Playstation 5 3D/Tempest audio : anyone experiencing sound quality changes ?

Giallo Corsa

Giallo Corsa

Gold Member
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 ?
 
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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
 
Luipadre said:
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
Click to expand...

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 🤔
 
SimTourist said:
Remember when Cerny wanted you to send pics of your ears to him?
Click to expand...

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...
 
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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.
 
Giallo Corsa said:
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 ?
Click to expand...
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
if you want to do 3d audio like a champ get a 5.4.2 set none of this reflecting bs
 
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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?
 
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.
 
SimTourist said:
Remember when Cerny wanted you to send pics of your ears to him?
Click to expand...

ebWHrtt.png
 
PurePlatinum said:
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.
Click to expand...
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.
 
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
 
Spukc said:
if you want to do 3d audio like a champ get a 5.4.2 set none of this reflecting bs
Click to expand...
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?
 
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
 
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.
 
Guardian Monkey said:
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.
Click to expand...

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 :D
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 viveks86 also mentioned, i have the feeling that maybe, somehow, the whole compatibility got "broken" ?
 
Giallo Corsa said:
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 :D
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 viveks86 also mentioned, i have the feeling that maybe, somehow, the whole compatibility got "broken" ?
Click to expand...
The speaker array types. Like 5.1 or 7.2.2 etc. there is also a 3d audio option which overrides those layouts.
 
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.
 
Hey Giallo Corsa Giallo Corsa did you ever figure this out?

I havent really had any issues trying some games my end (not the ones you mentioned unfortunately) - the only issues I found were muffled gunshots on Metro Exodus and Trepang2.

You dont have any 3d audio options turned on in game or on a headset setting anywhere as well as 3d audio at console level as well?
That will make it sound horrible having that turned on in 2 places from some testing I did.

EDIT - question - whats the best audio output to choose on PS5 as well - Linear PCM, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio or DTS? I am tending to use my headset more nowadays but not sure if theres any real difference between them (I cant hear any really)?
Mainly asking as Dolby Atmos on Series X is awesome but not sure if Atmos on PS5 is the same thing?
 
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Shockwave_Fox said:
Hey Giallo Corsa Giallo Corsa did you ever figure this out?

I havent really had any issues trying some games my end (not the ones you mentioned unfortunately) - the only issues I found were muffled gunshots on Metro Exodus and Trepang2.

You dont have any 3d audio options turned on in game or on a headset setting anywhere as well as 3d audio at console level as well?
That will make it sound horrible having that turned on in 2 places from some testing I did.

EDIT - question - whats the best audio output to choose on PS5 as well - Linear PCM, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio or DTS? I am tending to use my headset more nowadays but not sure if theres any real difference between them (I cant hear any really)?
Mainly asking as Dolby Atmos on Series X is awesome but not sure if Atmos on PS5 is the same thing?
Click to expand...

Hey Shock, what's up friend ? ;)

My problem is exactly like what you described - "muffled" being the keyword which is especially noticeable in FPS's where the gun shooting sounds muffled/weak/tinny...

No, don't have any 3D effects enabled on my headset, just the PS5 system-wide one.
Anyway, once i noticed it, i just turned it off and now i'm playing with good ol' plain stereo, sound is much more clear and "alive" compared to when you have Tempest turned on.

As for your last question : if you have your console connected to an AV amp and you're using wired Headphones, PCM is the way to go since it's uncompressed and you're using a stereo output (headphones) either way so...
Selecting bitstream will make the sound sound louder but it's gonna be compressed compared to PCM (noticeable during explosions etc).
If you're using a wireless headset...it doesn't matter since it's via 2.4 GHz connection and the console output settings have fuck and all to do with that.

PS : When i had my Sony STRDA 2400ES and had my PS4 connected to it, PCM would sound clearer while Dolby/DTS would sound louder, harsher and more compressed.
With a XSX connected to it, i had to set the sound option to Bitstream on both the XSX and Amp since i was using the Dolby Atmos for headphones app which (obviously) required bitstream.
 
Shockwave_Fox said:
Hey Giallo Corsa Giallo Corsa did you ever figure this out?

I havent really had any issues trying some games my end (not the ones you mentioned unfortunately) - the only issues I found were muffled gunshots on Metro Exodus and Trepang2.

You dont have any 3d audio options turned on in game or on a headset setting anywhere as well as 3d audio at console level as well?
That will make it sound horrible having that turned on in 2 places from some testing I did.

EDIT - question - whats the best audio output to choose on PS5 as well - Linear PCM, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio or DTS? I am tending to use my headset more nowadays but not sure if theres any real difference between them (I cant hear any really)?
Mainly asking as Dolby Atmos on Series X is awesome but not sure if Atmos on PS5 is the same thing?
Click to expand...

From what I understand (so may be wrong) the PS5 3D audio is sent in an Atmos container when Dolby Atmos is selected so it can be decoded appropriately by your receiver for 3D audio output instead of just receiving the standard 5.1/7.1 multi-channel audio.
 
Giallo Corsa said:
Hey Shock, what's up friend ? ;)

My problem is exactly like what you described - "muffled" being the keyword which is especially noticeable in FPS's where the gun shooting sounds muffled/weak/tinny...

No, don't have any 3D effects enabled on my headset, just the PS5 system-wide one.
Anyway, once i noticed it, i just turned it off and now i'm playing with good ol' plain stereo, sound is much more clear and "alive" compared to when you have Tempest turned on.

As for your last question : if you have your console connected to an AV amp and you're using wired Headphones, PCM is the way to go since it's uncompressed and you're using a stereo output (headphones) either way so...
Selecting bitstream will make the sound sound louder but it's gonna be compressed compared to PCM (noticeable during explosions etc).
If you're using a wireless headset...it doesn't matter since it's via 2.4 GHz connection and the console output settings have fuck and all to do with that.

PS : When i had my Sony STRDA 2400ES and had my PS4 connected to it, PCM would sound clearer while Dolby/DTS would sound louder, harsher and more compressed.
With a XSX connected to it, i had to set the sound option to Bitstream on both the XSX and Amp since i was using the Dolby Atmos for headphones app which (obviously) required bitstream.
Click to expand...
All good my man, hope you are too!

Ah fair enough, I have been testing tempest on and off today and yeah, its much better off. I thought I was happy with it after doing a profile but going back to having it off is much better!

I dont have an AV - I had to stop using mine when we rearranged the room! PS5 is straight into TV through HDMI and headphones are AUX into controller.

I'll stick with PCM, cheers!
 
Sorry, one last question!

Some games have a 3d audio option in the options menu - how does this work vs tempest?

Is it an in game engine audio option?

Atomic Heart has this and with tempest off and the games 3d audio on it sounds pretty decent - just wondering how this version works.
 
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