Gaming with 5.1 Surround Sound

[Jason]

As a movie buff, I've always been a fan of home theater systems and had nice setup 16 years ago in my first house. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to enjoy 5.1 surround sound since we moved from there in 2002, until now.

I've had my eye on Logitech's z906 system for a few years. It retails for $399, which is very cheap for a decent 5.1 system, and Amazon was selling it for as low as $310 around the holidays. Luckily I didn't bite at that price point because Amazon had it as their "Deal of the Day" 2 weeks ago and I was able to grab it for $205. I'm not going to pretend this system is on par with my old Onkyo receiver and Polk speaker/subwoofer combination, but it does a great job for my smaller living room and the price was right.

Bear in mind that I was gaming on a PS2 the last time I had a 5.1 system, so this is the first time I'm playing video games with true 5.1 surround sound and it's added a lot to the experience. Yesterday I was playing MLB 16 and just hearing the stadium announcer and ambient crowd noise coming out of the surround speakers was awesome. I can't wait to try out the rest of my games.

I did have to run an optical cable from the PS4 to the surround system and change some of the audio settings on the PS4 to transmit a true 5.1 signal, but it wasn't anything overly complicated and was a big improvement over the stereo signal being "upconverted" to a faux 5.1 signal.

Here's what my new setup looks like. The only thing left is a 4K TV.

[Brad Company]

You've been missing out, boyo. Via HDMI, all games have lossless audio in 5.1/7.1.
Many do even on PS3, which was always an advantage over X360, which had DD 5.1 only.
Sound design in modern games is frankly amazing, rendering so many directional sounds in real time.
In multiplayer, a good sound system or headphones, is a clear advantage.

[Jason]

My 5.1 system doesn't have HDMI inputs, so I'm using HDMI for video to the TV and optical/Toslink to the surround sound system for 5.1 audio. My TV does have an optical out port, but it only outputs stereo.

The 4k TV's I'm looking at do support DD and DTS 5.1 output through their optical ports, so I'd be able to run all the audio (cable, blu-ray and PS4) via HDMI  through the TV's optical output and still get DD/DTS 5.1 sound without having to use separate audio outputs for all of my equipment.

I dusted off my old speaker stands, which had been buried up in my attic, for the surround speakers and they worked perfectly.

[Brad Company]

Nice. Full bitrate DD/DTS is still awesome. Most higher end sets will pass DD 5.1 via ARC, but not all. That can make certain setup configs easy.
My 2008 Bravia passes DD 5.1 via the optical out, for example. Also, optical splitters work well, too if you needed an extra out for a headset.

[Ted]

What is all this foreign language?

[Jason]

Geek-speak.

[Brad Company]

Got a new receiver, a Sony STR-DN1070. All HDMI ports are HDCP 2.2 and ready to roll 4K.
Next up, a 4K TV and I'm all set.

[Jason]

Nice receiver. What speakers do you have hooked up to that bad boy?

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk

[Brad Company]

6 Sony floorstanders and two subs. I have quite a bit of music in 5.1 via SACD, DVD-A, and Blu-Ray audio, so I need the surrounds to match the fronts.

[Jason]

That was my next question...if you had 6 or 4 speakers. 2 subs...that setup must sound amazing, especially with no satellite speakers. Are the 2 subs placed front left and front right?

Wow, SACD and DVD-A. I remember that format war back in early 2000's.

[Brad Company]

Yep, on the subs, one in each front corner.