Before, I wrote about testing the Logitech Z906 5.1 speakers and Creative Labs Sound Blaster X4 sound card for True Surround sound and what that experience was like. I managed to get the surround sound working in the end, but I returned both devices because the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X4 was total junk and the Logitech Z906 5.1 speakers were too weak for me.
Instead of the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X4, I ordered an Axagon 7.1 channel Soundbox, which is really a very good sound card. Unfortunately, this sound card didn’t arrive on time because there were shipping issues. And I couldn’t test it with the Logitech Z906 speakers, because I had to return them to the store.
Still, I wanted to know how far I could push it and what the limits of VMware Horizon are. So, I started looking for new and more powerful speakers. I was considering the Sony HT-A9, Sony HT-A7000, Sonos Arc (I’m happy I didn’t buy them. They don’t suit computer speakers. I wrote an article about ERA300. Even if you connect them to a computer via HDMI, nothing happens and you can’t use them like that), Nakamichi Shockwafe, and some others.
I didn’t choose the Sony HT-A9 because it lacked a Toslink digital output, and I instead chose the Sony HT-A7000 and later planned to add Sony SA-RS5 Rear Speakers.
The Sony HT-A7000 is quite big, and I attached it to my desk, later adding spring-like legs underneath. I used spring-like legs so that it wouldn’t make my desk vibrate and disturb my neighbors. The Sony HT-A7000 is a really good sound bar, and watching movies with it is like being in a cinema.
I attached the Sony SA-RS5 Rear Speakers to the wall. At first, I looked for real wall mounts, but they were too expensive, so I decided to go to a hardware store and bought door hinges which are good for attaching to the wall and moving them around. These speakers have built-in batteries, which I don’t find very necessary, and I feel like one of the speaker’s batteries won’t last long. I might have to send it for warranty repair.
When I sit at my desk, I feel that the Sony SA-RS5 speakers are not strong enough, but when I sit on my sofa, which is right next to these speakers, the movie experience is really cool, even better than in a cinema. Also, setting up Dolby Atmos is very easy; you just press a button, and it sends out different sounds to calibrate the speakers. During this calibration, it needs to be quiet, but my servers still make noise. Despite this, the sound is excellent, although I didn’t really feel like I was inside a ‘sound bubble’ (Sony 360 Spatial Sound). I even turned it off because I felt it made the sound worse. I also tested different music specifically in Dolby Atmos and wasn’t very impressed with the sound; it actually gave me more of a headache. The speaker works well with Apple TV, and watching Apple TV and Netflix movies is great. Indeed, for some movies, SurroundSound or Dolby Atmos makes the experience wonderful.
Now, about my experience using the Axagon ADA-71 USB 7.1 SOUNDBOX over VMware Horizon. The ADA-71 doesn’t support Dolby Atmos but is a 7.1 channel sound card. I connected the sound card to the speakers with an Optical fiber Toslink cable. Just for additional information, optical audio connections only support the following audio formats:
Lossless 2.0 (stereo) PCM audio
Compressed Dolby Digital 2.0/5.1
Dolby Digital EX
Compressed DTS Digital Surround
DTS-ES Matrix 6.1
DTS-ES Discrete 6.1
And also, due to bandwidth limitations, optical outputs do not support multichannel LPCM, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X, or high-definition audio like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.
Optical connections also do not support discrete 7.1 soundtracks, as these are found only in higher-resolution audio formats that are not supported.
I connected this sound card to my VM through the VMware Horizon client, and it worked nicely. The sound card was detected every time and the sound also came through. In games, it was powerful to use these speakers, but I couldn’t manage to hear surround sound properly. It was more like a mix of Stereo, and sometimes in the game, it felt like a helicopter was flying overhead or circling around me, or when I threw a grenade behind me. Still, it was mostly the Sony speakers trying to create magic from stereo sound. I couldn’t get surround sound to work properly. I’m pretty sure if I had an analog connection option with the speakers, I could have got surround sound working like I did with my previous speakers, but these new speakers lack that connection.
But I still wanted to know what it feels like to play games in Dolby Atmos and how it affects the gaming experience. I converted my server into a PC. I connected an HDMI cable from my video card to my speaker and a DisplayPort to my monitor.
One thing that bothers me a lot is my speaker is detected as a monitor, because the HDMI protocol. It can’t just be detected as a Speaker, it’s always monitor and speaker.
In Windows, I was able to set up Dolby Atmos nicely and redid the sound calibration. It’s really easy, not like with Sonos where I have to use my mobile, move around, and move the mobile up and down.
The system works well with Sony. But back to the topic. I tested different games and would say the best Dolby Atmos is in Call of Duty: Vanguard. It really made gaming feel like I was in the game and watching a movie. The sound was fantastic in other Call of Duty games too. Also in Far Cry 6, The Division 2, Cyberpunk 2077, but in Gears 5 and Forza Horizon 5, I couldn’t tell that it was very special. It was just surround sound and nothing very special. The same with Star Wars Fallen Order, just surround sound. I noticed that older games had better sound than newer ones.
But to sum it up. Is Dolby Atmos worth all the price and expenses? I would rather say no. Good Surround Sound speakers would be much better and save a lot of money.
It all depends on the movies and games, how well they have worked with it, and nowadays, more emphasis is placed on picture quality than sound. In the past, it was the opposite; sound was very important, which is sad. At least that’s how I feel.
I have now placed the speaker on another standing desk, where I have my HDR monitor LG 34GP950G-B 34” Curved UltraWiide QHD (3440x 1440). This setup allows me to play games while standing and walking on the treadmill.
True Surround Sound with VMware Horizon
Apples-to-Apples Comparison: VMware Horizon Gaming vs. Bare-Metal Gaming
YouTube channel where I showcase gaming inside a virtual machine (VM) and using VMware Horizon.
Cloud Gaming: Cooling Nvidia Tesla K80
Cloud Gaming: MSI Afterburner causes FPS to drop 5 and GPU usages to around 30%
Cloud Gaming: Overwatch: Your rendering device has been lost!
I’ve made several guides on how to quickly set up Horizon using a direct connection.