Setting up a PS4 PRO / PC varied sound system and going crazy...

[Deleted member 222586]

Hi fellows!

Yup, I'm going crazy. I have been checking left and right and have no idea how to properly setup the thing, or should I say things?

So, my current battlestation has both a PC and a PS4 PRO. And a 43" 4K "HDR" TV and a 24" monitor. The PS4 PRO only uses the TV but the pc uses both.

And now the interesting part... I want to be able to use a 5.1 speaker system, my Logitech G933 (wireless USB) AND my hi-fi headphones (Sennheiser HD650) for both systems (not at the same time, of course) because the battlestation has both a chair and a sofa.

The wireless part should be pretty straightforward because it is USB based, so it would be as simple (or complicated) as plugging the USB dongle on the PS4 PRO or on the pc. OK, solved... because I don't think there is any other way of doing it.

But how do you setup both a 5.1 speaker system and a headphone system (that needs a dedicated amp... I have that already) and be able to have both the PS4 PRO and computer plugged into?

Maybe a reciever? The PS4 PRO has an optical output, OK, so I would need a receiver with an input of such type, which is easy. But with the optical I lose the 5.1 capabilities that I want to use on the 5.1 speaker system. So... HDMI passthrough?

And how about the computer?

My head hurts

 

[owcraftsman]

I think you answered your own question. Get a 4k HDCP 2.2 compatible home theater receiver using HDMI and analog out for connections. Connect PC & PS4 HDMI out to receiver HDMI in. Connect Receiver HDMI out to HDMI (ARC) in of 4k display. Use analog out of a receiver to your headphone amp or depending on your headphone amp there may be other ways to connect such as headphone out or USB. Most headphone amps have there own DAC so any analog connection will do. You'll need a 4k capable receiver with HDMI 2.0 standard compatibility, but that means your GPU of PC is also compatible with the standard. Any latest gen GPU such as Nvidia 1000 series or AMD RX-500 series will do for HDCP 2.2 compatibility although there is some previous gen GPU/s also compatible. THIS receiver fits the bill and has a High-resolution front USB audio output for your G933 depending on what you use it for there will be other options. IMHO letting the receiver do all the switching for you makes the most sense. Most high-quality HDMI cables will do fine, but you could look for certified HDMI 2.0 capable cables if you're paranoid because the lesser quality cable is hit and miss. Using a receive also gives you the ability to add additional devices such as a UHD 4k player to the mix which is a good thing. Plus a receiver is much more adept at decoding and conversion than anything else you could use. It's too bad that PC doesn't allow uncompressed bit stream optical output which would solve a lot of the problems, but there is aftermarket add-in audio cards that are capable. Still, the home theater receiver is your easiest and best solution atm.

 

[Deleted member 222586]

I think you answered your own question. Get a 4k HDCP 2.2 compatible home theater receiver using HDMI and analog out for connections. Connect PC & PS4 HDMI out to receiver HDMI in. Connect Receiver HDMI out to HDMI (ARC) in of 4k display. Use analog out of a receiver to your headphone amp or depending on your headphone amp there may be other ways to connect such as headphone out or USB. Most headphone amps have there own DAC so any analog connection will do. You'll need a 4k capable receiver with HDMI 2.0 standard compatibility, but that means your GPU of PC is also compatible with the standard. Any latest gen GPU such as Nvidia 1000 series or AMD RX-500 series will do for HDCP 2.2 compatibility although there is some previous gen GPU/s also compatible. THIS receiver fits the bill and has a High-resolution front USB audio output for your G933 depending on what you use it for there will be other options. IMHO letting the receiver do all the switching for you makes the most sense. Most high-quality HDMI cables will do fine, but you could look for certified HDMI 2.0 capable cables if you're paranoid because the lesser quality cable is hit and miss. Using a receive also gives you the ability to add additional devices such as a UHD 4k player to the mix which is a good thing. Plus a receiver is much more adept at decoding and conversion than anything else you could use. It's too bad that PC doesn't allow uncompressed bit stream optical output which would solve a lot of the problems, but there is aftermarket add-in audio cards that are capable. Still, the home theater receiver is your easiest and best solution atm.

Thanks a lot for taking the time

So... what about the computer monitor? It can be still plugged with Display port? I didn't know that a GPU could output only audio through HDMI, interesting.

My current setup that I didn't mention includes a Coffee Lake 8350K on a Z370, with a GTX1080. I use an Objective 2 as the amp for the headphones. It doesn't include a DAC, so It would be as simple to use as using the line out from the receiver into the amp. I know that part is easy.

And you are saying that the G933 USB dongle could be plugged into the receiver you mention and work? That would be fantastic! Specially considering that the receiver you have included as an example is much cheaper than I thought something that could work would be.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[owcraftsman]

Yes, you can use display port on the monitor.
I gonna have to take that back regarding the USB port it's for playing back stored audio on a USB stick, but you could use the 3.5 to RCA adapter that came with your head set.
You could look for a receiver that has analog RCA ports on the front if they still exist. Sorry for the bad news.
The thing is you lose a lot of the functionality that way and may well do better to connect it to your PS4 or PC only.