Which settings for Dolby Digital Live 5.1 headphones? DD 5.1 speakers or headphones?

[Brat Gvidon]

I use Dolby Digital Live 5.1 (DDL5.1) on my X-Fi Titanium PCIe with latest PAX drivers. The X-Fi Audio Control Panel forces DDL5.1 via optical cable into my Turtle Beach EarForce x41 headphone receiver, and then to my wireless headset/headphones. DD5.1 is detected by the receiver and it all works like it should. These headphones only emulate DD5.1, but the effect is like true DD5.1, not like mixed Creative CMSS-3D or Dolby Pro Logic effect.

What I am confused about are the settings. I want Windows and games to think I have a 5.1 speaker setup. Thus games would produce surround sound, have it processed by my X-Fi card into Dolby Digital 5.1 (unless the game is in DD 5.1 format already) for my headphones, not speakers. I am afraid that selecting "Headphones" in Windows 7 sound settings, Creative X-Fi Audio Control Panel, media players/codec utilities, and games would produce non-surround stereo sound (which would go through X-Fi DDL5.1 processing regardless). However, wouldn't setting sound settings to "headphones" (stereo?) worsen 5.1 positioning and DD5.1 effect/sound quality?

I set everything to 5.1 until I get a clear answer.

Also, I know DDL5.1 is needed to send multi-channel signal over SPDIF as it normally can send only 2 channel signal. Does that mean DD5.1/surround sound via analogue cables is of higher quality? My headphones are wireless, which adds to noise/distortion/lower quality sound when comparing to a wired headset. I can't hear any of that noise, distortion, etc., and not even crackling (unless I distance myself or have a WiFi signal interruption). Wouldn't switching from digital to analogue worsen sound quality even further? Turtle Beach states (not a quote) that EarForce x41 is wireless, but digital and being digital improves wireless sound quality and sounds better than analogue wireless.

[Langaleer]

I use Dolby Digital Live 5.1 (DDL5.1) on my X-Fi Titanium PCIe with latest PAX drivers. The X-Fi Audio Control Panel forces DDL5.1 via optical cable into my Turtle Beach EarForce x41 headphone receiver, and then to my wireless headset/headphones. DD5.1 is detected by the receiver and it all works like it should. These headphones only emulate DD5.1, but the effect is like true DD5.1, not like mixed Creative CMSS-3D or Dolby Pro Logic effect.

Right, thats setup correctly.

What I am confused about are the settings. I want Windows and games to think I have a 5.1 speaker setup. Thus games would produce surround sound, have it processed by my X-Fi card into Dolby Digital 5.1 (unless the game is in DD 5.1 format already) for my headphones, not speakers. I am afraid that selecting "Headphones" in Windows 7 sound settings, Creative X-Fi Audio Control Panel, media players/codec utilities, and games would produce non-surround stereo sound (which would go through X-Fi DDL5.1 processing regardless). However, wouldn't setting sound settings to "headphones" (stereo?) worsen 5.1 positioning and DD5.1 effect/sound quality?

Yes it would worsen it, leave it at 5.1 / DDLive

I set everything to 5.1 until I get a clear answer.

Good, leave it.

Also, I know DDL5.1 is needed to send multi-channel signal over SPDIF as it normally can send only 2 channel signal. Does that mean DD5.1/surround sound via analogue cables is of higher quality?

AFAIK, DD is over Digital only - hence the name Dolby Digital.
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Wouldn't switching from digital to analogue worsen sound quality even further? Turtle Beach states (not a quote) that EarForce x41 is wireless, but digital and being digital improves wireless sound quality and sounds better than analogue wireless.

Well considering your headphones REQUIRE DD to have 5.1 effects, then yes going to analogue would worsen your experience.