[Flangzor]

My primary focus is playing PC Games with virtual surround sound. As such, I'm trying to weight the following options as to how much to spend on which "package". The packages are effectively as follows:
 
Package A ( my current setup ) FREE
On-board Realtek sound
Sennhesser HD201s
 
+ Free
- Crappy sound
 
Package B ( potential gaming package ) $200
Creative Titanium HD $100
Audio Technica AD700 $200
 
+ CMSS Virtual Surround Sound
+ No need to spend extra on heaphone amp
 
Package C ( potential ultimate gaming package ) $500
Creative Titanium HD $100
AKG Q701 $240
O2 Headphone Amp $150
 
+ CMSS Virtual Surround Sound
+ Better headphones that supposidly would last longer than the AD700 (?)
+ Better audio experience
- Q701s need the Headphone Amp, so portability is compromised
- $300 more than package B
 
 
 
My question here would be. Is spending an extra $300 to go from package B to package C going to provide me a significant difference in audio quality when it comes to games?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

My primary focus is playing PC Games with virtual surround sound. As such, I'm trying to weight the following options as to how much to spend on which "package". The packages are effectively as follows:
 
Package A ( my current setup ) FREE
On-board Realtek sound
Sennhesser HD201s
 
+ Free
- Crappy sound
 
Package B ( potential gaming package ) $200
Creative Titanium HD $100
Audio Technica AD700 $200
 
+ CMSS Virtual Surround Sound
+ No need to spend extra on heaphone amp
 
Package C ( potential ultimate gaming package ) $500
Creative Titanium HD $100
AKG Q701 $240
O2 Headphone Amp $150
 
My question here would be. Is spending an extra $300 to go from package B to package C going to provide me a significant difference in audio quality when it comes to games?

Where did you get these prices from? (please list your location in your community profile).
Titanium HD, $100?
ATH-AD700, $200?
 
 
Asus Xonar DG or DGX sound card ($30-$40)
Samson SR850 semi-open headphones ($50)

 

[Flangzor]

Quote:

Where did you get these prices from? (please list your location in your community profile).
Titanium HD, $100?
ATH-AD700, $200?
 
 
Asus Xonar DG or DGX sound card ($30-$40)
Samson SR850 semi-open headphones ($50)

Sorry I had a typo, the AD700 is $100. The Titanium HDs are $100 refurb, $120 new. All three are from Amazon.com
 
I'm from Flordia

I'm a little confused by the two suggestions you gave. I'm not sure where they fit in, related to my question:
 
Is spending an extra $300 to go from package B to package C going to provide me a significant difference in audio quality when it comes to games?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Sorry I had a typo, the AD700 is $100. The Titanium HDs are $100 refurb, $120 new. All three are from Amazon.com
 
I'm from Flordia

I'm a little confused by the two suggestions you gave. I'm not sure where they fit in, related to my question:
 
Is spending an extra $300 to go from package B to package C going to provide me a significant difference in audio quality when it comes to games?

With FPS may not be worth the extra $300,
But I'm not into FPS and do not own the Q701s, So I'm not the best qualified at answering that question (just guessing).
I do own the ATH-AD700s, but their lack of bass is a turn off and I never use them anymore.
 
Option, if you went with the Asus Xonar Essence STX ($164) with the AKG Q701 ($240)
Total $405, no need to buy an add-on amplifier.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Okay, first important question: Do you play anything that utilizes the DirectSound3D or OpenAL APIs, and/or uses EAX versions 3/4/5?
 
If so, go straight for the X-Fi Titanium HD (or if you want to keep costs low, the basic X-Fi Titanium model if you can get it for no more than $45 shipped). If not, you have other options.
 
The thing you should keep in mind about the AD700 is that when people say it's bass-light, they aren't kidding. If you don't want to spend a fortune on headphones, the Samson SR850 is generally regarded as a more balanced choice around here.
 
Also note that for gaming only, you'll hit the law of diminishing returns on audio equipment very quickly, even moreso than if you planned on also using the setup as your primary means of music listening.

 

[Lambduh]

I highly recommend the Xonat ST/X for gaming. No recent games need eax support. I play cs:go with the Stx and pc360 and I am very satisfied.

 

[Flangzor]

Quote:

Okay, first important question: Do you play anything that utilizes the DirectSound3D or OpenAL APIs, and/or uses EAX versions 3/4/5?
 
If so, go straight for the X-Fi Titanium HD (or if you want to keep costs low, the basic X-Fi Titanium model if you can get it for no more than $45 shipped). If not, you have other options.
 
The thing you should keep in mind about the AD700 is that when people say it's bass-light, they aren't kidding. If you don't want to spend a fortune on headphones, the Samson SR850 is generally regarded as a more balanced choice around here.
 
Also note that for gaming only, you'll hit the law of diminishing returns on audio equipment very quickly, even moreso than if you planned on also using the setup as your primary means of music listening.

If I'm not mistaken, I don't since I mostly play newer games. AFAIK, those are all old technologies used pre-Vista?

The comparison of Samson SR850s to the AD700s is quite interesting. I'm certainly one who enjoys a decent amount of bass in my headphones, and didn't realize that. I should point out, that many of my opinions are based on the audio section of Overclock.net. I imagine AD700s are probably more competitive friendly, while the Samons you note may be more "fun" gaming friendly? Just guessing here...
 
In your opinion though, do you think I'd see a significant difference between the package B and C? It sounds like you're saying it will be minimal for gaming, but more noticable for music/movies?
 
I guess the other question would be longevity... I dont mind paying an extra $300 if these things are likely to last me years. It's partially why I was thinking of the O2 amp, since its supposidely the best, and the quality is very high.
Quote:

With FPS may not be worth the extra $300,
But I'm not into FPS and do not own the Q701s, So I'm not the best qualified at answering that question (just guessing).
I do own the ATH-AD700s, but their lack of bass is a turn off and I never use them anymore.
 
Option, if you went with the Asus Xonar Essence STX ($164) with the AKG Q701 ($240)
Total $405, no need to buy an add-on amplifier.

 
Ah, I see. The reason I wasn't thinking of the STX is because it seems I'm paying $64 for an internal headphone amp, plus as I understand it, it doesn't drive the Q701 to its full potential. Whereas, I could just spend that money on a higher quality headphone amp that would likely last years longer. In other words, if the card breaks in the next 5 years, or the technology moves forward... my O2 will still be useful ( and resellable ).
 
The THDs are also supposidy better at positional audio than the STX.
 
It's a good point option you're bringing up though! Please do correct me if any of that is wrong.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

If I'm not mistaken, I don't since I mostly play newer games. AFAIK, those are all old technologies used pre-Vista?

The comparison of Samson SR850s to the AD700s is quite interesting. I'm certainly one who enjoys a decent amount of bass in my headphones, and didn't realize that. I should point out, that many of my opinions are based on the audio section of Overclock.net. I imagine AD700s are probably more competitive friendly, while the Samons you note may be more "fun" gaming friendly? Just guessing here...
 
In your opinion though, do you think I'd see a significant difference between the package B and C? It sounds like you're saying it will be minimal for gaming, but more noticable for music/movies?
 
I guess the other question would be longevity... I dont mind paying an extra $300 if these things are likely to last me years. It's partially why I was thinking of the O2 amp, since its supposidely the best, and the quality is very high.

 
DirectSound3D got axed with Vista; it's why you need ALchemy or a similar wrapper to restore hardware-accelerated 3D sound in current versions of Windows. OpenAL, on the other hand, is OS-independent, and the reason why wrappers like ALchemy even work in the first place.
 
If you tell me what games you usually play, I can tell you what API it uses. Alternatively, if you want to find out for yourself, check the game install directories for one of these files:
 
-Mss32.dll (Miles Sound System, usually DirectSound3D)
-OpenAL32.dll or OpenAL64.dll
-fmodex.dll (FMOD Ex, completely software-based)
 
That, or check the in-game settings for any mentions of EAX or A3D. That's another giveaway that it uses hardware-accelerated audio and would benefit from an X-Fi card.
 
Do note that I do have a general preference for older games; I'd rather play something like Unreal Tournament, Tribes 1/2, or Battlefield 2 over most of the major multiplayer FPSs released over the last five years, and then there's other classics like the entire Thief series that just happen to use DirectSound3D like most games of the time.
 
If I had to guess from Mad Lust Envy's general impressions on "fun" vs. "competitive" headphones, you're probably right on the money regarding the AD700 vs. SR850. The bass presence on the SR850 might make it harder to pinpoint footsteps, but any sound card worth its price has an EQ you can use to get the AD700 frequency response if you really want it.
 
What I'm saying about the difference for gaming is basically a realization I had when moving from the AD700 to the Stax SR-Lambda; expensive headphones usually don't result in dramatic improvements in gaming audio positioning/imaging for the amount of money you're spending, but the way they deliver music can easily make the price tag much easier to bear. (Improvements in comfort are another easy justification; not that I found the AD700 uncomfortable or anything, but the Lambda was even MORE comfortable!)
 
As for whether the Q701 + Objective2 setup would be that much better than just the SR850 or AD700? I'm not going to pass judgment like that on headphones I've never heard for myself.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

If I'm not mistaken, I don't since I mostly play newer games. AFAIK, those are all old technologies used pre-Vista?
The comparison of Samson SR850s to the AD700s is quite interesting. I'm certainly one who enjoys a decent amount of bass in my headphones, and didn't realize that. I should point out, that many of my opinions are based on the audio section of Overclock.net. I imagine AD700s are probably more competitive friendly, while the Samons you note may be more "fun" gaming friendly? Just guessing here...
In your opinion though, do you think I'd see a significant difference between the package B and C? It sounds like you're saying it will be minimal for gaming, but more noticeable for music/movies?
I guess the other question would be longevity... I dont mind paying an extra $300 if these things are likely to last me years. It's partially why I was thinking of the O2 amp, since its supposidely the best, and the quality is very high.
Ah, I see. The reason I wasn't thinking of the STX is because it seems I'm paying $64 for an internal headphone amp, plus as I understand it, it doesn't drive the Q701 to its full potential. Whereas, I could just spend that money on a higher quality headphone amp that would likely last years longer. In other words, if the card breaks in the next 5 years, or the technology moves forward... my O2 will still be useful ( and resellable ).
The THDs are also supposidy better at positional audio than the STX.
It's a good point option you're bringing up though! Please do correct me if any of that is wrong.

I see where your coming from, want to make a good investment.
The T-HD seems to be the best gaming card on the market.
 
Invest wise you could go with a used ($55) Asus Xonar DX or D1, same audio processor as the Essence STX & ST.
The DX & D1 headphone output is so so. but as you also want the O2, does not matter.
Used Asus DX or D1, $55
O2 headphone amp. $155
AKG Q701 $240
Total $450