[Eric_C]

Ztrains: check Astro's website. They have the manual there and that should explain the whole setup with diagrams and all.

 

[Jay 23]

asked this question in some other thread maybe someone in here can help me
 
 
was wondering if i purchase the samson SR850 for my xbox 360, do i need anything else to use them for everyday gaming? (like any wires or other attachments) 

 
also are these the best gaming headphones for someone with a low budget? 

 

[Eric_C]

Quote:

asked this question in some other thread maybe someone in here can help me
 
also are these the best gaming headphones for someone with a low budget? 

 
How are you going to connect everything?
Xbox > TV > Headphones?
 
And are you playing any multiplayer? You'll need a mic, right?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Asked this question in some other thread maybe someone in here can help me
Also are these the best gaming headphones for someone with a low budget? 

Best gaming headphones for the price.

 

[Jay 23]

Quote:

 
How are you going to connect everything?
Xbox > TV > Headphones?
 
And are you playing any multiplayer? You'll need a mic, right?

ill be connecting it to my asus monitor(model:vh236), so xbox > monitor > headphones
 
and yea ill be playing a lot of multiplayer, were communicating is very important haha 

 

[Evshrug]

ill be connecting it to my asus monitor(model:vh236), so xbox > monitor > headphones

and yea ill be playing a lot of multiplayer, were communicating is very important haha 

Well that depends on if your monitor has a headphone jack. Prolly not. What I do is probably going to be close to your setup. Cable to your display, audio out to an amp, amp to headphones.

Cable from Xbox to monitor (in my case a cheap Amazon Basics HDMI to DVI cable), audio out to an amp (some use the Xbox's included audio cables; I bought a cheap Xbox 360 audio dongle with an optical out and RCA out, and I connect the RCA to my FiiO E5 amp using a RCA-to-3.5mm headphone adapter), and finally I plug my headphones in. Then I wear a cheap mic around my neck and play game audio and chat audio through "speakers" in the Xbox preferences. That's probably just $12 in adapters plus the $25 of my FiiO, but it isn't as streamlined as plugging everything into the Mixamp, which is supposed to come with all the cables you need. Plus with the Mixamp you get the surround decoding.

I'm trying to hold off on buying a Mixamp as I graduated in December and I'm in a temporary living situation; once I have my own space, my receiver in storage will fill the role of the Mixamp in every way except for microphone duties. However, the Mixamp would've been perfect during college, and I probably would have held off on my receiver till I could afford something even higher end. Especially since it can double as a computer DAC. Just something to keep in mind.

Edit: that's a VERY nice monitor. Speakers when you just need near-field sound, HDMI and DVI to switch between computer & Xbox, 2ms response time, and audio outputs for Optical and Headphone. So you would just need to hook up your Xbox using HDMI, and plug your headphones into the 3.5mm jack, and you'll be in business. If you get the Mixamp or a receiver later, you can use the Optical out for surround sound and a discrete amp. Good choice in monitor, I'm jealous

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

I'm trying to hold off on buying a Mixamp as I graduated in December and I'm in a temporary living situation; once I have my own space, my receiver in storage will fill the role of the Mixamp in every way except for microphone duties.

 
Your receiver has Dolby Headphone?

 

[Stn.]

Since you said USB I'm going to assume you're on a PC. From what I can tell the CAL! Would be better and cheaper or same price as the siberias. And getting a senn 555/558 and a mic and turning it into its big brother or a pc 360 would be the next step up. Pretty sure you don't need an amp to power those These guys know better then me though

The problem is I am on a laptop which only has a single combo jack. I can't plug both a mic and headphones in simultaneously. I suppose there's some sort of adapter for this?

MixAmp = $130
Zalman mic = $9 / Antlion Modmic = $40
AD700 or HD 595 (used) = ~$70 - 90

That's less than $300, not more than.
You could also grab a PC 360 at ~$200 from Amazon right now, and save up for a new/used MixAmp later (~$100 to $130).

I read that Siberia USB < regular Siberia; you might upgrade your soundcard at some point anyway, so why limit yourself to the built-in DAC/amp on the Siberia USB?

Fair enough. I din't think I understand what the MixAmp is actually for - can you clarify why it is used? Is it to connect headphone/mic combo to consoles? Or as an amp to better Dolby surround sound?

 

[Eric_C]

Quote:

ill be connecting it to my asus monitor(model:vh236), so xbox > monitor > headphones
 
and yea ill be playing a lot of multiplayer, were communicating is very important haha 

 
You'll still need a mic. Cheapest way is to use the official Xbox headset and hang it around your neck so the mic stands up; for audio, hit your Guide button and go: Preferences > Voice > Voice Output and select "Speakers". With your setup, this will get chat audio into your headphones.
 
Quote:

The problem is I am on a laptop which only has a single combo jack. I can't plug both a mic and headphones in simultaneously. I suppose there's some sort of adapter for this?
Fair enough. I din't think I understand what the MixAmp is actually for - can you clarify why it is used? Is it to connect headphone/mic combo to consoles? Or as an amp to better Dolby surround sound?

 
Yes, there are really cheap options that can turn a USB port into 2 separate audio in/out ports:

No guarantees about sound quality, obviously.
 
MixAmp is for virtual surround using Dolby tech; it also handles the game/chat audio "mix" (hence the name), so yes, you can plug in any headset or headphone+mic combi and it will work. How well the combos work is the main point of this thread. 
Note: a MixAmp isn't to "better Dolby surround", it's to process Dolby surround (5.1) for headphones (2.0).

 

[calpis]

You can also use an Asus xonar U3 ($40) for a usb solution since it has  Dolby Headphone. I have a U1 that I got for cheap and that works well too.

 

[motorwayne]

Update
 
Just received a pair of AKG 240MKII's
 
Plugged into a Xonar Phoebus..Set with just Dolby 4.0, no effects.
 
These babies rock the socks off my previous Sennheiser PC360's...no competition.
 
The Bangs have huge attack and THUMP, weapons CRACK is a good hard sound.
 
BF3 = Amazing
 
Directional sound exceptional

 

[Evshrug]

Your receiver has Dolby Headphone?

Not exactly, it's a Yamaha RX-V371 with "Silent Cinema." From their website:

SILENT CINEMA makes it possible to hear large-scale surround sound through ordinary headphones! This is a variation of CINEMA DSP technology that Yamaha developed to let you listen in private to movies and other multi-channel sources for hours without listening fatigue.

I don't remember clearly how well it works, but before I moved and packed my Yamaha away I tried it with Dead Space and Alan Wake, and I clearly remember that I was freaked out. Intense. Which is a pretty good indicator that I was definitely getting the full experience. I may see a quality increase from putting an amp between the receiver and headphone though.

Chicolom, I was meaning to ask you: I saw that you're enjoying your current amp in your sig with the AKG Q701, I was wondering what was your upgrade path before choosing that amp? I'm new to Q701 goodness ^__^

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Silent Cinema is an alternative to Dolby Headphone. Some people actually prefer it. Haven't heard it myself though.

 

[audiophizile]

Initial impressions with the HM5: I thoght my Pc350's were good for directionality and footsteps hahaha literally night and day in bf3. With the pc350 everyhing sounded like chaos in comparison. The hm5'severything is crystal clear. i now know where guys are and when they are going to hit a corner loud and extremely clear, not a jumbled mess. Yet to test them in a COD game which is where most of my experience was with the pc350s(lots of gamebattles for mw2, even had a good run and placed 34th out of 44000) so i'll have to do that soon. With music im undecided but they only have 8 hours of mixed time logged. They do sound like they have a broader flatter range both to lows and highs which is great. Pretty crisp and well defined all around. I do however notice the very slight "listening in a well" sound with music. I think it is partly the pads that cause this because when i apply slight pressure to the cups while listening it reduces it. But, this is probably the reason they sound so great with dolby headphone and annihilate the pc350s soundstage/positional awareness and clarity. Comfort isnt quite as good as the pc350. Clamps a little tighter, little heavier(pc350s weigh nothing), and get a little hotter. I did wear them for 8 hours straight with only bathroom breaks and to grab a beer or 2 and was never unhappy though. Probably say a 7.5 for comfort. Theyre currently breaking in more at my house and will give more impressions(and in COD games) later in the week but for closed gaming cans coming from the pc350 I'm absolutely blown away with how much easier it is to hear CLEARLY exactly where sounds are

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Glad to hear they are working out for you. You may wanna stretch the headphones out with books or dvd/game cases, so they don't clamp as much.