[namloc]

seems like the V-MODA Crossfade M-100 are really popular, how are they for gaming? so far its either the Philips l1 or v-moda m-100

 

[imagine123]

Think i'll stick with the essence STX, any recommendations to combine with that? Didn't get that much out of what you told me to look at...

 

[Sleinzel]

Quote:

Think i'll stick with the essence STX, any recommendations to combine with that? Didn't get that much out of what you told me to look at...

 
I have the Essence ST and Q701... Pretty good setup in my opinion.

 

[Nurse13]

I have the Essence ST and Q701... Pretty good setup in my opinion.

I have the Essence STX and recently acquired Q701. I would consider myself an average user, but by no means does that mean i dont care about sound quality and optimal settings to utilize full potential of my hardware. Because of this i have been struggling the xonar software audio settings. I am using the C-media panel from brainbit as it drastically reduces DPC latency for me. Any hows im wondering how other STX/ST owners are using for audio settings with their Q701's. I mean are you using gain settings? And how much? What about audio mixer? The C-media panel has a max of +12db gain and just 1 mixer setting (no SVN) that acts as the main volume knob.
The reason I use the c-media panel instead of xonar audio center is because of the overwhelming amount of options lol
I mean do you use high gain (because Q701 have like what 60 ohms impedance? i dont remember) then lower mixer settings and then what of the volume knob? Confusing. I just want to plug it in, and it work great!

 

[pietcux]

Think i'll stick with the essence STX, any recommendations to combine with that? Didn't get that much out of what you told me to look at...

I had the STX in my gaming rig. Ran it most of the time with the AKG K 401 that I stupidly sold last year, only to purchase the AKG K 702 today. These AKG cans have the best enemy location in games I came across. Right now I run the sound through a XONAR USB, but I will repurchase the STX for sure next month. And btw the AKGs are extremly comfy fot hours of gaming.....

 

[pietcux]

I have the Essence STX and recently acquired Q701. I would consider myself an average user, but by no means does that mean i dont care about sound quality and optimal settings to utilize full potential of my hardware. Because of this i have been struggling the xonar software audio settings. I am using the C-media panel from brainbit as it drastically reduces DPC latency for me. Any hows im wondering how other STX/ST owners are using for audio settings with their Q701's. I mean are you using gain settings? And how much? What about audio mixer? The C-media panel has a max of +12db gain and just 1 mixer setting (no SVN) that acts as the main volume knob.
The reason I use the c-media panel instead of xonar audio center is because of the overwhelming amount of options lol
I mean do you use high gain (because Q701 have like what 60 ohms impedance? i dont remember) then lower mixer settings and then what of the volume knob? Confusing. I just want to plug it in, and it work great!

So you use the C Media panel and not the STX panel...? Does that mean, that you do not use any Dolby Headphone capabilities that the STX brings you?

 

[Nurse13]

Uhm ya... is that a bad thing?

I thought your not supposed to for best sound quality and use of your headphones. I'm going back to it though i guess..

still looking for optimal sound and gain settings.

 

[pietcux]

The Xonar STX is not complete if you see it as a hardware only solution. The STX driver software is half of the quality. You might want to select the middle gain setting for the K701 as it is not overly power efficient. Then select headphone on analog out and 8 channels. DSP mode Gaming plus GX is very good IMHO, use it always. Switch to HF for music though, as the DH simulation for music is a bit too artificial for me.  And you better use the card's headphone out. If you use the front out connection, you can have the computer hardware influence the sound. Most front out connector cables are not properly shielded and inside a computer case is a lot of HF terror going on.

 

 

[Nurse13]

Quote:

The Xonar STX is not complete if you see it as a hardware only solution. The STX driver software is half of the quality. You might want to select the middle gain setting for the K701 as it is not overly power efficient. Then select headphone on analog out and 8 channels. DSP mode Gaming plus GX is very good IMHO, use it always. Switch to HF for music though, as the DH simulation for music is a bit too artificial for me.  And you better use the card's headphone out. If you use the front out connection, you can have the computer hardware influence the sound. Most front out connector cables are not properly shielded and inside a computer case is a lot of HF terror going on.

 

I see... i always thought that since these are stereo headphones so why use 8 channels. I never understood what the GX does...i never used it really, i would only use a crossover frequency for my  speaker setup for movies. Bass tends to get quite loud.

 

[Impulse]

I was thinking about 200-300$ on amp and the other budget for only the headphones.

I will look into thoose threads when i get home from work. Edit: if i buy gjerne titanium HD, then i need a amp too?

For more demanding headphones, yes. Creative claims it can handle 300 ohm headphones but it's got a pretty weak non-discrete amp, you'd want a separate one for Senn HD 600+, most Beyers/AKG, etc.

Think i'll stick with the essence STX, any recommendations to combine with that? Didn't get that much out of what you told me to look at...

I recommended those other threads for the subject of sound cards and general PC setup topics... This thread's shock full of headphone recommendations tho, I forget what you were looking for exactly. I've been very happy with my DT 880 + STX tho, if that's worth anything. I think they're one of the better mid-range all-arounders when they drop under $250 (pretty often at Amazon, specially for the Pro version, check camelcamelcamel).

seems like the V-MODA Crossfade M-100 are really popular, how are they for gaming? so far its either the Philips l1 or v-moda m-100

Closed portable headphones (M-100) are never gonna be stellar when it comes to gaming, even the majority of full size closeds will struggle in that regard... IMO you can do much better for the money if gaming's a big priority.

Uhm ya... is that a bad thing?

I thought your not supposed to for best sound quality and use of your headphones. I'm going back to it though i guess..

still looking for optimal sound and gain settings.

You can turn off all extra processing on the ASUS drivers when you're not gaming, no reason to fear them. I'd install them and play with the settings as suggested above (tho GX emulation mode seems irrelevant these days, I'd just use Dolby Headphone for gaming).

There's also a set of unified drivers (modified by a user, google it) that might address some of your concerns with the stock drivers... Haven't tried them myself, haven't had any issues with stock.

 

[Evshrug]

Ugh. I've just been car shopping the past 3 days. Can I just say, the whole sticker price + financing thing is such a headache compared to... anything else I've researched and shopped before? Bleh. At least it has made my Q701 seem cheap, on addition to already feeling like it was a great deal

I've got to write some things for Zigis, but eventually I want to reinvigorate my "If I Knew Then..." journal with explanations about a "whole audio system" setup and explanations about the role (and weight of importance) of a good quality amp, DAC, surround processing (if gaming or watching movies), music files, and headphones.

 

[Bombaman]

Hey i guys i wanted to ask a couple of things which really bugged me.
 
I used to have a STX+ MMX 300
Now i have a Dt 880 (600ohm) + E9k+E17
 
1) If you enable DH  STX/Mixamp, i found the Soundquality to be inferior to when you listen to it without. It is like a if you are standing in a big hall, if you now what i mean.
 
2) If we talk about gaming here are we only considering FPS? For i play mostelikely only RPGs or Sidescrollers where i want the enjoy the Soundtrack and immerse myself in the surroundings.
 
 I am going to buy a Q701 and am interested in the Soundstage of them, since the Dt 880s Sounds to me very close ( like Zombie_X described) 
Maybe then i might try out the Dt 990 ( 600ohms) aswell.

 

[Impulse]

I think you would only wanna use DH with first/third person perspective games (shooters or otherwise), can't imagine it'd be very effective with scrollers or RTS games even if they have a 5.1 audio option... Just like it isn't generally favored for music playback.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I'd use DH with any game that supported it, just for the added atmosphere and immersion. However, that doesn't mean you'll benefit from it. Definitely turn it off if a game doesn't support it.

 

[Bombaman]

Quote:

I'd use DH with any game that supported it, just for the added atmosphere and immersion. However, that doesn't mean you'll benefit from it. Definitely turn it off if a game doesn't support it.

So you would use DH in music aswell?
 
That is is the point to me. I want to enjoy those Soundtracks the game has to offer. DH just does not produce a good soundquality to me.
Thats why i thought i might try the 1701 with the xtra Soundstage to immerse myself more without sacrificing quality.