[adamCCC]

Hello,
 
Im considering getting a sound card for my pc, Ive been looking at the Asus Xonar DGX 5.1, mainly because its the one which has came up in most searches, and its relatively cheap!
 
At the minute, for gaming the sound is really messed up, ive been using the front audio jack (its pretty much backwards, sounds that should come from the right are coming from the left).  However when I plug it into the jack at the back of the pc, it seems to work fine.
 
Ive been using the front jack because i also use the headphones as portables, so its a major hassle moving everything to get access to the ports on the back of the pc.  The front audio jack also produces a noise, like a faint bleep every time i move the mouse onscreen, weird :S
 
I have just ordered AKG 550's for listening to music, would these double up and do me for gaming also?  If not, I have been looking at the Corsair vengeance 1500 to stay connected to the pc as a standalone gaming headset.
 
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
 
Thanks
 
Adam 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[size=1.7em]  [/size]

 

[DrSeven]

I would rather look into a dac/amp or lets say "external sound card". Whats your budget?
 
I think good headphones are as good for gaming as headsets (but most of them have better sound quality) if you can live without the 5.1 or 7.1.

 

[adamCCC]

I go through phases of playing games, but in fps games it is pretty important to be able to distinguish where certain sounds are coming from!
 
My budget depends... if the akg 550's are good for gaming, id be happy with that, or buying a £20 sound card.
 
Or just going for the corsair vengeance which uses virtual surround sound (not sure how good that is) which is around £60.
 
Do you have any idea if the akg 550's or any stereo headphone works as well for gaming as a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound headset?

 

[DrSeven]

k 550 seem to be really nice (have good reviews etc.) but i personally didn't like them that much when i tried them. I think also they don't have that much bass impact so i don't think they are best for gaming.
 
But maybe u should get these for music and a cheap headset for gaming. i know a guy who has a around 20 bucks headset that works great for gaming.. cant just remember the name of it.
 
If you want good cans for both I tried the hd 650 once for black ops II.. and it was indeed quite nice and realistic
 
I think the normal cans cant provide exact 7.1 or whatsoever but u can somehow relatively clear hear where stuff happens
 
u can also look int the beyerdynamic headset (don't know the exct name) that's quite nice 4 both gaming and music.
 
and for a dac/amp try the fiio e10 as a cheap solution. u should try if it works 4 u. 

 

[cel4145]

First, I would wait to worry about whether or not the AKG 550s have enough bass for gaming. One of the most popular gaming headphones are the AD700, and they are definitely lacking in the bass department. Since you have already ordered them, give the AKG 550s a listen on your own and decide whether or not they are good enough for gaming for you.

Next, it's highly possible that the left/right audio mix up issue with your front jack is the case, not the onboard sound. Could be it's wired backwards. Getting a new sound card won't solve that issue for the front jack if that's the problem because you'll be connecting it the same way.

 

[adamCCC]

Thanks for the replies folks.
 
I had a look around the motherboard, seems the front headphone jack wansnt completely secured.  The sound is at least coming from the correct direction now!  There is still a weird buzz though, when moving the mouse pointer around the screen.
 
In terms of the AKG's for music - would getting a sound card improve the sound quality over the onboard sound?

 

[cel4145]

It might get rid of that buzzing, depending on what's causing the interference. Add on internal sound cards can be subject to interference as well.

Might as well get it and try. Order from Amazon and returns are painless; you just pay the shipping. Your alternative to completely avoid interference is to buy a more expensive external DAC/headphone amp setup.

 

[Th3l4st0ne]

Quote:

Thanks for the replies folks.
 
I had a look around the motherboard, seems the front headphone jack wansnt completely secured.  The sound is at least coming from the correct direction now!  There is still a weird buzz though, when moving the mouse pointer around the screen.
 
In terms of the AKG's for music - would getting a sound card improve the sound quality over the onboard sound?

As of the buzz, Front panel connectors are usually really cheap, you can sometime solve it by finding the "sweet spot" by turning the plug slowly in the jack. I have absolutely no idea why, but it worked for a while. The other option, wich is the best, is to get an extension cable and plug it straight in the soundcard, these cable cost usually 5$.

As of the AKG, I never tried them but with my Superlux there was some definite changes:
-Cleaner sound
-Better positioning(slight but present)
-More details
 
With Soundcard:
-Better overall sound(Soundcards tend to roll off the bass and make te highs undetailed)
-Less static(both mic/phones)
 
My soundcard is the Xonar DS, not the DG, but the DG is better for headphones as it has an amp in it.

 

[DrSeven]

Quote:

It might get rid of that buzzing, depending on what's causing the interference. Add on internal sound cards can be subject to interference as well.

Might as well get it and try. Order from Amazon and returns are painless; you just pay the shipping. Your alternative to completely avoid interference is to buy a more expensive external DAC/headphone amp setup.

exactly! just like I said get for example a fiio e10 and give it a try 

 

[DrSeven]

.. also the " bass boost" on the fiio might be quite nice for the akg. So you can adjust your bass the way u like it for gaming.

 

[cel4145]

exactly! just like I said get for example a fiio e10 and give it a try 

However, besides being more expensive than the DG, the E10 doesn't have Dolby Headphone which a lot of gamers seem to like.

Not trying to discredit the E10. I have nothing against FiiO products. I have an E17 and think it's a great little portable DAC/amp.

 

[DrSeven]

Quote:

However, besides being more expensive than the DG, the E10 doesn't have Dolby Headphone which a lot of gamers seem to like.

 
cant argue with that!
 
but if you can live without Dolby and wanna listen to music with it too i think the e10 is still a good option to be considered! 

 
so if you can u should give both options a try!

 

[genclaymore]

Also if you need a mic the mod mic are a very good choice, As you can place it on your AKG K550's. So you wouldn't have to deal with clip on mics, plus it you can swivel it out the way when your done. As for sound card's it depends on if you want the gaming features like Dolby headphone,CMSS3D headphone or Tru/SBX studio surround,Those functions can be sent thru optical to a external dac as well. In case you want both the gaming functions of a sound card and the sound quality from a external dac,  
 
Since when I game I would use the profile I made on this cheap used Recon3D and then when I listen to music I turn all the stuff off with the profile I made for music, I know most people here on this site might think it's silly,But not if you have a onboard audio chip like mine which lacks these functions for gaming ,As well feeling like your throwing down with it in a boxing ring as you fight to get it to work right.
 
Of course if you just want a sound card and not a external dac, then are good amount of good options to choose from, I had a Xonar DG my self which did a good job, Plus it affordable, But it's PCI so if you don't have room for a PCI card then the PCI-E ver th DGX would work.  Also you might be able to catch a X-Fi HD PCI-E on a sell and get it less then 90, But then those Z series that around the price range are also a good choice. But like I said it depends if you care about those gaming functions I mention,If not then you could just get a External dac that you can afford.

 

[adamCCC]

So the AKG 550's arrived... build quality is amazing, best ive ever seen, it is really really comfortable.
 
but...
 
They sound awful? talk about tinney!  Sounds as though the music is coming from inside a metal shed, with an added bit of echo.  The bass is terrible, its virtually non existent, I really mean no bass what so ever, I read reviews which said they were slightly lacking in bass.. but come on!  Comparing them to my £100 cheaper Denon AHD1100, the Denon sounds 10x better. 
 
Im so disappointed, been looking forward to these arriving in the post.
 
I have read (before buying) that they respond very well do a good burn in?  I bought them from amazon so its easy enough to return them, however is it worth just leaving them playing for a day or two to see if the sound improves?

[size=1.7em]  [/size]

 

[DrSeven]

Quote:

So the AKG 550's arrived... build quality is amazing, best ive ever seen, it is really really comfortable.
 
but...
 
They sound awful? talk about tinney!  Sounds as though the music is coming from inside a metal shed, with an added bit of echo.  The bass is terrible, its virtually non existent, I really mean no bass what so ever, I read reviews which said they were slightly lacking in bass.. but come on!  Comparing them to my £100 cheaper Denon AHD1100, the Denon sounds 10x better. 
 
Im so disappointed, been looking forward to these arriving in the post.
 
I have read (before buying) that they respond very well do a good burn in?  I bought them from amazon so its easy enough to return them, however is it worth just leaving them playing for a day or two to see if the sound improves?

[size=1.7em]  [/size]

 
That was my impression too! didn't like them at all and was disappointed from akg which used to be one of my favorite brands!
 
u could try burning them in, but if u already don't like the sound signature at all i think it wont help that much!