PC Gaming Setup.

Wow, the modmic looks like an awesome product. I partially wish it would have come out before I bought my DT 297 (though it was silly cheap), and I probably would have kept my previous headphones (ATH-AD700). Meh, still an upgrade.

Anyway, the one con is that it's omnidirectional. That gives better frequency response, but it's definitely going to pick up more background noise than a cardioid. I have an AC right next to me, so that's probably out of question, and is one reason why I went for a cardioid mic. I'd still much rather have it + "proper" headphones than a gaming headset. Unless the gaming headset is MMX 300. Actually, even then, because of the huge price premium over vanilla DT 770.

X-Fi Forte, ModMic, and...well, I don't know your total budget for the headphones after those two are factored in, including any amplification requirements. (It's not like I can just go recommending Stax setups to people all the time, given their cost.)

After budget, the second thing we need to know is desired sound signature.

In terms of EAX support, I only trust X-Fi DSPs for EAX 3/4/5. The Asus cards and other C-Media based offerings claim to emulate those levels of EAX, but who knows how close it is to the real thing?

Between CMSS-3D Headphone and Dolby Headphone, I can't say which is better, but I am very satisfied with CMSS-3D Headphone for gaming. Just make sure you turn it off when you're listening to music.

I believe the PC360 headphones are just Sennheiser HD-558s with a mic added.

so going HD-558 might save you a few dollars.

I'm guessing that PC game manufacturers try to make their games sound good with out needing EAX 3\4\5.

As most people are not die hard gamers and would not even spend $100-$150 for a nice add on sound card

and would just use on board sound.

The Asus Xonar Essence STX has a headphone amplifier rated up to 600-Ohms.

And you can upgrade 3 op-amps on the STX ($14-$35).

Quote:

Originally Posted by McLovin83 
I really didn't want to have to spend $200+ on headphones if I didn't have to. I am all about having the best quality I can get, but obviously within reason. I can;t see myself spending $300+ on a headset because I can be a bit rough on my headset.

 

As far as amplification goes, I wasn't sure if that would affect my gaming experience at all, like lessen the ability to best pin point where sound is coming from. Give me some recommendations and lets she what's out there.

 

I had the same train of thought as you with regards to EAX so that's why I liked the Forte as my #1 option. My only question would be, if I have the surround setup and headphones plugged in all the time, is there a way for me to switch between the two? They will both permanently stay plugged in, so I'm hoping this wont cause an issue between them. I have no problem having to manually switch between the two as I don't get to use the surround sound much anyway so a majority of the time I'd be using headphones.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, keep'em coming!

You don't have to spend $200+ on headphones, but keep in mind that they don't say "Sorry about your wallet." for nothing. Next thing you know, you've already passed that figure. (I mean, here I am with a Stax setup that I arguably underpaid for, if anything...)

Amplifiers should not color the sound. All they should do is ensure that the headphone's drivers are being controlled properly. Sometimes this takes more than the meager amplification that a sound card can offer, and sometimes it's wholly incompatible (electrostatics).

In terms of switching between surround and headphones, just make sure that the X-Fi Forte is set to not mute speakers whenever headphones are plugged in. Make sure that the Windows sound control panel is set to 5.1 (only not advising 7.1 because your speaker system lacks the extra side speakers; also, CMSS-3D Headphone needs to have Windows sound configured this way so as to get some positional information in newer games with software audio engines), and just switch between headphones and speakers using the X-Fi control panel or Console Launcher.

This won't mute either one when you switch, in all likeliness (note that I do not have loudspeakers connected at all to my desktops, only headphones), but your speakers almost certainly have some form of dedicated volume control that you can use to mute them while using headphones, and chances are you won't hear the headphones leaking sound over your speakers when you want to use those.

Don't waste money on a headset.  Just get a Zalman mic for $10 and budget the rest to your setup.

http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ

Given what you've written, you should probably prioritize getting a good headphone first (like something in the weight class of a SR225i or HD650), then do the mods and amp next.

Quote:

Originally Posted by McLovin83 

You've given me everything I've wanted to hear (high five on the pun)!

 

Everything that is except your recommendation on a headset. ;)

 

Should I spend less on a headset and get an additional amp? Should I go with a better headset and just upgrade the OPAMPs? If so which ones?

 

I appreciate all your help and knowledge my friend. You are making this purchase much easier for me.

Ah, forgot that. I only have experience with a few headphones, which makes recommendations hard:

-AD700 (Pretty much what everyone says it is. Very comfortable, wide soundstage, light on bass, treblehead, works well with CMSS-3D Headphone.)

-SR-Lambda (LUDICROUSLY COMFORTABLE, very clear and detailed, neutral with some possible treble emphasis, works excellently with CMSS-3D Headphone, but arguably past the point of dimishing returns for gaming alone and well out of most people's budgets.)

-HTF600 (Impactful bass, not the widest soundstage around, pads could be bigger to distribute the pressure better, mids somewhat veiled, works alright with CMSS-3D Headphone, used to be $30-40 before the hype caused certain sellers to push it up to $60.)

Sooner or later, I'll have to put the Samson SR850/Superlux HD668B (largely the same thing) to the test, but that'll have to wait until later. It's often hyped as being better than the AD700s while costing less (specifically, they're said to have bass; not surprisingly, the hype's coming from basshead types that can't stand the AD700), but they may not be quite as comfortable without replacement pads. There's also a few Fischer Audio products getting hyped up as well, like the FA-011.

Worry about the amp later. The X-Fi Forte already has a rudimentary dedicated headphone amp that should get you by, and even that's not of much use if you eventually go electrostatic like I did. As for OPAMPs, I can't comment on those, but between the Prelude's LM4562, the Forte's LME49720 (supposedly a rebadged LM4562), and some LME49860 samples I ordered directly from National Semiconductor free of charge, I don't hear much of a difference. Perhaps I need some radically different OPAMPs to notice a change, as these ones are probably more similar than different.

The SR850s are an improvement over the AD700. The pads do suck however. I did a ghetto memory foam mod taped onto the existing pads. That works well. There is also the velour pads option but then it costs as much as the AD700 lol.