Sound Engine?

(TheDoctorHax) #1

I am thinking of buying a pair of 7.1 headphones, but they were getting lower reviews than the non-7.1 model. I’m wondering if Dirty Bomb could even be benefited by the 7.1 sound.

(Ghosthree3) #2

I’ve definitely found that 7.1 surround makes a huge difference in all fps games I’ve played. Be careful though, most 7.1 headsets - in fact all? - are ‘gaming’ headsets, and they have what must be some of the worst build quality in computer hardware. I’ve gone through about 8 in the last 3 years.

#3

You only have 2 ears. Don’t waste your money on placebo effects.

(Ghosthree3) #4

If you think 5.1/7.1 is a placebo you’ve never tried it.

(KangaJoo) #5

Stereo headphones work better than the fake 7.1 headphones. It’s also usually best to use the in game headphones option and not virtual surround sound, however, some games don’t have that option.

What’s your price range? I’ve tried loads of different headphones and can recommend you something. The important thing is that they need to have a large soundstage, meaning they should be open back, and that they have good separation.

(TheDoctorHax) #6

http://www.amazon.com/Perixx-AX-1200-Gaming-Headset-Connector/dp/B00NY3QSM4 thats what I am looking at for the 2.1 and then im looking at the 7.1 model of the same headphones, the 3000 My price range is around $30 @ChinaRep

(Amerika) #7

BeyerDynamic’s dt770’s. Positional audio of the gods, crazy high build quality, seriously some of the best sounding headphones you’ll ever use, ear cups that are like clouds and feather pillows and you can replace the cups for $20 if you ever need to.

They aren’t 5.1. or 7.1 but I’ve tried a few of those and all of them have had awful build quality and terrible sound quality without giving you any advantage on positional sound. But, I’ve only tried one 5.1 and one 7.1 set so perhaps I didn’t try the right ones. Both sets I had got returned pretty quickly.

(KangaJoo) #8

wow that’s a really low budget lol. The only ones I’ve heard that are decent for gaming at that price are these http://www.amazon.com/Superlux-HD668B-Dynamic-Semi-Open-Headphones/dp/B003JOETX8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440995627&sr=8-1&keywords=superlux+hd668b . They don’t come with a mic so you’d have to get a clip on mic or modmic but they are the best bang for your buck in that price range.

@Amerika I’m surprised you recommend Beyer’s for gaming. As far as I understand they have a relatively small soundstage compared to fully open back cans like audiotechnica ad900x’s or akg’s. I’m using AKG K7xx’s and I’ve yet to hear anything with a larger soundstage and better separation. They also happen to have almost the perfect sound sig for me :smiley:

(MarsRover) #9

I have used them and stock pads are not that comfortable - you can buy velour pads that are comfortable. Very V-shaped sound - mids are recessed. Don’t know if this affects gaming, but it is a very specific sound that not everyone likes. Build quality is great and soundstage is OK for a closed back headphones but that’s not saying much :slight_smile:

I you’re looking for a cheap option I recommend Creative Aurvana Live!. None of these have a mic though.

(neverplayseriou) #10

For 30$ maybe the creative labs fatal1ty gaming headset?

(D'@athi) #11

Lowbudget, I’d go with the stereo Superlux HD 681 Evo. They cost more than the older non-evo-version, but have got some velour-earpads you had to order as an extra before. Add some Zalman-mic, and you are done.
Don’t think you can get good sound, and a bit of durability any cheaper.

(MarsRover) #12

I have a Zalman mic that you’re supposed to attach to your shirt. The problem is that it’s way to silent, and if you boost it there’s to much interference. I would have to glue it to my cheek to make it loud enough.

That’s why I just bought Superlux HMC 631 with a mic that’s actually near your face.

(Amerika) #13

I have used them and stock pads are not that comfortable - you can buy velour pads that are comfortable. Very V-shaped sound - mids are recessed. Don’t know if this affects gaming, but it is a very specific sound that not everyone likes. Build quality is great and soundstage is OK for a closed back headphones but that’s not saying much :slight_smile:

I you’re looking for a cheap option I recommend Creative Aurvana Live!. None of these have a mic though.[/quote]

DT770’s come with the velour pads. http://www.headphone.com/products/beyerdynamic-dt770-velour-earpads (you can get the much cheaper elsewhere). Those are the stock pads and they are ridiculously comfortable in my very ear-achy free opinion :slight_smile: I tend to easily get headaches from wearing headphones for very long periods of time and these cause me no issues.

If you’re talking as an audiophile who wants a particular sound of course the dt770’s won’t be for everyone as there isn’t a headphone for everyone. But in regards to positional sound, overall quality of sound, comfort and build quality I’ve honestly never came across another set of headphones at this price point that can match the dt770’s. As for the open vs. closed open tends to have nicer sounds but doesn’t work very well in a LAN situation. Also, closed do not annoy your co-workers or family nearly as much as open. And for closed headphones dt770’s sound exceptional.

(MarsRover) #14

Uh, it looks like only the 32Ohm version comes with leather pads. Which was the version I was testing. And I’m also int the closed-back camp, but I prefer more linear sound. Focal Spirit Pro are great for me, but they aren’t particularly comfortable out of the box.

I would advise everyone to try a few different sounding headphones before spending ~200$. DT770 should be great for gaming, but real differences come out when listening to music.

(Amerika) #15

Oh, and for direct comparison I won a set of the Siberia V2’s in a LAN last year and they are do not compare very well to the dt770’s. I spent a long time testing gaming, music and of course comfort between the two and the V2’s just weren’t very good in comparison.

Also, my recommendation of the dt770’s comes as a gamer looking at quality audio, quality positional sound, ability to be used at LAN and comfort. Even though I love them for music my actual recommendation comes as a gamer wanting all of the things I mentioned. The only thing they lack is a microphone but that’s easy to fix.

If you’re going for headphones as a music lover and a gamer then you will definitely want to check around and try a ton of stuff out. Because everyone likes different sounds which is why you always see so much debate over headphones and sound quality. So you really have to do a lot of searching around to figure out what is best for you in that regard.

I actually found these dt770’s because a number of people in the audiophile club we have here at work use them and love them. And I was able to wear a ton of high end headsets and listen for myself. I was rather impressed with how much goes into making a set of solid headphones and how each set caters to people who like different sounds. Going for music quality, and defining what kind of quality you personally like, is a whole different world I’d never really stepped into until recently.

(Ghosthree3) #16

I really should just get a really nice expensive pair of audiophile headphones - not headset - because I’m kind of sick of replacing these $120+ ‘gaming’ headsets every few months.

(Gi.Am) #17

I’ll just leave this here, propably more than you ever want to know about the subject, also the right adress imo when you want to look into headphones in general, the audiophile esoteric pseudoscience is fairly low.

Personaly I prefer dolby headphones + regular headphones. Even over a surround speaker setup.
Using V-Moda m80 for everything for a couple of years now, they sound great and are very well build.
If I need voicecom I switch to speakers and an 2 decades old sennheiser mono headset. That thing sounds very good I’ve been told and outlived several fullblown gaming headsets while costing only a fraction.

I guess what I’m trying to say is.
Good normal headphones + good cheap (clipon) mic + virtual surround (important one that takes the surround sound signal and mixes it for stereo, not one that takes stereo and fakes surround) > overprized multidriver gaming headset.

(Ghosthree3) #18

Random question, does anyone have a sound card and does it actually make a difference? I mean I’m sure it does, but does it make a notable difference.

(kibloy) #19

You won’t hear a massive difference in sound quality if you have ‘normal’ equipment, but if you pay more than, say, $80 on headphones it is fairly noticable (to me it is, anyway) - sound is less muddy, especially at loud volume.
For higher-end headphones you’ll also need amplification which the onboard can’t provide.
They’re also useful for some of the weirder setups. I have a set of speakers on analogue out and digital out goes into a DAC/AMP for my headphones so I can have both working at the same time. That way I can also have virtual surround while using my own DAC for the headphones.

It really depends on your setup. If I had a $50 headset and no other audio equipment I wouldn’t bother with one.

Probably the best thing you can do if you’re prepared to spend a bit of money. If you don’t like table microphones, try the Modmic, absolutely worth the money.

(Gi.Am) #20

Not me, using onbard stuff right now. But from what I gathered the improvement to performance are minimal nowadays 1-5% CPU utilization at worst.
Could give you better sound tho. More features. Better shielding from the other electronics and last but not least a better more powerful DAC, could be well worth a shot especially with bigger headphones.

On the other hand a digital connection to a dedicated receiver would have most of those benefits aswell, I guess.