headset or headphone and sound card help

[psychokilla187]

ive been looking around at different sites about headphones and headsets.seems like headphones/clip on mic is the way to go.i was originally gonna buy the Audio Technica AD700 with a sound card but whats turning me away from them is a few reviews ppl were complaining about the comfort of them.so i decided to look into the Sennheiser PC 360 i was was just wondering what everyone thought for the higher end headphone/headset stuff ppl would suggest(meaning $100 and up)and what sound card u would get.

[Adorada]

I don't know where you are reading that the Audio Technica's are not comfortable. Their pads are made of velour, which is, if anything, more comfortable than the Sennheiser (which have velvet pads). Velvet tends to be thicker, and doesn't stretch. Velvet also tends to be slightly more expensive. Velour is able to be stretch more easily, so if you have big ears, it might help out. I have heard that velvet seems to be stiffer due to the previous mentioned qualities. I have used the AD700s in the past and they happen to be one of the most comfortable ones I have ever used.

Also, I hope you weren't planning on buying the PC 360 just because they are 'pro gaming.' Sennheiser makes some nice headphones, but personally I'd save the $100 and buy the AD700 and a nice soundcard.

[psychokilla187]

they have said that the speaker can sit on ur ears because of the way the pads are designed doesn't bother everyone but some do have issues.other then that I've read nothing but good things for gaming for them.also what sound card do u recommend ?

[Deleted]

they have said that the speaker can sit on ur ears because of the way the pads are designed doesn't bother everyone but some do have issues.other then that I've read nothing but good things for gaming for them.also what sound card do u recommend ?

This is a good place to start

These are worth mentioning, they're much better than you might think based on the price.

Takstar Hi-2050 $68

As for sound card it depends how much you're willing to spend and the quality of the headphones, on the lower end (budget wise) I'd say either of these are decent:

Asus Xonar DGX ~$30

Asus Xonar DSX ~$50

ASUS Xonar DGX and Xonar DSX Audio Cards Review

[psychokilla187]

if i was willing to spend around the $100 or so for a better sound card what would u recommend?

[Deleted]

I've recently picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD 598s and an Asus Xonar Essence STX, cannot fault the sound quality at all and I would definitely recommend them to anyone. Granted, the STX is a slightly more expensive soundcard but I think most of the Xonar cards are pretty decent value for money.

[Deleted]

Asus Xonar DX $70

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Zx ~$115

I don't THAT much about sound cards but from what I can tell these are pretty good options without paying too much.

[psychokilla187]

well as always ty.this forum always seems to have the most helpful ppl.ill probably be making a purchase soon

[Static]

Sennheiser headsets are freaking awesome, man. I got one that is plugged in to a Sound Blaster Z sound card. So happy I made that choice and I don't see myself upgrading anything on the audio department anytime soon.

[BruceG87]

All Audiotechnica audiophile line headphones are quite amazing as far as comfort. In fact, some people argue they are among the most comfortable headphones you can get.

I have heard the same complaint about the speaker sitting on the ear before, but very rarely. I think the far more common issue is in fact when the user wearing the headphones has a smaller/narrow/oddly shaped head. In such cases, the wing design doesn't fit quite right and the headphones slide down the users head, making them quite uncomfortable.

Otherwise, by far the majority agree that they are quite comfortable. While the older audiotechnica audiophile headphones use velour pads, the newer line uses a cheaper material. It's still quite comfortable, but for those willing to invest a bit more it is possible to obtain replacement velour pads.

I am curious as to why you jumped from $100 headphones to a $200 headset. They're both quite comfortable, and highly viewed but folks usually do not compare them to each other. I would say it is far more accurate to compare the A900x or the AD900x to the PC360 in terms of price. The AD900x being equal to the PC360 on price, the A900x being a bit more expensive. This is just comparing prices, NOT performance.

If you opt for the AD700, or newer AD700x(viewed as two different headphones, rather an upgrade from the old model) I would not necessarily recommend you spend any extra on a sound card. The DX, or DGX will supply you with all you need for these particular headphones. With other cards, you are paying a premium for extras that most folks simply do not need let alone use. That is not to say higher end card won't sound better, they generally yield some quality gain. However you will find the price to performance ratio quickly degrades with higher end audio equipment.

If you play any games that require positional cues, Asus cards do have some issues with a few gaming titles. In such cases, Creative cards tend to be the better option. Keyword there is "a few gaming titles", otherwise it's hard to beat the price to performance you can get out of Asus sound cards right now.

EDIT - IMPORTANT, remember to double check headphone impedance. The AD700's do not require any amplification to be driven properly (32 ohms) but the PC360 does require amplification(50 ohms). The Asus DX, DGX, ST, STX as well as Creative Z all have built-in headphone amps each capable of driving different impedance values depending on the card.

[Xuvial]

I would say these are a bunch of solid options with your budget:

Xonar DX ($70 Newegg) + Audio-Technica AD700 ($100 Amazon) = $170
or
Xonar DSX ($50 Newegg) + Sennheiser HD558 ($150 Amazon) = $200
or
Xonar DSX + Audio-Technica AD700X ($170 Amazon) = $220
or
Xonar DX ($70 Newegg) + Sennheiser HD558 ($150 Amazon)= $220

HD558 is a better rounded-off headphone with richer/deeper bass (AD700 is lacking there, unsure about AD700X), but doesn't have a soundstage as large as AD700/X - soundstage helps in games like first person shooters to increase positional awareness, gives a more "roomy" sound.

I will say I don't think I've heard of a single person who disagrees with Sennheiser when it comes to comfort. One thing they do extremely well with their cans is having huge "oval" open areas (much bigger than most other headphones) that sit around your ears (cuz your ears aren't circular!), a headband that has the right amount of tension/tightness, and soft (but firm, not squishy-soft) padding that will quickly mold to the shape of your head.



The result is just pure sublime comfort.

Regarding AudioTechnica, LevelCap (famous BF3 Youtuber) lists the differences between AD700 and AD700X, lots of improvements made:




As for soundcards the two big names are Asus (Xonar) and Creative, both make solid products with Asus leaning more towards music-lovers and Creative leaning more towards gamers...at least as far as software goes. But I'm going to recommend a Xonar anyway because they are still rock-solid for gaming. Also from whatever I've heard, Xonar drivers are still less likely than Creative drivers when it comes to "can be a bitch to deal with" factor. Plus they have better offerings in the $50-70 range.

Xonar DX vs Xonar DSX...hmm, that would be a tough one. Is DX better? Certainly, it's using a better audio chip (AV100 vs AV66) with higher SNR (116 vs 107). Will you be able to tell the difference? Arguable, but then that's how it is with audio world, if everyone was asked to tell products apart in a blind test you would get some pretty hilarious results lol. It's only $20 price difference so I'd go with DX.

[BruceG87]

-snip
Xonar DX vs Xonar DSX...hmm, that would be a tough one. Is DX better? Certainly, it's using a better audio chip (AV100 vs AV66) with higher SNR (116 vs 107). Will you be able to tell the difference? Arguable, but then that's how it is with audio world, if everyone was asked to tell products apart in a blind test you would get some pretty hilarious results lol. It's only $20 price difference so I'd go with DX.

A few more comparisons between the DGX, DSX and DX.

Both the DSX and DX do not come with a dedicated headphone amplifier.
The DGX includes a decent built-in headphone amp.

DSX has swappable opamp
The DSX does not come with Dolby Digital, just DTS.

DGX playback/recording limited to 96KHz max, DSX and DX max is 192KHz.
SNR for each card is as follows. DGX 105dB, DSX 107dB, DX 116dB

Approximate pricing for new cards. DGX $50, DSX $60, DX $80
I highly suggest you look for open box models, as they are more then likely perfectly fine and can save you quite a bit of cash.

[Deleted]

Here's my 2 cents.

Yes, audio is heavily underrated in games. People are willing to dish out 300 dollars to get 60+ FPS but rarely bother to invest in their sound.

When looking to upgrade your sound, apply the following rule of thumb.

- When spending less than 100$ on sound, invest it all in a good headset and/or headphones.
- When spending over 100$ reserve roughly 30% of your budget for the sound-card and the rest for your headphones.
- In general, a good pair of headphones with surround sound emulation is the best sound-experience you can expect in gaming.