Argh! Can't get surround sound through my Senneisser HD 650 headphones!

[Matt The Giant]

Can anyone tell me why my Sennheisser HD 650s aren't giving me surround sound.
My previous pair of HDR 120s did, so why don't these. Fine with music, but no 5.1 surround from the Xbox 360! :O
Can anyone help me out here?!

[LFC_SL]

I do not see how the HDR 120 could have given you surround sound with only two channels

Headphones having a wide sound stage, with good positional sense and placement and separation of instruments is not the same as surround sound

[Matt The Giant]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

I do not see how the HDR 120 could have given you surround sound with only two channels

Headphones having a wide sound stage, with good positional sense and placement and separation of instruments is not the same as surround sound

Enlighten me, please.
And yer, left and right granted on the HDR 120s, in front and behind pretty simple too.
I have seen multiple threads on other sites where people have recommended them for home theatre replacements, delivering fantastic surround sound etc.

[Arcam_boy]

its impossible for a set of headphones to give you surround sound as you won't be getting full rear channel effects like a dedicated 5.1 system can create. My 650's do a fine job of giving a sense of where a helicopter etc is coming from but they don't even come close to rivaling a full surround system.

[Matt The Giant]

Originally Posted by Arcam_boy

its impossible for a set of headphones to give you surround sound as you won't be getting full rear channel effects like a dedicated 5.1 system can create. My 650's do a fine job of giving a sense of where a helicopter etc is coming from but they don't even come close to rivaling a full surround system.

Right, I have just been educated in some other forums, and my setupd should give me left and right sounds, but it doesn't. Only with music will it do this... :S

[LFC_SL]

What is your setup?

[Matt The Giant]

Currently it goes like this:
Xbox 360, connected to TV via HDMI, HD 650s connected via TRS jack.
Converted from 6.3mm jack to 3.5mm so the headphones connect.

In 13 days it will be:
Xbox 360, connected to amp via RCA component cables (connected to TV via VGA), amp connects to HD 650s via TRS (not sure how big it is, I think it's the bigger of them, 6.something?).

The amplifier is the Pioneer A109.

The annoying thing is that I know the headphones should support left and right sounds because I can hear it with music, and in my laptop (pretty bad quality I know) I can hear lefts and rights in games through the 650s. :| It's the xbox...

[LFC_SL]

Its not your 360. I don't know why you expect surround sound when you are using a 2 channel output connector

If you want surround sound with headphones, I suggest you buy "surround sound" headphones which come with a box which simulate the effect for you - badly

[hopeless]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Its not your 360. I don't know why you expect surround sound when you are using a 2 channel output connector

If you want surround sound with headphones, I suggest you buy "surround sound" headphones which come with a box which simulate the effect for you - badly

i disagree. i have 2 dolby digital headphones and im very impressed with the sound they create.

going back to traditional cans, even with an amp, they sound lifeless and flat

[alexs2]

There are various audio processing protocols such as Dolby headphone and a few others which will enable a form of virtual surround via two channel headphones,but in the case of Dolby headphone,it does require a multichannel source to begin with,or it defaults to 2 channel format.

All of these formats are basically digitally synthesised representations of multichannel formats and work with varying degrees of effectiveness.....it's all personal preference but I much prefer the original unprocessed stereo on mine.

In any case,the HD650 is designed primarily as an audiophile headphone and is much better suited to stereo reproduction with high quality sources and amps.