TECHNOLOGY
How does 360° surround
sound work?
When it comes to recreating the depth of sound you get
from a home theatre system with a set of carefully
placed speakers, a headset needs to use its own brand of
magic to t rick you r ea rs into t hink ing you’re f loating in
sound. Virtual surround sound and 360°/3D sound
works by much the same principle as its physical
counterpart, but using just two speakers.
The seven speakers (hence the ‘7’ in 7.1) of a room-
based surround sound setup create a tangible sonic
picture around you, including the placement of one
above and another below to create a sense of immersion.
In a headset, the magic begins by using algorithms that
simulate the calibrated sound of a physical speaker.
Waves of sound are sent out, which bounce off the
contours of your ears, creating a faux sense of 360°
audio. Each algorithm works at a slightly different
volume, with bass and treble rebalanced to create a
sound that moves around you while you’re watching a
particularly sonically-crowded film, or moving through
the varied soundscape of a first-person shooter.The Tactical Audio Controller (TAC) from Turtle Beach
isn’t cheap, costing almost as much as the headset it’s
marketed with, but it’ll give you unparalleled control
over you r ga ming audio. Plug it in a nd you’ve got access
to 7.1 Dolby and DTS Headphone:X surround sound,
giving you a 360° audio experience that will turn any
ga me into a soundscape you’d st r uggle to replicate in
any other headset. Being able to fine-tune everything
from background noise to the level of your own mic
makes a laughing stock of other setups. The TAC also
comes with all the cables you’d need to connect up to
PS4 and Xbox One as well as a PC, so closed-box gamers
can get in on the surround sound action wit h ease.
+++++ Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tactical Audio Controller
£149.99, turtlebeach.comTurtle Beach Elite Pro
£169.99
turtlebeach.comThe Elite Pro from Turtle
Beach is one serious bit of
kit. Whether you’re a
casual gamer who just
wants to enjoy the best
possible audio while
playing Fallout 4, or a
professional player who
wants an accessory that’s
good enough for use in
tournaments and
competitions, the Elite Pro
ticks all the boxes.
Turtle Beach says it built
this headset from the
ground up to be its most
impressive offering yet,
and you can see that re-
energised focus in almost
every facet of its design.
The headset is impossibly
light, with each side fitted
with earcups made of
spandex, leather and gel-
infused memory foam. We
spent entire evenings
using them and almost
forget they were there,such was the comfort
Turtle Beach has conjured.
Then there’s the sound- the 50mm ‘nanoclear’
speakers that sit behind
those comfortable cups
offer a satisfyingly clear
experience, with enough
bass to ma ke you r chosen
game boom. Even without
the Tactical Audio
Controller that Turtle
Beach strongly suggests
you use with it (see right),
you’re still getting a full
and robust audio
experience. The very
quietest of sounds were
audible, making the Elite
Pro ideal for gaming,
listening to softer music
and watching films.
Add in a noise-
cancelling mic and all the
accessories, and you’ve got
one of the luxurious
headsets on the market.