Razer Surround Software will Turns Your Stereo Headset into a 7.1 Home Theater Virtually.

I have a normal gaming PC & Laptop, but I could not able to afford have a decent  5.1 or 7.1 surround-sound system. I’m not talking only about the price, but also the availability of required sound system in the local market.

Few days back I could finally caved and started using headphones that emulate a virtual 7.1 speaker system, because most contemporary games are built to take advantage of surround sound if you’re limiting yourself to using stereo cans, you’re missing out. But, if you aren’t willing to afford hundreds of dollars or rupees for a surround sound system, Razer’s new Surround software might be just for what you need. Razer Surround emulates a virtual 7.1 surround-sound setup in any pair of stereo headphones, and it is absolutely free to use as of now.

Software: Razer Surround

Features: 

• Calibrate to your individual preferences
• Pre-configured calibrations for all Razer Audio products
• Bass boost – For a thundering bass
• Sound normalization – Reduce loudness variation
• Voice clarity – For crystal clear incoming voice communication
• Voice level – Adjust the level of incoming voice communication
• Custom & 11 pre-set equalizer settings
• Works with any stereo headset/headphones

TECH SPECS:

• Version: 1.00
• File Size: 1.5 MB
• Date added: June 28, 2013
• Price: Free
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Supported Languages: English, French, Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German
• Hardware Requirements: 100 Mbyte of free hard disc space

Razer Surround works through Razer’s Synapse 2.0 utility, so you need to register for a Razer account and download the requisite software before getting started from the Razer Official Website. When you finish installing Razer Surround on your PC, the software creates a virtual sound card (called the Razer Surround Audio Controller) that accepts surround-sound data from whatever is running on your PC like Games, Movies, or even Music. and emulates it virtually your of stereo headphones.

Download Link 

Installation Process:

Click on 'Start'

Select your Device & Click 'Next'

     
                          

Look at where the audio is supposed to be originating, & adjust the
settings until the sound seems to come from that location.

Look at where the audio is supposed to be originating, & adjust the
settings until the sound seems to come from that location.

Look at where the audio is supposed to be originating, & adjust the
settings until the sound seems to come from that location.

Look at where the audio is supposed to be originating, & adjust the
settings until the sound seems to come from that location.

Look at where the audio is supposed to be originating, & adjust the
settings until the sound seems to come from that location.

After calibrating the final one Click 'OK'

Finally , Test your optimized surround sound by clicking on the 'Play Button'
and listen carefully for the sound effects.

You can adjust various sound options in this 'Audio' Section.

Log in to Synapse, and ‘Razer Surround’ should appear on the list of Razer peripherals attached to your PC. Click that entry, and you’ll run through a simple calibration process that lets you tailor the positioning of the emulated surround sound to your preferences. The calibration process itself is a little confusing: You have to look at a diagram of where a given sound effect is meant to emanate from, and then close your eyes and adjust the effect’s positioning with your mouse wheel until it sounds like it’s coming from the correct spot.

Calibrate the 7 quadrants of this virtual 7.1 surround-sound arrangement by Looking at where the audio is supposed to be originating, and then adjust the settings until the sound seems to come exactly from that location. After completing the calibration process, you can run few demos to verify that you’re now simulating decent surround sound in your two-bit stereo headset. 

Razer Surround seems most noticeable when you simply listen to music on the desktop. After calibrating the software, you can adjust a virtual equalizer via Razer Synapse and tinker with audio options such as virtual bass boosting and stereo enhancement. While writing this story, I put Surround through its paces with a Spotify playlist but, pretty much everything sounded better when I took the time to flip between Surround’s EQ presets.

In my tests Razer Surround works very well and flawlessly with a pair of Sony MDR-ZX100A stereo headphones, I have experienced a vast difference in Surround-sound while I Played NFS Hot Pursuit, NFS MW 2012 Games, James Bond- Golden Eye & Wall E Movies and Some Rock Album songs. Razer's Virtual surround-sound in games & movies is all well and good, but mostly the bass boost is my favorite feature of this Razer's new audio software.

Razer Surround is free to use as of now. Razer is making the software available for download at no charge through the end of this year, though the company encourages users who like the software to donate money to the Child’s Play charity. Next year (starting on January 1, 2014), new users must pay $20 to sign up for Razer Surround. So if you have been a stereo music lover, grab it now to get the best surround sound experience virtually.