounds only come out of the rear channels. Then again, I am a dull bulb...

[Jason Eaton]

While I can't vouch for their mod, I can say that the pair of Zalman 5.1 surrond sound headphones give a convincing performance. True, it isn't as smooth during transitions from front to rear as say a home theater experience with a good setup but for gaming it fits the bill.

Zalman Head Phones at Xoxide (http://www.xoxide.com/za51suulgahe.html)

(Note: It could also be the games themselves (WoW,HL2,SWG,SS:S) I really watch movies and such in the living room, not my computer. End result however is great for 50 bucks. Plus my wife doesn't have to nag me about turning down the sound.)