Is this just the Forza setting or is there also an XBox setting?
· We’ve made some changes in the various available audio mix presets in the game. For example, the “Headphones” setting has been adjusted to make the player’s car more audible in the mix. This mix will work with all playback devices and is recommended for those who prefer to have their car audio more prevalent in the mix.
This is a Forza setting added in the latest update.
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Can’t say I’ve had a problem with the sound through the Yamaha receiver but I’ll give it a go. Unless the headphone output is just stereo of course then I’ll leave it as is.
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I always thought a good set of headphones was way better, it’s just way more simple to do than dealing with the acoustics of a room. Headphone that cost about 80 dollars sound as good or better than 1000 dollar surround system imo, my only thing against headphones is with a game like Forza they really tax your ears when racing for hrs and thats not cool with me.
Simple. Affordable. Compact. A lot of people prefer headphones for those reasons. As far as spatial reproduction goes, they’re unable to match a small army of standalone speakers.
Audiophile headphones (think Sennheiser and Grado) tend to be of the vice-grip variety. Sony is an exception.
If you have proper 7.1 surround headphones like mine with 5 drivers in each side, then they do reproduce 3d sound, not stereo sound in an emulated soundspace. Each can has 5 drivers, and it’s all run from a 7.1 decoder. So it IS proper 3d sound.
Some cheaper headphones do mimic 3d, but not all headphones only have one driver on either side.
Also with decent headphones you can crank it up without upsetting the neighbours/family etc. 
I’ve actually found I prefer good single driver stereo headsets with surround processing to the “7.1” headphones with tons of smaller, slower quality drivers. Surround processing to simulate the effect has gotten pretty good over the years.
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You are hearing sound as opposed to being enveloped by it. It’s a totally different level of immersion. A multichannel setup will put you in the scene, not in the audience.
Somebody mentioned a Corvette. Well let’s say the 2014 #3 Corvette Racing C7.R lumbered past you down pit lane. That would sound amazing through headphones, as it moved from one can to the other. But in a home theatre setup it would feel amazing, as though its cantankerous symphony was moving through you and shaking that wall… and then that wall… and that wall as it rolls past.
Cinema-quality audio plays a huge role, and this is an area where Forza fumbles.
Anyone care to do a video showing the difference?
I’ve seen some detailed comparisons over the years that point at this being the setup that will give you the most circular sound stage. Additional speakers in headphones can cause square or oval sound stages and I tend to agree.
I’ve tried a few different setups and this is now my preferred positional setup.
I’ve moved around a bit over the last 8 years and after my last move a year ago, I haven’t even unpacked my 5.1 setup and just run my high end headphones wired to my receiver and the positional stuff is spot on.
I sometimes miss the low end of my subwoofer but that might be about it.
What must be remembered as well is that we actually take input to our brain through stereo ears, not 5 or 7 ears. This means you can trick your brain pretty easily with the use of only two speakers positioned very close to the ears.
^^ The best judge is you, the gamer.
As long as your packing good headphones or a sound system (doesn’t matter - stereo or surround), you’ll notice louder more detailed engine sounds using the “headphones” output setting in the game menu.
People were complaining about not having sliders or “own engine sound too low” (yes, that infamous thread with 4+ pages) and now the devs have given us a setting to deal with just that.
If you’re on TV speakers, you’re outta luck m’fraid.
Headphones or external speakers with an amp - you’ll benefit from this setting.
The engine sounds on my setup are alive and kicking. I’ve got to salute the devs for addressing these issues after two updates. GREAT job Turn 10!
If you’re using a setup other than TV speakers and feel the engine sounds are not improved after setting it to “headphones”, there’s something you need to adjust in the console’s audio options. Other than that, there are cars in the game that just don’t sound impressive at all: the modern Jags i.e.
I’m sure pretty much all issues will be resolved with future patches.
P.S: Gosh I hope the ‘special surprise’ next is a DLC track!
Kinda hard to judge when I don’t have an X1 with FM6, hence why I asked for a video. Lol
I was just planning on watching a video with my Razers and seeing what it sounded like now. I may not be able to play FM6, but I do like hearing the sounds of the cars.
Nope, just a Fallout crossover. A Fallout 4 themed F-100 got sent out to players recently, and the Chryslus rocket car thingy is coming in 2016.
Devs,
Very happy about how you guys listened to the fans and improved engine audio through the “headphones” setting.
Really looking forward to sounds of some of the cars getting fixed such as the modern Jags and a few others some have grievances with. All in all, I’m very pleased how you’ve improved sounds across the board for nearly all cars. I’d give Mr. Greenawalt a standing ovation if I could!
A mild concern though - I believe Forza ought to better simulate engine audio after you apply exhaust and cam/header upgrades. I know it’s asking a lot given the car count, but this is one aspect I, along with many other fans I’m sure, would love to see improved.
Thanks for a stellar product and the updates, you guys!
thumbs up
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Oh, I see…mah bad yo!
Err… what’s holding you back from getting an X1 + F6?
It’s all good.
I actually have the FM5 LCE and FH2 DoE on my shelf, so you can tell I originally was going to get an X1.
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Turn 10 ignoring the community. I’m not talking about wishlisting cars and not getting them, I’m talking about having legitimate issues and Turn 10 just ignoring them.
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I plan on going back to PC gaming once I have the money. The only reason I’d buy an X1 is for Forza, but there’s so many awesome PC exclusives that are hard to pass up. Plus I’m getting sick of the ridiculously low framerates on so many games and the lack of modding.
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FM4 is still very active, so even if I did have an X1 I’d be on FM4 most of the time doing stuff with the community.
I could still change my mind, because I really would like to play the new Forzas, but right now I have no plans to get an X1.
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I was really excited to try this as I have felt the engine audio sounds were lacking a bit in this game. For me, switching to headphones makes ZERO difference. Car/Engine sounds are identical in both modes. Identical no matter what views I change to, be it if its cockpit or outside of the car. I am running this in my $50k Home Theater room with a 7.2 setup. So for the guys that are seeing improvements, what are you running for sound systems to compare? Maybe it helps if you are running it through TV speakers or if you are not running the correct XBOX Audio settings (not game settings) but the actual Audio settings for the console itself. Anyhow, for me, there is zero difference switching between Home Theater and Headphones. I was switching in game during a race.
I’ll stick with my surround sound in my living room.
I’m not going deaf at 45 due to overuse of headphones.
I won’t be using the “Headphones” setting, heres why;
I run a full size 5.1 setup in my lounge room. Mainly speakers I’ve pieced together over time to get what I think is a pretty good gaming/movie system. For every game I always select “Home Theatre” for my sound preference and it’s worked for me.
I never had an issue with the sound in FM6, but saw this thread and thought “more engine noise = more betterer” and gave it a go on the “Headphones” setting.
I didn’t hear anything noticeably different in the engine sound but when I switched back to default setting “Home Theatre”, I noticed how much of the surrounding cars had been returned to the mix, specifically the rears.
I understand some might want the “focused” engine sounds, but for me, not at a loss of the surround information that engages the gamer.
My advice to anyone running a full size HT setup is to try it out, listen, and go from there.
But I know I’ll be keeping mine on “Home Theatre”