[belisk]

Hi there,
 
I'm in the market for a decent headphone AMP/DAC and headset, i'm a newb when it comes to audio, I only just found out about headphone AMP/DACs.
 
I'm a gamer, music is secondary, so i've narrowed my results to Sennheiser PC360 or AKG Q701.
 
My setup is a Sager NP9150 laptop, so its obvious i need a USB interfaced unit, but i'm not fussed about it being AC powered or price, but must be reasonably portable.
 
Now i've been looking at numerous units:
Audioengine D1
Arcam rPAC
TubeMagic D1
Astro Mixamp
FiiO Exx
Creative X-FI HD USB
 
Devices like the Audioengine D1 and Arcam rPAC only have one jack, if i go with the PC360(built in mic), is there some kind of adapter that allows me to connect the headphone and mic to this one jack? and if so would it reduce the quality of the sound?.
If i go with the Q701's, i'll need to buy a separate mic but would like the convenience of putting it in the AMP/DAC, depending on the type of mic i get, it'll either go in the onboard soundboard, USB, or the above mentioned adapter, which setup would you guys recommend?
Also, as i understand it, you can put your mic into a line-in jack on some of these AMP/DAC's? am i right?
The only model i've found to have an actual Mic Input is the Creative X-FI HD USB, but as the reviews i've read, its inferior to the others available.
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[proton007]

You should be looking for soundcards for gaming.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I'm in the market for a decent headphone AMP/DAC and headset, i'm a newb when it comes to audio, I only just found out about headphone AMP/DACs.
I'm a gamer, music is secondary, so I've narrowed my results to Sennheiser PC360 or AKG Q701.
My setup is a Sager NP9150 laptop, so its obvious i need a USB interfaced unit, but I'm not fussed about it being AC powered or price, but must be reasonably portable.
Now i've been looking at numerous units:
Audioengine D1
Arcam rPAC
TubeMagic D1
Astro Mixamp
FiiO Exx
Creative X-FI HD USB
Devices like the Audioengine D1 and Arcam rPAC only have one jack, if i go with the PC360(built in mic), is there some kind of adapter that allows me to connect the headphone and mic to this one jack? and if so would it reduce the quality of the sound?.
If i go with the Q701's, I'll need to buy a separate mic but would like the convenience of putting it in the AMP/DAC, depending on the type of mic i get, it'll either go in the on-board soundboard, USB, or the above mentioned adapter, which setup would you guys recommend?
Also, as i understand it, you can put your mic into a line-in jack on some of these AMP/DAC's? am i right?
The only model i've found to have an actual Mic Input is the Creative X-FI HD USB, but as the reviews I've read, its inferior to the others available.

Your laptop is sold as a gaming laptop and comes with THX  TruStudio Pro.
If you add a USB/DAC/Amp. you might end up bypassing the built in gaming audio features.
If you add an external sound card like the Creative X-Fi HD USB or Astro Mix-amp.
You will also be bypassing the on-board gaming audio.
Might just be easier to get the Senn PC360 and plug it straight into the laptops headphone and mic ports.