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Which gaming headphone/mic setup?

M

MissJ84

2[H]4U
Joined
Dec 22, 2009
Messages
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The below is for a friend of mine, all help is appreciated! :)

So, I'm looking for a headset (or headphones + zalmann mic) that can output reasonable quality surround sound for gaming. Meaning, I want precise directional audio for FPS' and such. Also, less than $300 would be good!

Right now, I'm thinking about either:

1) Astro A40 + MixAmp combo ($250), OR
2) Astro MixAmp + Sennheiser HD595 + Zalmann Mic (~$295)

My qualms about #1 are the many, many mixed reviews. Mostly about the quality of the headset overall, and the terrible lack of bass (which isn't a big loss to me). However, it is cheaper than #2, and it is TRUE surround sound.

As for #2... Higher quality, yes, but it would be virtual surround sound at best, and I question how effective that is for gaming.

So, my main question is this... Will the surround-sound effect from Sennheiser + Astro MixAmp be pin-point precise (or near enough) for competative gaming, or should I drop a bit of quality and go with the A40s?

Of course, other recommendations are welcome and much appreciated. Thank you!
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Denon D2000 or Beyer 880 plus X-Fi 3d- cmss = there you go have a good time.
 
Just tell your friend to get a pair of Grado PS-1000's and it should last him a long time for gaming (and any other music/sound matters).
 
There are two possible directions to go in. My personal recommendation would be the Sennheiser PC360 G4ME. It is a very competent headphone, and the mic also works very well. I found it to be superior to the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 PC, which goes for a fair bit more. (Also better than competing entries from Razer, Logitech, and a few others I don't remember, but that's expected given cost.) If you want a fairly well-rounded headphone that has an attached mic, I don't think there's anything better out there right now. I've heard that they usually rank above the Astros for those who have used both, but I haven't used any full-size Astro products and so can't comment personally.

If you did want the bleeding edge of directional audio for gaming, possibly at the detriment of musicality, I'd say get the Psyko Carbon (this is the new directional headset from Psyko.) It's got larger, presumably more powerful drivers than the first model and apparently several design improvements as well from what feedback I've seen. The downside, as I said, is that they're only really any good with 5.1 sound. For stereo, they're lackluster and not worth the money from what I've heard. But I haven't heard anyone properly using them for surround actually have what I'd consider to be legitimate complaints. They're regarded very, very good at what it is they're meant to do.

There's no perfect answer, but as someone who has been chasing mirages in computer audio for some time, those are the answers I would give.
 
I am using the JVC RX900's with the Creative X-Fi HD USB. I just plugged a boom mic into the X-Fi and have been very pleased with the sound and audio positioning.
 
MissJ84 said:
You trollin? o_O
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Haha yeah I couldn't resist it :D

Phyltre said:
There are two possible directions to go in. My personal recommendation would be the Sennheiser PC360 G4ME. It is a very competent headphone, and the mic also works very well.
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Also ugly and very expensive


But seriously ain't the Logitech G35 or Razer Carcharias good enough? I mean for gaming I use my headphone monitors or my 5.1 Speakers for gaming. But any decent headphone with a mic should do I guess.
 
I just bought the Logitech G930 7.1 Wireless cans, and I'm actually blown away. They are almost as good as my Senns and they are wireless with lots of great features and comfort. The just released a new driver that fixed a mic problem that seems to have plagued these for ever. Great value and performance for $120!
 
Tahoe916 said:
I just bought the Logitech G930 7.1 Wireless cans, and I'm actually blown away. They are almost as good as my Senns and they are wireless with lots of great features and comfort. The just released a new driver that fixed a mic problem that seems to have plagued these for ever. Great value and performance for $120!
Click to expand...

+1 Used them myself before damn good value for its money, reminds me of the Psyko 7.1 headphones but those cost around $500
 
MissJ84 said:
The below is for a friend of mine, all help is appreciated! :)
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Im also in a similar predicament. I had the A40's and they are now dying on me after 1.5+ years and yes the bass is a bit low but not really important unless you listen to rap/hiphop or club music. I plan on getting the HD558 sennhisers and the zalman mic. I am guessing i can still get virtual 5.1 from the mixamp and I hope that the zalman mic works on xbox and is not too sensitive (3x Ultra Kaze 3k's). I may be persuaded though.

I also dont like the xms3d in the creative cards......Sounds a bit weak and not precise.

And also if you get 555's or 558's you can remove some padding inside and get more bass. It is really simple you just remove 3 screws remove a pad then put the screws back.

Also (again) the A40s are not TRUE 5.1 its virtual through the amp. If you use their 5.1 with music or what not it sounds like shit but there is a button on the mixamp that disables DDL 5.1 (presuming you use optical in on the mixamp if not then you are wasting money since you cant get 5.1 on the amp any other way except coax) and allows you to listen to youtube and other stereo signals in proper 2.1. To my general consensus virtual surround has next to nothing to do with the headset itself since virtual surround is used on stereo headphones all of which only have 2 drivers soo the only difference would be in sound quality (doesn't account for cup shape though which may be important)
 
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I am exactly in the same position as OP' friend. Trying to figure out what audio set up to get.

Denon D2000 or Beyer 880 plus X-Fi 3d- cmss = there you go have a good time.
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I have indeed read great thing about those headphones, though it seems they might lack the basses.

Are those headphones any good for music listening too ? Or just for gaming ?

And you would favor Creative's CMSS3D thingy over ASUS's Dolby Headphone hype ? Why ?
 
bbross said:
I am exactly in the same position as OP' friend. Trying to figure out what audio set up to get.



I have indeed read great thing about those headphones, though it seems they might lack the basses.

Are those headphones any good for music listening too ? Or just for gaming ?

And you would favor Creative's CMSS3D thingy over ASUS's Dolby Headphone hype ? Why ?
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They are good for music listening (audiophile stuff) and even gaming.
 
I really like my DT 880s for gaming and music. If you think the 880 might not have enough bass for you then consider DT 990s.
 
Gmok Bonecrusha said:
No.


Yes
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The other way around. I have G35's and MMX300's. For the majority of use - especially gaming, you can find me on the Logitechs.

I was wondering 'where have I written something similar and dealt with the same know-it-alls before?' and sure enough, dug up this thread.
 
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CMSS for gaming is as good as you get. If it sounds weird, that is your system at fault. Trust me. I have spent 6 years working on getting the sound right. Currently, I scare the hell out of myself on a daily basis b/c sounds come at me from realistic places in the sound stage. Think of it as hearing things like you are there in a very literal sense. I can hear distances of sounds to a crazy precise level. This is with using full tower speakers as headphones.

Get a Beyer 880 or Denon D2000 if you want the best audio for $200 and under. Period.
 
if i'm using a mixamp for gaming on my pc would I notice a big difference in sound quality if i got a dedicated sound card such as the titanium hd or essence stx?
 
Pingis said:
if i'm using a mixamp for gaming on my pc would I notice a big difference in sound quality if i got a dedicated sound card such as the titanium hd or essence stx?
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The MixAmp does nothing to sound quality except amplify the sound and decode DDL. Amplifying the sound is actually really important for most headphones but this Mixamp will do well for lower consumer grade products.

Audio is like a stream: If it is polluted upstream it cannot get any better downstream. This means that if you do not have a good source of audio a pair of headphones will do nothing if not make the sound worse. The only thing Upstream from the sound card would be the audio file itself. When buying/Downloading music always look for a bitrate (quality) of 320kb or more. FLAC files are your friend since they have no bitrate cap and are usually in the thousands of kb's. Movies/Games almost always use high quality sound so there is no problem there (look for sound quality options in games though).

Stream goes a bit like this
Recorded/Rendered Quality -> Compressed File -> *Motherboard* -> Sound Card -> Amp -> Headphones
Cables are also important but not extreme along with interference. Motherboard type can be important depending on the integrated sound card.

If a song is recorded with a rockband mic it will sound like shit and nothing down the line can fix it. Its almost better to think about making the sound "less worse" and not "better."



In Short Yes you defiantly need a sound card if using headphones on the PC.

Also I have the Titanium HD and it is good but look out for the price tag. It does come with some bloatware but things like cmss3d and DDL encoding are nice.
 
Thanks for the response. It was very informative and much more then I was expecting. I always thought that the amp made the sound better. So basically if the sound source is bad, the only thing the amp will do is make it worse? I am using the optical out from my motherboard to the mixamp for gaming, and you said games use high quality sound, so would the titanium hd do a better job for the headphones than the mixamp?
 
Pingis said:
Thanks for the response. It was very informative and much more then I was expecting. I always thought that the amp made the sound better. So basically if the sound source is bad, the only thing the amp will do is make it worse? I am using the optical out from my motherboard to the mixamp for gaming, and you said games use high quality sound, so would the titanium hd do a better job for the headphones than the mixamp?
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The amp does indeed make sound better but without a proper source it can make it sound worse (key word "can"). For example: say you have a very fuzzy song, amplifying that will just make the fuzz louder and more annoying, but if you have a clear song an amp will push your headphones to their potential and allow them to create more sound and provide a better experience. An amp is vital in a lot of headphone setups but like I said the source is key.

You are asking if a sound card will make games/music sound better than you motherboards sound. Yes it defiantly will. What a sound card will do over your motherboard sound is more accurately reproduce what a song should sound like. Motherboard sound is usually a bit more "staticy" and not full sounding. Sound from a dedicated card will clear up this sound and give a better experience overall. Adding an Amp to a sound card increases this experience by amplifying the sound and allowing your headphones to perform.

TLDR: The sound card clears up the sound and the amp just makes it louder it to use your headphones potential. Use the two together to get the best possible sound.

My recommended setup would be optical out from a sound card (Titanium HD may be a bit overkill) to optical in on the mixamp. Then have your headphones of choice for stereo out.

Any more questions I am happy to help :)




Im sure other people know/understand audio setups more than I do, I'm just giving my consensus.
 
xSalvation, thanks for taking the time to explain. my mixamp setup was mostly for xbox usage but now i will be looking into getting a sound card for my pc. i want something better for music and that will power better headphones than my AD700s.
 
Pingis said:
xSalvation, thanks for taking the time to explain. my mixamp setup was mostly for xbox usage but now i will be looking into getting a sound card for my pc. i want something better for music and that will power better headphones than my AD700s.
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:)

Im not very up to date with most headsets but i would look in the area of senn HD650's or something like that. Head over to head-fi.org. There are many people there in the high end headphone market.
 
As mentioned earlier in this very thread, I am also searching for a gaming audio setup. As a total noob in the audio area, I must say I am bit lost on some concepts.

xSalvation said:
T

My recommended setup would be optical out from a sound card (Titanium HD may be a bit overkill) to optical in on the mixamp. Then have your headphones of choice for stereo out.
Click to expand...

So you would bypass the soundcard's DAC and let the amp make the analog conversion (supposing it has one onboard) ?

There are lots of different offerings on the market right now, and I don't really know how I should consider them. I want to game above everything else, but I am not too much into competitive gaming, so pinpoint positioning is less important to me than overall sound quality.

There's ASUS Bundle called Xonar Xense, which comes with a pair of Sennheiser PC350 (any good). This one costs about 220 EUR where I live.

If not choosing for this bundle :

Soundcards
Titanium HD, Essence ST(X) or the cheaper Xonar D2X (the lattest will probably need an additional amp if coupled with high-end headphones, from what I understand). Out of the reviews I read, the STX is universally acclaimed as wonderful. The Titanium HD on the other hand is praised by some, and bashed by others.

Headphones
many people advise for the DT880 (32/250/600 ?) and DT990 (32/250/600?). What about Sennheiser's HD600 / 650 ?

Headsets
Sennheiser's PC350 / 360, Beyerdynamic's MMX 300.

What additional HP Amp would you suggest, if any is needed ?

Thanks.

Sorry if I'm hijacking this thread. If it suits more, I'll start a new thread.
 
bbross said:
As mentioned earlier in this very thread, I am also searching for a gaming audio setup. As a total noob in the audio area, I must say I am bit lost on some concepts.



So you would bypass the soundcard's DAC and let the amp make the analog conversion (supposing it has one onboard) ?

There are lots of different offerings on the market right now, and I don't really know how I should consider them. I want to game above everything else, but I am not too much into competitive gaming, so pinpoint positioning is less important to me than overall sound quality.

There's ASUS Bundle called Xonar Xense, which comes with a pair of Sennheiser PC350 (any good). This one costs about 220 EUR where I live.

If not choosing for this bundle :

Soundcards
Titanium HD, Essence ST(X) or the cheaper Xonar D2X (the lattest will probably need an additional amp if coupled with high-end headphones, from what I understand). Out of the reviews I read, the STX is universally acclaimed as wonderful. The Titanium HD on the other hand is praised by some, and bashed by others.

Headphones
many people advise for the DT880 (32/250/600 ?) and DT990 (32/250/600?). What about Sennheiser's HD600 / 650 ?

Headsets
Sennheiser's PC350 / 360, Beyerdynamic's MMX 300.

What additional HP Amp would you suggest, if any is needed ?

Thanks.

Sorry if I'm hijacking this thread. If it suits more, I'll start a new thread.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I cant help you much but I'll tell you what I know.

DAC on sound card or mix amp: Shouldnt matter. I would recommended on the mix amp though so you can decode it for DDL (5.1 surround sound). But like I said shouldn't matter.

As Far as headsets: PC350 is closed back and decent. PC360 is open and OK. HD600/650 are audiophile grade and in the upper class of headphones. I cant say much about others but head over to Head-Fi.org for really high end stuff.

Soundcards: Cant really say anything. I have the Titanium HD and it is good but I have nothing to compare it with.
 
I use the astros with wireless mixamp, they're the best ive had so far.
i can use them for my 360 and pc, so thats a big plus
 
for the best directional audio go with tritton ax pros. however, i admit sound quality is crap while listening to music, BUT when playing cod it actually sounds not that bad.
 
hard-in-da-paint said:
for the best directional audio go with tritton ax pros. however, i admit sound quality is crap while listening to music, BUT when playing cod it actually sounds not that bad.
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Nah man. For that price I would MUCH rather have a Xi-Fi card and a some good headphones.

The ONLY reason I stick with Creative is for the CMSS-3D. Over the years I have found that nothing beats it for positional audio.
 
I have to weigh in against Logitech G930's. I have a set that have been very problematic. I got them as a Christmas gift, and fairly well baby them. They crackle and pop a lot, and drop connection more than a little bit as well. They just started in the past few days turning off when I take them off my head as well.

Needless to say, it's time for a call to Logitech support, to see what happens.
 
FWIW I'm no true audiophile and I have the Sennheiser 555, Triton AX Pro and the Beyer DT 990. My recommendation would be the DT 990s for both gaming and music. The AX Pro does have pretty good positional sound, has its own DTS decoder and the mic works very well and is very clear but the music quality is fair to poor and the wiring setup is a PITA.

I use an Asus Xonar DX for sound (much better than the on-board on my MB) and have to say that the CMSS/Dolby Headphones with a quality set of phones has been what I like best so far.
 
I've had a pair of Beyer MMX300's for about 18 months now and highly recommend them. They are comfortable and less fatiguing than others I have used and yes they do cost a bit but IMO it's worth it. I also use them for late-night mixing of music through my RME Fireface 400, with them being a closed set of can's they do give a slight kick in the low end for this though (comparred to 880's or 990's that are open).
 
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