So for the voice chat feature, we need to preset another USB input and output audio channel (in the case of PS3 and PS4) or another mic in and headphone out port (in the case of the XBox)? And in all these cases the voice chat output from the console only outputs voice chat audio, not mixed with the game SFX?
So if one were to use a conventional home theatre setup with no headphones, would the setup look like this?
1. HDMI to AV receiver playing game audio through 7.1 speakers
2. USB connection to a USB sound card with a single stereo output and a mic input to a separate pair of stereo speakers playing game chat and a mic receiving your voice
or
2. 3.5mm line out connection to a separate pair of stereo speakers playing game chat and 3.5mm mic input receiving your voice
?
And are you guys sure that the hiss you're hearing is coming from e.g. the Mixamp and not from the console's voice chat circuitry itself?
BTW, we already have a FiiO G1. It's a guitar amp
So, an Xbox360 and PS4 setup are (FWIR) basically the same. In a home theater, it would be set up like:
• Console HDMI or Optical ---> AV receiver playing game audio through 7.1 speakers
• 2-channel connection (2.5mm for Xbox360, 3.5mm for PS4) in console controller for mic input and mono chat audio output, connected to an included separate (crappy, uncomfortable) mono headset.
I don't have a PS3, but I think game audio is still HDMI/Optical, and microphones are connected by USB to either the console or controller's USB port.
And yes, chat audio is delivered separate from game SFX audio. Your question about the hiss possibly being from the chat audio is a good one, but I think the Mixamp users report that they hear the hiss even without chat audio plugged in.
With PCs, gamers generally have headsets with two 3.5mm connectors, one for audio and one for mic, or they have a pair of stereo desktop speakers and no mic functionality. Some gamers get regular headphones and a USB desktop mic.
Personally, I have tried a bunch of different setups (first was stereo, adapting RCA to 3.5mm and plugging into a FiiO E5
and headphones, with the console set to pipe chat audio with the game audio and just use the controller's port for a mic), I personally observe that the challenge is to not make a spiderweb of USB power, Optical, Chat, microphone and headphone wires in my lap. Short range, that's okay, because the cables don't have to reach far and you can kinda set the processor device (the hub of all these wires) off to the side, but longer reaches like in a living room with a couch and TV can be tricky to integrate chat audio and keep it neat. Instead of telling you, let me show you the setup pictures for the Recon3D USB:
As you can see, the Xbox 360 setup is the most complicated, and it sacrifices an elegant way to control the chat audio volume from the game SFX audio, but they do have a pretty novel idea with the audio extension cable: the Recon3D USB sits near the console, then there's one single analogue cable running to the couch with a hub at the end for plugging in the controller, headphone, and mic input. With a Mixamp, the processor unit sits with the gamer on the couch, with USB and Optical cables running between the couch and TV/console area. With the DSS, since I don't use Turtle Beach headsets, I just have a lapel mic plugged straight into my controller (with a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter) and all chat audio output sent to play with the game audio output through the optical cable and DSS.
