[Marximus]

I had the Creature IIs for a while, and then came here. It's hard to get good sound out of a moderately priced 2.- or 5.1 computer speaker system. I'd recommend these:
Insignia® - 6-1/2" Bass-Reflex Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - NS-B2111
And this:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=300-958
I don't even miss the subwoofer.

 

[IronMaiden]

What games do you play? AD700s are very good for the price and they have very good soundstage and high range for games. If you play games relying on sound positioning, big bass is not always a good choice. You want to be able to hear the little, high pitched foot steps. I can tell you now the AD700s crap on their closed brother the A700 for positional audio, and in my opinion music play back as well, only downside is they don't have massive bass. Also the HD555s are better for positional audio than the A700s. I own HD555s too.

... for positional sound games get AD700s, they fit in your budget. Buy a sound card later, onboard should be enough for games, but they do benefit from a sound card for music playback.

 

[Guarneri]

I use to be a semi-pro gamer (aka on a paid/sponsored team) and as as girl, I never liked big headphones, but all the pro gamers I knew used Sennheiser HD600s or some close variant with a separate mic. around their necks.

I say give the HD555s or AD700s a try and get a surround sound decoder if you feel the stereo setup isn't good enough. As for speakers, I would recommend the Swan M10, but really, you should just spend more money your headphones/sound card because headphone setups are far superior to computer speaker setups of the same price range.

Good luck on your gaming.

 

[IronMaiden]

Yeah and stereo IS good enough I can tell you now, with AUDIO CREATION(NO EAX/CMSS3D) on a Auzen Prelude I can hear people in font, behind and to the sides of myself.

Good luck.

 

[andyo]

What people are suggesting is that you get a headphone surround processor and a good pair of stereo headphones. Now, the only really effective surround processor I've heard is Dolby Headphone, and in fact I use it a lot to watch movies (with the Super.fi 5EB -subwoofer, schmubwoofer!-). A good cheap card that has it is the Sondigo Inferno, but with Vista, I've had to use the Auzentech X-Meridian drivers (same chipset) to get it to work well, and it does work great. Another option is to get Asus's new Xonar U1, which is an external USB audio "station", but the Inferno is a much better value in general.

I haven't heard CMSS-3D Headphone, but I did try an X-mod for a while and I was severely underwhelmed by the sound quality and the "surround" especially compared with Dolby Headphone. I don't think the Xmod has the headhpone-specific implementation of CMSS-3D, in which you feed it 5 channels and it processes it, though. It just has the one that takes stereo and makes it "surround" so yeah, I haven't tried that.

DTS also just came up with the crappiest name for a technology, "DTS Surround Sensation", which will be a direct competitor with Dolby Headphone. I'll be watching for that, since DTS usually one-ups Dolby, albeit at the cost of being late in the game.

Another thing you can try, that will work with PS2 games and Gamecube, as well as your PC if you already have Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect in your sound card, is to get the JVC SU-DH1 Dolby Headphone processor. It works with S/PDIF and processes DD, DTS, and PCM into Dolby Headphone, while applying if you need to, Dolby Prologic II, which is featured in many PS2 and GC games. So, run the S/PDIF from PS2 or analog stereo from GC, set your games to DPLII, and the SU-DH1 to decode DPLII and encode to Dolby Headphone, and you'll get surround headphones out of your game console. The price may be high considering you need to get the headphones too, but it's very well worth it.

 

[dennis14]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marximus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had the Creature IIs for a while, and then came here. It's hard to get good sound out of a moderately priced 2.- or 5.1 computer speaker system. I'd recommend these: Insignia® - 6-1/2" Bass-Reflex Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - NS-B2111 And this: Parts Express:Sonic Impact 5065 Gen 2 T-Amp with Power Supply I don't even miss the subwoofer.

This combination of speakers with amplifier is too expensive for me.
Any cheaper suggestions ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guarneri /img/forum/go_quote.gif I use to be a semi-pro gamer (aka on a paid/sponsored team) and as as girl, I never liked big headphones, but all the pro gamers I knew used Sennheiser HD600s or some close variant with a separate mic. around their necks. I say give the HD555s or AD700s a try and get a surround sound decoder if you feel the stereo setup isn't good enough. As for speakers, I would recommend the Swan M10, but really, you should just spend more money your headphones/sound card because headphone setups are far superior to computer speaker setups of the same price range. Good luck on your gaming.

Which decoder is cheap and can provide good quality surround ?
I found the Swan M10 here in an open box - Newegg.com - Open Box: Swan M10 2.1CH Multimedia Speaker, worth the price ?
How they compare to the creature II/Z4/VS2421 ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by andyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif What people are suggesting is that you get a headphone surround processor and a good pair of stereo headphones. Now, the only really effective surround processor I've heard is Dolby Headphone, and in fact I use it a lot to watch movies (with the Super.fi 5EB -subwoofer, schmubwoofer!-). A good cheap card that has it is the Sondigo Inferno, but with Vista, I've had to use the Auzentech X-Meridian drivers (same chipset) to get it to work well, and it does work great. Another option is to get Asus's new Xonar U1, which is an external USB audio "station", but the Inferno is a much better value in general. DTS also just came up with the crappiest name for a technology, "DTS Surround Sensation", which will be a direct competitor with Dolby Headphone. I'll be watching for that, since DTS usually one-ups Dolby, albeit at the cost of being late in the game.

For the same cost of the Sondigo Inferno I can get a used X-FI Xtremegamer Fatal1ity, what should I get ? (Also what about the AuzenTech HDA XPlosion 7.1 DTS ?)

I think I'm going to pick the Audio technica ATH-AD700, but just for verification I'd like know that they are better for me then:
Beyerdynamic DTX 800, DTX 900, DT 440
Equation RP-21, RP-22X
Denon AH-D1000

 

[Guarneri]

I do not know which surround sound decoders are cheap/good. You'll have to ask other members.

That link you gave me was a "deactivated item." I believe the only place you can get Swan m10s now is at: The Audio Insider - Home loudspeaker systems and reviews

They are far superior to the Z4s and I haven't heard any of the other 2 you mentioned.

 

[andyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis14 /img/forum/go_quote.gif For the same cost of the Sondigo Inferno I can get a used X-FI Xtremegamer Fatal1ity, what should I get ? (Also what about the AuzenTech HDA XPlosion 7.1 DTS ?)

Like I said, I haven't tried the CMSS-3D 5.1-to-headphone implementation (I have tried the stereo-to-surround-to headphone implementation, which is comparable to Dolby Pro-logic II music mode plus Dolby Hadphone, and it sucked), so I can't say anything about the X-Fi, except that by now I am very skeptical about Creative's audio gimmicks. I didn't care for the X-Fi processor either, when I tried the X-mod.

The Auzen XPlosion is inferior to the Inferno, at least in features. The inferno has pretty much identical software features as the more expensive (and now discontinued) Auzen XMeridian, which has the same chipset and whose driver works interchangeably (and better in Vista) with the Inferno, so the Inferno is the better value in my opinion. Also, the Xplosion doesn't have Dolby Headphone which is what you'd be looking for in the first place.

Bear in mind that I'm not a gamer though, and I don't know what you need for games except for surround simulation over headphones. Dolby Headphone will handle very well any multichannel configuration, but in order to get multichannel in games in the first place, I don't know what you need. I see the term EAX thrown around a lot, and I don't know exactly what it does, but the only card that is not Creative that supports EAX 5.0 is the Prelude, which doesn't include Dolby Headphone because of "redundant features", so it does have a heaphone surround processor, I just don't know how effective it'd be. I can vouch for the effectiveness of Dolby Headphone only, and for the suckiness of Cyberlink Headphone, and some other cheap ones. The Inferno, as the X-meridian, should be EAX 2.0 compatible, whatever that means.

 

[acameron56]

I've owned the creatures II for 2-3 years now...I have no complaints. They may not be audiophile audio, Idk as I have yet to be exposed to it (RP-21's in the mail

), but I enjoy them. They're really small and cheap too

. If I really like my RP-21's I may consider selling them.

 

[IronMaiden]

look, cmss-3d is pointless for some games...

it actually ****s up the audio positioning.

what games do u play? if u play cs, css u dont need 5.1 emulation.... u can actually tell that people are coming behind, infront and side to side with stereo headphones in the above games.. also in ut3... u DONT need surround sound to tell where people are.

 

[dennis14]

Quote:

Originally Posted by andyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Like I said, I haven't tried the CMSS-3D 5.1-to-headphone implementation (I have tried the stereo-to-surround-to headphone implementation, which is comparable to Dolby Pro-logic II music mode plus Dolby Hadphone, and it sucked), so I can't say anything about the X-Fi, except that by now I am very skeptical about Creative's audio gimmicks. I didn't care for the X-Fi processor either, when I tried the X-mod. The Auzen XPlosion is inferior to the Inferno, at least in features. The inferno has pretty much identical software features as the more expensive (and now discontinued) Auzen XMeridian, which has the same chipset and whose driver works interchangeably (and better in Vista) with the Inferno, so the Inferno is the better value in my opinion. Also, the Xplosion doesn't have Dolby Headphone which is what you'd be looking for in the first place. Bear in mind that I'm not a gamer though, and I don't know what you need for games except for surround simulation over headphones. Dolby Headphone will handle very well any multichannel configuration, but in order to get multichannel in games in the first place, I don't know what you need. I see the term EAX thrown around a lot, and I don't know exactly what it does, but the only card that is not Creative that supports EAX 5.0 is the Prelude, which doesn't include Dolby Headphone because of "redundant features", so it does have a heaphone surround processor, I just don't know how effective it'd be. I can vouch for the effectiveness of Dolby Headphone only, and for the suckiness of Cyberlink Headphone, and some other cheap ones. The Inferno, as the X-meridian, should be EAX 2.0 compatible, whatever that means.

So I have to look for a sound card huch supports Dolby Headphones (and is cheap), will this one - Turtle Beach Montego 7.1 Dolby Digital Live Surround PCI Sound Card TBS-3300-01 at TigerDirect.com do ?
Also, is there a place where I can buy a used/refurbished Auzentech Prelude for a low price ?

The games I play are: FEAR,BIOSHOCK,COD 4 and CRYSIS in the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guarneri /img/forum/go_quote.gif I do not know which surround sound decoders are cheap/good. You'll have to ask other members. That link you gave me was a "deactivated item." I believe the only place you can get Swan m10s now is at: The Audio Insider - Home loudspeaker systems and reviews They are far superior to the Z4s and I haven't heard any of the other 2 you mentioned.

Are we still talking about gaming ? or you mean that their superior for music ?
Because for my understanding the most important thing for gaming speaker system is bass and they do not seem to quite have it (for their price), maybe it would be better to get the Klipsh Promedia 2.1 though their shipping cost is killing me...(I live in Israel).

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis14 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think I'm going to pick the Audio technica ATH-AD700, but just for verification I'd like know that they are better for me then: Beyerdynamic DTX 800, DTX 900, DT 440 Equation RP-21, RP-22X Denon AH-D1000 (without amplification)

 

[Guarneri]

Quote:

Are we still talking about gaming ? or you mean that their superior for music ? Because for my understanding the most important thing for gaming speaker system is bass and they do not seem to quite have it (for their price), maybe it would be better to get the Klipsh Promedia 2.1 though their shipping cost is killing me...(I live in Israel).

Bass is definitely not the most important thing for a gaming speaker. A lot of kids just feel it's "cool" to have house rumbling bass in their rooms. The Swans have dedicated subwoofer and will be more than enough for gaming. Klipsch Promedia is alright for gaming, but not so hot for music.

 

[Jdogg]

I highly recommend the AD700's. Great set for your stated budget. As for sound cards I cant comment on those. Don't know much about them but, I have heard Dolby Headphone and can vouch for it's great performance.

 

[andyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis14 /img/forum/go_quote.gif So I have to look for a sound card huch supports Dolby Headphones (and is cheap), will this one - Turtle Beach Montego 7.1 Dolby Digital Live Surround PCI Sound Card TBS-3300-01 at TigerDirect.com do ? Also, is there a place where I can a usedqrefurbished Auzentech Prelude for a low price ? The games I play are: FEAR,BIOSHOCK,COD 4 and CRYSIS in the future.

That Turtle Beach card seems to have a C-Media chipset (most of the Auzen cards and the Inferno have them), but it doesn't have Dolby Headphone. I'm pretty sure it's one of the lesser C-Media chips, since it doesn't even have DTS Connect (which has nothing to do with DH, but it's a feature that's included with mid-range C-Media chipsets, so it's pretty much a lower-range card). When looking for a card, I did look specifically for the Dolby Headphone feature, after using it for a while with PowerDVD, which includes it, but you can only use it to watch movies in that program.

The most cost-effective card that I came up with was the Inferno. Other cards that have the same chipset are the Auzentech X-Meridian and the HT Claro, but both are more expensive, and the X-Meridian is discontinued. The Asus Xonar D2 reportedly has the same chipset, but they won't say. It is even more expensive than the X-Meridian was, though. The Asus Xonar U1 is an external USB card, and while it works great for headphone use, it doesn't have 5.1 channel analog out and is a bit more expensive than the Inferno.

About Turtle Beach, I bought a S/PDIF dongle from them (USB audio device with optical out) and I was very unimpressed, both with build quality and features quality. I returned it and bought a Sondigo Callisto (but the Callisto isn't what you need, just saying 'cause Sondigo's quality seems to be much better than Turtle Beach).

 

[Foe-hammer]

As others have stated, 5.1 multi-driver gaming headsets are garbage. That means anything made by turtle beach - garbage sound and build. Going with a quality pair of stereo headphones and Dolby Headphone decoder will give you the best sound quality and 3D positioning you're looking for.

The best headphones in $250 and under category, would be the Beyerdynamic 880s 2006 250ohm and the AKG K601s. These headphones both have some of the largest sound stage and best mids for gaming. A dedicated headphone amp is also highly recommended to go along with these two headphones.

I do not recommend the Beyer 770 pros. I had them for a while, but was not impressed with their recessed mids and muddy bass.

With your budget, i'd also recommend the Audio Technica AD700s. They are a great pair of headphones for gaming, or music, at that price.