[Eric_C]

Well, my situation might be complicated by the discrete sound card (Xonar) trying to control sound in/out functions.

 

[WuLFiE]

I bought this a little less than a month ago. Very happy with the sound quality. It's been great. ...
 
..However! I am unsure why the 'Skullcandy GMX Dolby Transmitter' playback option will not work properly in my recently updated Windows 8.1 Pro PC. If I select Optical audio, it will playback videos and music just fine. However when I select the GMX Transmitter, It does not playback any audio. However if I right-click and go to properties and test the headset, I am able to hear the sound with no issues! It's to my understanding that this option is for the decoder box and allows me to get that '7.1 digital surround sound' experience.
 
If this is not the case, I apologize. But it seems to me that now, I cannot get the full use out of my $180 purchase. Does anyone have any ideas? Or should I suck it up and stick with the Digital SPDIF audio? I noticed that when I had selected the GMX Transmitter I got louder sound options than I was able to get with the onboard Optical in Windows 7. 
 
I'm just confused why this would be happening and if it's a Software issue with Win 8.1 or the PLYR hardware is incompatible with W8.1.. which would be a Windows problem technically I suppose..

 

[Eric_C]

"GMX Transmitter" is for the USB only--you'll notice this because that option only appears when your base station is switched on.
That's meant for chat audio, I believe. Also, USB won't give you 7.1 surround; only digital/spdf can.
 
I'm using Win 8.1 too, and I can get game + chat audio running fine with the PLYR 1.

 

[WuLFiE]

  "GMX Transmitter" is for the USB only--you'll notice this because that option only appears when your base station is switched on.
That's meant for chat audio, I believe. Also, USB won't give you 7.1 surround; only digital/spdf can.
 
I'm using Win 8.1 too, and I can get game + chat audio running fine with the PLYR 1.

Thanks for the quick response. I appreciate it. Are you sure that USB will not give you the simulated 7.1? There are plenty of headsets/phones out there that use a USB-powered decoder box or a small USB dongle to give you that simulated effect if I'm not mistaken. The Razer Kraken being one example, and the Asus Xonar U3, Creative Sound-Blaster X-Fi and maybe even the Asus xonar U7 too.
 
The set still sounds great, I just want to make sure that what I paid for is actually what I am getting. Otherwise, I may as well have just bought the PLYR 2's instead.
 
...I believe you. Went fidgeting in my sound options and only found a 'Mono' channel to configure for the GMX Transmitter. Looking at the properties for the S/PDIF I can see that it supports the Dolby Digital. I guess the USB is just for power and mic then eh? lol? 
 
Sorry for being a doubter! I'm really enjoying these things so far. One con though, I wish they weren't so 'plasticky' feeling.

 

[Eric_C]

Oh hm I might have been wrong about USB's capabilities. My bad. I don't know where I got that idea from...
 
In the case of the PLYR 1 headset though, I'm pretty sure that you can only get 7.1 via Optical. 
And yeah, it's worth it to have PLYR 1 over PLYR 2; fiddling with audio settings, you can get pure stereo instead of virtual surround, and it sounds mighty different. 
 
When you say "plasticky", do you mean the build? Or the sound?

 

[WuLFiE]

  Oh hm I might have been wrong about USB's capabilities. My bad. I don't know where I got that idea from...
 
In the case of the PLYR 1 headset though, I'm pretty sure that you can only get 7.1 via Optical. 
And yeah, it's worth it to have PLYR 1 over PLYR 2; fiddling with audio settings, you can get pure stereo instead of virtual surround, and it sounds mighty different. 
 
When you say "plasticky", do you mean the build? Or the sound?

Just tryin' to make sure I'm getting what I paid for! lol
 
But yeah, when I say that I just mean the build really. They still sound great and they stifle the sound of my R9 290 well and the playback is great. But when it's time to take them off for the night the build's hard plastic definitely shows and my pair have actually developed a small bit of plastic 'creak' if you will when moving them around when they're not on my head.

 

[blkmagic]

Hi Guys,
 
Long time lurker here. Thanks to this forum (ljokerl's multi-iem and Mad Lust Envy's gaming headphone reviews especially), I've learned a great deal about headphones and my personal sound preferences. I bought the Beyerdynamic MMX 101 and Audio Technica CKM500 based on ljokerl's review and enjoyed both. Although my favorite of the 2, the MMX101's wire broke after about 1 month of usage. 
 
With that said, I'm very interested in purchasing the PLYR1 but am a little concerned about the mic issue. I've read on Amazon and on this forum that the mic tends to be soft and in some instances, unusable with Skype. Skype and other VoIP software are a major part of my day so I'd just like to get some feed back on your experiences here. For your info, my desktop PC has SPDIF output and 5.1 surround built in (5.1 output plugs) using Realtek chipset. 
 
Please include the proper configuration in your reply as I'm a bit confused by the connecting options.

 

[WuLFiE]

  Hi Guys,
 
Long time lurker here. Thanks to this forum (ljokerl's multi-iem and Mad Lust Envy's gaming headphone reviews especially), I've learned a great deal about headphones and my personal sound preferences. I bought the Beyerdynamic MMX 101 and Audio Technica CKM500 based on ljokerl's review and enjoyed both. Although my favorite of the 2, the MMX101's wire broke after about 1 month of usage. 
 
With that said, I'm very interested in purchasing the PLYR1 but am a little concerned about the mic issue. I've read on Amazon and on this forum that the mic tends to be soft and in some instances, unusable with Skype. Skype and other VoIP software are a major part of my day so I'd just like to get some feed back on your experiences here. For your info, my desktop PC has SPDIF output and 5.1 surround built in (5.1 output plugs) using Realtek chipset. 
 
Please include the proper configuration in your reply as I'm a bit confused by the connecting options.

Works fine for me on the PC. The mic is ran via USB I believe. I have no issues in Google Voice.

 

[blkmagic]

Thanks for the quick reply WuLfiE!
 
May I know how you've attached the headset to your PC? Are you on Win 8? And are you using the 3.5mm or optical? 
 
Sorry about all the questions but I've read many posts regarding mic issues, and VoIP is really important for me.

 

[blkmagic]

I've been looking thorough the Skullcandy Q&A section for the PLYR1 and come upon this answer by user "Brooke SKDYadmin"
 
"I wouldn't say one headset is better than the other. It's all about the gaming experience that best suits you. The PLYR 2 is 5.1 high quality stereo sound. The PLYR 1 has absolutely mindblowing 7.1 Dolby Digital sound. The most important thing to note is that if you plan on using the PLYR 1 for your PC, you must be sure that you have a sound card that is Dolby Digital capable. If not, you would need to purchase a separate USB sound device to allow you the full audio experience."

 

The built in Realtek sound card on my motherboard has dts Connect... but not Dolby Digital. Does this mean I won't be able to get 7.1 surround sound unless I buy a Dolby capable USB sound device? PC accessories have become really complicated... convergence is great when it works... but as of now it seems rather convoluted.

 

[Eric_C]

 
May I know how you've attached the headset to your PC? Are you on Win 8? And are you using the 3.5mm or optical? 

 
Dunno about wulfie, but I'm on Win8.1 and I use the PLYR 1 often for Skype. No issues with the mic. 
It's not connected via 3.5mm or optical btw--chat is done via USB.
 

  The built in Realtek sound card on my motherboard has dts Connect... but not Dolby Digital. Does this mean I won't be able to get 7.1 surround sound unless I buy a Dolby capable USB sound device? PC accessories have become really complicated... convergence is great when it works... but as of now it seems rather convoluted.

 
No you will not get 7.1 sound with your Realtek. Here, 7.1 sound is basically like this:
1. Movie or game with 7.1 sound, inherently
2. Sound card that can understand this 7.1 sound information, and then output it.
 
For the PLYR 1, the base station is 3 things:
1. A headphone stand (seriously)
2. A wireless transmitter for the headset, both for mic audio and headphone audio
3. A DAC! How cool is that?
The base station is a special DAC, in the sense that it can understand a 7.1 sound signal fed to it via TOSlink only, and then process it for headphones, so that you can get virtual surround on headphones. That 7.1 sound info must come from your PC, so your PC's internal sound card must be able to handle unprocessed 7.1 sound.
 
It sounds like you want the PLYR 2 for wireless, or just the SLYR for wired gaming.

 

[WuLFiE]

  I've been looking thorough the Skullcandy Q&A section for the PLYR1 and come upon this answer by user "Brooke SKDYadmin"
 
"I wouldn't say one headset is better than the other. It's all about the gaming experience that best suits you. The PLYR 2 is 5.1 high quality stereo sound. The PLYR 1 has absolutely mindblowing 7.1 Dolby Digital sound. The most important thing to note is that if you plan on using the PLYR 1 for your PC, you must be sure that you have a sound card that is Dolby Digital capable. If not, you would need to purchase a separate USB sound device to allow you the full audio experience."

 

The built in Realtek sound card on my motherboard has dts Connect... but not Dolby Digital. Does this mean I won't be able to get 7.1 surround sound unless I buy a Dolby capable USB sound device? PC accessories have become really complicated... convergence is great when it works... but as of now it seems rather convoluted.

I'm running mine off of the Realtek on-board as well. No sound card for me. Accordign to the ASUS website it is the "Realtek® ALC 892 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC" driver. Here's the spec page of my mobo: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8P67_PRO/#specifications
 
Only has info about "DTS Surround Sensation" and S/PDIF out. I have no extra wires connecting the set to the audio decoder box. The box is plugged into the back of my PC by USB and Optical audio. That's really all there is to it. Great sound imo. The Dolby Digital 7.1 is the simulated effect that the audio decoder outputs to your set from what I understand.
 
EDIT: I am using Windows 8.1 Pro as well. Like Eric said, I haven't had any issues with it in any VOIP yet. Google Voice works fine and Mumble works fine as well. But I only use Push-To-Talk in Mumble.

 

[Eric_C]

Yeah I love how it's just 2 cables--no separate power ftw!

 

[blkmagic]

Thanks for your feedback WuLFiE,
 
I'm running the Asus Z87 Pro mobo with Realteck 1150 audio chipset, https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z87PRO/#specifications. I'm glad to hear that VoIP works fine on your system as it was a major concern for me after reading a about a lot of issues with voices sounding soft etc. Do you know if the PLYR2 has identical driver and sound quality as the PLYR1, just less features? Surround sound is not a must have for me, but VoIP is!
 
Did you have to change any settings (default format?) in the Realtek Audio Manager under Digital Output (optical)?
Did you have to boost the mic gain in windows audio settings?
Does the PLYR1 come with an optical cable?

 

[blkmagic]

Yes, no need for extra power cable is a plus!
 
Thank you for your detailed info as well Eric!
 
When you said
 

 It's not connected via 3.5mm or optical btw--chat is done via USB.

Do you mean just for the mic input right? For audio output, are you connected to optical or 3.5mm?
 

 The base station is a special DAC, in the sense that it can understand a 7.1 sound signal fed to it via TOSlink only, and then process it for headphones, so that you can get virtual surround on headphones. That 7.1 sound info must come from your PC, so your PC's internal sound card must be able to handle unprocessed 7.1 sound.

Little confused by this statement. Based on WuLFiE's account, seems like he is getting 7.1 via the optical output. I presume the TOSlink is just outputting unprocessed (stereo?) audio since his sound card is not Dolby surround compliant. Am I misinterpreting what you said? Or does the PLYR1 also virtualize surround sound from stereo?