IMPROVING SKYRIM SOUND FOR UNDER US$200
Since
the days when I was playing DOOM, Quake, Hexen, etc. I did not give
much thought to the quality of the sound coming from the game. I mean,
when you are taking down a Baron of Hell with a chainsaw does the sound
even matter? When I purchased a new computer, I would install a 5.1
sound card and connect the sound card to a cheap 5.1 speaker system.
That was how I played for many years. In my home theater I had
installed a fancier (read more expensive) 5.1 system. A few years back
my wife started saying that she did not appreciated the sound of 200
zombies being dismembered by a chain saw while she was cooking dinner.
Not wanting to sleep on the sofa I quickly bought a pair of US$150
headphones and dismantled the 5.1 home theater speakers. Of course,
going from 5.1 surround sound to 2.0 stereo, was not the same theater
experience. I could have the volume cranked up louder without
disturbing the wife, but I kept missing the sound of those jets flying
low to the ground, passing behind my head with afterburners screaming.
Fortunately, a friend loaned me a little device called HeaDSPeaker from
the Finnish company DSPeaker.
The device plugged into the audio system
between the source of the sound signal and the headphones. The device
created a synthetic surround sound using software. It also had a
mechanism to keep the sound centered on the TV screen even as you turned
your head away from the screen. With other headphones, either those
with no surround sound or those with synthetic surround sound, as you
moved your head to the right the sound would also rotate to the right. I
was really enjoying the new surround sound system and my wife was also
very happy with the lack of screams and explosions.
The
success with headphones in my home theater system made me start
thinking about the 5.1 system I had for my gaming computer. Unlike many
other computer games, the Bethesda Fallout and Elder Scroll games do
not provide 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. These Bethesda games only output
a 2.0 stereo signal. While many people think that 2.0 stereo is
adequate for the Bethesda games, when I tried my headphones in place of
the 5.1 speaker system, I found the 2.0 sound to be lacking. With
standard 2.0 headphones I can’t always locate the bad guy/creature that
was sneaking up on me from behind. Some people say that they do not
have this problem with standard 2.0 headphones. Well, I and a number of
other players do have this problem. If you want a little more
information of what is behind you as well as wanting a more expansive
sound stage, going to surround sound is the solution. In the past this
meant buying a motherboard that would export a DTS or a similar signal
that contained 5.1 or 7.1 sound. Of course, a DTS capable motherboard
would not help us Skyrim players because there is no 5.1 or 7.1 sound
information contained in the Skyrim sound files. So, in order to have
surround sound in Skyrim you would need to buy and install a sound card
that would create a synthetic 5.1. or 7.1 signal and also have the 5.1
or 7.1 speakers and amplifier(s) installed. Or, you could install a
Skyrim mod that uses HRTF (Head-Related Transfer Function). HRTF, in
its many different forms, has been developed for audiophile headphone
users so that they can hear their music as surround sound instead of the
music coming from the center of their head. As Skyrim gamers, we do
not have to buy this expensive software. Instead we can get it for
free: True 3D Sound for Headphones mod 79879 for LE and 1879
for SE. This, of course, assumes you are using headphones for your
gaming rather than speakers. The HRTF software only works with
headphones.
So,
I took my US$150 headphones to my gaming room (aka guest bedroom),
disconnected the 5.1 system, installed the True 3D Sound mod and plugged
in my headphones. The difference in the quality of the sound between
the headphones and the 5.1 speaker system was quite dramatic. Of
course, I should not have been surprised. The sound reflections from
the speakers of the 5.1 system were bouncing all over the small room and
as a consequence the sound was muddy and indistinct. Also, I am sure
that the quality of the two small drivers in the headphones were far
superior to the drivers used in the 5.1 system speakers. Problem solved
or was it.
I
was really enjoying the much-improved sound that the headphones had
brought to my Skyrim game. However, there was a little voice in the
back of my mind telling me that the sound could be better. Buy better
headphones, buy a headphone amplifier, buy, buy, buy…. The temptation
became too great. I had to experiment to see if I could make the highs
shriek a little less and the low notes be more forceful and better
defined - for hundreds of dollars rather than the thousands of dollars
that audiophile headphone gear costs.
My
first purchase was a Shiit Audio Vali - a US$119 headphone amplifier.
It was a small device with vacuum tubes hidden under the metal case
which could drive headphones of low to medium impedance. I bought this
because the reviews at the time said it was quite a bargain in that it
gave great sound for little money and that the Vali sounded a bit
sweeter and richer than US$79 Shiit Audio all electronic Magni. With
the Vali installed the sound did improve significantly over the sound
from the amp chips mounted on the motherboard. The highs were more
extended on the top and the bass was more authoritative. I used the
Vali for almost three years, then it died - I assume a non-replaceable
vacuum tube burned out. I then purchased the Shiit Audio Vali 2 which
has a 1 inch (2.54cm) tall vacuum tube sticking out of the top. The
tube is replaceable and several other tube variants can be substituted
if you are what is known in audiophile circles as a tube-roller.
The
Vali 2 was slightly warmer in sound than the Vali and due to it having a
higher power output, the sound had more body, more heft to it. The
sound was very nice and I knew better headphones would make it sound
even more enjoyable. I broke down and bought, on sale, a new set of
headphones, Sennheiser HD 598 SE, which are currently listed on Amazon
for US$320. I was correct. Better headphones made the sound clearer
and more precise.
I
was very happy with my Vali 2 and the Sennheiser when the devil
reappeared. I had dropped by a friend’s house to give him some audio
gear that I no longer used. As I was leaving, he handed me a Little Dot
MkII headphone amplifier that he said he no longer needed. The Little
Dot MKlI sells on Amazon for US$165. It is a true two channel amplifier
(not two channels sharing the same vacuum tube) with a large (heavy)
transform, a pair of driver tubes and a pair of power tubes. All of the
tubes can be replaced and you can roll your own if you suffer from
audio nervosa. The unit is made in China and comes with Chinese vacuum
tubes. The power tubes sound pretty good. If you use headphones with
higher impedance you can put in other tubes that produce more power and
also sound a little better. The Chinese driver tubes sound a little
shrill on the highs. I replaced the Chinese driver tubes with General
Electric JAN (mil-spec) 5654W tubes for US$23. The shrillness
disappeared and I am now in computer audio heaven.
If
you are willing to spend US$150 for a pair of headphones and install
the free True 3D sound mod you can significantly improve the sound in
your game. For additional sums of money, you can keep improving the
sound. But as in all things, sound quality is ruled by the law of
diminishing returns - spending 25% more will not improve the sound
quality by 25%.
For
advice on which headphones to buy look on the web. There are thousands
of headphone reviews in all price categories. Likewise, there are
thousands of reviews on headphone amps on the web which cover the cheap
as well as the expensive. Be aware that headphones and headphone amps
made especially for gamers are sold at much higher profit margins since
selling bling to gamers is sort of like shooting fish in a barrel. Some
of the favorably reviewed headphones and headphone amps can also be
bought as either factory refurbished or used. Again, the web is your
friend.
Enjoy
Rogdonlp
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