[OneEyedCat]

  A standard desktop DAC won't give you virtual surround if that's what you're after, but you could buy a Xonar U3 and feed that into a modi uber or something similar and retain Dolby Headphone from the U3.

 
 

  An external optical DAC (or DAC/amp) connected to your motherboard's on-board audio (optical port), will not improve FPS gaming (headphone surround sound).
improve audio quality...sure, but not gaming.
 
A USB DAC (or DAC/amp) will bypass sound card features.
 
A USB sound card, will come with it's own headphone surround sound function.

 
All right it is much clearer now, thank you guys.
 
If you have time to read what follows, can you please tell me what would you do if you were me?
 
I am a game lover and a movie lover but not a music lover. I have spent in those headphones what represents for me a bunch of money. But I needed them for gaming. My sound is very ****ty because it comes from my pc screen but I want to improve it by true speakers. I chose these cans first for comfort and longevity, then because they should offer a very fun sound while gaming. However they might be poor at positionning audio.
 
At the moment my budget is 100$-150$. With that money I was thinking I had to buy a Shiit Modi as an amplifier because these headphones are a Fostex variant and all say that they need very much power. I was thinking about buying a 100$ desktop DAC later because all say that it's needed to fully enjoy these headphones. Later means I don't know if I'll ever buy one but I'd like to smile while listening games, movies and songs when I receive these headphones.
 
However I hear that these headphones can make sound from any smartphone and that the need for an amp is overrated. Also you just made me realize that if I buy a desktop DAC, I'll need to buy another solution for surround or Dolby. I'm starting to freek out about the money I have to spend and even about the money I've spent already. And now I feel that I would rather buy an all in one solution because at the end, I would be happy with anything that changes from playing BF1 with the sound of my screen.
 
So what would you do with my budget? Am I crazy if I buy the Modi and plug it to my motherboard without anything else? Can I improve positioning audio without buying anything? 

 

[lenroot77]

Has anyone here used the Hifiman HE-400s (the 400s - not the original 400) for gaming? I know planars aren't known for their sound stage, but I've heard these are pretty good in that regard. I also liked the 400i, and wanted to give these a shot.

Thanks!

Soundstage is very similar to 400i's if not the same. I'd assume it may open up a touch more if you were to do the "grill mod". In my opinion these do a fair to good job with soundstage and positioning.

For what it's worth I preferred the 400S to the 400i... just a more smooth and mellow sound to them imo.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  All right it is much clearer now, thank you guys.
If you have time to read what follows, can you please tell me what would you do if you were me?
I am a game lover and a movie lover but not a music lover. I have spent in those headphones what represents for me a bunch of money. But I needed them for gaming. My sound is very ****ty because it comes from my pc screen but I want to improve it by true speakers. I chose these cans first for comfort and longevity, then because they should offer a very fun sound while gaming. However they might be poor at positioning audio.
At the moment my budget is 100$-150$. With that money I was thinking I had to buy a Shiit Modi as an amplifier because these headphones are a Fostex variant and all say that they need very much power. I was thinking about buying a 100$ desktop DAC later because all say that it's needed to fully enjoy these headphones. Later means I don't know if I'll ever buy one but I'd like to smile while listening games, movies and songs when I receive these headphones.
However I hear that these headphones can make sound from any smartphone and that the need for an amp is overrated. Also you just made me realize that if I buy a desktop DAC, I'll need to buy another solution for surround or Dolby. I'm starting to freek out about the money I have to spend and even about the money I've spent already. And now I feel that I would rather buy an all in one solution because at the end, I would be happy with anything that changes from playing BF1 with the sound of my screen.
So what would you do with my budget? Am I crazy if I buy the Modi and plug it to my motherboard without anything else? Can I improve positioning audio without buying anything? 

The Schiit Modi is only a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), it's not designed to drive headphones, it's expected to be used with a separate headphone amplifier
 
Right now Amazon has the Creative Labs Sound BlasterX G5 external sound card for only $84.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-BlasterX-Headphone-Amplifier-SB1700/dp/B018JUPY3A
Bestbuy has it on clearance for $75.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/creative-sound-blasterx-g5-black/5142203.p?skuId=5142203
Guess that is about the best deal your going to get (for your budget), for what your uses are (FPS gaming?).

 

[TeeReQs]

   
 
 
All right it is much clearer now, thank you guys.
 
If you have time to read what follows, can you please tell me what would you do if you were me?
 
I am a game lover and a movie lover but not a music lover. I have spent in those headphones what represents for me a bunch of money. But I needed them for gaming. My sound is very ****ty because it comes from my pc screen but I want to improve it by true speakers. I chose these cans first for comfort and longevity, then because they should offer a very fun sound while gaming. However they might be poor at positionning audio.
 
At the moment my budget is 100$-150$. With that money I was thinking I had to buy a Shiit Modi as an amplifier because these headphones are a Fostex variant and all say that they need very much power. I was thinking about buying a 100$ desktop DAC later because all say that it's needed to fully enjoy these headphones. Later means I don't know if I'll ever buy one but I'd like to smile while listening games, movies and songs when I receive these headphones.
 
However I hear that these headphones can make sound from any smartphone and that the need for an amp is overrated. Also you just made me realize that if I buy a desktop DAC, I'll need to buy another solution for surround or Dolby. I'm starting to freek out about the money I have to spend and even about the money I've spent already. And now I feel that I would rather buy an all in one solution because at the end, I would be happy with anything that changes from playing BF1 with the sound of my screen.
 
So what would you do with my budget? Am I crazy if I buy the Modi and plug it to my motherboard without anything else? Can I improve positioning audio without buying anything? 

Just so you're not confused, the Schiit Modi is a DAC (Digital to Analog converter), and the Magni is an amp which you would need to drive a pair of demanding headphones. Technically you already have a DAC with your onboard sound. Did you already buy those Argons? I think you could get a lot of value in $300-350 if you chose a different pair of cans.. Are positional cues more important to you, or is being more immersed into the gameplay a bigger factor? What kind of games do you plan on playing? Only PC, correct. Nameless has a pretty good thread on PC gaming audio. Check it out if you haven't already. 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/593050/the-nameless-guide-to-pc-gaming-audio-with-binaural-headphone-surround-sound
 
This thread explains how a sound card is a dac if we made it confusing.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/575103/soundcard-vs-dac
 
 
Edit: PurpleAngel beat me to it.

 

[Ljanmi]

  Just so you're not confused, the Schiit Modi is a DAC (Digital to Analog converter), and the Magni is an amp which you would need to drive a pair of demanding headphones. Technically you already have a DAC with your onboard sound. Did you already buy those Argons? I think you could get a lot of value in $300-350 if you chose a different pair of cans.. Are positional cues more important to you, or is being more immersed into the gameplay a bigger factor? What kind of games do you plan on playing? Only PC, correct. Nameless has a pretty good thread on PC gaming audio. Check it out if you haven't already. 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/593050/the-nameless-guide-to-pc-gaming-audio-with-binaural-headphone-surround-sound
 
This thread explains how a sound card is a dac if we made it confusing.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/575103/soundcard-vs-dac
 
 
Edit: PurpleAngel beat me to it.

​Best Buy is out of stock.
 
Anyway about GSX1000 - https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18749909

 

[TeeReQs]

Thanks for the heads up on this thread. I was actually going through it the other day, but forgot to check back to see if there were any updates.

 

[apaar123]

The Schiit Modi is only a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), it's not designed to drive headphones, it's expected to be used with a separate headphone amplifier

Right now Amazon has the Creative Labs Sound BlasterX G5 external sound card for only $84.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-BlasterX-Headphone-Amplifier-SB1700/dp/B018JUPY3A
Bestbuy has it on clearance for $75.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/creative-sound-blasterx-g5-black/5142203.p?skuId=5142203
Guess that is about the best deal your going to get (for your budget), for what your uses are (FPS gaming?).

and how are creative omni and xfi HD?

 

[PurpleAngel]

And how are Creative Omni and X-fi HD?

 
Fairly sure the G5 offers better audio quality.
But the Omni and X-Fi HD would still be decent,

 

[apaar123]

Fairly sure the G5 offers better audio quality.
But the Omni and X-Fi HD would still be decent,

Oh thanks btw will it power my akg k712?

 

[OneEyedCat]

  The Schiit Modi is only a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), it's not designed to drive headphones, it's expected to be used with a separate headphone amplifier
 
Right now Amazon has the Creative Labs Sound BlasterX G5 external sound card for only $84.
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-BlasterX-Headphone-Amplifier-SB1700/dp/B018JUPY3A
Bestbuy has it on clearance for $75.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/creative-sound-blasterx-g5-black/5142203.p?skuId=5142203
Guess that is about the best deal your going to get (for your budget), for what your uses are (FPS gaming?).

 
Very sorry about the confusion, I meant the Magni and had in mind the Modi as a future improvement.
 
Knowing Fostex T50RP (MK2) needs very high power, would you buy one of these option to serve as an amp, and skip the Magni?
 
I play many kind of games but mostly simulations and FPS. Although I've quit long sessions and very competitive gameplay, now I'd very much rather enjoy the show than tweeking all to ear footsteps.
 
 
 

  Just so you're not confused, the Schiit Modi is a DAC (Digital to Analog converter), and the Magni is an amp which you would need to drive a pair of demanding headphones. Technically you already have a DAC with your onboard sound. Did you already buy those Argons? I think you could get a lot of value in $300-350 if you chose a different pair of cans.. Are positional cues more important to you, or is being more immersed into the gameplay a bigger factor? What kind of games do you plan on playing? Only PC, correct. Nameless has a pretty good thread on PC gaming audio. Check it out if you haven't already. 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/593050/the-nameless-guide-to-pc-gaming-audio-with-binaural-headphone-surround-sound
 
This thread explains how a sound card is a dac if we made it confusing.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/575103/soundcard-vs-dac
 
 
Edit: PurpleAngel beat me to it.

 
All say onboard audio is ****ty and that a separate DAC is needed to enjoy good cans. But considering the price I paid my motherboard, sound should be listenable! So I have doubts about my real need of a separate DAC, especially considering I do not have sharp ears.
 
 
I already bought the Argon. At first I wanted the Fidelio but needed closed cans. At the end I've been convinced to buy Argon after this review on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWdk9kkeFq0
 
I've discussed this choice in the Fidelio's thread. For summarize I bought them knowing I should spend 150$ in a Magni uber but I thought It would not be loss because it would be usefull for speakers. Soundwise there might be much better values, the review supra might even be disguised promotion. But these should at least deliver some kind of sound near my needs and with the mods, Fostex appeared to be the good choice for both very good comfort and durability. Furthemore, the guy who makes them is very friendly, he's starting his business and could be very talented. They are planar, and I like the idea of listening to some kind of high-end sound technology manually tuned. If the result might end poor, at least it will have some soul

 

[TeeReQs]

I'd say if you don't need the pre amps from the magni 2 uber, just buy a magni 2 for $100 or find a used one for cheaper. Then you'll have a quality amp to drive most sets of head phones, and if you decide you need surround you can always double amp one of the above mentioned devices later down the road. Or try out Razer's free surround software. From videos on YT it doesn't sound the greatest but probably works well enough for positional cues. Stereo still sounds pretty good with a nice pair of cans. Also, if you end up getting feedback from your onboard soundboards DAC, then would be the time to upgrade to an external option, such as the Modi uber. I'm still new, so take my advice with a grain of salt. There's a lot more well versed people on here that have better knowledge than me on the subject.

 

[OneEyedCat]

That seems a really good advice, thank you very much.

 

[apaar123]

Which is the best for gaming between Dolby headphones, sbx pro and Razer surround?

 

[TeeReQs]

It's all preference. Some people prefer Dolby Headphone, others prefer SBX or CMSS-3D. If you search either of those tags within this thread there's a good amount of info if you're willing to sort through it all.

 

[apaar123]

It's all preference. Some people prefer Dolby Headphone, others prefer SBX or CMSS-3D. If you search either of those tags within this thread there's a good amount of info if you're willing to sort through it all.

Thanks