[cheesecakeh]

Today, Black Friday, I bought the Sony DR-GA500 since it was on sale in-store for $100.  Upon bringing it back and reading up about it via Google, I might be starting to regret my purchase.  I am currently at a relative's for Thanksgiving, so I cannot test out the processor yet, but the headphones sound alright to me They feel a bit cheap in terms of material.
 
I'm looking for a good gaming surround sound headset - is this what I'm looking for? I read somewhere that nowadays surround sound is integrated in most sound cards/motherboards.  My computer is currently using the BIOSTAR TH67+ as a motherboard and a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE as a sound card.  Will the processor from the DR-GA500 make a difference from using regular headphones like the Sennheiser HD 280s that I have?
 
Alternatively, I had my eyes on the Logitech G930, which does Head-Fi recommend? Having a sound card seems rather moot when the Logitech G930 is USB, haha.

 

[NamelessPFG]

If you could've found an X-Fi Titanium HD on clearance somewhere during Black Friday, that would've been great. You'd then have a better sound card and no need for external surround DSPs thanks to CMSS-3D Headphone, which works well with any competent stereo headphone. At least you have that binaural surround DSP that came with the GA500 that should work with any headphone you can plug into it.
 
As for headphones to use...if you don't want to stick with the HD 280, I'm hearing great things about the Samson SR850/Superlux HD668B, but have not tried those. If you had around $220 to spend, you could get the Audio-Technica AD900.
 
I'd personally avoid USB headsets for that simple "has its own sound card" reason...that, and all of them generally aren't audiophile products anyway.

 

[trog]

Hehe my latest budget buy was between the JVC RX700 and Superlux HD668B. Really torn but after auditioning both and seeing the weird looks of the JVC were irrelevant since these are for home use the RX700 got the nod and ya good stereo cans even some bargain gems always for gaming for me 

 

[cheesecakeh]

 
Quote:

If you could've found an X-Fi Titanium HD on clearance somewhere during Black Friday, that would've been great. You'd then have a better sound card and no need for external surround DSPs thanks to CMSS-3D Headphone, which works well with any competent stereo headphone. At least you have that binaural surround DSP that came with the GA500 that should work with any headphone you can plug into it.
 
As for headphones to use...if you don't want to stick with the HD 280, I'm hearing great things about the Samson SR850/Superlux HD668B, but have not tried those. If you had around $220 to spend, you could get the Audio-Technica AD900.
 
I'd personally avoid USB headsets for that simple "has its own sound card" reason...that, and all of them generally aren't audiophile products anyway.

Would this work?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102024
 
Yay for Cyber Monday =)
 
It's also not that I don't like the HD 280 (I love it).. I just have a terrible habit of... 'collecting' things. In this case, I like having more than two headphones (just bought the V-Moda Crossfades on sale).
 
I'm just curious though, does the processor packaged with the DR-GA make that much difference? When I used it I felt like it was a decrease in sound quality.

 

[NamelessPFG]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by cheesecakeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Would this work?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102024
 
Yay for Cyber Monday =)
 
It's also not that I don't like the HD 280 (I love it).. I just have a terrible habit of... 'collecting' things. In this case, I like having more than two headphones (just bought the V-Moda Crossfades on sale).
 
I'm just curious though, does the processor packaged with the DR-GA make that much difference? When I used it I felt like it was a decrease in sound quality.

That's the "standard" Titanium, not the Titanium HD. I think I've seen those standard X-Fi Titanium models before, significantly cheaper on Amazon and other sites, closer to $60. I suppose that if you need even better sound quality, you can put that Toslink S/PDIF output to use and connect it to a DAC, leaving the X-Fi card itself as a DSP for CMSS-3D Headphone and EAX and so forth.
 
Sound quality may not be the very best you can get, but it's still an improvement over integrated motherboard audio. You don't even need that audio processor with the DR-GA500 thanks to CMSS-3D Headphone.
 
As for that audio processor...that's what's supposed to make your sound more binaural and less stereo (left/right panning only) out of a standard pair of stereo headphones. As to how well it works compared to more established technologies like CMSS-3D Headphone and Dolby Headphone, I have no idea...