Seeking spectacular sound setup

M

mfa

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Greetings, you lovely bunch!

I am in the process of building myself a new funmachine. Unfortunately, I have stalled at the sound setup. Through extensive research, I have established that the following criteria are the most recommendable in order to achieve the best overall sound experience:
  • Avoid headsets (headphones with microphones)
  • Avoid wireless
  • Avoid USB
  • Only stereo headphones (i.e. one speaker per ear)
  • Open cup for sound quality (I sit in a quiet environment)
The machine will be used mainly for entertainment purposes – being gaming, video watching, and music listening (in order of importance).

I do not consider myself an audiophile per se – I do, however, value a great atmospheric feeling, accurate 3D positioning, and comfort.

I already plan on getting the Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H motherboard. Will its onboard sound (Realtek ALC898) cover my wishes when paired with some good headphones – or should I get a soundcard? And what about an amplifier, a DAC etc.?

Originally, I considered getting the Sennheiser HD 650 as it has garnered much critical acclaim. Unfortunately, momomo6789 wasn’t impressed with its sound stage.

Despite my highest efforts, this leaves me fairly puzzled and in need of your kind help: Which sound setup compliments my computer experience the most without being overkill?

I have a generous budget. All response is, of course, greatly appreciated.
 
Overkill is really a personal opinion and budget limit.

Are you thinking of a speaker system or headphones?
 
Hi, Zenshi, and thank you for your swift reply.

Headphones are my clear preferation - even disregarding the possibility that I may get better sound from speakers. I guess I somehow feel more "comfortable" with the source of the sound being close to my ears.

Overkill was meant in relation to the fact that I am not an excessive audiophile; frankly, I doubt that I would be able to fully appreciate the quality that e.g. Sennheiser HD 800 has to offer - at least with my use - thereby also rendering them unnecessarily expensive.

With this post, I optimistically hoped that someone more experienced and knowledgable could put themselves in my shoes and guide me accordingly.

I suppose I am somewhere in the middle: I don't want to be stingy going for the cheapest solution if there is obviously more to gain; on the other hand, however, nor is there any point in wasting money on items that no PC game can currently utilize.
Gaming is my main focus when it comes to sound. I would like to believe I am actually present in the middle of the action. Furthermore, I'm not really the lossless music type... yet.

If someone proclaims that the aforementioned can easily be achieved through low-end headphones and onboard sound, I am willing to accept that fact - but basically I suspect that I will be missing out on something.

Hope this clarifies my original post. I will gladly elaborate should anyone have additional questions.
 
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Go with a USB DAC and amp. The Schitt Magni/Modi combo is a good starting point. Personally, I prefer Audio Technica headphones, although I've also liked the lower end Sennheisers I've owned.
 
Thank you for that, Fenris Ulf. I will look into that Schitt and see if I get any wiser. I am highly unfamiliar (and thus ignorant) with anything more advanced than onboard sound. ;0)
 
Read this. Then you need to pair headphones.

Edit: Yes, its in production and if bought, can be to you in less than a week (USA).
 
Read this:

http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide

Then buy the most expensive one you can buy from that list that seems good to you. headphone type, sonic characteristisc, comfort, looks.

The reason why get the most expensive thing from that list is because everything on that list is the best bang for your buck stuff in each price level and the products that stand out. So moving up to the next category will provide improved performance.
 
HDs 650 are very good. Get them.
Get a DAC.
Get an amp for headphones.
Get good studio monitor speakers.
 
StormClaw said:
HDs 650 are very good. Get them.
Get a DAC.
Get an amp for headphones.
Get good studio monitor speakers.
Click to expand...

HD650 are very good for music. Not so much for gaming or movies. HD 800 will take a whole lot of money to fulfill their potential sound quality.

Senneiser is an easy headphone to pick if you want an all in one solution. The models to look for in this regard are the 558 and 598.

Akg Q701 is another great headphone but lacks a bit in the bass area so it is not as well rounded as the Sennheisers.

Hifiman makes some nice all around headphones too. The He-400 is a good bet in this regard.

I personally like the Creative Zx for the money. Adding an external amp to it might help in terms of sound quality but that depends on what headphones you pick.

My advice is to start with a Creative Zx and a pair of Sennheiser 558 or 598s and see how you like it. To me, this represents the best bang for the buck value in terms of entry level high fi sound.
 
spaceman said:
My advice is to start with a Creative Zx and a pair of Sennheiser 558 or 598s and see how you like it. To me, this represents the best bang for the buck value in terms of entry level high fi sound.
Click to expand...

This is what I wanted to type when I read the OP yesterday, but I wanted spaceman to say it :). I do very well with my HD555's and X-Fi, and I'd replace it with the above if I had to. My primary game is BF3, and it sounds amazing, though I real subwoofer would (literally) knock your socks off, given how well the sound is done in that game. C4 blast through my small Klipsh subwoofer? Almost knocked me off the couch :D.
 
I can't believe people try to drive high-quality headphones with gaming soundcards.
 
Megalith said:
I can't believe people try to drive high-quality headphones with gaming soundcards.
Click to expand...

I said start with that combo. The 558 and 598 sound fine out of the zx. They do benefit from an amp by taming the highs and improving overall control of the bass. Now, the 650s would sound like crap out of a zx compared to being amped. Q701s too. I didn't recommend that to start though so yeah.

Again, start with a creative zx and a 558 or 555 even 419 sennheisers and see if you love it or want more. It's a good starting point. No reason to go deep right off the bat as that combo sounds amazing to 90% of the population.
 
spaceman said:
I said start with that combo. The 558 and 598 sound fine out of the zx. They do benefit from an amp by taming the highs and improving overall control of the bass. Now, the 650s would sound like crap out of a zx compared to being amped. Q701s too. I didn't recommend that to start though so yeah.

Again, start with a creative zx and a 558 or 555 even 419 sennheisers and see if you love it or want more. It's a good starting point. No reason to go deep right off the bat as that combo sounds amazing to 90% of the population.
Click to expand...

I agree with what you have written. I do not think it is the best advice for the OP. The OP has stated his budget is generous. Of course, I do not know exactly what that amount is, but I would assume (has potential for error) that it means at least mid fi or higher headphones, good to great source and good to great amplification.

I do not think it means an entry level. However, I do believe it is a good starting point. I did.
 
Yeah a specific budget would help OP. What do you have in your pocket?

Besides that dehydrated pocket pickle of course.
 
I just realized, why is the OP letting a nearly four-year-old post by someone with an anime avatar influence his decision?

spaceman, why do you think the 650 is good for music but not for games or movies? Just curious. In my experience, music is usually tougher to get right in comparison to the other two, so I like to think that if something does music right, it does everything else right.
 
Megalith said:
I just realized, why is the OP letting a nearly four-year-old post by someone with an anime avatar influence his decision?

spaceman, why do you think the 650 is good for music but not for games or movies? Just curious. In my experience, music is usually tougher to get right in comparison to the other two, so I like to think that if something does music right, it does everything else right.
Click to expand...

I don't strain to hear footsteps or get blown away by explosions in any of my music :D.
 
Megalith said:
I just realized, why is the OP letting a nearly four-year-old post by someone with an anime avatar influence his decision?

spaceman, why do you think the 650 is good for music but not for games or movies? Just curious. In my experience, music is usually tougher to get right in comparison to the other two, so I like to think that if something does music right, it does everything else right.
Click to expand...

The sound stage is really deep but not wide. Bass is strong and thus in games with lots of explosions, the midrange gets covered up. So directional sounds like footsteps and where a plane or heli is located tend to get a bit harder to figure out.

You can still use them for games and movies. They still sound great. They are just not designed for it. While the 558 and 598 are not as good for musical genres with big dynamic swings like Classical, electronic or anything that can go from really loud to really soft; they are better for gaming and general use.

Why? Because they are neutral. This means that they don't have as a deep a bass response or as sparkly highs (highs are better with a strong amp and I don't think the newer 650s have the veil anymore, a bit inside baseball but whatever) as the 650. What they do have is a wider, more 3D sound stage and better midrange bc the bass doesn't bleed into it. So you can tell where the sound is coming from and how far away it is. With the 650, you will certainly hear the same sounds, but the where and how far away part gets washed out a bit due to the stronger bass response and the smaller (but deeper) sound stage.

The 650 just sounds more up, down and deeper while the 558/598 sounds less substantial but has a larger, more separated sound stage. Take a tank sound for example. With the 650 the rumble of the tank sounds more realistic but also takes up so much of the sound stage that it's all you can hear. The 558/598 sounds a bit fainter and not quite as realistic but you can tell where it is and how far away while still being able to hear other sounds around you.

In other words, it's fucking hard to explain until you actually hear it. lol
 
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To add to the above (good explanation btw).

Bass obscures higher frequency detail (mid and treble).
The stronger the bass, the less detail you hear.
How much you care about the detail will help determine the level of bass you like for particular songs.
Because it varies with different music, you may find you want more than one pair of headphones for different music styles.
Or you can adjust bass with an EQ, but on nearly all devices and PC software, this will reduce the sound quality due to the use of low resolution mixers.
I've only found 1 EQ on PC that doesnt lose quality, it comes free with a VST plugin for Foobar/Winamp, its called Electri-Q.

It isnt for general windows use, only in audio players that can support VST plugins like Winamp and Foobar.
It uses 60bit or 64bit precision, so any mixing noise that it introduces is way beyond our ability to hear on the best hifi.
And its the best EQ, fully programmable!
A bit quirky sometimes, make use of the Store and Load buttons to save your current setup.
Saving configs to file doesnt seem to work on this free version, they wont load, maybe you will have more luck.
Link to free version
http://www.aixcoustic.com/index.php/Electri-Q-posihfopit/30/0/

My PC audio playback recommendations are Foobar2000 using WASAPI or JPlay (Kernel Streaming).
Winamp seems to colour the sound with a bit more bass, even in WASAPI exclusive mode. Sad because I like using its Milkdrop visuals while playing music.
 
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