[PurpleAngel]

Alright, I just pulled the trigger on the HD 58X and I've went down a rabbit hole on amps. I was all set on the Magni to go with my Mixamp 5.8 but the FiiO A3 has come to my attention and the cable set up for this looks a lot cleaner to me.
Are there any serious negatives to the Mix-amp - FiiO A3 setup?

Nope.
I would suggest maxing out the volume controls on the source (gaming console or computer) and max out the volume controls on the Mix-amp.
To feed the strongest signal you can to the FiiO A3.

 

[Cesarlo]

Hi everyone, regarding the Creative G6:

I'm coming from the X7 and I do love the G6, but I want to make sure I've got all the settings correct, as the software is a little confusing in comparison to the X7.

Apologies if any of these questions are stupid but, for strictly PS4 use paired with Philips X2's...

'Apply Headphone Virtualization to' - should I select Line and Optical Out or Headphones? I'm almost certain it's the latter but want to double check.

Output Mode - Audio Effects, or SPDIF-Out Direct?

I have 'Surround' set to Ultra Wide and Dolby set to Night.

I also have Crystalizer at 50 and Bass at 35.

Also, does the RGB lighting not work when connected to the PS4? It's always a solid red, but when hooked up to my laptop the RGB lighting works correctly.

I'd really appreciate any help or people sharing their settings. The X7 sounded perfect. Feel like I'm starting from scratch and want to make sure I'm using it to it's full potential.

Thanks!

 

[TheSpur22]

Nope.
I would suggest maxing out the volume controls on the source (gaming console or computer) and max out the volume controls on the Mix-amp.
To feed the strongest signal you can to the FiiO A3.

Thanks, that was actually going to be my next question lol...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

No changes, but it's only a newer driver.
The G6 just needs to save the headphone setting at all costs, even when no headphone is connected to the headphone port, simply because it allows headphone virtualization out of the LO/optical. Only logical to have this feature.

This is the response I got from the tech team.

The G6 NEEDS to save whatever settings are changed. "MLE, please tell Creative to make the G6 save the headphone setting even when no headphone is plugged in so the doesn't switch back to ." The G6 saves many settings but not all.

The problem with this is there are users that want to have the hardware determine what is plugged in. So there are users that WANT the hardware to switch speakers versus headphones. That being said we'll study the possibility to include an overwrite function for user to decide if software should overwrite or follow hardware connection in a future software update.

I'm not sure that actually fixes our issues, but there you have it.

 

[shuto77]

I'm pretty close to done on the rough draft of the G6 review. I'm just waiting to see if Creative will let me know about any potential solutions to the settings not saving for some people. I have

This is the response I got from the tech team.



I'm not sure that actually fixes our issues, but there you have it.

I wish the G6 had an app, and you could control all the software settings via Bluetooth like the X7. I know a Bluetooth adapter/antennae thingy would have added cost, but whatevs. Even though the app was buggy, it was nice to cycle around the different settings on the X7, and change them on-the-fly.

 

[WhiteHartMart]

Just checking re the G6 settings issue - if I'm only ever connected to a PS4 or an Xbox One X and only ever use headphones, will this settings thing be a non-issue??

 

[Fegefeuer]

Thanks for the feedback, MLE. Yeah, for people who only use the optical/line out for their own DAC and Amp there needs to be a overwriting feature so no hardware switcheroos happen.

Anyone else who plugs his headphones into the G6 will not have this issue and be fine.

 

[headphonesonly]

'Apply Headphone Virtualization to' - should I select Line and Optical Out or Headphones? I'm almost certain it's the latter but want to double check.

If your headphones are plugged into the g6 make sure you select apply vss to headphones. If using a external amp then select apply vss to line/optical out.

Output Mode - Audio Effects, or SPDIF-Out Direct?

Audio Effects allows you to use the full features of the g6
Spdif out direct just means that no effects are being applied to the line out port.

I have 'Surround' set to Ultra Wide and Dolby set to Night.

I also have Crystalizer at 50 and Bass at 35.

Turn off Crystalizer and bass
Set dolby to full
Surround you can have set to whatever you want
These settings will give you the best sound quality and most accurate positional audio.

Also, does the RGB lighting not work when connected to the PS4? It's always a solid red, but when hooked up to my laptop the RGB lighting works correctly.

Full RGB capabilities only work on pc.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

To my 'backers' (you know where: I have posted the nearly finished review of the G6 (rough draft), so check there.

I'm more or less done with the G6 review. Just gotta clean it up and format it for posting on here, but I want to wait for Creative's response on the main issue at hand, before I post. I'll likely post it within the next few days.



I'm gonna do a little more testing to get a definitive answer on what works and what doesn't.


Ok so my next email guys which I am waiting for a response is below.

can you let the tech team know that I'm not particularly talking about the G6 auto switching between headphone and speaker? That options has been around even with the X7, and it works well enough. I'm specifically talking about the Apply Headphone Virtualization settings, under setup. I'll attach an image.



That setting has no reason to revert. So if I set it to line out/optical, I want it to remain on line out/optical from then on. Well, right now, it keeps reverting to one or the other. I don't know what causes the setting to stick to a particular one, but it's not consistent. So I basically have to change that setting EVERY TIME I turn the PC/G6 on. Now, I have done most of my testing on PC, but I can imagine if someone is mainly a console gamer and wants a specific setting only to find that it keeps reverting to the other, and they aren't getting headphone virtualization where they want it, this can be incredibly frustrating.



Say if my PS4 is in the living room, and I notice headphone virtualization isn't being applied to the line out/optical which I would send the signal to my own external dac/amp. I'll have to go back to my bedroom with the G6, turn on the PC, go to the G6 software, change the setting, and then go put the G6 back next to my console setup in the living room. Every single day. And there are even users that don't even have PCs, so their chances to change the settings are even more limited.


I think it's a worse situation for people using the G6 simply to send headphone virtualization to the line out/optical for their own external gear. It will somehow default to Headphone, and they can't benefit from headphone virtualization for their gear until they go to the settings and change it daily.


This has no reason to auto switch unless it detects a headphone being connected to the G6, and as far as I can tell, this setting does NOT have an auto switch function.

 

[Cesarlo]

If your headphones are plugged into the g6 make sure you select apply vss to headphones. If using a external amp then select apply vss to line/optical out.

Audio Effects allows you to use the full features of the g6
Spdif out direct just means that no effects are being applied to the line out port.

Turn off Crystalizer and bass
Set dolby to full
Surround you can have set to whatever you want
These settings will give you the best sound quality and most accurate positional audio.

Full RGB capabilities only work on pc.

Many thanks for all of your help, although I'm guilty of posting before reading. After I posted that I went back and read the last thirty pages or so. Apologies for getting ahead of myself.

Thanks to everyone for your helpful responses. I'll be definitely keeping an eye on this thread. The only thing that's missing for me now is the ability to adjust chat audio when in a party. I don't understand why the PS4 greys out the option when the G6 is connected.

 

[Lay.]

The only thing that's missing for me now is the ability to adjust chat audio when in a party. I don't understand why the PS4 greys out the option when the G6 is connected.

When you go to the "Output to headphone" -setting and select "Chat Audio" , it will gray out the ability to adjust game/chat balance from PS4. This is OK with the MixAmp since there is a knob to change it, but G6 does not have this option and it is kind of sad. I wish there will be at least a software option to change the balance....or even better... ability to select from the software if you like to use the gnob to control sidetone or chat/game balance.

 

[Cesarlo]

When you go to the "Output to headphone" -setting and select "Chat Audio" , it will gray out the ability to adjust game/chat balance from PS4. This is OK with the MixAmp since there is a knob to change it, but G6 does not have this option and it is kind of sad. I wish there will be at least a software option to change the balance....or even better... ability to select from the software if you like to use the gnob to control sidetone or chat/game balance.

Ah, I see.

I'm at work and can't test it, I'll have to have a look when I get home, but when the option is grayed out is it set at a default setting? Probably unlikely, but if I was to select "All Audio" and adjust it, when I then clicked back to "Chat Audio" would it remain at what I'd adjusted it to, or would it go back to the default setting and take no notice of it?

Mad Lust Envy, would it be possible for you to raise it with Creative if you were ever to do an additional e-mail? Just seems bizarre to state that it supports chat audio on the PS4, but not give us the option to actually adjust it.

 

[illram]

I don't get the comment re: 7.1 not working on optical out to an amp with the G6? Why is that? Seems to work when I check the channels at this site (I haven't really tested on PC extensively other than basic functionality, mostly use this on console). I thought when virtualization is applied the G6 is simply sending out a processed 2 channel stream, which the optical can transmit fine.

https://www2.iis.fraunhofer.de/AAC/multichannel.html

5.1 and 7.1 both work, and I can hear the rear channels in the (more or less) proper locations. In Windows the configuration is also switching automatically when I change it in the G6.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I don't get the comment re: 7.1 not working on optical out to an amp with the G6? Why is that? Seems to work when I check the channels at this site (I haven't really tested on PC extensively other than basic functionality, mostly use this on console). I thought when virtualization is applied the G6 is simply sending out a processed 2 channel stream, which the optical can transmit fine.

https://www2.iis.fraunhofer.de/AAC/multichannel.html

5.1 and 7.1 both work, and I can hear the rear channels in the (more or less) proper locations. In Windows the configuration is also switching automatically when I change it in the G6.

I removed that comment. I rechecked and it seems to be fine.

I then checked everything and noticed it's because the surround option was set to Wide. To my ears, wide is utterly inferior to ultra wide it whatever the max setting is called. Since wide sounds so collapsed and small, I wasn't getting the positional cues I'm used to, so I thought this was why 7.1 through optical didn't sound right.

My mistake. Well not MY mistake, but the software again reverting to a setting I didn't even set.

This is actually quite frustrating, and I have contacted Creative about this as well. It seems they don't have an answer here, so it looks like they're gonna have to go deeper.

Having to check these settings every time I use the G6 is not something anyone should have to go through. I don't wanna publish a review until a definitive answer is given here.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Is anyone other than me getting these issues where some settings aren't the same as when you last left them? I think at the momnent it's just me and Fege having this issue?

Ah, I see.

I'm at work and can't test it, I'll have to have a look when I get home, but when the option is grayed out is it set at a default setting? Probably unlikely, but if I was to select "All Audio" and adjust it, when I then clicked back to "Chat Audio" would it remain at what I'd adjusted it to, or would it go back to the default setting and take no notice of it?

Mad Lust Envy, would it be possible for you to raise it with Creative if you were ever to do an additional e-mail? Just seems bizarre to state that it supports chat audio on the PS4, but not give us the option to actually adjust it.

I have quoted your message and sent to the Creative rep.