setup Medusa 5.1 USB headset

[IvanK]

I run a Medusa 5.1 headset off an Audigy Sound card (non uSB). With the headset on the surround sounds are not as good as through the speakers but miles ahead of a stereo set of headphones. There are a couple of "black holes" when you pan your head around which I have yet to remove.

One thing I found was to ensure that you have 5.1 speakers set in both windows (Control Panel -->Sounds and Devices-->Advanced in the speaker sound settings) and your sound card application. In IL2 setup make sure you have Surround set.

[Ojisan_Buba]

The USB Medusa doesnt need a soundcard. It has his own inbuilt one. Only usb to plug into the usp port and it runs.
How can i check: In Il2setup surround set??

[Feuerfalke]

That is why I just don't like the USB-Medusa. I got the one with the amplifier and it really beats the USB-Version in many regards. But both versions lack the basses I know from my headset. When I start the engines with my stereo-headset, it really sounds like a starting engine. No matter what I set my X-Fi and my Medusa to, the fact that frequency-band starts at 50Hz simply stops any fun for me. Using that headset, I can understand why people complain about the sound in IL2

My stereo-headset starts at 8Hz and has pretty much beat at that low frequency. Awesome, especially when flying a P47 and firing all guns.

[Roy]

Originally Posted by Feuerfalke

That is why I just don't like the USB-Medusa. I got the one with the amplifier and it really beats the USB-Version in many regards. But both versions lack the basses I know from my headset. When I start the engines with my stereo-headset, it really sounds like a starting engine. No matter what I set my X-Fi and my Medusa to, the fact that frequency-band starts at 50Hz simply stops any fun for me. Using that headset, I can understand why people complain about the sound in IL2

My stereo-headset starts at 8Hz and has pretty much beat at that low frequency. Awesome, especially when flying a P47 and firing all guns.

below 50hz odds are you are going to feel air pressure (ie: when the wind hits on your ears) rather than "sound"...
http://www.mediafire.com/?9t9saxxnzwd

In any case most complaints about IL2 sounds are from people that use bad quality speakers, not soundcards.

[KG26_Alpha]

Hi

I use the Medusa Amplified head set they seem to be more powerful than the usb ones.

Settings are plentiful if you have a Audigy1/2/Xfi/Soundblaster cards.

In IL2 folder there's an icon called setup hit that and try the settings under the sound tab you will have to play around with that to see what sounds best.

If you have one of the soundcards as mentioned above there are CMSS 3D settings in the creative audio console to really get the best sound out of these headphones.

Have fun

[Feuerfalke]

Originally Posted by Roy

below 50hz odds are you are going to feel air pressure (ie: when the wind hits on your ears) rather than "sound"...
http://www.mediafire.com/?9t9saxxnzwd

In any case most complaints about IL2 sounds are from people that use bad quality speakers, not soundcards.

Human hearing goes from 15-22k Hz or 20-20k Hz as an average for most people usually playing IL2 - Below that, you speak if infrasonic sound, that is transfered through the skull or body rather than the ear. If you only feel wind below 50Hz, you definitely should visit a specialist - either one for better headsets or one for medical treatment.

In most cases people who complained turned out to have either connected a good set of speakers to the onboard-soundchip or a crappy soundsetup to a good soundcard or even a mixture of both.

I'm not saying the Medusa is bad - I got one myself - but it's taking compromises on all sides.

[Roy]

Originally Posted by Feuerfalke

Human hearing goes from 15-22k Hz or 20-20k Hz as an average for most people usually playing IL2 - Below that, you speak if infrasonic sound, that is transfered through the skull or body rather than the ear. If you only feel wind below 50Hz, you definitely should visit a specialist - either one for better headsets or one for medical treatment.

In most cases people who complained turned out to have either connected a good set of speakers to the onboard-soundchip or a crappy soundsetup to a good soundcard or even a mixture of both.

I'm not saying the Medusa is bad - I got one myself - but it's taking compromises on all sides.

Hmm I don't see where I said I was hearing wind below 50hz... in any case, chances are you'll only hear a slim wind *humm* because IL2 sounds are most likely cut off (or sound is severely dampened) at frequencies < 50hz. It's not a big deal really, you are not losing much in the frequency band. Either you don't know much about sound and you just wanted to sound as if you did or it's you who should really visit a specialist if ~ 30hz make such a difference to you

As for soundcards/speakers etc... bad speakers have a bigger impact than a "crappy" onboard soundchip. As in... several orders of magnitude. Sound setup (stereo, 2.1 etc) should make no difference since that doesn't affect the sound quality in itself.

[Feuerfalke]

It's all up to yourself and your personal preferences.

To the biological/perceptive question: You can clearly identify 2 different tones in 3 Hz steps up to a minimum of 14-16 Hz. Below that, until 8Hz you have a resonance-frequency, which gives you a humming sound, just like the deep roaring of an engine or echoing of an explosion or thunder.

Little hearing test:

http://www.dogstar.dantimax.dk/acoustic/440.mp3
http://www.dogstar.dantimax.dk/acoustic/443.mp3

Play them after another and you should note the difference.


Frequency in IL2 surely not dampened at <50Hz and it indeed makes a difference, as it is the difference of a Merlin Engine and a moped.
The problem is, though, that most onboard-soundchips don't display these sounds and their spectrum very well. But then, you surely wouldn't expect to play IL2-1946 with all details to max on an onboard-graphics-card, either.

And if you really think that a soundcard only makes a difference with a 5.1 soundsystem and above, you really should spend some 20 bucks for a soundblaster to hear the difference. As KG26_Alpha said, you can get a lot more even out of the small Medusa-Speakers by using the CMSS 3D spatial sound and the 24bit crystalizer, bass-rerouting and THX-5.1-distance- and speaker-calibration. With an X-Fi you can also use a stereo-headset with spatial sound that comes pretty close to full 5.1, when using a decent headset. Surely speakers don't affect the soundfiles, but they can represent them or not.

It's surely not only crappy boxes, as they only can mirror the sounds they are presented. But you wouldn't fit 22" tires to a Fiat Cinquicento either and expect it to break a Formula1 record.