Many gamers spin up the argument as to what is better – headphones or surround sound? However it really comes down to this – what is better, 5.1 surround sound headphones or a 5.1 surround sound system in your lounge room. I’m basing my decision on quality, precision and ease of use.

Firstly, stereo headphones are much better than stereo speaker system sound. Simple! I just wanted to clear that up with people. From here on in when I mention headphones I am referring to 5.1 surround sound headphones and when I say sound system I am referring to a 5.1 surround speaker system setup.


Quality

Up first, I’m going to look at quality. Sound systems' win hands down. This is pretty obvious, due to them having more space for more sizable assets especially concerning bass and the subwoofer. However when it comes to – I guess we’ll call it...loudness - headphones will pick up more sounds. Or to be more precise, your ears will pick up more sounds. For instance, in COD4 Dead Silence cannot be heard with a sound system unless the volume is substantially loud, whereas with headphones you can hear them quite easily at a moderate volume. I also tested ear-shot distance for bomb-defusal. The results were close but not really surprising. With headphones you could be about 2-3 ‘game meters’ further away than a sound system to pick up the defusal sound. This isn’t exactly a huge difference, but to our more ‘pro’ gamers it certainly is.


Precision

In regards to precision, (this is where most of the debate is!) after having used a sound system for 3 years and headphones for only 7 months I’m well inclined to say sound systems have better precision. Reason being, it is simply easier to determine behind/in front because the speakers are so far apart, where as there is mere centimetres when it comes to headphones. For any user to pick up a game and play – a sound system is the easy choice in this department. However, headphones grew on me. The more I played, the more I liked them and the more precise they seemed (really it was just me gradually getting used to the buggers). Headphones will still perform extremely well for an experienced user and I consider them to be my ‘Pro-Choice’. In the end for me, headphones are for those wishing to play competitively and put in the hours to learn every nuance of their headphones and their game. As most headphones have noise-cancelling built-in, they are great for noisy households or asshole siblings with loud music blaring at you. A sound system is for the more casual gamer who wants great sound but still be able to hear that bastard behind you sneaking up. A system will also absorb the user into the game more.


Ease of use

Oh a tough one! I’ll have to break this down into pro’s and con’s.

Sound system pros – plug in once and done, barely any fiddling to do with surround timing, nothing hindering your movement, great precision, can pick up and go without having to ‘get used to it’, loudness bragging to friends and neighbours, can be used with many people/more functionality

Sound system cons – Can be costly, can’t have it too loud or your in-game communication will be shattered, have to find the remote to tweak sound/quick mute, positioning properly is essential

Headphones pros – easy to communicate plus have good game volume, handy ‘remote’ always nearby, can adjust volumes very easily, noise-cancelling, picks up every sound the game will ever make

Headphones cons – lots of cables, separate power source directly going to headphones, something heavy stuck to your noggin, takes time to get used to directional sound


Conclusion

In conclusion, I feel headphones win the war. They’re cheaper, with better sound pick-up, great loudness, ease of use with voice/game sound mixing and they seal you off from the rest of the noisy world. However, if you live alone or have tolerant neighbours, if you’re willing to spend a fair amount of dosh and want your setup to be for TV, gaming and movies - go the sound system for its quality, precision, multi-user and multi-use capabilities. Headphones can be used for movies etc but anyone will prefer not having a cluster of plastic about their head whilst they watch a film. In the grand scheme of things, it is really personal preference and how you wish to use your setup - because either way you’re getting great sound.

Considering that I’m writing for an XBOX 360 competitive gaming community and coming from a bit of a ‘pro gamer perspective’ (if I do say so myself!) – Headphones come out on top, most definitely.


NOTE: I’d like to mention my testing and experience is based on using a Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Digital Surround Sound System, Pioneer 5.1 Surround Sound System, Turtlebeach X4 Wireless 5.1 headphones, Tritton AX360 5.1 headphones and Tritton AXPRO 5.1 headphones. I've also used Turtlebeach X1's and X3's as well as many other stereo headphones or headsets from Skullcandy, Panasonic etc. Also my in-game sound testing was all done in Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare