Gamers, What's Your Audio Set Up?

Yeah I kind of wish I asked for silver now but not a huge issue really all things considered. I'm going to move the Warmer to the left and sneak the PA7/A90D stack just behind and below the monitor so it's out the way. That should clear up the aesthetics a bit I think and stop the heat exhausting over the OLED panel which might potentially impact screen burn as that area gets unusually warmed up over time etc.

Someone on reddit who has spent many years with tubes said to let them stabilise over 24 hours and the sound will get even better. I wonder if that includes the bass.
 
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Timber said:
That said in your photos the backlight does look too bright, so I can appreciate why it's annoying not to be able to switch off. In fact I'd also want the option to switch off personally.
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Having seen the internals, I think, obviously not right now but in time if it does become annoying, I can just patch in a switch and drill a switch hole on the chasis or front panel to fit it to just for the backlight LED as the wires connecting it is easy to get to.
 
mrk said:
Having seen the internals, I think, obviously not right now but in time if it does become annoying, I can just patch in a switch and drill a switch hole on the chasis or front panel to fit it to just for the backlight LED as the wires connecting it is easy to get to.
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Yes, I can see the small internal connector between the the screen panel and mainboard in your photos. I guess Fiio probably never gave it a thought in the design process, or maybe it would have required a switch, or something adding to the cost.

Something you can possible live with though.
 
Didn't look too deep into it due to price difference but I think the Plus is newer and cheaper but the Pro has extra driver tech but people seemed to prefer teh sound signature of the Plus
 
mrk said:
Didn't look too deep into it due to price difference but I think the Plus is newer and cheaper but the Pro has extra driver tech but people seemed to prefer teh sound signature of the Plus
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Thanks will check them out. I've got pixel buds 2 I think but find them a bit so so.
 
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Timber said:
The Topping DX1 will be a DAC/AMP all-in-one, so include the amplifier for the headphone. You could use it as a DAC only in the future and then the RCA's output to a separate Amplifier, but that's probably not relevant in answer to your question.

It sounds like you're not really needing an amp if you have that much headroom in volume. Reasons to buy a USB DAC/AMP are going to include; improving the DAC part, reducing any potential noise/interference in the signal (internals on PC cases can be prone to electrical interference), not having to use the included drivers for the motherboard audio, having something you can use on other devices, a physical volume dial (so Windows at 100%, the DX1 then controls the volume), or add input/outputs for speakers (in this case RCA output). But if your motherboard audio is quite good there may be a scenario where you can't tell the difference between the HD 560S plugged into the motherboard, or DX1.

The benefit is the DX1 is quite cheap, well regarded/reviewed/measured, runs off USB and can have a better amp added to it down the line (i.e. Topping L30) should you get into headphones that need more power in the future.
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Thanks for the reply, I'm not sure about the 560s they sound nice but they are not comfortable... I may try out hifiman Sundar
 
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Depending on your head shape and ear size you may find Sundara uncomfortable too as they are fairly small round earcups. That's the issue I had mainly with them, and also the harsh brightness which resulted in some fatigue after long sessions.
 
mrk said:
Someone on reddit who has spent many years with tubes said to let them stabilise over 24 hours and the sound will get even better. I wonder if that includes the bass.
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That is what I've often heard over the years including bass/treble which will be rolled off a bit with tubes, not had enough experience with tubes to say myself.
 
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Yeah I too never delved into tubes as back in the day always read about tube mismatching, imbalance, hum noise etc so just never bothered. Here the application is at the buffer stage so a bit different, but even still there is zero noise, though I am using XLR for everything which is basically noiseless anyway along with USB power isolated from the PC as well.
 
One of the things which puts me off tubes - they normally need a bit to warm up before giving their best - the headphones I'd use with a tube amp aren't the ones I'd be using normally - I often fairly impulsively swap amp and headphone setup maybe listen to some tunes for 20-30 minutes and then swap to something else or back to whatever I'm using for longer periods of general use.
 
"it might be small in price but it's big in distortion. -53dB IMD is absoutely wild, and not in a good way."
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Ah man, ASR has filtered into reddit, distortion BAD! Apparently :p
 
mrk said:
Depending on your head shape and ear size you may find Sundara uncomfortable too as they are fairly small round earcups. That's the issue I had mainly with them, and also the harsh brightness which resulted in some fatigue after long sessions.
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I prefer oval shaped ear cups, I just can't stand the clapping force on the 560s. It's a shame as I really like them for gaming, Im going to try my friends Sundara or maybe order the tygra 300r ...
 
ak22 said:
I prefer oval shaped ear cups, I just can't stand the clapping force on the 560s. It's a shame as I really like them for gaming, Im going to try my friends Sundara or maybe order the tygra 300r ...
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505s have less clamping force and on offer at the moment, but quite expensive for what they are really even at the discounted price and personally I don't think they are that much more comfortable than the 560S - I still end up going back to earbuds for gaming sessions unless I'm using voice comms.
 
Rroff said:
505s have less clamping force and on offer at the moment, but quite expensive for what they are really even at the discounted price and personally I don't think they are that much more comfortable than the 560S - I still end up going back to earbuds for gaming sessions unless I'm using voice comms.
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I have been using ear bugs but i end up shouting.. I also found they are not as accurate on pinpoint sounds as headphones. When im playing single player games i just use my speakers
 
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Just casually looking at tube upgrades for down the line and...

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