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Best Sound Card For Beyerdynamic MMX 300's?
Mar 19, 2011 at 12:48 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 54
MattKelly

MattKelly

Previously known as "Astonish"
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Mar 19, 2011
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Whats up Head-Fi!
 
As you might be able to tell, this is my first post to the head-fi community, so I'm apologizing up front if I have posted this in the wrong section :wink:
 
Moving on, I own the Beyerdynamic MMX 300's and I use them daily for competitive gaming. As of lately, I have just been using the supplied USB sound card that came with the Beyers to connect them to my PC. I was looking to upgrade to a better sound card and use that, because as of right now I only have stock on-board sound. After some research around the forums, I have been extremely interested in picking up the ASUS Xonar Essence ST or STX. However, I am wondering if this is my best option for GAMING, as that is what this headset is primarily for. I of course still listen to music, as I also have a hobby in video editing, however I primarily want the best sound card I can get for GAMING with THIS headset. Budget isn't a huge concern, as long as its nothing RIDICULOUS (I would say about $300 and below). I'm basically just looking for the best way to hook up these bad boys and get the best I can out of 'em. Thanks a lot guys and I'm look forward to reading some responses!
 
- Matt :D
 
Mar 19, 2011 at 3:07 PM Post #2 of 54
Alright, so after a little more research I am really looking into the Forte... Reason being that I play Call of Duty 4 for the PC and Call of Duty 4 ONLY. Luckily for me, CoD4 supports EAX, making the forte a little more attractive :wink:
 
I will be sure to keep my findings posted as I get closer and closer to making my decision on which card to grab. Any responses would be nice :wink:
 
- Matt
 
Mar 20, 2011 at 7:26 AM Post #3 of 54
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pepers256/4348532799/
 
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story2&reid=101
 
Also, add gel pads to it like I did on mine. The noise isolation is good!
 
Then, read and implement this:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/413900/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial
 
I presume you know how to use dolby headphone or CMSS 3D  ... :)
 
 
 
Mar 20, 2011 at 9:51 AM Post #4 of 54
Thanks for the response eugenius :D
 
Ya, I would have to say I am definitely leaning towards the Forte now. If anyone else has any reasons why I shouldn't go through with the Forte post now, cuz I'm thinking about making my purchase soon xD
 
Also, thanks for those links :wink:
I will be sure to try everything out once I receive the actual sound card :)
 
- Matt
 
Mar 21, 2011 at 11:12 AM Post #5 of 54
One more question Eugenius... I heard somewhere that there is a difference between the black and clear gel pads. However, as of right now I can not find where I read that. Have you heard whether one is supposed to be better than the other?
 
Now all I need to do is dish out some cash for the Forte and the Gel Ear Pads and I should have a pretty sick set-up :wink:
 
- Matt
 
Mar 21, 2011 at 10:03 PM Post #6 of 54
Mod the forte with the burson opamp for the output stage and get a PSU like the Antec signature, with the best electrical parameters ... the audio performance, the noise and the system stability will all be better. Depending on the suckiness of your current PSU and the power filtering on the forte, the PSU upgrade can be clearly audible.
 
I would also borrow the cheapest wireworld power cord, the stratus 52 (it's like 70 euro) and try it on the computer to see if the audio performance improves. If you don't hear any improvement, return it.
 
I have the clear pads, I read the black gel pads are uglier but I didn't see them myself. Since my MMX300 is a custom white gloss manufaktur (the stock one is ugly as hell), the gel pads look awesome on it. Photos are in my sell/trade ad, see my signature.
 
Mar 23, 2011 at 12:20 PM Post #7 of 54
Hey again Eugenius,
 
Thanks for the response, however I am not sure if I want to spend all that extra money into those upgrades just to result in a cleaner power supply. Do you feel that the all of these power upgrades truly make a difference? If so, would I be better off going with the Asus Xonar Essence STX since it has an external and separate power supply (resulting in cleaner sound)?
 
And about the custom Manufaktur, you're lucky xD... I wish I had one that was custom, however the place I bought mine from did not have the custom Manufaktur option, however I got an insane price on mine :wink: ($200 new) Being that I have that ugly black fake chrome design on mine I guess the black gel pads would probably match the headset best :/
 
Thanks again!
 
- Matt
 
Mar 25, 2011 at 1:36 AM Post #8 of 54
The PSU upgrade has other benefits: lower fan noise, system stability, reliability. Besides tighter voltage regulation for audio. :) I recommend the PSU upgrade if you have a lower quality PSU. You can determine that by weight usually.
 
I have an over 5 year old 380W antec PSU (seasonic made, the first 80+ psu - before the standard existed) that I modded with a Noctua fan for almost no noise. I kept it through upgrading from a single core to a quad core CPU. And if I'll upgrade to a six core intel westmere, I have no doubt it will run that too.
 
Actually, the best things to invest in a computer setup are: chair, desk, monitor, keyboard, psu, mouse, audio setup - all these things need to be premium. The rest have to be as cheap as possible for the job at hand. :)
 
So, forget audio, first get yourself an ErgoHuman chair:
http://ergohuman.com/ergohuman-me7erg.htm
 
Then get yourself a KBC Poker / Filco Tenkeyless keyboard with full nkro and red cherry switches. Every gamer must have one.
 
Mar 25, 2011 at 11:46 AM Post #9 of 54
LOL! This post actually made me laugh out loud XD.
 
I already have a mechanical keyboard, very nice mouse, very nice mouse pad, sick desk, and decent audio. I actually am in dire need for a new chair though lmao, maybe I will look into it :wink:
 
So...
 
New Chair
Beyerdynamic Gel Pads
Forte Sound Card
Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ Monitor
and then my setup shall be COMPLETE!
 
:pPPPPP
 
Mar 27, 2011 at 3:51 AM Post #11 of 54
I find it laughable that people spend huge amounts of money on ipads, iphones and video cards that will last (one) (1) (ein) (un) year then get obsolete, but spending half as much on a chair that they will use for years and will enable them to be 50 years old and not have back problems is a joke. Actually the chair suggestion is the best advice I've given you. Also, you have a 300 euro headset dude! :)
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 1:21 PM Post #12 of 54
Sorry to go off the chair topic, but I have been doing a little bit more research lately into the sound card, and I have found out that CoD4 supports DirectSound but not DirectSound3D, hence making EAX unusable. Being that I can't use EAX, I am not really sure what benefits the Forte has over the Xonar Essence STX. I am now HIGHLY considering going with the STX since CoD4 is the ONLY game I play. If you have any other reasons why the forte is still better for gaming please post now!
 
Thanks,
Matt :)
 
(oh and P.S.) My MMX 300's weren't 300 euros, I got mine for 200 dollars :wink:
 
Apr 2, 2011 at 2:37 PM Post #14 of 54
well some think the DSPs like CMSS-3D from forte is better than the dolby headphone from STX,when it comes to gaming. others think the other way round. but if u dont really play with those things then STX is the better choice
 
Apr 2, 2011 at 3:39 PM Post #15 of 54
Thanks for the response, to be completely honest I am not really sure whether I would use CMSS-3D or not? I haven't had the opportunity to try it yet so I don't know if its helpful or not for CoD4. Would you suggest it?
 
Thanks,
Matt :)
 
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