Does GA-EX58-UD5 rev 1 support Dolby Headphone?

[anindrew]

Hi all! As many people who live with a significant other, I found out that she doesn't care for my 5.1 surround sound gaming late at night. She thought she was hearing thunder last night, but it was actually my subwoofer. I've been looking into using Dolby Headphone with a pair of headphones as that would give me a "virtual surround environment" with 7.1 or 5.1. I'm finding conflicting information about whether or not my motherboard supports Dolby Headphone. If it has it, then all I need is some quality headphones. If it doesn't, then I'll end up having to spend more, most likely.

Does the GA-EX58-UD5 rev 1 support Dolby Headphone? If so, what do I have to do to enable it?

[wazza300]

Re: Does GA-EX58-UD5 rev 1 support Dolby Headphone?

dont think it does,i cant remember seeing it,the bog standard microsoft sound drivers are pretty good anyway theres a bass boost option which sounds fantastic if set up right,i hate the realtek ones but i think it does give you an option for 5.1 on headphones(virtual surround)

i do know that the asus xonar sound card does have dolby headphone,but the difference between onboard and a xonar isnt that much imo,

a good quality pair of headphones are you best purchase,some like the sony mdr-v700 which im using

[anindrew]

Re: Does GA-EX58-UD5 rev 1 support Dolby Headphone?

Hi wzza300,

Thank you for the reply. I actually managed to get Dolby Headphone enabled on my board. If I plug headphones in using the inputs on the front of my Antec 900 (version 1) and change my speakers to stereo in Windows/Sound Manager, I get the option under Speaker Properties in Windows. There's a Dolby tab. However, the sound is a bit noisy most likely due to interference in the case. I can also hook the headphones up directly to the back of the motherboard, but I only get the Dolby Headphone option if I unplug my 5.1 speakers. It sounds much cleaner with no detectable noise or interference. The surround effect works pretty well. I'm sure better headphones (or even a better sound card) would offer an even better experience.

In Team Fortress 2, I chose 7.1 speakers while Dolby Headphone was enabled. I'm not sure if that was actually working properly with 7.1. It sounded like it was, but it's hard to tell if I was hearing separate rear and side speakers. I'll have to experiment and see if it sounds any different than 5.1 in TF2.

[depuepedro]

Re: Does GA-EX58-UD5 rev 1 support Dolby Headphone?

the asus xonar sound card does have dolby headphone

[wazza300]

Re: Does GA-EX58-UD5 rev 1 support Dolby Headphone?

Hi wzza300,

Thank you for the reply. I actually managed to get Dolby Headphone enabled on my board. If I plug headphones in using the inputs on the front of my Antec 900 (version 1) and change my speakers to stereo in Windows/Sound Manager, I get the option under Speaker Properties in Windows. There's a Dolby tab. However, the sound is a bit noisy most likely due to interference in the case. I can also hook the headphones up directly to the back of the motherboard, but I only get the Dolby Headphone option if I unplug my 5.1 speakers. It sounds much cleaner with no detectable noise or interference. The surround effect works pretty well. I'm sure better headphones (or even a better sound card) would offer an even better experience.

In Team Fortress 2, I chose 7.1 speakers while Dolby Headphone was enabled. I'm not sure if that was actually working properly with 7.1. It sounded like it was, but it's hard to tell if I was hearing separate rear and side speakers. I'll have to experiment and see if it sounds any different than 5.1 in TF2.

ahh i wasnt sure as its been such along time since ive used it,i know tht dolby was available for that mb,an add in card wont be much better in sound quality and same for the static noise your hearing,i get it too with onboard and an add in card,it could be psu or gpu related,try turning off c1e or c3/c6 states in advanced cpu features,it might stop the noise,also route your front panel audio wire up and away from your gpu card as this will create static noise too

[kilner]

Re: Does GA-EX58-UD5 rev 1 support Dolby Headphone?

i had the xonar essence stx after about 6 month of it i sold it on ebay and im now on the onboard sound

and tbh i carnt tell the difrence

[anindrew]

Re: Does GA-EX58-UD5 rev 1 support Dolby Headphone?

The headphones I'm using now were freebies with a recording interface I bought (Presonus Firestudio Mobile). They sound great for stereo music, but they are VERY uncomfortable due to high tension. They work decently well in games, but they do cause some listening fatigue.

I ended up getting in on newegg's shell shocker deal the other day for the Corsair HS1 USB headset for $44.99 (after $10 MIR). I figured I'd give them a try for that cheap. If they're not that great, I'll return them and save up for a nice set of headphones.