[Evshrug]

I got the FiiO E10k and will be using it with the GSP 500!
Should I plug in the headphone jack into the FiiO and the Mic into my MB? Or is it better to use the "console cable" that comes with the GSP 500 (makes headphone and mic into 1 jack)

Just so you know, the headphone jack on the FiiO is not a microphone jack. Neither is it a smartphone-style jack which has separate connection points for the left, right, mic, and electrical ground connections. You might be able to separately connect the mic to your motherboard (with an extension cable), but separating the connections like that usually results in grounding issues (feedback, electrical buzzing and noise, etc). The E10k is ok for music, but it would have been my least recommended option out of everything you listed.
What you're doing right now... that's how I started 12 years ago. And I'm just telling you, you'll want an amp designed for gaming if you want to use a mic input... or you can do what I've done the past few years, and use a separate mic instead of a headset. I usually use my PS4 Camera's built-in mic when I play on console, and the mic inside the PS5 DSS controller seems like it'll be handy, though I admit that my headset has been super handy for voiceovers, streams, mobile gaming, and even a teleconference this morning ^_^

Youtube is blocked in my country.

Lol <3 Feg!

Who has played the FF VII Remake?

 

[cottonthemoth]

Would going from MA900's to AKG K7XX's for a "bass"/"intensity" improvement for a game as heavy-hitting as DOOM (2016) be a good use case? The MA900's are amazing but I just want some more oomph and would love to give up as little soundstage as possible without getting into HD800 pricing. I was looking into the HD6XX's but they are described in a way that makes me feel like because of how used to my MA900's I am, I'd miss them too much, and that maybe the AKG's would be a better fit.

My setup is a Magni 2u with an Audioengine D1 DAC/Amp which will be replaced by a Modi 3 soon enough. Won't ever sell my MA900's but curious about trying other stuff. I got some used AKG K612 Pro's and they sound like hot garbage by comparison which is sort of against everything I've heard about them, a friend thinks I may have a faulty pair so I'm trying to keep from making assumptions about them.

Cheers!

 

[Xqst]

Just so you know, the headphone jack on the FiiO is not a microphone jack. Neither is it a smartphone-style jack which has separate connection points for the left, right, mic, and electrical ground connections. You might be able to separately connect the mic to your motherboard (with an extension cable), but separating the connections like that usually results in grounding issues (feedback, electrical buzzing and noise, etc). The E10k is ok for music, but it would have been my least recommended option out of everything you listed.
What you're doing right now... that's how I started 12 years ago. And I'm just telling you, you'll want an amp designed for gaming if you want to use a mic input... or you can do what I've done the past few years, and use a separate mic instead of a headset. I usually use my PS4 Camera's built-in mic when I play on console, and the mic inside the PS5 DSS controller seems like it'll be handy, though I admit that my headset has been super handy for voiceovers, streams, mobile gaming, and even a teleconference this morning ^_^

I see. So there's a huge chance I just screw* up in getting the E10K. If I cant connect the mic to my MB input then its pretty much worthless for an headset... Would the "console cable" that comes with the headset, be better on the FiiO E10k? It pretty much "merges" headphone + mic into a single jack. If so, will I lose any audio quality by using this cable or is it all the same and I just get stuck with a short af cable?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Would going from MA900's to AKG K7XX's for a "bass"/"intensity" improvement for a game as heavy-hitting as DOOM (2016) be a good use case? The MA900's are amazing but I just want some more oomph and would love to give up as little soundstage as possible without getting into HD800 pricing. I was looking into the HD6XX's but they are described in a way that makes me feel like because of how used to my MA900's I am, I'd miss them too much, and that maybe the AKG's would be a better fit.

My setup is a Magni 2u with an Audioengine D1 DAC/Amp which will be replaced by a Modi 3 soon enough. Won't ever sell my MA900's but curious about trying other stuff. I got some used AKG K612 Pro's and they sound like hot garbage by comparison which is sort of against everything I've heard about them, a friend thinks I may have a faulty pair so I'm trying to keep from making assumptions about them.

Cheers!

I think that'd be more a sidegrade, and they're more similar than different IMHO. As for the 6XX, you'd definitely lose some soundstage, and they also have a similar character to the MA900 otherwise.

I think if you wanna retain soundstage but add bass, maybe go for... Fidelio X2? Maybe an X1 for even more bass, though not sure the X1 is easy to find.

If you can splurge for more, the Edition XX's has a really fascinating soundstage and fantastic bass. Also, it's planar, and once you go planar, kinda hard to go back to dynamic. Problem with most planars is that they don't tend to have massive soundstaging, but the Ed.XX really has some incredible and different soundstaging.

 

[Fean]

I'm not seeing any worthwhile advantages of replacing the SB-ZxR, with the EVGA Nu.
I'm guessing the seller is trying to unload their stock of EVGA Nu sound cards, that why it's selling for only the extra 50 GBP (guessing).
I would say to get something like a JDS Atom or Schiit Magni headphone amplifier, connect it to the SB-ZxR's line-output, those amps would be good for driving low Ohm (20-Ohm LCD-GX) headphones.
But using that type of connection will bypass the SB-ZxR's SBX Headphone surround sound, which does not matter for music audio or any other stereo audio.

Thank you for your responses.

Would I see any benefit of both the Modi and Magni over ZxR + Magni for music and other stereo audio?

How does the Magni compare to the Hel? although I suppose I would want a feed from the ZxR for surround anyway.

Have a loaner pair of LCD-GX on the way, assuming its going to blow the MMX300 away

 

[cottonthemoth]

I think that'd be more a sidegrade, and they're more similar than different IMHO. As for the 6XX, you'd definitely lose some soundstage, and they also have a similar character to the MA900 otherwise.

I think if you wanna retain soundstage but add bass, maybe go for... Fidelio X2? Maybe an X1 for even more bass, though not sure the X1 is easy to find.

If you can splurge for more, the Edition XX's has a really fascinating soundstage and fantastic bass. Also, it's planar, and once you go planar, kinda hard to go back to dynamic. Problem with most planars is that they don't tend to have massive soundstaging, but the Ed.XX really has some incredible and different soundstaging.

The X2's sound right up my alley after reading/watching more reviews on them. I'll be doing the resistor mod to my MA900's as well. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Also, the 6XX does have some truly excellent full bass. Just you do lose some soundstage. It's definitely a headphone I'd recommend for practically anyone though.

 

[Playstation]

For console via usb or tv optical. What would be sufficient to drive the 6xx in regards to a dac/amp combo?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thank you for your responses.
Would I see any benefit of both the Modi and Magni over ZxR + Magni for music and other stereo audio?
How does the Magni compare to the Hel? although I suppose I would want a feed from the ZxR for surround anyway.
Have a loaner pair of LCD-GX on the way, assuming its going to blow the MMX300 away

The only advantage the Modi offers, is you could connect the SB-ZxR's S/PDIF optical output port to the Modi's optical input and the SB-ZxR can send it's SBX Headphone surround sound, out the optical port.
But I still say to just connect the Magni directly to the SB-ZxR.

 

[pappy97]

Thank you so much for this amazing guide! I have read a lot of it, but I am confused on one thing. I just got a Creative G6 for exclusive use on the PS4 playing games like Warzone. Headphones are AD700x. Will be connecting G6 to PS4 via optical and having PS4 output DD5.1 to G6.

What settings do I need on the G6? I assume the settings are to turn everything off and Dolby to Full. And since direct mode doesn't work on PS4, set audio effects to Stereo, no matter how counter-intuitive that sounds.

I ask because I've read other people say that even for PS4, they turn surround to 100. But that doesn't sound right because that seems like it means that artificial sounds will make it to my ears, when what I want is the most precise imaging possible for footsteps and related game sounds. I also have read confusion about the configuration with people some people saying set it to stereo, while other say set it to 5.1 or 7.1.

Can someone please advise? Thank you!!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thank you so much for this amazing guide! I have read a lot of it, but I am confused on one thing. I just got a Creative G6 for exclusive use on the PS4 playing games like Warzone. Headphones are AD700x. Will be connecting G6 to PS4 via optical and having PS4 output DD5.1 to G6.
What settings do I need on the G6? I assume the settings are to turn everything off and Dolby to Full.
I ask because I've read other people say that even for PS4, they turn surround to 100. But that doesn't sound right because that seems like it means that artificial sounds will make it to my ears, when what I want is the most precise imaging possible for footsteps and related game sounds.
Can someone please advise? Thank you!!

The Creative Labs G6 will use Dolby to decoded/un-compress the 6-channel of digital audio that comes thru optical.
But i believe it uses something (SBX?) besides Dolby to create the headphone surround sound.

 

[pappy97]

The Creative Labs G6 will use Dolby to decoded/un-compress the 6-channel of digital audio that comes thru optical.
But i believe it uses something (SBX?) besides Dolby to create the headphone surround sound.

Correct, SBX, but I'm trying to figure out which settings for SBX I should use for my purpose (Warzone on PS4).

 

[Chastity]

Correct, SBX, but I'm trying to figure out which settings for SBX I should use for my purpose (Warzone on PS4).

IIRC Creative suggests using 67% Surround with DD decoding. You are, of course welcome to experiment with different settings.

 

[Mmoyeti]

Hi all,

First, this is an amazing thread, new to this so I'll detail my question as much as possible. Apologies if some of it has already been answered.

As well as gaming, my usage is streaming. Currently I have a hyper x quad cast usb mic and hyperx cloud 2 headset. Now I have a stand alone mic I am thinking of upgrading my headset as now I only require headphones, therefore can get a higher quality sound.

My pc only has a realtek 887 inside as I didn't get an internal card this time, mainly as my headset was initially using the USB card that was part of the headset. My son wanted to plug in and listen when gaming/streaming so I dropped the USB and started using a splitter cable.

I've been looking at an open back set of headphones though as I stream I'm unsure if the mic will pick up audio from the headset. I have a noise gate setup and it only picks up my keys if I'm typing hard (cherry red silent). So my first question is open back or closed with that in mind?

My main game is Hunt Showdown, which I'm guessing most of you have not played, but the sound is amazing. Tons of sound cues so positioning and detail is key, distance as well as direction. The ability to pick out sound differences as well as position is important. Shroud reckoned it had the best sound of any fps. People comment now how I hear things others don't and that's just with the hyperx set.

Also with the fact I only have the realtek audio, if I buy a new set I'll need an amp and maybe a dac I thinks . I've had a look at things like the fiio's, schiit gear mentioned in this thread, soundblaster g6 and soundblasterx ae5.

I've 2 kids so cost is important. Prob only £250 max for now for what I need. I'm unsure if I need a dac and an amp and if so internal card or external.

I have a pair of audio technica msr7's I use for music at work, so they are closed back. I find they are great for music but in games seem a bit flat, gun shots and explosions seem a bit unimpressive.

I've looked at and read about the dt990's, various akg 600/700s and the Philips x2hr. All open back, but I'm just not sure. Closed back I've only really looked at the dt770 so far which has good reviews from game angles.

Usually I'd go out and find some to listen to, but lock down means that's not possible.

The hyper x positioning without the USB is great but then I've not heard the game on much else, the game is designed for stereo and does an amazing job of providing cues. The sound on the hyper x is quite warm I guess, but I'm sure I can do much better. Its a 60ohm set for your info, pc powers it fine.

A lot of decisions to make, any advice is appreciated. Sorry for the length of the post but I wanted to give a clear picture and not have to go back and forth, wasting your time.

If closed back then the dt770s seem the sensible option. Open back I was leaning towards the x2's but a few gaming usage reports make me think its between dt990's and one of the akgs. The ad700x are meant to be the best positioning wise but a bit flat. I'm not a pro gamer but I like my positional audio to be spot on while retaining immersion and decent gunshot/explosion sounds.

 

[mindbomb]

Thank you so much for this amazing guide! I have read a lot of it, but I am confused on one thing. I just got a Creative G6 for exclusive use on the PS4 playing games like Warzone. Headphones are AD700x. Will be connecting G6 to PS4 via optical and having PS4 output DD5.1 to G6.

What settings do I need on the G6? I assume the settings are to turn everything off and Dolby to Full. And since direct mode doesn't work on PS4, set audio effects to Stereo, no matter how counter-intuitive that sounds.

I ask because I've read other people say that even for PS4, they turn surround to 100. But that doesn't sound right because that seems like it means that artificial sounds will make it to my ears, when what I want is the most precise imaging possible for footsteps and related game sounds. I also have read confusion about the configuration with people some people saying set it to stereo, while other say set it to 5.1 or 7.1.

Can someone please advise? Thank you!!

I imagine you would set it to 5.1, and then enable sbx surround.