Hi-Fi way to connect to gaming consoles?
Jul 14, 2009 at 8:16 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8

notoriousmatty

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Is there a hi-fi way to connect to a xbox 360 and a ps3 (Im guessing optical would be the best connection) I have beyerdynamic 880s. Is there a device that does both amplication and processing specifically for headphones? Priced under 200 usd? I know a basic AVR would do this but its big, bulky, and expensive.
 
Jul 14, 2009 at 8:19 PM Post #2 of 8
A basic AVR is not expensive, pretty darn cheap. But it has the digital inputs, headphone amp and multi-channel downmixing you need. You could get a combined dac/headphone amp. But if you don't have speakers paying for 5-7 channels of amlification for nothing. You could look for a older surround processor or DAC.

Best would be a nice av pre-amp tape out to a dedicated headphone amplifier.
 
Jul 14, 2009 at 8:34 PM Post #3 of 8
If it´s just for the headphones just get a nice DAC/amp combo. Much better solution then a receiver at least if it has such headphone output as my Yamaha RX-V663 receiver. It does feature a specific silent cinema mode for headphones (many av receivers don´t even support dolby headphone!) so they are just big, bulky and inferior for that purpose.

Best for console gaming is a proper 5.1 system of course. Though the PS 3 is really nice for me since it´s quiter then my computer
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Jul 15, 2009 at 8:16 PM Post #5 of 8
A half decent TOSlink routed into one of HT processors optical inputs ? If you have a major HT setup you likely have some spare coax and optical inputs on the HT processor you currently own.

What is the make and model of your processor ? The actual unit itself will likely have a headphone setting buried in it's menu somewhere or will switch automatically to one as soon as the headphones are inserted into the HT processor's headphone jack (if it has one).

Let me know what your current HT processor is and I can look it up ...we'll go from there.

Peete.
 
Jul 16, 2009 at 4:41 AM Post #6 of 8
All you need is the optical out of your 360 or PS3 into a DAC, then into a headphone amp. Oh, and be sure to change your audio settings to stereo instead of 5.1, otherwise the DAC won't recognize it properly. I've been using this exact setup with my PS3 for months now with tremendous results.
k701smile.gif
 
Jul 17, 2009 at 6:34 PM Post #7 of 8
Pete, My theater setup with a 140 inch screen is downstairs (not fun to play games on) is seperate from my video game room. I dont have any speakers in there because I only play at night when everyone is asleep so I need to be quiet. I dont spend alot of time in there so an amp/dac combo under 300 bucks should do the trick. So far im thinking the svdac06. Or maybe a compass.
 
Jul 17, 2009 at 11:37 PM Post #8 of 8
I just wanted to throw another option out there... there is the A40 MixAmp from Astro Gaming.

Even though it is commonly used at Major League Gaming events, it works really well for standard home use. I use the MixAmp with Sennheiser HD650 headphones and an xbox 360 gaming console (speaking of video games... yay for Tales of Vesperia!). So, anyway, checkout the following website for more information:

Astro Gaming | Professional Gaming Equipment | A40 MixAmp™

I am not associated with the company in any way. I just like the flexibility that their product offers specifically for video gaming scenarios.
 

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