[lenroot77]

You can just go modi 2 / magni 2 for sure with those headphones.

If he doesnt want processed surround sound....

 

[NewVegasBaby]

If he doesnt want processed surround sound....

 
If he does he can go soundblaster Z or xonar DX , schitt magni.
 
I wouldnt trade a worse DAC for surround sound capabilities myself If i was gonna buy a new DAC , but I have a xonar DX myself and it is a very , very capable DAC and it has doubly headphone which I use for gaming.

So I can recommend that.

 

[DaemonSire]

For gaming, I use my Xonar DG and send the signal via Optical Out into my external DAC.  This way I get the dolby headphone processing but use a better external DAC as well.  Works really well for me.

 

[TeeReQs]

That's the way to  do it ^. You can get a DSP that does DH/CMSS-3D/SBX for cheap and buy a dac/amp combo to have the best of both worlds.. At least on PC. Or, just buy an X7 and say hello to nice clean desktop with minimal wires.

 

[NewVegasBaby]

  For gaming, I use my Xonar DG and send the signal via Optical Out into my external DAC.  This way I get the dolby headphone processing but use a better external DAC as well.  Works really well for me.

 
Thats a way to go about it .
 
I have thought about this and I think i will keep my xonar DX as an DAC . It has a very good chip in it and DACS have less of an impact than people think tbh.
 
I am gonna get a pair of k712 pros and an amp . If I find the DX insuffecient I will buy a dedicated DAC but I doubt this will be the case.

 

[TeeReQs]

   
Thats a way to go about it .
 
I have thought about this and I think i will keep my xonar DX as an DAC . It has a very good chip in it and DACS have less of an impact than people think tbh.
 
I am gonna get a pair of k712 pros and an amp . If I find the DX insuffecient I will buy a dedicated DAC but I doubt this will be the case.

Good point. If you already have a sound card, test out the built in DAC before springing for an external one. Chances are it will suffice. Now, if you are hearing background noise, then an upgrade might be worthwhile. That $100 saved on a Modi could go towards a nice pair of cans.

 

[NewVegasBaby]

  Good point. If you already have a sound card, test out the built in DAC before springing for an external one. Chances are it will suffice. Now, if you are hearing background noise, then an upgrade might be worthwhile. That $100 saved on a Modi could go towards a nice pair of cans.

Never heard any noise tbh . To be fair I havent tried amplifying the signal which might reveal some noise and imperfections I wasnt hearing on the card .
 
If thats the case i will just get a modi .

I need to try it out first for sure before spending perhaps unnecessary money.

 

[Knightfury]

I've spent a good few hours reading back through the thread here trying to digest and get a little direction. There's a lot of good suggestions that meet my criteria (especially in the direction of fairly high end Beyers that are kind of my current direction/thought/desire) but more often than not, they're generally out of my price range.

My budget is a little restrictive. I'm currently in the process of pinning down a £40 sound blaster omni, which I think can drive stuff generally up into the 250ohm range, which covers a decent chunk of headphones in my price range (and was happy to see it's a fairly well regarded... DAC here too).

I was pretty set on a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 pro's but seeing the notes on page 1 here, they don't seem to be quite as awesome as I thought for positional audio/soundstage. "Muddy bass" being a general no-no. Quite disappointed as I thought I was close.

I'm after closed/semi closed from a "wife sleeping" and sound leakage kind of angle. With that in mind and an absolutely "on fire, screaming" max budget of £100, would my best choice be the AKG K612Pro? I'm basing the £100 on being able to probably pick up open box/etc for around £70 so, while I don't mind in the slightest, second hand, it doesn't really bring anything else into range.
 
Apologies for the long "so gai's wut shuld I buy" type post, but I really want to make it clear I've tried my best and just need a final nudge towards my goal.
 
Also, to offer a little something back a google for "DT770 pro mic mod imgur" will net a super simple but (imo) quite acceptable method of adding a mic to... well, quite a few headphones really (it's hardly rocket science but not really a direction I'd considered - was stuck for a while looking for headphones with a 3.5mm jack to plug a v-moda or similar in to).

 

[nicobombai]

  I've spent a good few hours reading back through the thread here trying to digest and get a little direction. There's a lot of good suggestions that meet my criteria (especially in the direction of fairly high end Beyers that are kind of my current direction/thought/desire) but more often than not, they're generally out of my price range.

My budget is a little restrictive. I'm currently in the process of pinning down a £40 sound blaster omni, which I think can drive stuff generally up into the 250ohm range, which covers a decent chunk of headphones in my price range (and was happy to see it's a fairly well regarded... DAC here too).

I was pretty set on a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 pro's but seeing the notes on page 1 here, they don't seem to be quite as awesome as I thought for positional audio/soundstage. "Muddy bass" being a general no-no. Quite disappointed as I thought I was close.

I'm after closed/semi closed from a "wife sleeping" and sound leakage kind of angle. With that in mind and an absolutely "on fire, screaming" max budget of £100, would my best choice be the AKG K612Pro? I'm basing the £100 on being able to probably pick up open box/etc for around £70 so, while I don't mind in the slightest, second hand, it doesn't really bring anything else into range.
 
Apologies for the long "so gai's wut shuld I buy" type post, but I really want to make it clear I've tried my best and just need a final nudge towards my goal.
 
Also, to offer a little something back a google for "DT770 pro mic mod imgur" will net a super simple but (imo) quite acceptable method of adding a mic to... well, quite a few headphones really (it's hardly rocket science but not really a direction I'd considered - was stuck for a while looking for headphones with a 3.5mm jack to plug a v-moda or similar in to).

 
Go for AKG K550/553 maybe? its closed back and don't require an amp afaik. Sounds balance between treble and bass, less bass than dt770 and have a good sound stage for a closed back, BUUUUUUUUUUT there's is no removable cable sooo you need to slap on a modmic if you want to

 

[DoctaCosmos]

For gaming, I use my Xonar DG and send the signal via Optical Out into my external DAC.  This way I get the dolby headphone processing but use a better external DAC as well.  Works really well for me.

A normal dac won't decide Dolby hp though will it? Every time I've tried it I get white noise

 

[Knightfury]

   
Go for AKG K550/553 maybe? its closed back and don't require an amp afaik. Sounds balance between treble and bass, less bass than dt770 and have a good sound stage for a closed back, BUUUUUUUUUUT there's is no removable cable sooo you need to slap on a modmic if you want to

Was just headed back here with the afterthought that with my dearest lady wife being Greek (Greeks are loud) there's the odd occasion I must don headphones to drown out her screa... I mean talking to her folks via skype.

I've also (about a minute ago) just discovered the K550/553's as well. I take it these would be about my best option? (Basically - less than £100, closed back, best positional audio I can get for the price. SB omni driving).

I can see me just going with the "no ****'s given" stereo extension lead somehow zip-tied to the headphone option to be honest.

 

[nicobombai]

 

Was just headed back here with the afterthought that with my dearest lady wife being Greek (Greeks are loud) there's the odd occasion I must don headphones to drown out her screa... I mean talking to her folks via skype.

I've also (about a minute ago) just discovered the K550/553's as well. I take it these would be about my best option?

I can see me just going with the "no ****'s given" stereo extension lead somehow zip-tied to the headphone option to be honest.

 
Dem descriptions tho LOL
 
Hmm, i'm using DT770 myself, they sound fun and immersive, but when the bass kicks in some details are sucked out sometimes.
K550/553 would be a good option, i might get those later on too. There's a sound demo on youtube by Z-reviews (he's not a credible source for reviews, but atleast in the sound demo, you have an idea on what you're going to get from the headphone)

 

[Knightfury]

Also noted the (K553) detachable cable mod elsewhere here. That might be a winner. I'm not afraid of a bit of soldering . There's the v-moda and whatever the "ket-direct" mic is (similar idea) too which are then just a plug in away from being perfect.

Anyway, I'll leave it there pending other replies. I don't want to clutter this (so far very educational) thread with my specific ask. Tyvm for replies and ideas

 

[Etrips]

So it looks like I have been recommended three different sound cards for my PC, the Sound Blaster Z, Creative Omni, and the ASUS Xonar. Is there any real difference between the models?

 

[TeeReQs]

So it looks like I have been recommended three different sound cards for my PC, the Sound Blaster Z, Creative Omni, and the ASUS Xonar. Is there any real difference between the models?

If you're after virtual surround you need to decide which flavor you like most. SBX or Dolby Headphone in this case.