Upgrading from Astro MixAmp Pro to something better...

[Throwaway5Dot1]

Hi everyone,

I'm a bit new to the audiophile world. I currently own a Philips Fidelio X2 paired with an Astro MixAmp Pro, primarily used for gaming on Xbox One. I have read online that the MixAmp isn't as hyped up as it is to be and there are better alternatives to it. I'm looking for something that is equivalent to or better than the MixAmp in terms of sound quality. I don't care about microphone support or game/voice mixing, sound is the key element. If there is one that uses optical plus some sort of Dolby Digital/DTS/virtual surround sound that is as good or better than the MixAmp then please let me know. Price isn't a concern, but the lower the better.

Currently, I've seen two solutions from Creative, the Soundblaster X7 and the Soundblaster G5. I'm not sure if there are others or if my choices are good. Please let me know. Thanks!

Edit: The reason I want to change my setup is because the MixAmp Pro is built with really cheap parts, especially the potentiometer, which caused audio channel imbalance. There are DIY fixes where users can replace the potentiometer to fix this, but I am not that skilled.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Really limited options for something with an optical input and reasonably affordable and supports DDL (Dolby Digital Live), which is the Dolby function need to send more then stereo (2-channel) audio thru optical.
 
If your willing to give up headphone surround sound and just use stereo audio, the older FiiO E17 (not E17K), would give you some nice audio quality, for a bargain price.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fiio-e17-Alpen-headphone-amplifier-/291756330216?hash=item43ee084ce8:g:HeEAAOSw~oFXK1Cj

 

[Throwaway5Dot1]

Thanks for the prompt reply!

Are there any more premium (pricier) alternatives other than the two that I mentioned? I really want decent virtual surround sound processing. I wouldn't mind shelling out the $400 for the X7 if it can accomplish what I want it to but if there's something cheaper with a similar feature set minus all the extra stuff, I would love to know about it.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thanks for the prompt reply!

Are there any more premium (pricier) alternatives other than the two that I mentioned? I really want decent virtual surround sound processing. I wouldn't mind shelling out the $400 for the X7 if it can accomplish what I want it to but if there's something cheaper with a similar feature set minus all the extra stuff, I would love to know about it.

 
For me, with a gaming console, I would be looking at getting another Astro Mix-amp (like used off eBay).
Can't see spending $400 for the Creative Labs X7, just to improve audio quality.

 

[Throwaway5Dot1]

After researching the newer edition MixAmps, it seems the second generation MixAmp Pros are built using even cheaper parts and the MixAmp Pro TR (newest one) has an issue with the virtual surround sound sounding tinny, almost reverb-like. Astro fails to acknowledge this and there's quite a long thread on their forums regarding this issue. I honestly want to stay away from this company and upgrade to something better. Is there anything else out there with optical audio and virtual surround sound? It's not really a niche market, so I doubt the X7 is the only one out there.

 

[PurpleAngel]

After researching the newer edition MixAmps, it seems the second generation MixAmp Pros are built using even cheaper parts and the MixAmp Pro TR (newest one) has an issue with the virtual surround sound sounding tinny, almost reverb-like. Astro fails to acknowledge this and there's quite a long thread on their forums regarding this issue. I honestly want to stay away from this company and upgrade to something better. Is there anything else out there with optical audio and virtual surround sound? It's not really a niche market, so I doubt the X7 is the only one out there.

 
Gaming consoles can be plugged into modern A/V receivers, which come with DDL.
But you would not want to plug the Philips X2 into a receiver's headphone jack, because of an impedance issue.
 
There is the older Turtle Beach Systems DSS unit, but it's not going to be any better then a Mix-amp.