[elaoin]

Ok I tested MB3 on a stereo-only device, and just like BlasterX Lite there is no way to define the virtual device to 5.1/7.1
I don"t see why they did that, maybe because MB3 is not meant for headphone only devices.
 
Well, at least you know that e10k + MB3 combo doesn't fit your needs... the G5 might be the best option after all.
 
Concerning surround I'm now quite sure it's working fine. There is still this minor display bug when managing profiles, at least on Windows 10, which should hopefully be fixed in a further release.

 

[422561]

Thanks, that's what I expected.

 

[manningr83]

Just a heads up that both mic inputs have noise cancellation I couldn't disable. Mic quality is good but has the slight underwater effect of Crystal Voice from the E5 and Z series. Hopefully better control can be added to a BlasterX acoustic engine update.
 
The headphone output does have issues with hiss when using very sensitive IEM's like the Shure SE535's and can still be heard slightly with Sennheiser HD598's.

 

[tsgrayson719]

I have a pc with onboard sound from my motherboard to a steelseries 800 wireless headphone set. I was thinking of adding in the G5 to get a better sound card in my system (no room for an internal card) but wasn't sure if I am usb to the G5 and then optical to my headphones will affect anything...worthless idea?

 

[elaoin]

@tsgrayson719: I don't think you will get any benefit from the G5 with the SteelSeries 800. Optical out will bypass the DAC and AMP, and the 800 transmitter box already has its own DSP.
 
 
 

 

[canthearyou]

@tsgrayson719: I don't think you will get any benefit from the G5 with the SteelSeries 800. Optical out will bypass the DAC and AMP, and the 800 transmitter box already has its own DSP.

The G5 does processed audio through the optical out.

 

[422561]

@tsgrayson719: I don't think you will get any benefit from the G5 with the SteelSeries 800. Optical out will bypass the DAC and AMP, and the 800 transmitter box already has its own DSP.

The G5 does processed audio through the optical out.

That is still bypassing the dac and amp though. And as stated the 800 has a dsp so it would be pointless.

 

[Evshrug]

Well, maybe you could use the G5 for surround processing and the 800 for everything else, but even though I like SBX Headphone surround I wouldn't do that... especially if the 800 DSP couldn't be defeated and the resultant sound ends up being double processed.

 

[SatchmoBronson]

  Has anyone who owns one of these had experience of using Fiio DAC/Amps on a PC? For example the E10K.
 
How does the G5 compare in sound quality etc?

Sound quality-wise, for pure stereo listening, the E10K and the G5 sound identical to my ears.

 

[tsgrayson719]

I was actually thinking of shifting over to the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 for a better setup...how did the G5 do with virtual 7.1?

 

[422561]

The E10K was refunded and I received the G5 yesterday. It sounds about the same as the E10K which for twice the price is a little disappointing but I guess you are just paying for the SBX stuff and the extra inputs/outputs. I did get some really weird sound in JRiver though although it seemed isolated to that app. Restarting the app seemed to fix it for now.
 
The only thing I find annoying about the G5 is the way it lights up (especially the X on top) which makes it look like a kids toy to me. I'm not a fan of that. Also the volume wheel seems to need a lot of turning to register a volume change in Windows. I'm not sure if this is normal or mine is faulty.
 
I haven't tested surround yet but I'm keeping this anyway.

 

[SatchmoBronson]

  <Technical issue I was having earlier where sound cuts out>

Unfortunately, I RMA'd the G5 with Creative and got another, brand new one back. Still having the problem, so it must be something with my setup. I guess the next thing to try is removing my internal soundcard.
 
On the plus side, the new G5 I got is better-built. The "press volume button to mute" feature actually works.
 
EDIT: Removing my sound card seems to have mostly fixed the issue. So that's nice.

 

[audiophizile]

I have some k7xx's on their way to my house and am wondering if this would be a good pick up to drive them. Anyone here have the combo?

 

[SatchmoBronson]

I have some k7xx's on their way to my house and am wondering if this would be a good pick up to drive them. Anyone here have the combo?

Should be fine. I believe the K7XXX is pretty darn similar to Q701s/K702s, which need 1.76V for 110dB SPL: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Xkq6BwmbBU_67cLCpiMlWgm2OFmNKfpplmhoKiAk1mk/edit#gid=0
 
If you do the math, that means you need an output power of 50mW at 62 ohms to reach peaks 110dB, which the G5 is capable of.

 

[rudyae86]

  Unfortunately, I RMA'd the G5 with Creative and got another, brand new one back. Still having the problem, so it must be something with my setup. I guess the next thing to try is removing my internal soundcard.
 
On the plus side, the new G5 I got is better-built. The "press volume button to mute" feature actually works.
 
EDIT: Removing my sound card seems to have mostly fixed the issue. So that's nice.

Usually mixing sound card drivers will give you problems, thats why many recommend uninstalling the other sound card and drivers.

It really is a hit or miss if you get no problems while having to different audio sources installed, well I should say lucky....