[Stillhart]

Okay, I'm still having problems understanding the audio issues with the Xbone, so let me try telling you my setup to see if this will work:
 
Currently, I have my Xbone piping optical out to my AVR and HDMI to my TV.  In theory, I'm getting DTS surround through my AVR since the Optical doesn't support Dolby.
 
I also have my TV connected to my AVR with an optical out for anything piping sound over HDMI (I don't have HDMI in my AVR, it's on the older side).  In theory, I could have the Xbone put the sound through the HDMI to the TV and have the TV pass it through to the AVR for surround.
 
So I'd like to get a wireless headphones/headset going.  I suspect I can use, for example, a Skullcandy PLYR1 to grab optical out from my AVR and pip virtual surround to the wireless headset.  First question, is that right?
 
I'm also considering getting a Mixamp 5.8.  I'd use optical out from the AVR for the virtual surround and then eventually, plug the chat cable (assuming I'm using a modmic or a headset with two connectors) into the new adapter thingy when it comes out in a week or so.  Second question, is this right?  (I'm not sure if the 5.8 does the virtual surround processing like the wired Mixamps.  And I'm not sure if it will work with my setup even if it does.)
 
Last option is to just plug the whole sheband into the controller with the new adapter for plain old Stereo audio and chat.  The rumor mill thinks Xbone may support virtual surround through the controller some day, but there's no proof and I can't count on that.  I'll assume that it'll just be stereo forever and ever.
 
So yeah, can anyone answer the two questions above?  Once I know the answers to those, I should be able to finally make a decision on what to buy.  Thanks in advance!

 

[rc10mike]

Seems complex..
 
Most surround headsets only work with Dolby Digital, but not DTS.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Okay, I'm still having problems understanding the audio issues with the Xbone, so let me try telling you my setup to see if this will work:
Currently, I have my Xbone piping optical out to my AVR and HDMI to my TV.  In theory, I'm getting DTS surround through my AVR since the Optical doesn't support Dolby.
I also have my TV connected to my AVR with an optical out for anything piping sound over HDMI (I don't have HDMI in my AVR, it's on the older side).  In theory, I could have the Xbone put the sound through the HDMI to the TV and have the TV pass it through to the AVR for surround.
So I'd like to get a wireless headphones/headset going.  I suspect I can use, for example, a Skullcandy PLYR1 to grab optical out from my AVR and pip virtual surround to the wireless headset.  First question, is that right?
I'm also considering getting a Mixamp 5.8.  I'd use optical out from the AVR for the virtual surround and then eventually, plug the chat cable (assuming I'm using a modmic or a headset with two connectors) into the new adapter thingy when it comes out in a week or so.  Second question, is this right?  (I'm not sure if the 5.8 does the virtual surround processing like the wired Mixamps.  And I'm not sure if it will work with my setup even if it does.)
Last option is to just plug the whole sheband into the controller with the new adapter for plain old Stereo audio and chat.  The rumor mill thinks Xbone may support virtual surround through the controller some day, but there's no proof and I can't count on that.  I'll assume that it'll just be stereo forever and ever.
So yeah, can anyone answer the two questions above?  Once I know the answers to those, I should be able to finally make a decision on what to buy.  Thanks in advance!

If your still using speakers, sell off the current AVR and buy a newer receiver (with HDMI).
Here is a Yamaha RX-V375 receiver for $202.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B981F38

 

[Stillhart]

  If your still using speakers, sell off the current AVR and buy a newer receiver (with HDMI).
Here is a Yamaha RX-V375 receiver for $202.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B981F38

Thanks for the reply.  Do newer receivers have virtual surround built-in? 
 
I have a pretty nice HK AVR that I picked after doing a ton of research on AVS Forums a few years back.  I didn't "future-proof" it because I couldn't afford it at the time -- I spent the majority of my budget on the speakers.  I didn't think upgrading my AVR at this point would provide anything since I have enough HDMI ports on my other gear to make it work fine (and the Harmony remote means I don't have to worry about inputs etc).  What's the advantage other than easier cable management?

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Thanks for the reply.  Do newer receivers have virtual surround built-in? 
I have a pretty nice HK AVR that I picked after doing a ton of research on AVS Forums a few years back.  I didn't "future-proof" it because I couldn't afford it at the time -- I spent the majority of my budget on the speakers.  I didn't think upgrading my AVR at this point would provide anything since I have enough HDMI ports on my other gear to make it work fine (and the Harmony remote means I don't have to worry about inputs etc).  What's the advantage other than easier cable management?

HDMI can carry 8-channels (7.1) 24-bit/192Khz of PCM (uncompressed) digital audio.
Optical can carry 6-chaanels (5.1) 24-bit/48Khz of compressed digital audio.
I doubt you could hear much of an audio quality difference for gaming, but you should notice with modern Blu-ray movies, using HDMI.
All the Yamaha receiver's come with Silent Cinema, Yamaha's own headphone surround sound tech, which I guess is "decent".
Not sure what your H&K comes with,
What is the make and model of the H&k receiver?

 

[Stillhart]

  HDMI can carry 8-channels (7.1) 24-bit/192Khz of PCM (uncompressed) digital audio.
Optical can carry 6-chaanels (5.1) 24-bit/48Khz of compressed digital audio.
I doubt you could hear much of an audio quality difference for gaming, but you should notice with modern Blu-ray movies, using HDMI.
All the Yamaha receiver's come with Silent Cinema, Yamaha's own headphone surround sound tech, which I guess is "decent".
Not sure what your H&K comes with,
What is the make and model of the H&k receiver?

It's an AVR 340.  I read somewhere that some of the older HK AVR's come with Dolby Headphones but I never even though to look into for mine.  I still have the manual sitting around somewhere...  FWIW, I've been extremely pleased with my AVR.
 
I read about Silent Cinema but I haven't seen any Youtube comparisons.  I'm guessing it's pretty hard to record.  Better than no surround I suppose?
 
EDIT - Just did some research and my AVR TOTALLY does Dolby Headphone!  It's only 5.1, but it's better than nothing.  Now to see if I can get surround from my Xbox using the Optical out to my AVR!
 
EDIT2 - And for the life of me, I can't find a 1/4" to 1/8" adaptor to test it out.  *sigh*  Wonder where the closest Radio Shack is...

 

[Stillhart]

So I went to Fry's today to pick up the adaptor and, completely by chance, I saw they had the Creative SB Recon3D for $5!  I grabbed two, one for the Xbone and one for the PC.  I figure if it sucks, it's only $5 down the drain.  Now that I know about the AVR doing DH, I may not even need it for the Xbone.  I do like the THX surround better than the DH, though, from what I could tell from comparison videos.
 
Speaking of the AVR, can anyone tell me if it will amp the DT990 or Q701 enough to not need a separate headphone amp?  I think it's rated at 70 watts per channel, but I don't know if that applies to the headphone jack.

 

[Stillhart]

Another self-bump, sorry.  But I just found this and I don't know if it's common knowledge yet or not:
 
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?157577-POLK-AUDIO-4SHOT-XBOXONE-Comparison-verses-other-HEADSET
 
A direct quote from an engineer at Polk Audio who helped build their Xbone headset:
 
"The audio signal received by the Xbox One controller is two channel only. ANY headset that plugs into the controller will have access to only L and R audio signals. The Xbox One simulates surround (surround to stereo processing) internally before being sending audio to the controller wirelessly."
 
Basically this means any stereo headphones/headset will receive virtual surround through the controller!  This is amazing news!  I'm now much more confortable taking the plunge and getting a nice set of cans without worrying about trailing cords around the room.