Best headset setup?

Boozebeard

Boozebeard

Boozebeard

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What is the best setup if you use a headset for gaming and music?

Are a good pair of stereo headphones + 3d emulation better than 5.1 headphones?

Sound card or external headphone amp?

Which sound card or headphone amp?

Which headphones/headset?

I might be in the market for a new headset so just trying to gather information. I personally prefer a headset to headphones are mic; will this mean I sacrifice quality compared to headphones and a separate mic?
 
You will definitely sacrifice quality choosing a headset over some decent headphones.

3D emulation is much better than 'real' 5.1 headsets. All of the latest usb headsets use some form of 3D emulation (aka Dolby headphone)

A very popular (and cheap) sound card at the moment is Xonar DG. Big thread here

The NS1000 are always being recommended on here coupled up with an E5 amp and Xonar. That is probably the most common set up on these forums. 9/10 people love it, me included. You can have fantastic sound in music and games with this setup. You can even take the NS1000's and E5 amp on holiday with you, on the train, mountain bike etc etc. Try doing that with some usb headsets haha.

NS1000 headphones £53
FiiO E5 Amp £15
Xonar DG £26

If i had to pick a headset, it would be a toss up between Razer Carcharias or Corsair HS1A

You can get USB headsets that don't require a sound card such as the Corsair HS1 or G35

Only problem with these is you can't use them anywhere else, and if you play music through speakers, you need a sound card for those. You may as well get a proper sound card in the first place.
 
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I m personally put off the ns1000 for the moment in time, and if you do pay more the £50 just to make sure. If you look on these very forums you see why..

For the headset steel series make good headsets that work well no matter what you throw not as good as goldrings or sanns Marshall etc

Also ocuk sell the speed link clip on mic now.
 
Problem is I only have 1 PCI-E slot available :C

I've got some steelseries 5H v2 but they are borken. Need to RMA them. I wasn't really very happy with the sound on them when it came to music to be honest but I do like steelseries products. Was thinking of trying the 7H's.
 
Yeah, there has been talk of a few guys having faulty units, but they all bought from the same place by the looks of it. Bad batch most probably. I bought some yesterday from a HiFi shop for £7 more than play.com and they are fault free.

If you can find some in a near by HiFi shop, then you would be mad to miss the chance for the price that they are.

Boozebeard said:
Problem is I only have 1 PCI-E slot available :C
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Xonar DG uses PCI, not PCI-E :)
 
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Sorry I mean I only have 1 pci-e slot available as in: That is the only slot I have, my only pci slot is coverd by my graphics card. #

So I would need a pci-e card and they are much more expensive :C
 
Am I right in thinking most onboard sound isn't enough nowadays?

What's changed? I'm pretty sure people used to get on fine with old onboard sound to headphones.
 
What exactly does the FiiO E5 Amp do? And what advantage do you get from running through the xonar amp and then that amp, isn't one amp enough? D:

My on board is actually x-fi so maybe just an external amp would be enough?
 
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Zefan said:
Am I right in thinking most onboard sound isn't enough nowadays?
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Pretty much yeah. They lack features that the latest dedicated cards use. You also get loads of people who have upgraded to a dedicated sound card say the difference is big.

Zefan said:
What's changed? I'm pretty sure people used to get on fine with old onboard sound to headphones.
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There's 'ok' and then there's 'brilliant'. Everyone wants 'Brilliant'. Take the Xonar DG for example. For the price, it's a very nice upgrade from onboard sound. It's got dolby headphone which can simulate 5.1 over a stereo signal. That alone is worth the money.



Boozebeard said:
What exactly does the FiiO E5 Amp do? And what advantage do you get from running through the xonar amp and then that amp, isn't one amp enough? D:

My on board is actually x-fi so maybe just an external amp would be enough?
Click to expand...


The Goldring NS1000 have high impedance drivers @300ohm. The Xonar DG's amp isn't up to the job to push them hard. These headphones really come to life when amplified and the cheapest way to do that is the E5. They cost over £150 when they came out. They are now £50-60. That's why they are so popular. People on here have said there is nothing under £100 that sounds as good as the NS1000's

In all fairness, you don't actually need a new sound card. You will still get great results from your current one. You asked which sound card to get, and that Xonar DG is a great buy at the moment. There is nothing creative have in the market that can compare to it in the same price range.
 
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So if I was going to get one of the PCI-E sound cards which one should it be? Or would you not even recommend them for that price; they are a lot more expensive.

I can't see headphone amps mentioned on them =/
 
If you don't mind buying second hand, put a wanted advert in the members market for a Xonar DX or D2X. They sell for around £40

They sell like hotcakes in the for sale section, so the best way is to let everyone know you want one by putting a thread up in the wanted section.
 
Boozebeard said:
What is the best setup if you use a headset for gaming and music?

Are a good pair of stereo headphones + 3d emulation better than 5.1 headphones?

Sound card or external headphone amp?

Which sound card or headphone amp?

Which headphones/headset?

I might be in the market for a new headset so just trying to gather information. I personally prefer a headset to headphones are mic; will this mean I sacrifice quality compared to headphones and a separate mic?
Click to expand...

Best IMO is Music Fidelity VDAC connected to headphone amp into H650.

This is my own setup. Used for game and music, beats a really expensive hifi I have in my living room. The vdac cost £150 the amp was hand built cost £450 and the Sennhieser HD650's were £175 at the time. The dac is a very good way to go better than any sound card I have owned. I have owned lots of higher end cards then dont compare and no drivers ever required either.
 
Ok, so what if I decided to get an external amp and a headset/headphones for under £200 combined. Or is there no point in an amp if you're not using a decent sound card? This is so complicated :C
 
Go with the norm and get a soundcard, but if you want to try something better get a DAC with a usb connection then a headphone amp and phones or use any exsisting amp with a headphone out, but best results are from a good headphone amp. This sort of solution will last you a lifetime and if properly matched you may never change I know I am happy with mine and I cant see me changing it because quite simply this is the ultimate as far as I am concerned and I am normally the one to change frequently.

A dac can cost around £120+ and a headphone amp anything from £20 up the cans well your choice. You can always upgrade the amp if required later. Most dont know about this idea and think its exotic but it isnt its simple.
 
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