[Missfi]

Hello everyone!
 
I am a beginner HiFi'er and an avid gamer. I have put a few hours into some research, and I had a few questions if I may inquire!
 
Firstly, this is my first HiFi project, and I am totally excited about this. I have spent hours on the forum researching, but I still had a few questions! Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns! )
 

I have finally decided that I am going to purchase one of the following:
AKG Annie 65 or the upcoming K612 PRO
 
 
With that said, here is my concern!
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Console Gaming Setup Questions & Stuff
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
I am an avid video game player, and I have just a TV setup with an XBOX360, Playstation 3, WiiU, and Gaming system attached to it. I would like to use my new headphones for an amazing immersive experience, without much hassle by potentially using a switch of sorts. These are the following inputs that are supported:
 
XBOX 360: HDMI
Playstation 3: HDMI, Optical Out
WiiU: HDMI / Component , surround sound not supported unless its only LPCM 1.0, 2.0 and 5.1
 
I have ran across this switch (http://www.kinivo.com/Kinivo-HS140-Premium-Speed-Splitter/dp/B005Z524LS) which is an HDMI hub that also has optical OUT depending on which switch is currently being used. My questions for this is, would this be a good solution to use with something like the Fiio E17 (http://www.amazon.com/Fiio-E17-USB-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B0070UFMOW/) for gaming? -- Or --
 
Am I better off using a receiver instead, and use that method instead to power my headphones for a sweet gaming setup? If so, which one do you recommend that I can use as both an AMP and DAC for the best gaming experience possible? I'm a bit stuck in this area, so I hope I am making sense!
 
I'd like to hook up all of my systems at once. The WiiU is a pain in the butt, but that is okay, since its rarely used.
 
TLDR: Would like to use new upcoming AKG's on my console/movie setup, not sure what to use for it. I am set in the desktop gaming department, just not the console one. Not looking for something terribly expensive, but not cheap either. Open to all suggestions, please, and thank you!
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Desktop Gaming 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
For Desktop gaming, I believe that the general consensus is to go with either the Xonar sound card, or to use either the O2+ODAC (http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=48) or the Shiit Stack Modi/Magni (http://schiit.com) combo. I believe a lot are fans wit O2+ODAC over the other, however, so I will probably be going with that. I am pretty much set in this area.
 
Apologies if my terminology is wrong in any areas. I have asked some of my male friends and they are not specalized in the music areas so this is my last resort to getting any questions. I am super excited by this and appreciate everyones feedback! Open to suggestions at all time too!
 
Thanks! <33 Missfi

Edited by Missfi - Today at 4:38 pm

 

[lemm]

I'm doing a similar setup and have done a lot of reading to try to get it right.
 
Reading Amazon reviews,The Kinovo seems a bit buggy and their website does not state if the optical output will take multichannel audio from HDMI and convert that to multichannel over optical. I think it's unlikely it would do that as it would require some internal processing and a format like Dolby Digital would have been mentioned on their website, so it probably just passes 2 channel PCM over optical. Also, the Fiio E17 optical input only seems to support 2 channel PCM too, not multi-channel options like Dolby Digital so you'd be limited to 2 channel audio output on any headphones you connect.
 
For an "amazing immersive experience" I think for gaming (or movies) you should seriously consider something that will offer virtual surround sound on your headphone.
 
Console Gaming:
 
I think a receiver would be better than the Kinovo + Fiio for gaming to hook up all your HMDI consoles at once. It would be tidier and offer a lot more functions at a similar cost. Personally I like Yamaha but that's just me. Yamaha also has a Silent Cinema option to simulate headphone surround from the selected inputs (I've not tested this to compare how it sounds and other manufacturers may offer something similar).
 
PC Gaming
 
PC audio can be through HDMI, optical or analog so depending on what you're using, you could get either a gpu for HDMI output (ie full multichannel pcm to an external receiver) or a soundcard for optical or analog. Again, the Magni and O2 don't seem to process game audio to make it immersive when playing using a headphone. i think all Xonar soundcards will process 5.1 game audio and output as Dolby Headphone directly to your headphone out. If you're going to an external optical decoder instead than you will need Dolby Digital Live for real time PCM to Dolby Digital conversion. Most Asus cards have both (eg Xonar U3).
 
(In PC games you also 'sometimes' have additional audio standards for 3D surround on headphones for greater positional accuracy. THX TruStudio Pro (eg SB Recon3D) and SBX Pro Studio (eg SB Z) are examples of processing applied by the soundcard when playing games on a headphone. Others (not many) games also use an enhanced mix of stereo encoding for positional accuracy on headphones using soundcards with CMSS-3D (eg SB X-Fi Titanium). These are different options on PC rather than trying to simulate the actual 5.1 that Dolby Headphone does. But no one is agreed to be better than the other and it should be noted that most games, console and PC still use in game mixing of 5.1 audio.)
 
Movies:
 
For movie (and console games) you only need Dolby Headphone or THX TruStudio Pro as movies/xbox360/ps3 all use 5.1 audio.
 
Misc.
 
You could also get something like the Turtle Beach DSS (Dolby Headphone), SB Recon3D (THX TruStudio Pro) and Astro MixAmp (Dolby Headphone) processors to feed Dolby Digital surround from the PS3/XBOX 360/PC optical output into your headphones. These would then process and simulate 5.1 surround sound on the 2 headphone speakers by using either Dolby Headphone or THX digital signal processing algorithms.
 
I've tried these links to hear the benefits myself over headphones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVdgMQC2rYM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnpLUlD20z8
You may want to check them out using your current headphones to see what you think.
 
Hope that helps.
 
Regards,
Islam
 
PS Ignore all that if you only want 2 channel audio from your headphones.

 

[Missfi]

Hey lemm!
 
Thanks for the in depth reply!
 
Just to confirm, if I want to use my new AKG 702 cans, the best route for this would be to use the following:

Console/Gaming: Receivers
Desktop Gaming: Xonar STX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010)

Which both will process 5.1 sound? I'd prefer to honestly not buy a separate set of cans for console gaming, and would like the flexibility for Desktop as well.
 
Thanks!

 

[lemm]

The specs of the Xonar STX is very good and it has Dolby Headphone for immersive surround sound but it's worth taking a closer look at the specs and some alternatives.
 
The AKG 702 65th Anniversary Edition
Very nice headphone. has a frequency response of between 8Hz-39.8kHz which is excellent.
 
Human Hearing
Approximately 20Hz to 20kHz so the AKG gives you a nice buffer for low/high frequencies.
 
Xonar STX ($188 @ Amazon)
Frequency response of <10Hz to 90KHz which is way over the top and probably just marketing gimmick. If your sole use is to get the Xonar STX for the headphones and use Dolby Headphone the other specs are still very good for the headphone out port
SNR is 117dB and THD is 0.001% 
and will provide a good clean signal to your headphones.
 
(Asus quote the STX as having a nice high Signal to Noise ratio of 124dB and nice low Total Harmonic Distortion of 0.0003%. These are figures for the front left and right speakers if you are going to attach it to an external amp/receiver for 2 channel sound. Most others seem to quote only SNR/THD for the stereo out but it gives an idea of wht you can expect.)
 
However there are some alternatives:
 
The Sound Blaster Z, Zx, ZxR
They don't use Dolby Headphone but SBX for surround processing.
All have a Headphone Frequency Response 10Hz to 45kHz
Z:  SNR 116dB ($99)
Zx: same as Z but but addsl Audio Control Module for Headphone in and volume control ($127)
ZxR: adds Higher spec Digital to Analog Converter with SNR similar to STX (124dB) ($216)
 
Asus Xonar U7 ($100+)
Uses Dolby Home Theatre v4 which this user (http://www.head-fi.org/t/660431/asus-xonar-u7) checked with Asus as using the same algorithm as Dolby Headphone)
Headphone port frequency response between 10 Hz to 46 KHz
SNR of 114 dB and THD of >0.0006% (but again Asus quoted these for front left and right speakers so the headphone port may be slightly lower as with the STX.)
 
Others Soundcards ($40)
Dolby Headphone is available on almost all Asus cards such as the Xonar U3 or U1 and will probably do exacttly the same thing but the lower SNR of 100bB and higher THD of <0.005% are not as good as the others in terms of noise or high volume.
 
Sound Blaster Recon3D ($75) (soundcard and processor)
SNR of 90dB Is the only soundcard that will work as PC audio to your headphones, has volume control for your headphone, and an optical input to receive the Dolby Digital surround sound from your consoles when you're not using the PC as it has a selectable pc/console option.
(Soundcard opticals usually only get 2 channel audio not surround This is a soundcard and THX surround processor in one)
 
Turtle Beach DSS ($45) (processor)
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz THD <1%
Not a soundcard but will work with consoles or PC if it receives a signal from either. Has volume control but needs a Dolby Digital signal from any console/pc through optical to do headphone surround.
 
Misc
You might want to get something with a volume control and front headphone port for convinience (U7, Zx, ZxR, Recon3D) unless you're ok adjusting through Windows while in game (maybe if you have a keyboard shortcut?) and reaching behind your pc to connect / disconnect the headphone when you go back and forth from the consoles.
 
Receivers (say $150 and up)
If you get a soundcard you wouldn't need a receiver for the consoles. You could just get the Turtle Beach DSS or Recon3D. Obviously you're still switching the headphone cable between PC/console if you get a soundcard, so you'd just need to switch the audio processor cable to whichever console you want to use.
 
If you get a receiver for your consoles you wouldn't need a seperate soundcard for your pc at all as you can output the PC surround sound to the receiver through a HDMI graphics card.
 
Do you game more on PC or Console?
 
It's all good looking at specs but the difference might be negligible so that you might want to look and what's more convenient to use.
 
Hope all that helps.
 
Regards,
Islam

 

[Missfi]

Wow, once again I am totally thankful for the long in depth reply!
 
I game on PC mostly, but I also have a separate gaming room away from the main computer that is fully dedicated towards entertainment on the TV (Xbox, Wiiu, PS3, etc, Blu ray, etc). So if I want to switch from PC to console, I would be moving my cans from one room to another anyway. I would say 80% of my gaming is done on PC, though (darn you steam sales!)
 
Thanks again for your helpfulness!