Headset DAC or sound card for gaming?

[Flogger23m]

Thinking I might need a DAC or sound card for use with a headset. Will use it for everything, but looking for something that works well with games that can simulate surround sound or aide in spatial awareness. I am not sure if a dedicated DAC or USB sound card can even help with that.

I recently purchased a Logitech G Pro X as well as a Hyper X Cloud 2 (will return one of them). I like the comfort on these headsets and prefer closed back. But neither of these are high quality headset/headphones. Both the Logitech and Cloud 2 come with their own USB sound cards, but I find them to be unsafisfactory. The Logitech has poor spatial awareness even with surround enabled, and I can't seem to find any settings in G HUB that can alter this. With the Cloud 2 I find the sound quality be lacking with its USB sound card/surround.

I have 14 year old Dolby branded USB sound card that came with a Plantronics Gamecom 777 headset, which I find to be superior in spatial awareness and has a "wider sound stage" than the Logitech provided sound card. The problem is at lower volume settings it has a crackling sound.

I tried stereo, but I can't stand it for gaming, especially online shooters.


And that is why I am looking for another USB sound card, or external DAC of some kind. Are there any external DACs, or USB sound cards, that offer good simulated surround? Something that can aide spatial awareness without sacrificing audio quality?

As for open back headphones, I realize those are superior for a "wider sound stage" but those leak so much sound you may as well forgo a headset in the first place.

 

[Comixbooks]

I have a IFI Zen 2 Dac works good as long as I don't turn it up too loud. Just plugs into a USB port no software. For Speakers I just use onboard. If you want the best Headphones get a VZR Model 1 they are pretty comfortable the guys at Head-fi say it's a game changer. Positional Audio

 

[pendragon1]

The problem is at lower volume settings it has a crackling sound.

clean the potentiometer and keep rocking that setup.

 

[GotNoRice]

I think that there are a few things to keep in mind.

Headsets are nothing special. Headsets are just mediocre headphones paired with a mediocre microphone. Instead, get a pair of real headphones, and a real microphone (separate from each other). Even most decent USB webcams have pretty good microphones in them these days, so depending on what webcam you have, you may already have a decent enough microphone that you can use, meaning that you can just go get a pair of nice headphones.

DACs can connect via other methods besides USB. Although connecting a DAC via USB is an option, the two don't go hand-in-hand. The main purpose of a DAC is simply to handle the digital to analog conversion.

For example, I use a Creative X-Fi Titanium Soundcard (internal PCIe) which uses CMSS-3D to downmix 7.1 to 2.0 while retaining the positional audio information. That 2.0 digital signal is then fed via optical to my external DAC which handles the digital to analog conversion. My headphone amp is connected to my DAC, and my headphones are connected to the headphone amplifier. Positional audio is fantastic. I can close my eyes, hear a sound, and know exactly which direction it came from. Works great. My USB Logitech Webcam has a fantastic stereo microphone that sits on my desk and is more than good enough for gaming, video-conferencing, and anything else I would ever need a microphone for.

 

[MrGuvernment]

Honestly, surround sound, any good stereo headphones will beat the crap out of most of the fake "surround sound" headphones or headphones with 100 mini speakers inside them.

 

[Darunion]

Honestly, surround sound, any good stereo headphones will beat the crap out of most of the fake "surround sound" headphones or headphones with 100 mini speakers inside them.

I used to chase surround sound for gaming, then moved to just stereo monitors or headphones and it has been an overall better immersive experience IMO.

 

[MrGuvernment]

I used to chase surround sound for gaming, then moved to just stereo monitors or headphones and it has been an overall better immersive experience IMO.

For me always had Senn's (HD598's now) paired with a Fio DAC and X3 now, and gaming has always been great with the spatial sound being excellent for hearing foot steps and such in FPS's.

 

[Darunion]

For me always had Senn's (HD598's now) paired with a Fio DAC and X3 now, and gaming has always been great with the spatial sound being excellent for hearing foot steps and such in FPS's.

Very nice! I have a set of beyerdynamics 880s with a schiit magni off of my soundblaster ae5. Can just sit and listen to music or lately playing cyberpunk is just so nice and can hear so much detail.

 

[MacLeod]

Consider the Arcits Nova Pros from Steelseries. It comes with a pretty solid DAC that the mic also runs thru and it has a lot of features. It's not very powerful tho but plenty for the Arcits Nova cans.

I have a set of them, Audiotechnica G1, Beyrdynamics DT770, Hyper X Cloud Alphas and Sennheiser HD558's and use the Novas the most. You can get the wired version which is what I use for around $250.

Steelseries' Sonar software is excellent too and their spatial feature is really good.

Sound quality wise I like the Novas better than anything I have except for the 770's.

 

[Flogger23m]

DACs can connect via other methods besides USB. Although connecting a DAC via USB is an option, the two don't go hand-in-hand. The main purpose of a DAC is simply to handle the digital to analog conversion.

Thanks. So more or less, in terms of helping positional audio, a dedicated DAC wouldn't be useful?

For example, I use a Creative X-Fi Titanium Soundcard (internal PCIe) which uses CMSS-3D to downmix 7.1 to 2.0 while retaining the positional audio information. That 2.0 digital signal is then fed via optical to my external DAC which handles the digital to analog conversion. My headphone amp is connected to my DAC, and my headphones are connected to the headphone amplifier. Positional audio is fantastic. I can close my eyes, hear a sound, and know exactly which direction it came from.

To clarify, it is the sound card which is creating the positional audio, and the DAC simply converts it to 2.0 for your headphone set up?

Honestly, surround sound, any good stereo headphones will beat the crap out of most of the fake "surround sound" headphones or headphones with 100 mini speakers inside them.

I haven't used any high end headphones. Don't really have $200-400 to spend on them. Though I am sure those are better. I do like the Logitech G Pro X I got in terms of comfort and fitment. The reason I like to try things in person is some headsets/headphones have horrible cable noise. Returned some headsets because they are horrible scratching noise with every slight head movement.

So I go like the Logitech I have, just not the surround solution it has. And the stereo is unusable for gaming, IMO. I do realize they're not high end headphones, but just hoping something can give a decent positional experience that isn't excessively expensive.

 

[GotNoRice]

Thanks. So more or less, in terms of helping positional audio, a dedicated DAC wouldn't be useful?

No it won't, it just means that the digital to analog conversion takes place in a different location. Anything related to positional audio requires a software solution, such as what is included with many sound cards, or even just using "Windows Sonic for Headphones" that is built into Windows 10 and 11.

To clarify, it is the sound card which is creating the positional audio, and the DAC simply converts it to 2.0 for your headphone set up?

My soundcard handles the downmixing from 7.1 to 2.0 (CMSS-3D), and that Digital 2.0 signal is then sent to the DAC which simply turns it into an Analog 2.0 signal.

 

[MrGuvernment]

I haven't used any high end headphones. Don't really have $200-400 to spend on them. Though I am sure those are better. I do like the Logitech G Pro X I got in terms of comfort and fitment. The reason I like to try things in person is some headsets/headphones have horrible cable noise. Returned some headsets because they are horrible scratching noise with every slight head movement.

So I go like the Logitech I have, just not the surround solution it has. And the stereo is unusable for gaming, IMO. I do realize they're not high end headphones, but just hoping something can give a decent positional experience that isn't excessively expensive.

Budget plays into it for sure, but also consider, good quality headphones can last you literal decades. My Senn HD598's are not really "high end high end" more like mid level, but when i got them they were anywhere from $300-$400 headphones, but I lucked out on an Amazon posting that had them for $99, grabbed 2 and they were shipped. I gave a pair to a friend and kept mine, I have changed the ear covers twice (shaved heads can be rough on ear pads) and the cable once (i didnt take care of it) but otherwise they are in flawless condition.

Just a consideration for future, many people buy cheaper, and in the end you spend more over time having to replace them more often.

 

[Flogger23m]

No it won't, it just means that the digital to analog conversion takes place in a different location. Anything related to positional audio requires a software solution, such as what is included with many sound cards, or even just using "Windows Sonic for Headphones" that is built into Windows 10 and 11.

Thanks. How is the Windows solution? Will have to give it a try later today.

Budget plays into it for sure, but also consider, good quality headphones can last you literal decades. My Senn HD598's are not really "high end high end" more like mid level, but when i got them they were anywhere from $300-$400 headphones, but I lucked out on an Amazon posting that had them for $99, grabbed 2 and they were shipped. I gave a pair to a friend and kept mine, I have changed the ear covers twice (shaved heads can be rough on ear pads) and the cable once (i didnt take care of it) but otherwise they are in flawless condition.

Just a consideration for future, many people buy cheaper, and in the end you spend more over time having to replace them more often.

How do the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pros compare? Generally I am more concerned with comfort and for games, good spatial awareness. My HyperX Clouds still work fine after 7 years, but the ear pads are worn out and a replacement costs $15-20 with shipping. Now the top head band is wearing out, so that is why I am looking to replace it. Otherwise, I am actually happy with them even if they're not high end.

I generally find something like the HyperX Cloud style to be the most comfortable, and the DT 770 seems to be similar in overall shape.

Consider the Arcits Nova Pros from Steelseries. It comes with a pretty solid DAC that the mic also runs thru and it has a lot of features. It's not very powerful tho but plenty for the Arcits Nova cans.

I have a set of them, Audiotechnica G1, Beyrdynamics DT770, Hyper X Cloud Alphas and Sennheiser HD558's and use the Novas the most. You can get the wired version which is what I use for around $250.

Steelseries' Sonar software is excellent too and their spatial feature is really good.

Sound quality wise I like the Novas better than anything I have except for the 770's.

I should have looked at that one. Think it was $150 on sale recently for the wired version. If the software is good that might have been a good option. Is there any cable noise? It isn't braided, and I assume that will help minimize any scratching noise when changing posture.

 

[GotNoRice]

Thanks. How is the Windows solution? Will have to give it a try later today.

It's been a while since I experimented with it, but at the time my conclusion was that I still preferred the Creative CMSS-3D solution. It may have got better since then. If you have an external DAC, connected via USB, that is only providing you with a bare-bones audio interface, the Windows solution is probably better than nothing.

 

[LukeTbk]

Just a consideration for future, many people buy cheaper, and in the end you spend more over time having to replace them more often.

If I would look at how many headphone I bought/got/repaired before spending a good but not that high amount on a nice pair of DT770 Pro (which I repaired once they came with an attach cable to them which make breaking them more likely), that would be true and could be true for many things in life.

What nice (or bad depending of the viewpoint) with sound it is a very mature tech that require by definition an analogue part, good old headphone-speaker will never have better one that you can buy for cheap just a couple of years down the road.