What is your primary audio configuration for gaming?

What is your primary audio configuration for gaming.

  • Headphones

    Votes: 128 46.5%

  • TV/monitor/laptop internal speakers

    Votes: 3 1.1%

  • 2.0/2.1 computer speakers

    Votes: 41 14.9%

  • 2.0/2.1 DAC/active speakers/receiver

    Votes: 34 12.4%

  • 5.1 home theater

    Votes: 21 7.6%

  • 5.1 computer speakers

    Votes: 37 13.5%

  • 7.1 home theater

    Votes: 8 2.9%

  • 7.1 computer speakers

    Votes: 3 1.1%
  • Total voters
    275
Besides my Sennheiser 595, I'm using a 2.0 set of DALI Lektor 2 speakers hooked up to a NAD C316BEE amplifier. My soundcard is an Asus Xonar DS.
 
guitarguy6 said:
Ummmm no.....
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Honestly with a good pair of cans , speakers even extremely expensive ones can't really match .

You can easily spend thousands upon thousands on very high grade speakers and that's not including a good amp/dac to run it all. In terms of price versus performance headphones are near impossible to beat.

But everyone hears differently so I guess its user subjective.
 
When a giant explosion happens in-game or such, having the hardwood floor under my feet vibrate from the subwoofer really adds a lot to the experience.

Good thing a live alone and own my own house.. I'd never do that in an apartment.
 
Godmachine said:
Honestly with a good pair of cans , speakers even extremely expensive ones can't really match .

You can easily spend thousands upon thousands on very high grade speakers and that's not including a good amp/dac to run it all. In terms of price versus performance headphones are near impossible to beat.

But everyone hears differently so I guess its user subjective.
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Maybe compared to a cheap set of 5.1 speakers like Z-5500 or similar. Gaming in surround sound on a decent 5.1 home theater setup is much more immersive to me. The sub shaking your floor during explosions as well as the positional audio is way better on a good surround setup.
 
guitarguy6 said:
Maybe compared to a cheap set of 5.1 speakers like Z-5500 or similar. Gaming in surround sound on a decent 5.1 home theater setup is much more immersive to me. The sub shaking your floor during explosions as well as the positional audio is way better on a good surround setup.
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I find positional audio cues much easier to hear in the confinement of a great set of cans. And headphones scale much better in value than speakers , you can spend $10,000 on speakers alone to equal a $1500 pair of headphones.

But as I mentioned user subjective , some will always prefer speakers.
 
headphones. beyer dt-880 are comfortable and sound great. and they're distinctly more neighbor-friendly than speakers.
 
Godmachine said:
I find positional audio cues much easier to hear in the confinement of a great set of cans. And headphones scale much better in value than speakers , you can spend $10,000 on speakers alone to equal a $1500 pair of headphones.

But as I mentioned user subjective , some will always prefer speakers.
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Right on. I like both, but I always prefer my new cans and amp. Can't beat a good set of headphones and a nice comfy chair on a weekend.
 
guitarguy6 said:
Gaming in surround sound on a decent 5.1 home theater setup is much more immersive to me. The sub shaking your floor during explosions as well as the positional audio is way better on a good surround setup.
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Ditto. Tremendously enjoyable experience.
 
Good headphones gives you much better positiong clues, a greater sense of immersion in the game, and ofcourse more or less isolation from your surroundings. I do however use a stereo amp/reciever so that I can manage the volume there, and it gives me more amplification and better sound than just using the soundcard.
 
I love my ATH-AD900 headphones + Buttkicker Gamer setup. All the detail and isolation of a good pair of headphones with the chair-shaking immersion of a subwhoofer.
 
I have some good headphones (Sennheisers), but I still prefer speakers. I just don't like wearing headphones in general, and while stereo can still do a fine job of positional audio, I still think having 5 separate speakers and a sub is more exact. Headphones are great for small areas, but if you have space, a good surround speaker set-up can be something special.
 
ATH A700

I like closed back headphones. It really seals me off from the rest of the world. My wife does not like this which should be another indicator that headphones are a good thing.
 
Mostly headphone setup because the noise bothers the wife- K701 amped by a Graham Slee Solo Ultra Linear headphone amp with Auzentech XFi prelude as the source. Need a dedicated DAC.
 
nakedhand said:
Mostly headphone setup because the noise bothers the wife- K701 amped by a Graham Slee Solo Ultra Linear headphone amp with Auzentech XFi prelude as the source. Need a dedicated DAC.
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nice setup. wonder if you'd hear much difference with a different DAC? have EMI issues with the Prelude?
 
This is my 7.1 setup, I hear everything:

pc71.jpg

Picture on the monitor was too bright; decided to take another.

It's all pretty much just randomly pieced together components; average-quality speakers. I'd love some high-quality stuff but I don't have any good reason to invest in something nice.

Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR605
Front: Sony SS-MB300H - 8" woofer, really good for mids, think I paid $99/pair. SS-B3000 is ~$110
Center: Sony SS-CN495H
Side: fronts from an Onkyo HT-S5100 HTiB setup.
Rear: Sony SS-MB105 - bought at Best Buy for $60 long ago; open box!
Sub: Dayton SUB-120 12" - parts-express.com for $130~ shipped

For the CRAP speakers that Sony churns out for automobiles, their home speakers aren't bad. Don't know if that has changed, but I really hate Sony car audio.

I use the Bose WB-3 brackets to mount the Sony speakers; probably one of the best things Bose makes. The Onkyos have a hanger that will slide onto a screw.

Yes, my rear speakers are hanging on some kind of rigged contraption mounted to the wall. The rear wall is really too far away and I wanted them closer but I didn't want them taking up space on the floor and couldn't find an appropriate mount so I used an 8-foot piece of wood (cut into multiple pieces), lag bolts, and hinges to build a speaker mount that I can push up against the wall if I need to.
 
DOOMHAMMA said:
I can't believe how many use headphones...huh.
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The trick is to get REALLY good headphones, with a good amp. ;)

Then your ears melt 24/7. It's great.

I mainly use headphones because by the time I get home (7PM), everyone's already relaxing and wanting to sleep basically, so I try to keep it down.
 
its true. For $200 you get much better headphone set than speaker set.

Not the reason I dont use speakers (I have my HTPC connected to my Denon amp connected to B&W 6series), I cant be blasting my games/music because my computer is in the living room and right behind is my gf watching some chick show.
 
I love my Z-5500 speakers but since my computer setup is a little space constrained I have my subwoofer right next to my leg ... a little disconcerting in bass heavy games to have all that air blowing on my leg ... I do love the 5.1 sound though ... very immersive :D
 
I have an old htiab receiver and speakers I use. Not sure why, but I just don't really care much about my PCs sound when I play games. my home theater and htpc is a different story.
 
I just added a new pair of headphones, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700, to my game audio and really like it. I still love my big, bad, beastly 2.1 setup, but the positional audio of the AD700 is so cool. I find myself fighting the urge to turn my head in the direction of footsteps, gunfire, or any other sound I hear. :)
 
i always use headphones and it gives privacy and less annoyance to people in the house. i use a really nice pair of sennheisers.
 
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