[jamieuk147]

I have decided on the Q701 as I have read great things about its soundstage
 
I would like to use these for gaming as well as movies and music 
 
I have a HTPC which I use to play my games and I run sound via my ATI card direct to my Denon 1910 AV receiver, I also have my DVD player hooked up to my receiver via HDMI as well.
 
So as I have everything running through my receiver, is it possible some how to add a dedicated headphone AMP in the chain so I can boost the sound qaulity of these headphones? 
 
One thing that confuses me is would it still be possible to het 5.1 surround sound from these headphones with my HTPC Asus DG sound card with a headphone amp in the mix as well?
 
Appreciate some help and advice on what to buy  

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

Well, I would just say use your AVR to listen to your headphones. They're perfectly fine. Your Denon will drive those Q701's just fine.
 

 
As for using your Xonar DG for surround (Dolby Headphone), I would keep it separate. Let your home theater audio travel via HDMI to the receiver. For games, switch to the Xonar DG and output via the headphone output jack to an external amplifier (if even necessary), and you're good to go.
 
Very best,

 

[cassull]

I have a similar question as well as I just purchased the Q701's. My stereo receiver is not nearly as nice, it's some cheap piece of crap Technics that came from Craigslist that's like 10+ years old. I use that with my PC to route sound to speakers and headphones. Should I consider getting an amp or would that receiver suffice?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I have a similar question as well as I just purchased the Q701's. My stereo receiver is not nearly as nice, it's some cheap piece of crap Technics that came from Craigslist that's like 10+ years old. I use that with my PC to route sound to speakers and headphones. Should I consider getting an amp or would that receiver suffice?

 
Heya,
 
Most old receivers are actually preferable for headphones you might find. They output plenty of power.
 
Use the receiver. See if you like how it sounds. If you don't, consider then looking at a new option.
 
Very best,

 

[PleasantSounds]

Quote:

I have a similar question as well as I just purchased the Q701's. My stereo receiver is not nearly as nice, it's some cheap piece of crap Technics that came from Craigslist that's like 10+ years old. I use that with my PC to route sound to speakers and headphones. Should I consider getting an amp or would that receiver suffice?

 
As stated by MalVeauX amplifier should not be necessary in your setup, but if you're feeding the receiver straight from the PC's motherboard sound circuits then you would likely see a big difference with an external DAC.
If you already have a good quality sound card then don't worry about the DAC.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I have decided on the Q701 as I have read great things about its sound stage
I would like to use these for gaming as well as movies and music 
I have a HTPC which I use to play my games and I run sound via my ATI card direct to my Denon 1910 AV receiver, I also have my DVD player hooked up to my receiver via HDMI as well.
So as I have everything running through my receiver, is it possible some how to add a dedicated headphone AMP in the chain so I can boost the sound quality of these headphones? 
One thing that confuses me is would it still be possible to get 5.1 surround sound from these headphones with my HTPC Asus DG sound card with a headphone amp in the mix as well?
Appreciate some help and advice on what to buy  

HDMI can carry 7.1 (8-channels) of PCM (uncompressed) audio (like full 7.1 Blu-ray audio), the Xonar DG's optical output only passes 2-channels of PCM audio.
The Denon 1910 has the latest Dolby processing chip, the Dolby Pro logic IIz (2009).
The Denon can process 7.1, the DG only 5.1, so if you were playing a game with 7.1 audio, the Denon HDMI connection would be better.
If you ever added a blu-ray player to the PC, the Denon HDMI would also be the better connection.
About the only advantage the Xonar DG might have is that Dolby has had three year to add improvements in any Dolby software (like surround sound) for the DG.
You could try running optical from the DG to the Denon, set the DG for 5.1 surround sound and send the pre-processed (Headphone 2-channel) surround sound to the Denon, set everything on the Denon to 2-channel audio.
Plug the AKG Q701s into the Denon, you could compare the DG (optical) verses the Denon (HDMI) for 5.1 surround sound quality, gaming and movies.
You could try almost the same setup, expect run analog audio from the DG (3.5mm) green jack to the Denon (RCA input) and see how that sounds for gaming.
This experimenting might show zero improvement over the Denon HDMI connection, could be the Denon HDMI way out shines the other connections, but it's only the cost of two cables (optical and analog) to find out.
You may find out you have no need for the Xonar DG and just end up removing it from your computer.