Help choosing a (relatively) budget comp setup
Oct 6, 2009 at 9:28 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8

CodeNameSly

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So I'm currently using a Sennheiser PC-161 headset with the onboard sound on my Gigabyte UD4P (Realtek ALC889A codec).

I'm looking to upgrade a bit, but without spending an arm and a leg (and without adding a whole lot of complexity - so I'm not really looking to buy a stand-alone amp, DAC converter, or anything).

So basically I want a new pair of headphones as well as (I imagine) a discrete sound card.

Note that this is primarily for gaming, but I want my music to sound pretty good, too.

For the card I was thinking: HT OMEGA Striker 7.1 because it's relatively cheap and has great reviews (yes, I know Newegg reviews aren't the best, but...). However I've read lots of recommendations for other cards here (Auzentech, ASUS) - but these tend to be about twice as expensive. I'd really not like to spend that much. Would I really be getting twice the card?

I'm stuck on the headphones. I'm probably going to get yelled at for this, but I'm considering the Medusa 5.1 Home Station. It's got the included amplifier which is a plus for me (both in terms of price and hassle), as well as (perhaps) being really good for positioning in games. Also has the built-in mic. However I've read a lot of people claiming 5.1 is gimmicky. Thoughts?

The other set I was considering are the Audio Technica ATH-AD700s with a Zalman clip-on mic. These seem to be going for a great price and I've heard a lot of great things. Plus their impedance is fairly low so my sound card shouldn't have much trouble without adding an external amp. I don't know how well the clip-on mic solution would work, though.

I'd really appreciate your thoughts on these. I know I'm a complete noob, but I've got to start learning somewhere. I did a lot of searching around but it was hard to find up-to-date, conclusive information (especially withing my budget).

Thanks!
 
Oct 6, 2009 at 9:49 PM Post #2 of 8
AD700 will be way better than any 'gaming' headset in either sound positioning and music reproduction. Also, the 5.1 stations will add unwanted distortion from a relatively good sound card.
 
Oct 7, 2009 at 5:00 AM Post #4 of 8
I'm using exactly what your asking about and it's great, the clip-on mic is basically as you would imagine quality wise, not as good as one found on a good headset but worked fine for me and picks up my voice from a good distance away. you will have to use the 20 db boost in your window's sound options though.

The AD-700 has a great sound quality and soundstage, honestly has made me a better player online.
 
Oct 7, 2009 at 5:45 AM Post #5 of 8
Okay so I'm now looking at the Auzentech Forte card. I have a question about it, though: is there any way to have both my headphones and speakers hooked up and be able to switch between them easily?

Currently I just have both plugged in and turn the speakers off if not using them. Since my headset has an in-line volume control I can turn it off (essentially) when not using it without having to fiddle with unplugging anything or going into any software.

Since the AD-700s would not have an in-line control, is there an easy way to toggle between speakers/headphones?
 
Oct 8, 2009 at 6:46 AM Post #6 of 8
sorry i'm going to bump this, because i didn't want to clog up the forums by creating my own thread, and i asked this in an existing thread some days back and nobody responded
frown.gif
i have the forte and AD700s, and i can't figure out how to switch between headphones plugged into the headphone jack and speakers plugged into the analog output. is this even possible? right now i can get both playing at the same time, and that's all.
 
Oct 8, 2009 at 7:44 AM Post #7 of 8
Quote:

Originally Posted by pppppppppp /img/forum/go_quote.gif
sorry i'm going to bump this, because i didn't want to clog up the forums by creating my own thread, and i asked this in an existing thread some days back and nobody responded
frown.gif
i have the forte and AD700s, and i can't figure out how to switch between headphones plugged into the headphone jack and speakers plugged into the analog output. is this even possible? right now i can get both playing at the same time, and that's all.



I really do suggest putting this in another thread, but either way need need to know what version of Windows or other OS you're running.
 
Oct 8, 2009 at 9:17 AM Post #8 of 8
thanks for responding. sorry, i figured it was fairly on topic, i was just echoing what the OP was asking for in the post above mine.

i'm using vista 32-bit, and i've got the latest drivers from the auzentech site version 1.1 installed.
 

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