[Ruski]

Hey all,
 
My old Corsair headset is dying / falling apart so i figured it time to invest in a proper gaming setup.  I wanted something i can move between my PC and PS4 without much hassle and would work to their full potential on both systems!
 
I have researched a ton online, so much so that I feel like i am loosing my mind.  
 
Long story short I have purchased the following:
 
PC Setup:
Sennheiser HD 558
Antlion ModMic 2.3 
Sonar DG (has a built-in headphone amp and Dolby Headphone)
 
Now to the PS4.  I am a bit confused on what i should get to complete my setup.   Currently the PS4 is hooked up to the TV via Onkyo TX-NR809 receiver, so my question is in order to get the full PS4 experience with surround sound do i need to bypass the receiver or what?
 
From what i read online, it seems that the Astro MixAmp is the best option to bring surround sound to a gaming headset/headphones.  Can someone help
 
PS4 Setup:
Sennheiser HD 558
Antlion ModMic 2.3 
Astro MixAmp Pro ???
 
My mind is feeling numb from all the online reading, so any help in finalizing the PS4 setup would be much appreciated!

 

[Gdubz]

Out of curiosity, could you show me a picture of where you mounted the modmic to the HD558s? I just got my mic in the mail today and I'm curious!

 

[Gdubz]

Oh, and as far as the MIxamp goes... I'm currently running the Astro Mixamp Pro w/ Astro A40's when I want to chat with friends and play, and the Astro Mixamp Pro w/ HD 558's when I just want to soundwhore. I'm currently playing only on Xbox 360 (have the Xbox1 but don't use headphones on it yet til Microsoft fixes the surround sound output via optical).
 
Mad Lust Envy's got some good info on gaming setups and has included a diagram of how to get everything hooked up using a mixamp here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-12-27-2013-mrspeakers-alpha-dog-added
 
Here's the diagram:

I imagine the same would work for your PS4, using the optical audio out cable?
 
That is, unless of course, your receiver has Dolby Headphone or some similar virtual surround sound output via the headphone jack, instead of just mixing down to stereo. In which case, you could save some money by not buying the Mixamp at all.

 

[Ruski]

  Out of curiosity, could you show me a picture of where you mounted the modmic to the HD558s? I just got my mic in the mail today and I'm curious!

I am still waiting for the damn ModMic to arrive!  Shipping times from Antlion aren't the greatest.  I did see a video somewhere on youtube of it being mounted basically in the middle of the headphone cup.  Looked pretty clean even if you removed the modmic.
 
Ill see if i can track down the video link...
 
 
With regards to my situation, what would i be doing about my receiver?  Since i am passing audio from PS4 to Onkyo via HDMI, would i still be able to do optical out directly from PS4 to Astro MixAmp as an alternate?  Ideally i want something i don't have to constantly plug/unplug because my PS4 is tucked away in TV stand.  
 
I almost bought the A40's but decided on this setup instead.  Do you personally notice a big sound quality difference between A40 and 558's?  How is the Dolby Surround affect sound on the 558's with Astro MixAmp?

 

[Gdubz]

  I am still waiting for the damn ModMic to arrive!  Shipping times from Antlion aren't the greatest.  I did see a video somewhere on youtube of it being mounted basically in the middle of the headphone cup.  Looked pretty clean even if you removed the modmic.
 
Ill see if i can track down the video link...

 
Don't worry about it, I pretty much installed mine exactly as you mentioned. It's an alright spot, but the wire clip that came with the modmic isn't big enough to fit around the wire from the 558s, so every now and then I occasionally snag it and yank the mic off the headphones. Something I'll try to remedy later, but I like the placement and people can hear me just fine in game.
 
Quote:

 
With regards to my situation, what would i be doing about my receiver?  Since i am passing audio from PS4 to Onkyo via HDMI, would i still be able to do optical out directly from PS4 to Astro MixAmp as an alternate?  Ideally i want something i don't have to constantly plug/unplug because my PS4 is tucked away in TV stand.  
 
I almost bought the A40's but decided on this setup instead.  Do you personally notice a big sound quality difference between A40 and 558's?  How is the Dolby Surround affect sound on the 558's with Astro MixAmp?
 

 
You would continue to have your PS4 connected to your receiver for audio when you're not using headphones, but you would also run optical out from the PS4 to the mixamp for headphone audio. Audio can come out of both places simultaneously. I choose to mute my TV when I'm headphone gaming.
 
The Astro A40's + Mixamp is definitely a cleaner/simpler setup than the 558s + Modmic + Mixamp, but either way you're going to have to deal with a LOT of wires. It's really annoying either way. I'm still new to this whole audiophile world, but I definitely find the audio from the 558s to be better as far as positional awareness goes and a lot less bass than the A40's. 
 
I really wish there was a way to kill some of the unwanted music that seems to randomly start playing during a game (to get you pumped up I guess? lol).