surround sound headphones

Matt35 · 17-01-2015, 19:39

I got thesehttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDRDS6500-CEK-Digital-Surround-Headphones/dp/B004X5JBY4/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_t and wanted to know if anyone else has got them. Im happy with them but my yamaha yht 399 amp doesn't have a optical output so im having to plug them into my skybox. Does it make a difference to sound quality whether its plugged into my amp or sky?

chrisjr · 17-01-2015, 19:50

If the headphones are being fed exactly the same sequence of ones and zeros the results will be exactly the same what ever they are plugged into. So if the amp did have an optical out then the sound quality would be exactly the same as long as the amp passed the digital data stream from the sky box to the output unaltered.

Matt35 · 17-01-2015, 20:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

If the headphones are being fed exactly the same sequence of ones and zeros the results will be exactly the same what ever they are plugged into. So if the amp did have an optical out then the sound quality would be exactly the same as long as the amp passed the digital data stream from the sky box to the output unaltered.

My amp only has optical input so I'd need a splitter. My TV has optical out but when I plug cable into headphones receiver to sky box the Dolby digital light comes on but doesn't when I plug it into TV.

chrisjr · 17-01-2015, 20:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt35

My amp only has optical input so I'd need a splitter. My TV has optical out but when I plug cable into headphones receiver to sky box the Dolby digital light comes on but doesn't when I plug it into TV.

If all you want to listen to on the headphones is Sky then just leave it plugged into the Sky box. Unless that is you want to us the optical out to fed the Yamaha?

If your Sky box is fairly new then it should be able to feed Dolby Digital up the HDMI lead to the amp so that would free up the optical out. Assuming the Sky box is connected via the amp and not direct to the TV?

If you want to be able to listen to anything that you watch on the TV then you might have to use the TV optical out. When you do have the headphones connected to the TV do you get any audio at all when watching Sky? If the Sky box is connected via the amp and you don't get any audio from the TV then the amp might be striping the audio signal from the feed to the TV. There should be a setting to change this.

If you do get audio but stereo only then check both the settings on the amp and the TV. Check the amp is set to pass multi channel audio to the TV and that the TV is also set to multi channel on the optical out. If either is set to output PCM then that is plain stereo so explains why the Dolby Digital light does not come on on the headphones.

Matt35 · 17-01-2015, 20:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

If all you want to listen to on the headphones is Sky then just leave it plugged into the Sky box. Unless that is you want to us the optical out to fed the Yamaha?

If your Sky box is fairly new then it should be able to feed Dolby Digital up the HDMI lead to the amp so that would free up the optical out. Assuming the Sky box is connected via the amp and not direct to the TV?

If you want to be able to listen to anything that you watch on the TV then you might have to use the TV optical out. When you do have the headphones connected to the TV do you get any audio at all when watching Sky? If the Sky box is connected via the amp and you don't get any audio from the TV then the amp might be striping the audio signal from the feed to the TV. There should be a setting to change this.

If you do get audio but stereo only then check both the settings on the amp and the TV. Check the amp is set to pass multi channel audio to the TV and that the TV is also set to multi channel on the optical out. If either is set to output PCM then that is plain stereo so explains why the Dolby Digital light does not come on on the headphones.

Yes when I plug optical into TV from headphones reciever I do get sound from sky. Just didn't know if it was dd because the light doesn't come on.

chrisjr · 17-01-2015, 22:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt35

Yes when I plug optical into TV from headphones reciever I do get sound from sky. Just didn't know if it was dd because the light doesn't come on.

In theory if the amp passes on the raw Dolby Digital signal to the telly and that in turn passes it on to the optical out then you should get Dolby Digital on the headphones.

So if the DD indicator is not coming on that suggests that somewhere in the chain it is being converted to plain stereo. Hence the suggestion you check the settings for the amp and TV output to see what they are set to.

Winston_1 · 17-01-2015, 23:01

How can you get surround sound with headphones? No rear drivers for a start.

gomezz · 17-01-2015, 23:34

The same way as you get it with speakers. Your ears remain the same.

Deacon1972 · 17-01-2015, 23:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winston_1

How can you get surround sound with headphones? No rear drivers for a start.

Multiple drivers in each earpiece which fire at different angles, the sound then enters the ear canal at different angles, the result being the audio no longer appears to be directly originating in the head like standard headphones.

Virtual surround sound headphone work with only two speakers, mix amps and clever prosessing.

17-01-2015, 19:39	#1
Matt35 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 9,552	surround sound headphones I got thesehttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDRDS6500-CEK-Digital-Surround-Headphones/dp/B004X5JBY4/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_t and wanted to know if anyone else has got them. Im happy with them but my yamaha yht 399 amp doesn't have a optical output so im having to plug them into my skybox. Does it make a difference to sound quality whether its plugged into my amp or sky?

17-01-2015, 19:50	#2
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	If the headphones are being fed exactly the same sequence of ones and zeros the results will be exactly the same what ever they are plugged into. So if the amp did have an optical out then the sound quality would be exactly the same as long as the amp passed the digital data stream from the sky box to the output unaltered.

17-01-2015, 20:04	#3
Matt35 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 9,552	Quote: Originally Posted by chrisjr If the headphones are being fed exactly the same sequence of ones and zeros the results will be exactly the same what ever they are plugged into. So if the amp did have an optical out then the sound quality would be exactly the same as long as the amp passed the digital data stream from the sky box to the output unaltered. My amp only has optical input so I'd need a splitter. My TV has optical out but when I plug cable into headphones receiver to sky box the Dolby digital light comes on but doesn't when I plug it into TV.

17-01-2015, 20:26	#4
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	Quote: Originally Posted by Matt35 My amp only has optical input so I'd need a splitter. My TV has optical out but when I plug cable into headphones receiver to sky box the Dolby digital light comes on but doesn't when I plug it into TV. If all you want to listen to on the headphones is Sky then just leave it plugged into the Sky box. Unless that is you want to us the optical out to fed the Yamaha? If your Sky box is fairly new then it should be able to feed Dolby Digital up the HDMI lead to the amp so that would free up the optical out. Assuming the Sky box is connected via the amp and not direct to the TV? If you want to be able to listen to anything that you watch on the TV then you might have to use the TV optical out. When you do have the headphones connected to the TV do you get any audio at all when watching Sky? If the Sky box is connected via the amp and you don't get any audio from the TV then the amp might be striping the audio signal from the feed to the TV. There should be a setting to change this. If you do get audio but stereo only then check both the settings on the amp and the TV. Check the amp is set to pass multi channel audio to the TV and that the TV is also set to multi channel on the optical out. If either is set to output PCM then that is plain stereo so explains why the Dolby Digital light does not come on on the headphones.

17-01-2015, 20:33	#5
Matt35 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 9,552	Quote: Originally Posted by chrisjr If all you want to listen to on the headphones is Sky then just leave it plugged into the Sky box. Unless that is you want to us the optical out to fed the Yamaha? If your Sky box is fairly new then it should be able to feed Dolby Digital up the HDMI lead to the amp so that would free up the optical out. Assuming the Sky box is connected via the amp and not direct to the TV? If you want to be able to listen to anything that you watch on the TV then you might have to use the TV optical out. When you do have the headphones connected to the TV do you get any audio at all when watching Sky? If the Sky box is connected via the amp and you don't get any audio from the TV then the amp might be striping the audio signal from the feed to the TV. There should be a setting to change this. If you do get audio but stereo only then check both the settings on the amp and the TV. Check the amp is set to pass multi channel audio to the TV and that the TV is also set to multi channel on the optical out. If either is set to output PCM then that is plain stereo so explains why the Dolby Digital light does not come on on the headphones. Yes when I plug optical into TV from headphones reciever I do get sound from sky. Just didn't know if it was dd because the light doesn't come on.

17-01-2015, 22:23	#6
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	Quote: Originally Posted by Matt35 Yes when I plug optical into TV from headphones reciever I do get sound from sky. Just didn't know if it was dd because the light doesn't come on. In theory if the amp passes on the raw Dolby Digital signal to the telly and that in turn passes it on to the optical out then you should get Dolby Digital on the headphones. So if the DD indicator is not coming on that suggests that somewhere in the chain it is being converted to plain stereo. Hence the suggestion you check the settings for the amp and TV output to see what they are set to.

17-01-2015, 23:01	#7
Winston_1 Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 5,008	How can you get surround sound with headphones? No rear drivers for a start.

17-01-2015, 23:34	#8
gomezz Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Buckingham Posts: 28,590	The same way as you get it with speakers. Your ears remain the same.

17-01-2015, 23:52	#9
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Winston_1 How can you get surround sound with headphones? No rear drivers for a start. Multiple drivers in each earpiece which fire at different angles, the sound then enters the ear canal at different angles, the result being the audio no longer appears to be directly originating in the head like standard headphones. Virtual surround sound headphone work with only two speakers, mix amps and clever prosessing.

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surround sound headphones