[kashim]

hi guys i actually have ad700x + soundblaster z with that settings:
windows : 5.1
ingame : headphones
pro studio settings
sorround : 50%
crystalizer : off
bass : off
and i didn t like the positional accuracy,i know ad700x is a good competitive headphone and sb z have good sorround,but what is wrong?i m planning to upgrade my system and buy b350 msi thunder motherboard...is worth hold and setup up my soundcard,buy better soundcard or amp/dac?
most important thing for me is positional accuracy

 

[hakka]

Set in game to 5.1 surround.

 

[kashim]

Set in game to 5.1 surround.

thanks for the reply.
For biggest soundstage and positional accuracy is better play stereo or 5.1?

 

[hakka]

For biggest soundstage and positional accuracy is better play stereo or 5.1?

Set windows and game to 5.1 surround (some games have no option they just detect the windows setting), SBX pro studio will take that 5.1 signal and mix it into a 2 channel signal with virtual surround. I've found setting SBX at 66% gives the best results. (I have ad900x and soundblaster AE-5 and ZXR).

If you set your game to headphones you need to disable SBX. Some games have a good headphone mode but I find using SBX gives better results 99% of the time (the only exception I've found is 'Prey', that had some weird sound design).

 

[kashim]

Set windows and game to 5.1 surround (some games have no option they just detect the windows setting), SBX pro studio will take that 5.1 signal and mix it into a 2 channel signal with virtual surround. I've found setting SBX at 66% gives the best results. (I have ad900x and soundblaster AE-5 and ZXR).

If you set your game to headphones you need to disable SBX. Some games have a good headphone mode but I find using SBX gives better results 99% of the time (the only exception I've found is 'Prey', that had some weird sound design).

thanks for the tips

 

[SCalla0490]

Sorry, I cant post a new thread. Hoping this post gets some attention. I recently bought the G6 with sennhieser GSP 500s. Sounds amazing, especially coming from Astro a40s and TR mixamp. One thing I wish I had was seperate audio mix for Discord.

Is there any possible way I can hook my astro TR mixamp up to control audio chat? So games and music and videos from the G6, then the volume dial to turn down Discord chat?

 

[PurpleAngel]

hi guys i actually have ad700x + Sound Blaster Z with that settings:
windows : 5.1
ingame : headphones
pro studio settings
surround : 50%
crystalizer : off
bass : off
and i didn't like the positional accuracy,i know ad700x is a good competitive headphone and sb z have good surround,but what is wrong?i I' m planning to upgrade my system and buy b350 msi thunder motherboard...is worth hold and setup up my sound card, buy better sound card or amp/dac?
most important thing for me is positional accuracy

The SB-Z's headphone jack has a 22-Ohm output impedance, the Audio Technica ATH-AD700X is a 38-Ohm headphone, so you might be having damping issues with the headphones, the AD700X might be getting a bloated (louder, less detailed) bass.
The MSI B350 Tomahawk (Thunder) motherboard comes with a Realtek ALC892 audio processor, so the SB-Z card would be better for audio.
Even better might be to replace the SB-Z, with a newer Creative Labs sound card, as their headphone output has a much lower output impedance, which should help (at least a little) bring out more detail in the audio, with the AD700X.

In your game, what other audio setting are there besides "Headphone"?

 

[kashim]

The SB-Z's headphone jack has a 22-Ohm output impedance, the Audio Technica ATH-AD700X is a 38-Ohm headphone, so you might be having damping issues with the headphones, the AD700X might be getting a bloated (louder, less detailed) bass.
The MSI B350 Tomahawk (Thunder) motherboard comes with a Realtek ALC892 audio processor, so the SB-Z card would be better for audio.
Even better might be to replace the SB-Z, with a newer Creative Labs sound card, as their headphone output has a much lower output impedance, which should help (at least a little) bring out more detail in the audio, with the AD700X.

In your game, what other audio setting are there besides "Headphone"?

i need to play with windows volume 20% or headphones are loud...then you are right probably,u think is worth it sell sb z and buy another soundcard?the best out now?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Yea, sell off the SB-Z card and get the Creative Labs AE-5 sound card.
The Z series and AE series both use the Soundcore3D audio processor, I'm assuming the AE series gets more software updates.
I'm not an expert on Creative sound card, so feel free to ask others about sound cards.
I'm more of an Asus sound card person, but now just use my Topping DX7s DAC/amp.
When I install internal sound cards, I usually disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS (but not a big deal).

 

[kashim]

Yea, sell off the SB-Z card and get the Creative Labs AE-5 sound card.
The Z series and AE series both use the Soundcore3D audio processor, I'm assuming the AE series gets more software updates.
I'm not an expert on Creative sound card, so feel free to ask others about sound cards.
I'm more of an Asus sound card person, but now just use my Topping DX7s DAC/amp.
When I install internal sound cards, I usually disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS (but not a big deal).

if i wan t the best positional accuracy possible is better
ae-5 + ad700x
or
schiit fulla 2 + ad700x + razer sorround

 

[PurpleAngel]

if i want the best positional accuracy possible is better
ae-5 + ad700x or schiit fulla 2 + ad700x + razer surround

I have zero experience with FPS PC gaming headphone surround sound, I prefer strategy gaming.
So have no idea on Creative vs Razor.
Try asking on this thread.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mad...9-grado-wh1-the-white-headphone-added.534479/

 

[whitedragem]

hi guys i actually have ad700x + soundblaster z with that settings:
windows : 5.1
ingame : headphones
pro studio settings
sorround : 50%
crystalizer : off
bass : off
and i didn t like the positional accuracy,i know ad700x is a good competitive headphone and sb z have good sorround,but what is wrong?i m planning to upgrade my system and buy b350 msi thunder motherboard...is worth hold and setup up my soundcard,buy better soundcard or amp/dac?
most important thing for me is positional accuracy

A quick write up on setting a PC up for best 3D sound using headphones:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ope...hooter-video-game.907753/page-2#post-15178280. (Teas by me, so; a brief...)

A) configure Sound control applet/windows to output surround sound. Ie speakers 5.1/6.1 etc
B) set games to surround output /dynamic ‘full range’
C) use creative output to ‘encode Headphone Surround’ for realistic 3D.

That being said- my short guide could prove VERY FRUSTRATING, hence the link which might go to more length explaining how 3D sound works in windows/more generalised setup procedures..

The takeaway is that windows and the game want to be outputting full frequency sound in surround sound.
Then the mixing software can re-encode that as headphone surround.
I avoid Creative versions’ of this practise as they seem to not be willing to pay for ‘dolby headphone’. Windows has ‘Windows Sonic’, but there are a few ‘surround encoding’ methods to change 2 channel headphones into sounding, quite accurately, like a true 3D sound field.

The creative ‘fun’ options (eg crystaliser etc), I find are built for people with very low tier equipment, and generally cannot handle most of their effects turned up beyond 4-6% yes 4%! It is like they exagerate the effects on purpose so people can be aware that they are on/how much difference they can make.
At less than 10% they are actually listenable.

Maybe a cheap outboard box; I have found a few dolby headphone decoders (by turtle beach etc) in clearance bins for supercheap money. Feeding them a dolby digital output using fibre optic (windows set to surround sound) will create a very immersive soundfield for headphone listening.
Creative make a lot of consumer audio gear, but they just dont seem to want to pay licenses.
Auzentech partnered with creative years ago, as a lot of games supported Envirnomental Audio Extensions (EAX; creatives IP) and Auzen wanted to make a high quality music/multimedia soundcard ‘for the masses’. (Retailed for hundreds of dollars, so not that many ‘masses’ I suppose..) auzentech x-fi prelude i think was the name. Anything with dolby headphone is a safe bet and usable with a range of consoles as well(if accepting fibreoptic, although newer consoles are mostly HDMI only).

 

[whitedragem]

Auzentech preludes are older tech nowadays, and might require a specific slot on a mainboard no longer around, newer cards are things like Asus Xonar range, usually with third party drivers to work easily in win10 etc..
I understand why having an industry standard part (ie creative) might make sense, but they have proven time and time again to be bastards for drivers.
When windows vista rolled out, the audio stack was ’slightly different’; with big players in audio (creative) saying we wont support older products, here are new products.
‘Daniel_k’ famously fixed the drivers for older parts to work. Creative, at first, were going to sue them (daniel_k), and then realised that would look too anticonsumer, so used the drivers instead....
The audio companies they buy up and bury (aureal a3d) to remove competition is just bS.
Aureal a3d gave the best gaming surround sound ever..... (just not anymore)...(thanks creative!)

If you are going to ‘vote with your wallet’ and are not afraid to put a sound card in your pc, I’d go a second hand asus (local to me generally $20-$50). Reckon you would get 4x the sound for 1/4 the price.

 

[Mr Trev]

You could also check this out: https://sourceforge.net/projects/hesuvi/

No need to change hardware, and totally free. Just started playing around myself, so I can't really say how effective it is yet (also my laptop is only 2 channel so I need to use the KS repeater method)

 

[whitedragem]

OP; the above post links to software for Windows PC that will tailor your 2ch (headphone) output to any of a range of ‘processing boxes’ of ‘downmixing methods’, and would allow a ‘try before buy’ as to which method works best for you....

Perfect!