[DenverW]

Here's one I'd never heard of but got as a recommendation: https://www.redscapeaudio.com/.

 

[halcyon]

Here's one I'd never heard of but got as a recommendation: https://www.redscapeaudio.com/.

I hope all of these boutique companies would tell us the basic minimum:


- latency of processing in ms
- HRTF algo/standard/approach used
- amount of reverb/echo applied (and if user adjustable)
- input/output streams supported (RedScape specifies WSAPI and ASIO, but no standard levels/versions)

Guess we'll just have to wait for somebody to plunk down the money and test it. I'm not going to waste another $200 on an unproven boutique design from a small company that might be bankrupt in 6 months.

 

[Radio81]

I think I've reached the point of diminishing returns. Last night I hooked up the following to my PS4:

Turtle Beach Elite TAC (Tactical Audio Controller)
Schiit Loki
Schiit Magni 3

I've had all this stuff for a few years but I haven't used them in at least two years. Since then I've tried an Astro Mixamp 5.8, Creative Soundblaster G5, and a Logitech G533 wireless headset. I bought the G533 sometime last year because I wanted to go fully wireless, but stereo only on PS4 is meh. On PC they probably fare better. Great mic though. The Mixamp 5.8 is a great piece of tech for the single aspect that I can use my own cans and get some portability and surround processing in a wireless transmitter/receiver combo. It's probably my favorite piece of headphone gear. The G5 has plenty of power and sounds great, but lacks true surround processing on PS4, and there's really not a good way to control the game/chat audio mix, anyway.

I finally spent some time yesterday routing optical and USB cables to my seating position so that I could again try out the Turtle Beach/Schiit combo.

Enter the Turtle Beach TAC. I will get this out of the way first...it is extremely underpowered. Even with low impedance headphones (X2HR and SHP9500) I can't even get the TAC to a reasonable volume level. So I then ran the output from the TAC to the Magni 3. Now I had plenty of volume but found the sound to be way too lean. No bass whatsoever. I'm guessing this is part of the TAC's processing. I tried all the processing and surround modes and notice little difference in bass. On it's own, a mixamp or G6 is a better choice, IMO. I then added the Loki 4-band EQ, and that allowed me to add some bass and reduce a little treble from the TAC. I tried it out for a bit last night on Ghost Recon: Wildlands, and it's a very clear difference coming from the Mixamp 5.8. Having the ability to tweak the EQ on demand is a nice touch. I gave up some wireless freedom, but gained some sound quality.

If I had to knock the setup for one thing, is that I notice a slight hiss at higher volumes with no content, or just sitting at the PS4 menu. Not sure if this is from the TAC, Schiit gear, or the no name RCA and 3.5mm interconnect cables I'm using, but it's really not enough for me to worry about.

Oh, and I'm using a wireless Modmic. I think I'm good for awhile, unless something better is released when the PS5 drops.

 

[remygee]

Hello all, I started PC gaming about 6 months ago and was using a pair of Astro A40s. I could not distinguish footsteps to the point where I enabled visual hearing in my game. I recently did some research and found out A40s are pretty bad. I had a pair of AD700s from 2010 and tried those out and shockingly footsteps were now easy to hear. Apparently the Mixamp's post processing was very much distorting the audio and a good pair of stereo headphones was a massive upgrade. I didn't think I would ever disable visual hearing, very thankful for forums like this that showed me the truth.

A quick question: my 2010 AD700s are not in the best of shape. Is there a worthy upgrade that I can purchase if I only use the headphone for gaming? Looking at the guide, it seems like a no? I saw the AD700x might be a slight downgrade from the old AD700s too.

thank you for any advice!

 

[jincuteguy]

So what' sthe best surround sound device now? Sound Blaster X3?

 

[Chastity]

So what' sthe best surround sound device now? Sound Blaster X3?

X3 would have been interesting to me if it output SXFI over toslink, which it does not. Only SBX.

 

[AppleheadMay]

SBX G6.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hello all, I started PC gaming about 6 months ago and was using a pair of Astro A40s. I could not distinguish footsteps to the point where I enabled visual hearing in my game. I recently did some research and found out A40s are pretty bad. I had a pair of AD700s from 2010 and tried those out and shockingly footsteps were now easy to hear. Apparently the Mixamp's post processing was very much distorting the audio and a good pair of stereo headphones was a massive upgrade. I didn't think I would ever disable visual hearing, very thankful for forums like this that showed me the truth.
A quick question: my 2010 AD700s are not in the best of shape. Is there a worthy upgrade that I can purchase if I only use the headphone for gaming? Looking at the guide, it seems like a no? I saw the AD700x might be a slight downgrade from the old AD700s too.
thank you for any advice!

Guessing the AD700 or AD700X are both still good choices.
Sennheiser HD598 seem to also be good for FPS gaming.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

SBX G6.

I'd still say the X7.

 

[Xqst]

Because we all have differences in tastes? For one, the 599 would have a another response, while the K702 is emphasized now in your details. Preferring a smoother response is generally what people prefer.

That and you're not giving the K702 a good amp. The K702 has been known for at LEAST a decade that it is dependent on what gear you pair it with. A cheap-o Fiio portable amp is not it.

I see.
Só what dac/amp would you recommend for the akg?
I'm in Europe so it's tough to get good dac/amps

 

[suspects]

How is the SoundBlaster G6 on ps4? I'm mostly concerned with microphones working through it, so does that work? Are there any functions that don't work on ps4?

 

[Snikibiki]

The wider soundstage the harder it makes to imagine/catch where enemy is in close range?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The wider soundstage the harder it makes to imagine/catch where enemy is in close range?

That can be a detriment, which is why a lot of people do like closed headphones with intimate soundstages as well. I think bigger soundstages are more beneficial to casual, less competitive gaming. If you're super hardcore, I think it really varies from person to person. For me, as long as I k ow the general direction sounds are coming from, I don't really care if the sounds are far or close sounding. The general direction is more important to me than whether its far or close, because I'll turn the character towards the sound and my eyes will pick up if they're close or far.

 

[HifiCatt]

Hi all,

Still very new to the audio landscape, thankfully the wealth of experience contained within the thread, has been beyond useful!

l'm looking for something that allows me to get immersed in my media ( elevate movies and get lost in my music and single player games). I've always liked the idea of having a home theatre setup so sound quality and VSS possibilities are important factors.

To give you a brief background i'm coming from headphones such as the Sony 1000XM3s and Vmoda Crossfades(gen 1).

I'm not entirely ready to commit to one idea or the other yet (evidenced by thoughts on the pandas) as another big consideration is longevity. Once I've settled on a decent setup chances are it won't be changed for a while; so take this post as more of a rough idea of where my heads at currently.

So I'm thinking......

Drop thx pandas coupled with Dolby Atmos for headphones (I'm curious about the planars as i've read/ heard good things and I like the idea of the pandas as an 'all in one' package but thats not strong enough reason alone to have warranted a pre-order.Waiting on final reviews)

OR

Hd 58x/6xx paired with creative's G6.(Never before experienced open backs.....but their reputation among the community has me curious. I guess having mobility issues i've always had a marmite relationship with wires haha)

Budget wise, I'd ideally like to not go above the price of the pandas........and thats without any import fees attached. Imagine that'll be a headache to calculate.

Anyway all help is greatly appreciated!

 

[jincuteguy]

So between the GSX 1000 / 1200 and Sound Blaster X3, which one can be hooked up to an Amp like the Monoprice THX 887 or Massdrop THX 789, or SMSL SP200? So that I can still get the surround sound from the GSX 1000 or X3 and go through the Amp
Any infos would be appreciated.