chicolom said:

   
You could get a Sound Blaster Omni or a Xonar U3.
 
I wouldn't get the E10 for gaming, as it has to be the first device in the chain (no line-in).  I would rather spend that money on an amp with a line-in, in case you ever get an external surround sound device in the future.  I haven't used Razer's surround (Razer Synapse is something else BTW), so I can't comment on it.

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I guess I dont under stand the difference between a "gaming" external sound card and an DAC/AMP.  I thought a the external sound card was a DAC/AMP and software for surround sound.  I had looked into a Sound Blaster Omni before but was unsure of its quality to drive something like a AKG Q701.  Also, for reviews that I have seen before, my Desktop motherboard had better sound than the Xonar U3, which is meant for notebooks. 

mad lust envy said:

Mixamp Pro 2011, put up on head-fi for $55 total. Looking for US buyers first, so hit me up if interested. never been used, just opened the box to take the A30s (a disappointment anyways).

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I asked you about the a30's a few pages back. Finally got your thoughts on them. Surprised you don't like them at all. I think they are nice little headphones for the price. GL on selling that mixamp.

To be fair, its really reliant on ear placement and clamp. It sounds too thin and the bass is resonant like woah. Just... its quite unrefined. Considering I basically got it for free after I sold my Mixamps, it will do. The Slyr is MUUUUCH better.

Was hoping I could get an answer on this one.

If you remote play your ps4 on a vita. Can you still output the sound from the ps4. Like if I hook up a mixamp 5.8 to my ps4 and remote play. Will I still be able to get dolby headphone going.

Got some gift cards and am thinking about picking up a vita.

mad lust envy said:

To be fair, its really reliant on ear placement and clamp. It sounds too thin and the bass is resonant like woah. Just... its quite unrefined. Considering I basically got it for free after I sold my Mixamps, it will do. The Slyr is MUUUUCH better.

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Thanks for your expanded thoughts. I pretty much agree with you for the most part. I think they sound good at best considering the price I paid. They do the job when gaming and for the folks that aren't as critical as you are, they should be happy with them as long as they don't overpay.
 
In regards to the X1, hopefully someone on here that aren't happy with them and purchased them at the discounted price can sell their X1's to you for around $150. I've seen 1 person in the X1 thread talk about possible returning his. It's criminal that you of all people missed out. I think you would be in heaven with the X1 + BoomPro + 5.8 mixamp.

drastion said:

Was hoping I could get an answer on this one.

If you remote play your ps4 on a vita. Can you still output the sound from the ps4. Like if I hook up a mixamp 5.8 to my ps4 and remote play. Will I still be able to get dolby headphone going.

Got some gift cards and am thinking about picking up a vita.

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I believe so since the PS4 still outputs the video to your HDTV. I wouldn't see why it wouldn't output the audio as well.

thewreck13 said:

 
I guess I dont under stand the difference between a "gaming" external sound card and an DAC/AMP.  I thought a the external sound card was a DAC/AMP and software for surround sound.  I had looked into a Sound Blaster Omni before but was unsure of its quality to drive something like a AKG Q701.  Also, for reviews that I have seen before, my Desktop motherboard had better sound than the Xonar U3, which is meant for notebooks. 

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The difference is a "gaming" soundcard comes with licensed surround sound DSPs, whereas your typical external DAC/AMP has no processing whatsoever and strictly converts the digital signal (in plain stereo) and amplifies it. 
 
AFAIK there is only one free surround DSP software, which is the Razer one.  The rest are all tied to soundcard hardware (both internal and external like the SB Omni and U3).  FWIR Razer's free surround DSP isn't quite on par with the DSPs like SBX Pro, CMSS 3D, Dolby Headphone, etc.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/646786/evshrugs-if-i-knew-then-what-i-know-now-discussion-journal#post_9067400

chicolom said:

   
 
The difference is a "gaming" soundcard comes with licensed surround sound DSPs, whereas your typical external DAC/AMP has no processing whatsoever and strictly converts the digital signal (in plain stereo) and amplifies it. 
 
AFAIK there is only one free surround DSP software, which is the Razer one.  The rest are all tied to soundcard hardware (both internal and external like the SB Omni and U3).  FWIR Razer's free surround DSP isn't quite on par with the DSPs like SBX Pro, CMSS 3D, Dolby Headphone, etc.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/646786/evshrugs-if-i-knew-then-what-i-know-now-discussion-journal#post_9067400

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I'd disagree with you there, I've used both quite a bit the last week and i can hear things with Razer that i cant with Dolby.
But.. for movies i would still use Dolby as it doesn't sound as processed.
 
Just my opinion  

gorillasceptre said:

  I'd disagree with you there, I've used both quite a bit the last week and i can hear things with Razer that i cant with Dolby.
But.. for movies i would still use Dolby as it doesn't sound as processed.
 
Just my opinion

 

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You'd disagree with FWIR? 

chicolom said:

You'd disagree with FWIR? 

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lol

Is the mixamp powerful enough to power the K702 65th anniversary edition? I'm trying to get a headset to use with PS4. If there is a better amp that works with PS4 please let me know! Also, is there an option that does dts? I use a wdtv also and all of my movies have dts tracks.

drastion said:

Was hoping I could get an answer on this one.

If you remote play your ps4 on a vita. Can you still output the sound from the ps4. Like if I hook up a mixamp 5.8 to my ps4 and remote play. Will I still be able to get dolby headphone going.

Got some gift cards and am thinking about picking up a vita.

Click to expand...

 
It works... except, it's useless.
 
The issue is that there is a very discernible audio lag when the PS4 sends the Vita a  Dolby Digital (more specifically, DH). This is why the PS4 attemps to always just send a pure 2.0 PCM audio to the Vita.
Then the other issue is that Remote Play isn't 1:1 between the Vita and PS4 like the Wii U (heh I know). Lots of instance where dropouts in audio occurs, which basically makes DH useless.

I've been in the market for a good, well perfect, audio setup for competitive (PC)  gaming for about a month now and I have yet to make a decision and was hoping I would be able to get a little advice here. I've basically decided that I'm going to be buying a pair of headphones specifically for competitive gaming and nothing else.
I was initially looking at the Alpha Dog's because they were closed and the isolation would be nice as my roommate often listens to podcasts through his speakers. I don't really do much LAN gaming and when I go to competitions I would definitely be needing a closed set (Ill probably get the alpha dogs for pleasure/travel/comps). The more I read though the more I have been leaning towards an open set, for obvious reasons. Specifically the K702 Annies or the K701. I was also thinking of the ATH-AD700X, but the headband design has really turned me off them. I'm looking to buy in the next week, my current set, sony xb700 is just getting depressing to listen to and the left channel died in them the other day (thanks to my bird, oh darn! ). So now I really have good motivation to take that plunge into the audiophile world! Thanks in advance for any advice you are able to offer!

I would like to thank MLE for the amazing headphone gaming guide he created. Without his guide, I'd be lost. Thanks to him I ended up with the X1 paired with the 5.8 mixamp. This setup completely r@pes any headset I would have purchased otherwise. Thanks MLE and keep up the amazing work!

Amazing job on the article Envy.
I knew nothing about the mix amp pro before reading through it.
 
Now on to my setup and questions!
 
I game mainly on the ps3 and ps4. My headphone setup is the V-Moda Crossfade LP2 (saving for the M100's) with the boompro mic.
 
Now, for best sound quality, and still having mic capabilities, I assume I'd use one of the amps mentioned (likely the mix amp pro), hooked up to either in the way outlined in astro's instructions?
Now, is there any possible way to connect the ps3 and ps4 both to the mix amp pro while retaining functionality? I'd rather not have to constantly swap cables, but I'd also rather not have to buy two mix amp pros...
 
I currently have my whole setup hooked up through my receiver and home theater system, so when I'm not using the mix amp setup, I just change the sound output back to hdmi in the ps3/4 menus to output through the receiver, correct?
 
Thanks in advance.