[Sinery]

Just got the GSX 1000 for $160 from a holiday deal -- plan on using it with the PC37X tonight in Destiny 2. Can't wait!

Be sure to make a comparison between the 7.1 implementations.
As far as I'm aware there isn't one as of yet.

 

[meringo]

This is by no means a review, but I just set it up for 7.1 --

I opened Destiny 2 and started to fold the paperwork for the GSX. About 5 seconds later, still looking down at the paper and not at my monitor, I thought I accidentally started streaming it to the other room (Nvidia Shield TV.) I'm already a bit impressed.... now back to the game.

 

[CooloutAC]

hello guys

can someone help me to get best gaming experiance possible ??

right now my on the go audio gaming was AKG k702 ( no bump edition)

with a chinnese dac FX audio x-6 but i have best onboard (period on the z27x generation) an maximus ix hero motherboard so i often to switch up from onboard to my dac fx-x6

i only play comepetive CS GO , overwatch and pubg also mainstream game like dota 2 or others

i really want the best experiance for gaming as possible i can

i laid my eyes on sennheiser GSX-1000 gaming dac/amp ??

its have good christmast price in my country arround 170 usd ish

will the GSX-1000 boost my experiance in competitive gaming ???

as i really love the akg-702 i prefer it over ad700x

or should i spend my money on better dac like chord mojo or something ???

please enlight me i really want the best gaming experiance as possible (if can pls no advice to change headphone cause for me this headphone is good)

thanks fellow gamers

IMO no, for some games it might sound more immersive, like for fallout4. but in games like cs:go or bf1 for example I prefer the in game surround modes with my onboard card over the gsx for positional cues.. The gsx sounds muffled like most 3rd party surround options. And the price is absolutely outrageous for what I consider a downgrade in quality. 16 bits? not custom eq? I really don't know why this guy shankly or one or two others are so adamant about how good it is. Did they get theirs for free?. I guess its all subjective, but this is an audiophile website? ... With people on here who can't tell diff between 16 bit and 32bit sounds? All I know is nothing sounds muffled when using the onboard audio and I still get surround sound and way more customization.

All you need is a headset with a very wide soundstage and your onboard card, which is much higher quality. I use sonic studio and in game surround settings. After I realized this was even better, I returned the gsx which afterwards felt like a scam. I just couldn't justify it.

The biggest difference for me is the headphones. Going from a cheap sennheiser hd 202 II to game ones or game zeros, was a huge difference in surround sound. In game surround settings did not sound like surround at all on the hd 202's, it just sounded like plain stereo. Butt the game ones and zeros have amazing surround sound! This is what really opened my eyes. Probably those big huge cups they tweak for gaming.

So even the whole stereo headphones vs 7.1 headsets is all a SCAM. All that matters is the soundstage. In fact stereo headphones are probably better for surround sound modes, since they have bigger drivers and don't sound cheap and tinny, like most "surround" headphones do. It has all been a learning experience for me ...

 

[Sinery]

IMO no, for some games it might sound more immersive, like for fallout4. but in games like cs:go or bf1 for example I prefer the in game surround modes with my onboard card over the gsx for positional cues.. The gsx sounds muffled like most 3rd party surround options. And the price is absolutely outrageous for what I consider a downgrade in quality. 16 bits? not custom eq? I really don't know why this guy shankly or one or two others are so adamant about how good it is. Did they get theirs for free?. I guess its all subjective, but this is an audiophile website? ... With people on here who can't tell diff between 16 bit and 32bit sounds? All I know is nothing sounds muffled when using the onboard audio and I still get surround sound and way more customization.

All you need is a headset with a very wide soundstage and your onboard card, which is much higher quality. I use sonic studio and in game surround settings. After I realized this was even better, I returned the gsx which afterwards felt like a scam. I just couldn't justify it.

The biggest difference for me is the headphones. Going from a cheap sennheiser hd 202 II to game ones or game zeros, was a huge difference in surround sound. In game surround settings did not sound like surround at all on the hd 202's, it just sounded like plain stereo. Butt the game ones and zeros have amazing surround sound! This is what really opened my eyes. Probably those big huge cups they tweak for gaming.

So even the whole stereo headphones vs 7.1 headsets is all a SCAM. All that matters is the soundstage. In fact stereo headphones are probably better for surround sound modes, since they have bigger drivers and don't sound cheap and tinny, like most "surround" headphones do. It has all been a learning experience for me ...

1) You can't hear the difference between 16 and 32 bit on modern recordings.
2) Soundstage is but one of many factors for awesome gaming.
3) What you actually comparing? The HD 202 + GSX vs Game Zeroes?
4) The hell does driver size has to do with the GSX?

 

[happycamperjack]

IMO no, for some games it might sound more immersive, like for fallout4. but in games like cs:go or bf1 for example I prefer the in game surround modes with my onboard card over the gsx for positional cues.. The gsx sounds muffled like most 3rd party surround options. And the price is absolutely outrageous for what I consider a downgrade in quality. 16 bits? not custom eq? I really don't know why this guy shankly or one or two others are so adamant about how good it is. Did they get theirs for free?. I guess its all subjective, but this is an audiophile website? ... With people on here who can't tell diff between 16 bit and 32bit sounds? All I know is nothing sounds muffled when using the onboard audio and I still get surround sound and way more customization.

All you need is a headset with a very wide soundstage and your onboard card, which is much higher quality. I use sonic studio and in game surround settings. After I realized this was even better, I returned the gsx which afterwards felt like a scam. I just couldn't justify it.

The biggest difference for me is the headphones. Going from a cheap sennheiser hd 202 II to game ones or game zeros, was a huge difference in surround sound. In game surround settings did not sound like surround at all on the hd 202's, it just sounded like plain stereo. Butt the game ones and zeros have amazing surround sound! This is what really opened my eyes. Probably those big huge cups they tweak for gaming.

So even the whole stereo headphones vs 7.1 headsets is all a SCAM. All that matters is the soundstage. In fact stereo headphones are probably better for surround sound modes, since they have bigger drivers and don't sound cheap and tinny, like most "surround" headphones do. It has all been a learning experience for me ...

I really don' think it's fair to judge GSX-1000 on Game Zero or Game One as they are not designed for enjoyable sound, but designed for heighten footsteps, so it might require a very different DAC, EQ, and Amp. Even the HD-598 suppose to be a lot better than the Game Zero according to Z Review here: . Here's his list of recommendation for Gaming headphones: https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/66x9c0/guide_headphones_gaming/

 

[CooloutAC]

1) You can't hear the difference between 16 and 32 bit on modern recordings.
2) Soundstage is but one of many factors for awesome gaming.
3) What you actually comparing? The HD 202 + GSX vs Game Zeroes?
4) The hell does driver size has to do with the GSX?

1) indeed

2) The MAIN factor, for SURROUND SOUND and positional audio in general. indeed.

3) yes. gaming headphones vs non gaming heapdhones.

4) It has to do with sound quality in general, on avg if not most of the time. And again, its why most headphones marketed as "surround" headphones, sound tinny and cheap.

 

[CooloutAC]

1) You can't hear the difference between 16 and 32 bit on modern recordings.
2) Soundstage is but one of many factors for awesome gaming.
3) What you actually comparing? The HD 202 + GSX vs Game Zeroes?
4) The hell does driver size has to do with the GSX?

I really don' think it's fair to judge GSX-1000 on Game Zero or Game One as they are not designed for enjoyable sound, but designed for heighten footsteps, so it might require a very different DAC, EQ, and Amp. Even the HD-598 suppose to be a lot better than the Game Zero according to Z Review here: . Here's his list of recommendation for Gaming headphones: https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/66x9c0/guide_headphones_gaming/

ALot of the reviews on the game zeros especially, are by fakes or morons.

First of all, anybody who says the game zeros have no bass, must not know how to manually adjust an eq. This is what I assume, you are assuming, and expect a cheap tinny sound. This is not the case with the sennheiser gaming heapdhones.

Or maybe they had the earlier model game zero and didn't have a powerful enough amp. IN that case they are just morons. I have to add though, the gsx 1000 really punches the game zeros nicely. I just wish it had a manual eq adjustment. e-sports is way to tinny for me to enjoy, but I understand the hardcore like eq's like that for the advantage.. but the other settings can be a bit muffled.

The setting on the GSX 1000 for best footsteps is the e-sport eq settings. AGain, its an EQ thing. Not really a hardware or software thing. IMO, the game zeros are great for a noisy environment, and have actually MORE bass then the game ones. The game ones have a fuller sound because of open back, and even wider sound stage if in a quiet environment. ALSO, on my onboard there is a preset eq for the game ones. that sound tremendous. There is no preset eq's for the game zeros which are a thing by themselves. But manual adjustments are fine if you can save the settings. The game ones imo are like 558/598. closer to 558. . But I would still say game ones have wider soundstage. I"ve tried both and preferred the game ones, they even felt more comfortable. But I did miss the awesome professional eq setting sonic studio had for the 558 which worked perfect for the game ones. I end up using dynamic setting alot for the game zeros cause I don't want to make an account for sonic studio to save my manual settings lol. I just haven't bothered but when I go from my 6 channel speakers system to headphones the custom eq settings change. I haven't bothered to figure this out.

The good thing about the cups in the game zeros and especially game ones open backs, is the surround sound feeling. I'm going to take a wild guess and say because these are "gaming" headphones, they designed the cups to really have a HUGE SOUNDSTAGE, first and foremost, for these reasons. And this is what truly matters when it comes to surround/positional sound. The Game Zeros sounded better in surround settings in games, then the arctic 7 I tried. Even though they are STEREO. BUT because they are stereo you are not losing any bass or sound quality, with smaller drivers, and still getting the fuller surround sound experience. They are designed for it.

The x1's this guy has in the video, is an example of a non gaming headphone. way way smaller soundstage, WAYYY Smallerr, and mids not prominent at all. just bass and highs which is better for music. I think the guy doing this review, lives in an imaginary world. He said they have a wider sound stage, No fkn way. Then he complains about the removable plug, which is a plus? Which they better do for the money lmao..... And the mic is exceptionable. the mic on these sennheisers, is indeed fkn phenomenal!! Wonder what mic he prefers? People rave about the Hyperx mic, but I found these sennheisers great. Mic volume was way too low on the gsx1000 though, and I had no eq for mic or adjustments, noise reductions at all like in sonic studio.

But again when listening to music on my game zeros I use a custom or dynamic eq preset, but I bought them for gaming. Movies are great with them.

 

[Sinery]

1) indeed

2) The MAIN factor, for SURROUND SOUND and positional audio in general. indeed.

3) yes. gaming headphones vs non gaming heapdhones.

4) It has to do with sound quality in general, on avg if not most of the time. And again, its why most headphones marketed as "surround" headphones, sound tinny and cheap.

1) You as in no human can.

2) Your terminologi is schiit mate.
Surround sound is a many speakers thing.
Virtual surround sound is a DSP thing.
Spatial sound is positional audio which I assume you meant.
Soundstage is the perceived width, or size of the room if you will in the case of speakers.
Imaging is how accurately spatial sounds is presented and is the most important factor in a headphone for competitive gaming and is usually better imaging means less soundstage and vice versa.

3) So you're judging an amp by comparing different headphones. Bloody brilliant mate.

4) Headsets are bad, what a surprise.

Honestly you're trying to judge a product on garbage hardware compared to other garbage and you barely know a goddamn thing about audio.
TFW took the bait.

 

[CooloutAC]

1) You as in no human can.

2) Your terminologi is schiit mate.
Surround sound is a many speakers thing.
Virtual surround sound is a DSP thing.
Spatial sound is positional audio which I assume you meant.
Soundstage is the perceived width, or size of the room if you will in the case of speakers.
Imaging is how accurately spatial sounds is presented and is the most important factor in a headphone for competitive gaming and is usually better imaging means less soundstage and vice versa.

3) So you're judging an amp by comparing different headphones. Bloody brilliant mate.

4) Headsets are bad, what a surprise.

Honestly you're trying to judge a product on garbage hardware compared to other garbage and you barely know a goddamn thing about audio.
TFW took the bait.

1) you sound like a guy who also believes the myth the human eye can't tell difference over 60 frames per second LMAO...... Wow, even in 2017. Why do they make hardware to support such things then? I sure as hell can tell the difference lol.

2) if we are playing semantics. Then lets change words to sound stage affects "spatial sound" which affects surround sound epxerience in GAMING!!!!!!! Just like the schiit head in that video review. You forget we are talking about gaming here, noting else. I also used the words positional audio in place of surround many times. Don't troll please. As far as your imaging definition. Its nice you pretend to be such an audiophile so well, but I don't care. More soundstage, in my actual hands on experience, = better surround sound. I believe the huge cups on these things play part.

I already blew your mind talking abouit how the sennheiser stereo headphones are better for surround then the gaming headphones marketed as such. Even ones with multiple drivvers. Whether it is a direct settings like bf1, or hrtf setting in cs:go or dsp settings, however you want to define it.... Its on your ears, you only have two and they are covered, it will always be pseudo. And any onboard can do it. Thats why soundstage is important. crappy imaging in a huge soundstage will still be preferred by me for positional cues. we have diff definitions.

While we are on the subject of spatial sound. The only thing dolby atmos for headphones is good for, is nothing.... The surround is better with just using sonic studio and surround settings in game. This is the perfect example of how better imaging, but less soundstage, is not better. For example going to 7.1 to stereo. Contrary to what many parrots out there say. Or what some pro gamers are used to, surround is better for positional cues. Another example is openback compared to closed back. I'm sure you would agree open backs have a wider sound stage. But you would not then agree they are better for positional cues? I disagree then. Openbacks give you the feeling of pulling off the headphones and looking behind you sometimes.

You seem to have a diff definition then I do of imaging. You seem to be talking about quality of the sound, not our new reference word "Positional Audio".

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/what-does-imaging-mean.592333/

3) Tell that to the reviewers putting the bloody brilliant crap online mate, when they are parrot frauds not realizing what they are talking about.

4) No, smaller drivers are bad in general. Trolling again?

 

[happycamperjack]

ALot of the reviews on the game zeros especially, are by fakes or morons.

The x1's this guy has in the video, is an example of a non gaming headphone. way way smaller soundstage, WAYYY Smallerr, and mids not prominent at all. just bass and highs which is better for music. I think the guy doing this review, lives in an imaginary world. He said they have a wider sound stage, No fkn way. Then he complains about the removable plug, which is a plus? Which they better do for the money lmao..... And the mic is exceptionable. the mic on these sennheisers, is indeed fkn phenomenal!! Wonder what mic he prefers? People rave about the Hyperx mic, but I found these sennheisers great. Mic volume was way too low on the gsx1000 though, and I had no eq for mic or adjustments, noise reductions at all like in sonic studio.

But again when listening to music on my game zeros I use a custom or dynamic eq preset, but I bought them for gaming. Movies are great with them.

The "fakes and morons" you just mentioned is the biggest headphone reviewer on Youtube. Even HardwareCanucks' review on this headphone also suggest that this headphone is not good for music or even games with very recessive mid and treble. This is simply not an audiophile headphone by any measure. I don't think any audiophile would take Game Zero seriously for audio quality. It's designed to win games not to enjoy games.

 

[CooloutAC]

The "fakes and morons" you just mentioned is the biggest headphone reviewer on Youtube. Even HardwareCanucks' review on this headphone also suggest that this headphone is not good for music or even games with very recessive mid and treble. This is simply not an audiophile headphone by any measure. I don't think any audiophile would take Game Zero seriously for audio quality. It's designed to win games not to enjoy games.

Explains the state we are in. I'm still baffled at all you regulars on this forum raving about the gsx 1000. I must be from another planet.

Well I preferred the game zeros over the game ones which is basically a sennheiser 558. The game zeros have more bass when properly eq'd and make the 558s sound muddy in comparison. Which I found pleasantly surprising, since usually the opposite is true for open vs closed. You can tell the gsx1000 is definitely not designed for something naturally bass heavy, they probalby had game zeros in mind. But I still couldn't justify using it. For example hd 202s were too muddy to use with the gsx 1000 I felt. You want something bright, its designed for gaming. 558s are 140 dollar headphones, out of the box punch for music. But the game ones come with a mic and detachable cord. If you want to spend 300 dollars on headphones for a 598 for probably a smaller soundstage. Or If music and realistic imaging in the quality sense of the word is more important to ya. Aren't going to use any custom sound settings, aren't going to travel with them. you do what you gotta do then.

But I still think game ones/game zero or 558s and recent onboard card is all you need and a better gaming experience then 598's on the gsx1000....

 

[raband]

But I still think game ones/game zero or 558s and recent onboard card is all YOU need and a better gaming experience then 598's on the gsx1000....

Hate to break it to you, but everyone's head/ears etc are built differently.

Every single one of the VSS DSP's out there are built around whichever model they use for averaging their target.

Some people find different brands/models VSS solutions/implementations to be vastly different -

the GSX1000 obviously doesn't work best with YOUR head

the onboard solutions you've tried have been decent for YOUR head

Personally - I've yet to find a VSS that is any better than average for anything in the front 180 degrees, with anything in front of me being a muddy mess.
The GSX1000 has been the best I've found so far - still not perfect, but it reduced the muddy area from the full 180 down to about 120 degrees in front of me (about 30 forward left and right are now good)

If the onboard solution works for you - fantastic, that's awesome - think yourself very lucky.

Just keep in mind the fact that people come in all shapes and sizes - the VSS solutions try to cater for a varying spread of those, with varying degrees of success.
I'm an outlier on pretty much all of them - you may just be an outlier on the model the GSX uses.
The solution doesn't work for YOU - no need to beat the dead horse and ridicule those who it does work for,

 

[x7007]

Did anyone with the STEREO Reset issue every restart had Creative or Asus Sound card before ?

 

[meringo]

From my tests the past couple of days, I've discovered the following:

1. The guy saying the GSX is useless is very wrong, and also unaware that Sennheiser's approach is unique
2. Paired with my PC37x, I'm getting an excellent "out of head" experience. Direction is much easier to pick up on in my game of choice (Destiny 2)
3. The 2.0 mode is actually pretty good. The GSX easily powers this headset and my E-MU Teaks
4. Setup is cake
5. Sennheiser's attention to detail is great... like how when I move my hand towards it, the backlighting amplifies. Awesome.

I wouldn't use this thing for music (in 7.1 mode, that is) and see this as expanding upon the already great gaming experience of the PC37x.

 

[Sinery]

From my tests the past couple of days, I've discovered the following:

1. The guy saying the GSX is useless is very wrong, and also unaware that Sennheiser's approach is unique
2. Paired with my PC37x, I'm getting an excellent "out of head" experience. Direction is much easier to pick up on in my game of choice (Destiny 2)
3. The 2.0 mode is actually pretty good. The GSX easily powers this headset and my E-MU Teaks
4. Setup is cake
5. Sennheiser's attention to detail is great... like how when I move my hand towards it, the backlighting amplifies. Awesome.

I wouldn't use this thing for music (in 7.1 mode, that is) and see this as expanding upon the already great gaming experience of the PC37x.

Sure, it's a fancy gadget but honestly the design is terrible.
Most irredeemable is that it just controls windows volume rather than internally like every other amp on the planet.
And then the display and leds and motion tracker makes it hella expensive while not being rather powerful even unlike other USB powered DAC/Amps - as I recall it doesn't even power some of Sennheisers headphones.