[zightbaoe]

I currently have the superlux hd668b headphones and am planning to get the ASUS XONAR DG Headphone Amp & PCI 5.1 Audio Card sound card pretty soon. With the superlux(no sound card)I can barely hear footsteps in battlefield 4 even with the equalization modified. I have two questions. First of all, when I get that sound card will I be able to hear footsteps better and have much better directional audio? Second question is would the astro a40's with the mixamp be better then the superlux? Thanks in advanced.

 

[Sekka]

Instead of getting the Astro A40, a mediocre "gaming" headphone, I would recommend the Sennheiser HD598 or the AKG Q701, depending on your sound signature preferences (Q701 is slightly better for competitive).  For the mic, just use a Zalman clip-on mic, or the Antlion Modmic for something a bit higher quality.
 
The soundcard is fine and should help, but it's nothing special.

 

[Boochie]

  Instead of getting the Astro A40, a mediocre "gaming" headphone, I would recommend the Sennheiser HD598 or the AKG Q701, depending on your sound signature preferences (Q701 is slightly better for competitive).  For the mic, just use a Zalman clip-on mic, or the Antlion Modmic for something a bit higher quality.
 
The soundcard is fine and should help, but it's nothing special.

Wrong and Wrong.
 
The Asus Xonar DG sound card is a fantastic sound card.  I used one for two years before I decided to upgrade to the Essence ST card.  The Dolby Headphone feature on the Xonar sound cards works very well in the Battlefield series.  It increases the sound stage to near cinematic levels.  I highly recommend you try the Xonar.
 
The Zalman and Antlion clip on mics are okay.  I had both but they are not as convenient as you would think they are. The Zalman does not "clip on" very well and trying to manage another cord (in addition to the cord for the headphone) is a pain in the ass.  The Antlion works fine but it is too sensitive as it would pick up my television playing in the other room.  I had to keep it muted most of the time.
 
Trust me, I spent a fortune trying to find the right headset for gaming.  Buy the Sennheiser PC 360.  Excellent SQ and fantastic microphone.  The PC 360 is the top of the heap (in gaming headphones) and is perfect for Battlefield.  It pairs very well with the Xonar line of sound cards.

 

[Sekka]

 
Wrong and Wrong.
 
The Asus Xonar DG sound card is a fantastic sound card.  I used one for two years before I decided to upgrade to the Essence ST card.  The Dolby Headphone feature on the Xonar sound cards works very well in the Battlefield series.  It increases the sound stage to near cinematic levels.  I highly recommend you try the Xonar.
 
The Zalman and Antlion clip on mics are okay.  I had both but they are not as convenient as you would think they are. The Zalman does not "clip on" very well and trying to manage another cord (in addition to the cord for the headphone) is a pain in the ass.  The Antlion works fine but it is too sensitive as it would pick up my television playing in the other room.  I had to keep it muted most of the time.
 
Trust me, I spent a fortune trying to find the right headset for gaming.  Buy the Sennheiser PC 360.  Excellent SQ and fantastic microphone.  The PC 360 is the top of the heap (in gaming headphones) and is perfect for Battlefield.  It pairs very well with the Xonar line of sound cards.

The Xonar does what it is meant to do, it provides slightly better sound quality than most on-board, and is bundled with virtual surround (really the main appeal).  It certainly isn't "fantastic".  Good for the price?  Sure.
 
The "PC360" is basically an HD555 with a mic and a price boost.  I've heard the mic on multiple occasions, and I find the Antlion to be of a similar quality, if not slightly better, and experience no such sensitivity problems, especially to the degree described in your post.
 
Oh look, I disagree with specific points made in your highly subjective post, therefore you are wrong.  Trust me, I spent a "fortune" on my audio gear, which somehow ensures that my suggestions are of superior quality.

 

[Dark_wizzie]

I even used the Asus STX with my HD800s for gaming. Honestly, not really impressed with the virtual surround technologies on the card.

 

[zightbaoe]

Ok I already have a blue snowball so mic is no big deal to me. Also I am tring to stay under $300 here. How would the AD700x compare to  the hd558 or something like that. Thanks and sorry I have been inactive.

 

[Boochie]

Oh look, I disagree with specific points made in your highly subjective post, therefore you are wrong.  Trust me, I spent a "fortune" on my audio gear, which somehow ensures that my suggestions are of superior quality.

Ha !!

Go read the hundreds of GLOWING reviews on both the Xonar line of sound cards and the Sennheiser PC 360 headset then come back if you still want to discuss the subjectivity of the assertions in my post...........Maybe that will convince you that you are still where you were in the beginning of this thread......In the minority.

Nevertheless, thanks for the big ole belly laugh !!!

 

[Sekka]

Ha !!

Go read the hundreds of GLOWING reviews on both the Xonar line of sound cards and the Sennheiser PC 360 headset then come back if you still want to discuss the subjectivity of the assertions in my post...........Maybe that will convince you that you are still where you were in the beginning of this thread......In the minority.

Nevertheless, thanks for the big ole belly laugh !!!

When did I say that the PC360 was bad?  It is a more expensive HD555 with a mic, and the HD555 is proven to be a good headphone.  That doesn't make it the best headphone in the $300 price range, as both the HD598 and Q701 are better for competitive purposes.  The XONAR DG does what it is supposed to do for a low price, so why wouldn't it have good reviews?  Also notice that I never recommended against him buying it.  The point is that it is only a slight improvement over what is built into modern motherboards, the main draw being the virtual surround.  I don't see how I am biased when you are the one raving about entry-level gear as though it was the best that ever existed.

 

[sobryanbutwhy]

Ha !!

Go read the hundreds of GLOWING reviews on both the Xonar line of sound cards and the Sennheiser PC 360 headset then come back if you still want to discuss the subjectivity of the assertions in my post...........Maybe that will convince you that you are still where you were in the beginning of this thread......In the minority.

Nevertheless, thanks for the big ole belly laugh !!!

Not very good logic. Are you suggesting that headphones Sekka suggested wont have hundreds of "glowing" reviews? I can assure you that the 598 and Q701 will have just as good, if not better reviews than the PC 360.

Additionally, I don't think he is in the minority at all. The 598 and Q701 (as well as AD-700) are regarded as the standard for circum-aural gaming. The Zalman mic or Modmic are used by my entire team, and quite frankly everyone sounds next to perfect and has no complaints.

I personally entirely agree with his statement. Your opinion is subjective, and IMO not correct. I'm sure the PC 360 is a fine choice, but mic aside it provides nothing over the 598 or Q701 and probably falls short in other areas.
 
Edit for topicality: If given the choice, I'd take the Superlux over the A40, though I'd undoubtedly take the AD-700, 598, and Q701 over any other headphones that exist for FPS gaming.

 

[Boochie]

  Not very good logic. Are you suggesting that headphones Sekka suggested wont have hundreds of "glowing" reviews? I can assure you that the 598 and Q701 will have just as good, if not better reviews than the PC 360.

Additionally, I don't think he is in the minority at all. The 598 and Q701 (as well as AD-700) are regarded as the standard for circum-aural gaming. The Zalman mic or Modmic are used by my entire team, and quite frankly everyone sounds next to perfect and has no complaints.

I personally entirely agree with his statement. Your opinion is subjective, and IMO not correct. I'm sure the PC 360 is a fine choice, but mic aside it provides nothing over the 598 or Q701 and probably falls short in other areas.
 
Edit for topicality: If given the choice, I'd take the Superlux over the A40, though I'd undoubtedly take the AD-700, 598, and Q701 over any other headphones that exist for FPS gaming.

***, Did you not read?  The discussion was about the Xonar DG sound card, the advantages/disadvantages of clip on microphones and their effectiveness within the Battlefield series. 
 
The Xonar DG sound card is the #1 most popular/purchased sound card on Amazon. It is a very good sound card.  As far as the mics are concerned, I have used both the Zalman mic and the Antlion. Both work as advertised but they are terribly inconvenient (when compared to an integrated mic). If you like them, so be it, but for me, I'll take the integrated mic on the PC 360 any day. 
 
Addressing specifically what you stated:
 
You are correct, the HD 598, ADH700 and the AKG 701 are very good and are mentioned in the discussion of some of the best headphones for gaming but to say that they are "the standard for circum-aural gaming" is laughable.  Please provide me with a link from a creditable, objective source to support your claim.

 

[Sekka]

 
***, Did you not read?  The discussion was about the Xonar DG sound card, the advantages/disadvantages of clip on microphones and their effectiveness within the Battlefield series.

Hmm...
 

 Go read the hundreds of GLOWING reviews on both the Xonar line of sound cards and the Sennheiser PC 360 headset then come back if you still want to discuss the subjectivity of the assertions in my post..........

Oops.  Maybe you should read your own posts before you attack others for the same reason.
 

 The Xonar DG sound card is the #1 most popular/purchased sound card on Amazon. It is a very good sound card.

Since when is popularity (on Amazon no less) an accurate measure of quality?  I stated that it was "good for the price", but I suppose acknowledging the DG as anything less than the messiah of soundcards is not enough for you.
 

   As far as the mics are concerned, I have used both the Zalman mic and the Antlion.

This might still be relevant if the OP hadn't already stated that he owned a good-quality desktop mic.

 

[Boochie]

  Hmm...
 
Oops.  Maybe you should read your own posts before you attack others for the same reason.
 
Since when is popularity (on Amazon no less) an accurate measure of quality?  I stated that it was "good for the price", but I suppose acknowledging the DG as anything less than the messiah of soundcards is not enough for you.
 
This might still be relevant if the OP hadn't already stated that he owned a good-quality desktop mic.

No, you also said that "it's nothing special" which is simply not true. That is the part of your post that I take exception with.
 
The Xonar DG sound card is particularly special in that for less than $30 you get a great headphone amp (that drives my HD 600s as well as much more expensive amps) and you get several other very good audio enhancements such as Dolby Headphone and Virtual Surround that most agree is fantastic for the price. Amazon may not be the definitive source for quality but the public speaks with its wallet and to be the #1 sound card is an accomplishment that ANY manufacture would be proud to claim (but don't get to).  You simply can not argue either of these points so just stop trying.
 
And BTW, since you are so good at reading comprehension, please point me to where I said with it was the "messiah of soundcards". Geesh, now you are making things up ? It makes you look desperate to defend your position. 
 
I introduced the Sennheiser PC 360 to the discussion because of how well it has been received in the gaming community and because it has an integrated microphone which, as I suggested, is superior to clumsy and cumbersome separate microphone applications like the Zalman and Antlion.  All of which is exactly in line with the discussion/opinions in this thread.
 
Edit to add: I agree that the other headphones are very good options. I own the HD 598.  It is one of my favorite headphones and it does indeed, work well for gaming but for my purposes, the PC 360 performs just as well, comes with the bonus of an integrated microphone and, in my case, was less expensive than my HD 598s. In my book, that is a win, win, win................

 

[Sekka]

 
No, you also said that "it's nothing special" which is simply not true. That is the part of your post that I take exception with.
 
The Xonar DG sound card is particularly special in that for less than $30 you get a great headphone amp (that drives my HD 600s as well as much more expensive amps) and you get several other very good audio enhancements such as Dolby Headphone and Virtual Surround that most agree is fantastic for the price. Amazon may not be the definitive source for quality but the public speaks with its wallet and to be the #1 sound card is an accomplishment that ANY manufacture would be proud to claim (but don't get to).  You simply can not argue either of these points so just stop trying.
 
And BTW, since you are so good at reading comprehension, please point me to where I said with it was the "messiah of soundcards". Geesh, now you are making things up ? It makes you look desperate to defend your position. 
 
I introduced the Sennheiser PC 360 to the discussion because of how well it has been received in the gaming community and because it has an integrated microphone which, as I suggested, is superior to clumsy and cumbersome separate microphone applications like the Zalman and Antlion.  All of which is exactly in line with the discussion/opinions in this thread.
 
Edit to add: I agree that the other headphones are very good options. I own the HD 598.  It is one of my favorite headphones and it does indeed, work well for gaming but for my purposes, the PC 360 performs just as well, comes with the bonus of an integrated microphone and, in my case, was less expensive than my HD 598s. In my book, that is a win, win, win................

It's nothing special unless you take the price into context, hence that statement.  It is no "giant-killer" as you seem to imply.  I later stated that it was "good for the price", which is true, as there is really nothing else in that pricerange that is worth using at all.  Also, for an extreme example, Beats are the best selling full-sized headphones in the world ($100 and up bracket), so I still don't see how quality has any correlation to popularity. 
 
The FiiO E10, which I found to be very mediocre, was noticeably better, though again, it was more expensive.  Even the integrated soundcard on my ASRock Z87 is able to drive my AKG Q701 significantly better (though still not acceptably well) than my DG.  The card integrated into the Z87 is capable of driving 600 Ohm headphones as opposed to the 150 Ohm limit of the DG, with a 115 dB Signal/Noise ratio as opposed to the 105 dB SNR of the DG.  You may find its ability to drive the HD600 acceptable, but the 300 Ohm HD600 is still underdriven as it falls well outside the power potential of the DG.  It definitely isn't capable of driving the HD600 as well as a dedicated amp, and your inability to hear this puts you in a very small minority.
 
The comment about the "messiah of soundcards" was an exaggeration,  something you are obviously familiar with.  It wasn't "made up", it only alluded to the fact that you are unwilling to accept the opinions of others who consider the DG to be anything less than fantastic, hence your willingness to declare them outright  "wrong" when their opinions contradict your preconceived notions of the DG's quality.  Also, I never claimed that those were your exact words, so I don't see how this compares to you trying to completely disregard the fact that you included the PC360 in a statement, when the section the user had quoted proved that you obviously had.
 
Again, the discussion of microphones is now irrelevant, as the OP already stated that he had a dedicated desktop mic (something that will best any "integrated" or "clip-on" mic).  Regardless, as the vast majority of those who use both the Zalman and Antlion find no major fault with the convenience, usability, and sensitivity of the two mics (more true of the Antlion, as it is better in general), you are once again put into a very small minority, something you love to accuse me of as if it somehow holds relevance in a discussion.

 

[Boochie]

 
It's nothing special unless you take the price into context, hence that statement.  It is no "giant-killer" as you seem to imply.  I later stated that it was "good for the price", which is true, as there is really nothing else in that pricerange that is worth using at all.  Also, for an extreme example, Beats are the best selling full-sized headphones in the world ($100 and up bracket), so I still don't see how quality has any correlation to popularity. 
 
The FiiO E10, which I found to be very mediocre, was noticeably better, though again, it was more expensive.  Even the integrated soundcard on my ASRock Z87 is able to drive my AKG Q701 significantly better (though still not acceptably well) than my DG.  The card integrated into the Z87 is capable of driving 600 Ohm headphones as opposed to the 150 Ohm limit of the DG, with a 115 dB Signal/Noise ratio as opposed to the 105 dB SNR of the DG.  You may find its ability to drive the HD600 acceptable, but the 300 Ohm HD600 is still underdriven as it falls well outside the power potential of the DG.  It definitely isn't capable of driving the HD600 as well as a dedicated amp, and your inability to hear this puts you in a very small minority.
 
The comment about the "messiah of soundcards" was an exaggeration,  something you are obviously familiar with.  It wasn't "made up", it only alluded to the fact that you are unwilling to accept the opinions of others who consider the DG to be anything less than fantastic, hence your willingness to declare them outright  "wrong" when their opinions contradict your preconceived notions of the DG's quality.  Also, I never claimed that those were your exact words, so I don't see how this compares to you trying to completely disregard the fact that you included the PC360 in a statement, when the section the user had quoted proved that you obviously had.
 
Again, the discussion of microphones is now irrelevant, as the OP already stated that he had a dedicated desktop mic (something that will best any "integrated" or "clip-on" mic).  Regardless, as the vast majority of those who use both the Zalman and Antlion find no major fault with the convenience, usability, and sensitivity of the two mics (more true of the Antlion, as it is better in general), you are once again put into a very small minority, something you love to accuse me of as if it somehow holds relevance in a discussion.

I am well aware of the limits of the Xonar DG card but once again, you resort to making things up when you say that I imply that it is a giant killer. More untruths and more desperation to prove your point which seems to be your tendency when folks don't agree with you. Oh, excuse me, you call it "exaggeration" (defined as the action of making statements that represent something as better or worse than it really is).  Whatever you call it, just stop interjecting inaccuracies into the discussion.  Your string is showing.
 
Yes, I enjoyed listing to my HD 600s on my DG card. They sound spectacular. I don't really care that you think they are underdriven but thanks for your concern.  As far as the DG's ability to drive an HD 600 verses dedicated amps and motherboards that costs 5 to 10 times the price of the DG, please don't tell me you are suggesting that is somehow validates your opinion that the DG is nothing special. Once again, you need to stop "exaggerating".  
 
But whatever, I accept the fact that you don't think that the DG is a good as I think it is. Also, if you have no problem with mic cords running all over your desktop or lap or floor or whatever else that constantly gets tangled around your chair, the desktop, the legs of your computer table, your hand, your arm and everything else they touch, more power to you, I guess.  As for me, I'll stick with an integrated mic or my Blue Snowball desktop microphone (yes, I have one of those too.....).

 

[Sekka]

 
I am well aware of the limits of the Xonar DG card but once again, you resort to making things up when you say that I imply that it is a giant killer.

Sure.
 

 The Xonar DG sound card is particularly special in that for less than $30 you get a great headphone amp (that drives my HD 600s as well as much more expensive amps)

I am making things up?  You claim that a $30 amp drives the HD600 just as well as "much more expensive amps".  Do you not know what a giant killer is?
 

 More untruths and more desperation to prove your point which seems to be your tendency when folks don't agree with you.

If you can provide a hard example of this, I will concede.
 

 As far as the DG's ability to drive an HD 600 verses dedicated amps and motherboards that costs 5 to 10 times the price of the DG, please don't tell me you are suggesting that is somehow validates your opinion that the DG is nothing special.

I evaluated its performance versus an $80 amp/dac (at the time, it is more expensive now because it was discontinued), and then a $150 motherboard, to neither of which did it compare favorably.  Basically, this is meant to contradict your assertion that the DG drives headphones just as well as much more expensive amps (read your above quote before you claim not to have said this).  Also, the "5 to 10 times" figure doesn't exactly apply when you consider the fact that a motherboard is in no way a dedicated audio solution, but an essential PC component...  You are not paying solely for the audio capability, not even close.  If anything, the quality of integrated soundcards is more of an afterthought during the building of motherboards, hence the frequent need for dedicated solutions such as the DG.  The point is, as I stated earlier, the intended audience of the DG is those who want an improvement over their sub-par integrated solution.  However, in a decent modern motherboard, these integrated solutions now match, or even surpass in some cases, the DG.
 

 I don't really care that you think they are underdriven but thanks for your concern.

 
It's a fact that they are underdriven.  The DG is only rated to 150 Ohms, while the HD600 is rated at 300 Ohms.  I don't care if you can't hear it, that doesn't mean that the headphone isn't underdriven.
 

 Also, if you have no problem with mic cords running all over your desktop or lap or floor or whatever else that constantly gets tangled around your chair, the desktop, the legs of your computer table, your hand, your arm and everything else they touch

Actually, I use a V-MODA BoomPro.  However, I had no such problems with my Antlion, as I had the cord bundled together with my headphone cable.  If I had cable management problems, I would have sent it back.
 

 As for me, I'll stick with an integrated mic or my Blue Snowball desktop microphone (yes, I have one of those too.....).

I never said that you didn't have one (if you weren't implying this, the bolded section was not necessary).  I said that the discussion of mics is irrelevant because the OP has a desktop mic.