[LookTopHats]

Hello all! I will keep this concise, I play games on my PC with an on board sound card that I believe is of decent quality (dts UltraPC II) although I know it is nothing compared to dedicated sound cards. It is the sound chip set on the Asus Evo R2 mobo. Anyway, I would like a better listening experience for music and gaming, as well as realistic surround sound. I am willing to buy a sound card if recommended and my budget is up to £130. 
 
Some basic knowledge on impedance, kHz and frequency etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Originally Posted by LookTopHats /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Some basic knowledge on impedance, kHz and frequency etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

 
http://www.head-fi.org/a/glossary-of-terms
 
 

 
I would like a better listening experience for music and gaming, as well as realistic surround sound. I am willing to buy a sound card if recommended and my budget is up to £130. 

 

Virtual surround depends on your soundcard/mobo DSP; no need to get a soundcard though - there's the Asus Xonar U3 for around $39 (not sure about the prices over there though) that you only hook up via USB.

 

As for the headphone, if in terms of how much better one is on virtual surround imaging accuracy and soundstage width/depth, given generally decent headphones it really relies more on the soundcard's DSP and software. My HD600 isn't a lot better than the Superlux HD330, so I got one of the latter so I don't have to unplug and transfer headphones nor put day-long gaming session's worth of compression, wear, and sweat on my HD600's earpads (heck the Superlux headphones are cheaper than a pair of Sennheiser earpads).

 

[LookTopHats]

Okay, so I want headphones with accurate soundstage then? Any thoughts on what headphones would be best for me then? Thanks slot by the way

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Okay, so I want headphones with accurate soundstage then? Any thoughts on what headphones would be best for me then? Thanks slot by the way

 
At the price range you stated, and from what I've tried (or in this case, I own one), the HD330. Then spend a little bit on the soundcard, like the Asus Xonar U3.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Okay, so I want headphones with accurate sound stage then? Any thoughts on what headphones would be best for me then? Thanks slot by the way

 
If you ok without a heavy bass, Sennheiser HD558 (50-Ohm) open headphones.
Your motherboard should easily be able to drive them.
And you can take some time on deciding on an add-on sound card (internal or USB external).
Or even waiting until you can maybe up your budget, for a sound card.
 
Gemini HSR-1000 (60-Ohm) are about the best deal I know of for a good sounding closed headphone, for under $100
Currently going for $42.99 (30 GBP) + shipping.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/361193511781?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
There are other headphones, that might be nice, at 130 GBP, but that would leave no cash for a sound card, but really a sound card is an optional need, it's nice to have, but still optional.
On head-Fi it's usually considered to spend more for headphones, then a sound card (internal or USB) or an external DAC/amp.

 

[LookTopHats]

Thanks for the feedback, so according to both of you if I spend money on decent headphones (taking the examples from this thread) and then buy a souncard after deciding whether it is necessary then I could save some money. However, I had another thought: if I buy Audio Technica  ATH-M40X for the accurate surround (gaming) and better sound quality overall (music) then would this be the way to go?
Thanks again

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Thanks for the feedback, so according to both of you if I spend money on decent headphones (taking the examples from this thread) and then buy a sound card after deciding whether it is necessary then I could save some money. However, I had another thought: if I buy Audio Technica  ATH-M40X for the accurate surround (gaming) and better sound quality overall (music) then would this be the way to go?
Thanks again

 
I think the Gemini HSR-1000 are a better buy (value) then the ATH-M40X headphones.
and with the cash you save from buying the Geminis, you could buy a (used?) Sound Blaster Z sound card.

 

[LookTopHats]

Thank you all for your help, it was very useful