What kind of sound setup do you use for console gaming?

[Jedi2016]

I was curious about this after the recent DualSense reveal and initial horror that some people experienced when they thought the headphone jack might have been removed (it wasn't), along with the PS5's Tempest Engine prioritizing headphone audio over surround.

The reason I was curious is that it's never occurred to me to use headphones on consoles. Maybe my setup is different or not as common as I think, in that I've always had my consoles hooked up in the living room or home theater room, the same setup I use to watch movies and such. Big screen, big sound. But it seems I may be in more of a minority than I thought I was.

So, Era, how do you listen to your games? I'm talking about consoles here, since those are more likely to be wired to bigger systems that are less prevalent for PC.

 

[R0987]

I use a 5.1 surround sound bar ( a Sony HT-RT 3 for those wondering) and it truly adds to the immersion of games.

 

[EinBear]

I have a soundbar hooked up to my TV, which gets the job done. I'm not really much of an audiophile though to be honest, I struggle to really notice much of a difference between different audio equipment.

 

[The Albatross]

I voted 'sound bar' but I have these Roku TV wireless speakers:

Roku

Roku provides the simplest way to stream entertainment to your TV. On your terms. With thousands of available channels to choose from.

www.roku.com

They're awesome, but most similar to a soundbar. If you have a RokuTV and just want somethign that works, I recommend these.

 

[Indelible]

I use a stereo that I have had for over 20 years, still sounds great.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Sennheiser headphones.

 

[cowbanana]

I use wired Sennheiser headphones via the controller on PS4.

The Nintendo Pro controller is a bit shit for lacking a mini jack. But I play my consoles at my desk (not a couch fan), so I just plug the headphones into the Switch.

 

[ss_lemonade]

5.1.2 atmos. You're right about PC for me though, since I just use stereo headphones there.

 

[Sagadego17]

home theater

 

[ClickyCal']

Headphones on ps4.

Would absolutely use them for the switch too if it was an option.

 

[Fredrik]

Marantz SR6012 Atmos home theater AVR

 

[MisterB_66]

5.1 if I'm playing alone, headset if I'm playing with friends.

 

[k0decraft]

Headphones on PC and PS4.

 

[CasualsareFilth]

Usually headphones if not TV speakers. Can't say I'm much of an audiophile.

 

[Greywaren]

I always use headphones.

 

[Raide]

Logitech Z906 setup.

 

[Deleted member 63305]

Both my Pro and One X go thru my Denon AVR-S930H 7.1.2 receiver and the speakers are Klipsch with a 500W down-firing sub). Obviously the Pro can only go up to 7.1 while I use ATMOS(Games and Movies) and DTSX(Movies and I think 1 game uses it) for the One X. For my headphone usage, its just the regular Xbox Stereo headset(With the ATMOS app) and for the Pro its the Silver Wired Stereo headset.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

Poll should allow for multiple options.

 

[Palette Swap]

AV receiver and speakers.

 

[JudgmentJay]

High-end 5.2 system.

 

[platocplx]

5.1 with sonos. definitely helps a lot for immersion for me. also have wireless headphones too

 

[Lukemia SL]

5.1 system cos I cannot have it any other way.... unless I can get a setup with even more speakers, 5.1 is the bare minimum for me.

 

[Sagadego17]

home theater

Click to shrink...

Oh and wired Amazon basics for my handheld console's

 

[Kingpin Rogers]

I use pc speakers connected to the headphone port in my monitor. I'd like to upgrade to a full sound system at some point though.

 

[panama chief]

Denon s720w 7.2 home theater system. 2 subs. I enjoy that bass that shakes the house.
but each console has a pair of headphones in case I want to game a little quieter.

 

[KingPat]

Depends where I'm playing my games. If I'm playing in my main room it's 7.1 Atmos or dts X. If it's on my computer it's my thx 789 amp, smsl su-8 dac, and either my 660s, hd800s, or hifiman Arya. Then also on PC the Sennheiser gsx 1000 or I'll just use equalizer apo for surround sound.

 

[R0987]

High-end 5.1 system with 2 subwoofers.

Click to shrink...

shouldnt it be a 5.2 system.

 

[HalStep]

klim usb headset,turtle beach before that and i used tv speakers before so any headset is a step up for me.

 

[JMeth]

Full Atmos setup. Mains, heights and rears are all Jamo with two Emotiva Subs ran through a Marantz SR5014

 

[Aardvark Barber]

Steelseries Arctis 7 via USB.

 

[JudgmentJay]

shouldnt it be a 5.2 system.

Click to shrink...

I guess you're right. For some reason I always though a .2 system required some kind of special setup beyond just having 2 subwoofers.

 

[Pargon]

Poll needs more options, and the ability to select more than one.
I mostly use active monitors/bookshelf speakers (JBL 305p MkII) which are paired with a subwoofer for 2.1, or headphones.
Never TV speakers, and I'm not sure that a proper surround sound/atmos setup is really suitable for any of the rooms here - at least not without compromising on tiny satellite speakers.
Sound bars never felt worth the money unless you favor convenience and form-factor over all else; though I'm always hearing about people having problems with them too.

I guess you're right. For some reason I always though a .2 system required some kind of special setup beyond just having 2 subwoofers.

Click to shrink...

I don't think it's inaccurate to call it 5.2, but I would also have thought that a 5.2 setup would have independent signals going to each sub (left and right channels), rather than the same LFE signal being split and sent to both.

 

[JudgmentJay]

I don't think it's inaccurate to call it 5.2, but I would also have thought that a 5.2 setup would have independent signals going to each sub (left and right channels), rather than the same LFE signal being split and sent to both.

Click to shrink...

Yeah that was my understanding as well, but a quick google search shows people calling any system with 2 subs a .2 system, so who knows.

 

[inner-G]

4K/LCD TVs = Sound bar

For my CRTs though, I use the built in ones. I have a couple Trinitrons that come close to matching a sound bar in some ways, and for dialog in TV shows, I actually prefer their sound.

 

[Psyrgery]

I voted for Surround sound, but in reality it's a soundbar coupled with a subwoofer and 2 rear speakers

 

[ThreepQuest64]

Erm... stereo speakers with a subwoofer. Where is the good old stereo vote option?

 

[earlycuyler]

Really depends on the time of day. I have a 3.1 setup running through an onkyo for the day, and use Astro A50's at night. Since I've had children, I find myself using the headset probably 80% of the time. 3.1 primarily just gets used for movies/tv shows. Gaming does sound fantastic through the 3.1 setup, and I do miss cranking it at night haha

 

[Massicot]

Currently use either Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 or HD598 headphones. The Momentum is through bluetooth 5.0 while the HD598 is driven by a Xonar essense soundcard (not that it's high impedance anyway).

Both are a bit up there in years, but they still sound great. I switch depending on whether I want wired/open (HD598) or wireless/closed (momentum)

 

[greetdeath]

I use my home theater which is 7.2.4 Atmos but I also have to use my Headphones with the Atmos plugin a lot since my wife detests almost every noise.

 

[quibbler]

SHP9500 open-back headphones if I'm looking for an immersive experience. Otherwise, I just settle with my PC (JBL Pebbles) or TV speakers.

I'm planning to upgrade my sound setup coming next-gen.

 

[Deleted member 55807]

Headphones on Switch or through separate speakers when docked, which is a shame because in both cases I have to go through not-exactly-great DA-converters. Either through the Switch itself or to speakers through my computer monitor's headphone out - getting digital audio out of the Switch is a no-go because it only has HDMI out. Would have loved optical out, I could've routed that to my nice audio interface to get better audio quality.

 

[King Al B]

I use Stereo Sound most of the time. A late model Harman Kardon amp with a pair of older 15" 3 way Technics speakers. Sounds really good and super clear.

My TV converts HDMI into analog stereo.

 

[Haint]

Between TV speakers, soundbars, stereos, PC speakers, HTiB's, and full surround setups, headphones are almost definitely an extreme minority for in home consoles. PS5's Tempest engine was conceived for VR, not because 90% of Playstation users are rocking RGB headsets on their Dualshocks.

 

[Deleted member 179]

I use some decent earbuds. Once I live on my own I'll get a neat surround setup.

 

[Clay]

I have a Sonos Playbase. It sounds pretty good for a sound bar, but since I'm able to settle down I'm really looking forward to getting a proper surround sound system. I've moved a lot in the last decade and I don't want to spend money on something nice that could potentially be damaged over the course of multiple moves. I've been meaning to grab a pair of their small speakers to use as rears.

I also use a pair of Sennheiser 595s plugged into my Xbox controller.

 

[monmagman]

I have a sound bar but I still play about 80% on headphones.

 

[psilocybe]

None of them.

2.1 system for both TV and monitor (two separate ones)

 

[SkoomaBlade]

Just currently upgraded to a 7.1 Samsung HW -Q80R soundbar. Its a pretty big step up from my ancient 2.1 Panasonic receiver set up that I inherited from and old roommate. The Atmos and Virtual Surround produced from the upfiring and sidefiring speakers are really quite convincing.

I'd like to get a proper 7.1 set-up someday once I settle down permanently but I've moved quite a few times in the last couple of years and have another big move this fall for grad school so the Atmos soundbar will hold me over until then.

 

[Deleted member 19996]

Atmos Soundbar with rears and upwards firing speakers. Sounds great on Xbox One X when Atmos and 7.1 is supported.

edit: Yes, I know lulz soundbar, but it does have separate front, side, rear, and upwards (on the rears and main) firing speakers, so it sounds really good.

 

[Jedi2016]

Added a Stereo option if anyone wants to change their vote.