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[Giallo Corsa]

Since buying a PS5 in 2022, I've always had 3D/tempest audio turned on and in conjunction with my cloud Alphas plugged straight into the DS, the results were always - IMO - good.

Skipping to late 2023 where I bought a creative sound blaster GC7 : still no problems whatsoever with 3D audio/tempest, sound clarity and volume were even better (obviously).

March 2025 : decided to buy a wireless headset (TB stealth 700 Gen3) and this is when i started noticing muffled sound in all of my games.
Now, one would think that it's the new headset that's at fault here since A) not all cup drivers are equal, B) headset/headphone pads are also not created equal and C) It's using 2.4GHz wireless connectivity which is prone to interferences.
Well, after troubleshooting for about 3 days (changing tempest audio profiles/switching USB ports for the dongle/readjusting/trying to find the optimal headset position on my head) the problem persisted - some sounds get drowned (especially those in the higher frequencies) and the general audio quality isn't what it used to be since now, no matter the tempest audio settings, audio is generally more "muddy" and muffled.

Trying to exclude my new headset, i connected my GC7 back to my PS5 using my trusted Cloud Alphas and... what do you know, audio is still muddy and muffled - something which absolutely wasn't the case before.

Now, 3D audio tends to mess with specific frequencies and many people have mentioned over the years that stereo is always the better option but, again, when it comes to my case, it's something that I've started noticing only the past couple of weeks.
Turning tempest audio off, sound gets back to being good/having good clarity/not sounding muffled.

At this point, since all my audio options sound exactly the same with 3D audio turned on, I can only conclude that something has changed which isn't on my end (?).
Maybe a recent FW update borked things ? I swear tempest audio didn't use to sound this bad before...

Has anyone else experienced anything similar ?

 

[Luipadre]

Its always been like that imo. Normal stereo sounded better to me everytime. Some headphones sounds more muffled than others with the 3d audio. For example my sennheiser HD599 sounds much better with 3D turned off, but my arctis nova 5 sounds almost exactly the same

 

[SimTourist]

Remember when Cerny wanted you to send pics of your ears to him?

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Its always been like that imo. Normal stereo sounded better to me everytime. Some headphones sounds more muffled than others with the 3d audio. For example my sennheiser HD599 sounds much better with 3D turned off, but my arctis nova 5 sounds almost exactly the same

Lui, i do trust you when you say that all headsets/headphones don't sound the same with 3D audio on (again, different pad sizes/pad form etc), but, in my case, I never used to have muffled sound with 3D audio on and now, I find it to be muddy no matter the headset which is strange...

I mean, I'm no audiophile but I'm a strickler when it comes to these kind of things, meaning, I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if it was muddy before.

As an example, when playing Warhammer darktide the past couple of days, I went from "Wait, what's wrong with the sound?" to "I'm pretty sure it didn't use to sound this shitty before" to "maybe sound production was always this shitty?" to " It's got to be this new frigging headset" each and every time I would fire a weapon - imagine my surprise when I connected my GC7 back and had the same exact results...

Don't know man, something doesn't add up

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Remember when Cerny wanted you to send pics of your ears to him?

Fun fact: calibrated 3D audio (that got introduced a couple of FW updates back) sounds even more tinny and muffled compared to the default 5 presets - then again, the audio setup is so convoluted and shitty that it's no wonder that it can't be calibrated easily/properly.

For my ears and using the Cloud Alphas, the default preset (no.3/the one in the middle) is what sounded the best to me - not anymore though...

 

[SimTourist]

Honestly a lot of modern games kinda sound like shit when compared to ps3 era, take something like MGS4, Bad Company 2 or Killzone 2, the audio quality was insane on a proper setup.

 

[StueyDuck]

Since buying a PS5 in 2022, I've always had 3D/tempest audio turned on and in conjunction with my cloud Alphas plugged straight into the DS, the results were always - IMO - good.

Skipping to late 2023 where I bought a creative sound blaster GC7 : still no problems whatsoever with 3D audio/tempest, sound clarity and volume were even better (obviously).

March 2025 : decided to buy a wireless headset (TB stealth 700 Gen3) and this is when i started noticing muffled sound in all of my games.
Now, one would think that it's the new headset that's at fault here since A) not all cup drivers are equal, B) headset/headphone pads are also not created equal and C) It's using 2.4GHz wireless connectivity which is prone to interferences.
Well, after troubleshooting for about 3 days (changing tempest audio profiles/switching USB ports for the dongle/readjusting/trying to find the optimal headset position on my head) the problem persisted - some sounds get drowned (especially those in the higher frequencies) and the general audio quality isn't what it used to be since now, no matter the tempest audio settings, audio is generally more "muddy" and muffled.

Trying to exclude my new headset, i connected my GC7 back to my PS5 using my trusted Cloud Alphas and... what do you know, audio is still muddy and muffled - something which absolutely wasn't the case before.

Now, 3D audio tends to mess with specific frequencies and many people have mentioned over the years that stereo is always the better option but, again, when it comes to my case, it's something that I've started noticing only the past couple of weeks.
Turning tempest audio off, sound gets back to being good/having good clarity/not sounding muffled.

At this point, since all my audio options sound exactly the same with 3D audio turned on, I can only conclude that something has changed which isn't on my end (?).
Maybe a recent FW update borked things ? I swear tempest audio didn't use to sound this bad before...

Has anyone else experienced anything similar ?

not saying this is absolutely the case, but don't forget your own body changes as you get older and hearing is a part of that.

 

[kruis]

My view is that 3D/Tempest audio was a complete waste of money, time, effort and silicon. I wish Cerny would have researched different technologies that would have provided real benefits to all PS5 owners.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Obviously anecdotal but same for me. I've had 3D audio turned off for ages now as my default. Whenever I start a new game, I compare on and off and I always seem to find 3D to sound overly compressed and just less sharp. To varying degrees, yes, but I always end up settling on off.

The concept is great and I remember thinking it was wonderful in Returnal but I really never use it at this stage. Hunt: Showdown is a great example. It has phenomenal and exceptionally good audio. 3D audio completely over-compresses it and sounds like it slams every element way too "far" and creating this unnatural separation.

 

[Spukc]

if you want to do 3d audio like a champ get a 5.4.2 set none of this reflecting bs

 

[Shockwave_Fox]

Have you done the whole "3d audio profile" bit as well?

I redid that once I got my Philips X2HRs and it sounds a LOT better than it did before.

What gamnes are you playing? I can do some tests my end as well and see how it is?

 

[PurePlatinum]

Just commenting to say that the current calibration thing sucks.

I wish there was a reliable way to TEST 3D audio or A/B it with the different settings. I’m still not really quite sure what I’m supposed to be hearing after all this time.

 

[adamsapple]

Remember when Cerny wanted you to send pics of your ears to him?

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Just commenting to say that the current calibration thing sucks.

I wish there was a reliable way to TEST 3D audio or A/B it with the different settings. I’m still not really quite sure what I’m supposed to be hearing after all this time.

Yo that fucking "personal profile" calibration felt like I was getting trolled. Maybe it's my shit hearing, headphones or whatever but I wasted half an hour on it, felt like a dumbass and ended up making it worse.

 

[Makoto-Yuki]

 

[Traxtech]

Some people swear by it, others including me hate it.

It's almost like we all have different ear canals and hearing abilities which is clearly unacceptable in 2025, I for one am for ear equality

 

[Magic Carpet]

if you want to do 3d audio like a champ get a 5.4.2 set none of this reflecting bs

Sorry, but kids will plug $5 gas station earbuds into the controller and live with it.
I don't have a PS5 but I thought they added Dolby Atmos a year or so later. Is that not used in Headphones?

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Sounds great to me

 

[viveks86]

Perhaps they broke compatibility somehow? Sounds about the same as it used to on my pulse 3d. Not the best quality, but better than stereo on the same headset

 

[Mephisto40]

I tried the 3D audio, it sounded terrible, so I switched back to normal again

 

[Guardian Monkey]

It’s part of Sonys 3d mapping algorithm. You’re going to get more of a blend which has distortion or sounds like it. If you want crispy go with 5.x or 7.x, if you want to go better positioning and are ok with the quality.

 

[SweetTooth]

Here we go .. is this the new marching order?

 

[Giallo Corsa]

It’s part of Sonys 3d mapping algorithm. You’re going to get more of a blend which has distortion or sounds like it. If you want crispy go with 5.x or 7.x, if you want to go better positioning and are ok with the quality.

What do you mean by 5.x or 7.x Monkey ? Selecting the in-game surround options (when offered) ? If yes, i've tried that and there was no difference.

S Shockwave_Fox : Final Fantasy 16, Warhammer Darktide, Lords of the Fallen, First Berserker Khazan...EVERYTHING reallly
And this is why i say that it's the weirdest thing, i didn't have this "problem" with Tempest audio when i was using my GC7 + Cloud Alpha combo some time ago, and just like viveks86 also mentioned, i have the feeling that maybe, somehow, the whole compatibility got "broken" ?

 

[adamsapple]

Here we go .. is this the new marching order?

Congratulations Giallo Corsa

 

[SweetTooth]

Congratulations Giallo Corsa

Yeah because Stereo is better than 3D Audio apparently..what a ridiculous take

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Congratulations Giallo Corsa

Seriously Adam, I don't know what the fook is going on

 

[SweetTooth]

Seriously Adam, I don't know what the fook is going on

Apparently you are getting old and started yelling at the cloud.

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Apparently you are getting old and started yelling at the cloud.

Seriously, i still don't get it.

I must be getting senile like my buddy Topher

 

[Guardian Monkey]

What do you mean by 5.x or 7.x Monkey ? Selecting the in-game surround options (when offered) ? If yes, i've tried that and there was no difference.

S Shockwave_Fox : Final Fantasy 16, Warhammer Darktide, Lords of the Fallen, First Berserker Khazan...EVERYTHING reallly
And this is why i say that it's the weirdest thing, i didn't have this "problem" with Tempest audio when i was using my GC7 + Cloud Alpha combo some time ago, and just like viveks86 also mentioned, i have the feeling that maybe, somehow, the whole compatibility got "broken" ?

The speaker array types. Like 5.1 or 7.2.2 etc. there is also a 3d audio option which overrides those layouts.

 

[SweetTooth]

Seriously, i still don't get it.

I must be getting senile like my buddy Topher

Nah you are ok, never as close as Topher.. he is a goner

I love him though

 

[Buggy Loop]

Here we go .. is this the new marching order?

 

[Justin9mm]

I dunno, this is why I have a full 5.1.2 Atmos home theatre. Even with Sony's 'fake' Atmos, it still sounds great compared to using 3D Audio through headphones. Not everyone's situation can have loud surround sound but if I was using headphones, I would rather use some really good sounding ones and just use stereo.

 

[Loomy]

Did you send Mark a picture of your ear?