DAC Are they any good?

There are no down points to a DAC, aside from the fact it might highlight any inability or weakness of the Kaves.

The next answer is dependant on your budget. £30 will get you a DAC called the DAC Destroyer (there are a few reviews on Head-Fi) from the US that performs very admirably for the price. The next step up will be £88 for the EPH E-DAC.

It is also worth noting that if you currently have a soundcard then you will have to remove it - digital can only be converted to analog once, and if your soundcard is installed it's onboard DAC will do the converting, rendering the external DAC useless.
 
Cookeh said:
There are no down points to a DAC, aside from the fact it might highlight any inability or weakness of the Kaves.

The next answer is dependant on your budget. £30 will get you a DAC called the DAC Destroyer (there are a few reviews on Head-Fi) from the US that performs very admirably for the price. The next step up will be £88 for the EPH E-DAC.

It is also worth noting that if you currently have a soundcard then you will have to remove it - digital can only be converted to analog once, and if your soundcard is installed it's onboard DAC will do the converting, rendering the external DAC useless.
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Thanks yeah I use a Asus xonar d2x. DAC is something I know nothing about. So guess because I use a sound card I'll just leave it then.
Thanks.
 
Pretty much, unless you're spending over £150 on a DAC you won't see (or rather hear) a substantial difference, especially with the Kaves :)

Put the money towards saving for a better set of headphones ;)
 
Cookeh said:
Pretty much, unless you're spending over £150 on a DAC you won't see (or rather hear) a substantial difference, especially with the Kaves :)

Put the money towards saving for a better set of headphones ;)
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Love these headphones ;) they sound stunning in everything I play. I honestly wouldn't change them for anything unless it's a better 5.1 true surround headset.

May I ask why you think that? And have you even used them?
 
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shankly1985 said:
Love these headphones ;) they sound stunning in everything I play. I honestly wouldn't change them for anything unless it's a better 5.1 true surround headset.

May I ask why you think that? And have you even used them?
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look at the sticky ;)

"Why are Gaming Headsets often said to be inferior to regular headphones?

In general, headphones (especially "audiophile" or "hi-fi" headphones) tend to have better sound quality than your typical gaming headsets. This is due to a number of reasons, such as: a design more focused on maximizing sound quality instead of maximizing stylish "gaming" looks, an Open Vs. Closed design (most gaming headsets are closed), and simply having more experience at designing headphones than gaming headset companies.




What about multi-driver "true surround sound" headphones? Aren't they better?

No. Multi-driver headphones make use of tiny drivers with inferior performance to larger stereo (dual driver) headphones. A better route is a good pair of stereo headphones with a good virtual surround DSP."
 
Very happy with the Kaves there not your typical gaming headset.
Most people are quick to judge them because there a Gaming headset and don't cost 150 quid.

Stereo vs 5.1 for me 5.1 every time personal preference. A headset at 150 pound vs a headset of 80 you dam right it better be better lol
That don't mean a Kave or a decent headset for gaming it bad. Like I said I wouldn't change these for anything else.
 
A soundcard is also a DAC. It does the same thing but is called a soundcard because of the form it takes.

Your soundcard is perfectly capable for your Kaves.
 
So you prefer tiny crappy drivers over bigger ones which sound better?

You do know you only have 2 ears right and that headphones like AD700 and HD595 (£50-£80) are better for positional accuracy when emulating surround sound over real 5.1 headsets with their crappy drivers?

In fact why do guys on head fi (headphone enthusiast forum) favour ad700's over crappy gaming headsets if yours truly are better for competitive gaming?
 
Psycho Sonny said:
So you prefer tiny crappy drivers over bigger ones which sound better?

You do know you only have 2 ears right and that headphones like AD700 and HD595 (£50-£80) are better for positional accuracy when emulating surround sound over real 5.1 headsets with their crappy drivers?

In fact why do guys on head fi (headphone enthusiast forum) favour ad700's over crappy gaming headsets if yours truly are better for competitive gaming?
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The Kaves have 3x 40mm cups far from tiny ;) unlike most gaming headset that have 10mm or 20mm

The cups are positioned in away you get the best sound surrounding stage possible. Playing csgo for example it's almost like hacking lol I can hear everything around me perfectly fine. Some people have even accused me of hacking because how fast I have pinpointed there footsteps.

And we're did I say they was better?
http://www.roccat.org/Products/Gaming-Sound/ROCCAT-Kave-5-1/#crb_2
 
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shankly1985 said:
Love these headphones ;) they sound stunning in everything I play. I honestly wouldn't change them for anything unless it's a better 5.1 true surround headset.

May I ask why you think that? And have you even used them?
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I didn't state they were crap, I merely suggested you could upgrade them if you were looking to upgrade your audio setup at all.... Not sure why you've gone full blown defensive from that?

The Kaves aren't, imo, especially comfy and 'virtual' 5.1, whilst far from terrible, is inferior to headphones with a wide soundstage, good clarity and a mid-emphasis for positional accuracy. For £50, the Kaves are good, for £100 or greater, they aren't so good.

If you were looking to upgrade your audio in any way, headphones are normally the best choice. This is for the following reason, a £150 DAC or £150 amp won't make £50 headphones sound better, in fact they will highlight all the downfalls of that headphone. Essentially, the easiest and most surefire way of improving your audio is to upgrade your headphones - that was all I meant :)
 
Cookeh said:
I didn't state they were crap, I merely suggested you could upgrade them if you were looking to upgrade your audio setup at all.... Not sure why you've gone full blown defensive from that?

The Kaves aren't, imo, especially comfy and 'virtual' 5.1, whilst far from terrible, is inferior to headphones with a wide soundstage, good clarity and a mid-emphasis for positional accuracy. For £50, the Kaves are good, for £100 or greater, they aren't so good.

If you were looking to upgrade your audio in any way, headphones are normally the best choice. This is for the following reason, a £150 DAC or £150 amp won't make £50 headphones sound better, in fact they will highlight all the downfalls of that headphone. Essentially, the easiest and most surefire way of improving your audio is to upgrade your headphones - that was all I meant :)
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I didn't say you did call them crap? And there not virtual 5.1 ;) there true 5.1.
Yeah I was only asking you to explain why it would effect the Kaves? Is they something the Kaves have that AD700 don't?
Spec for spec the Kaves are not far from the AD700 on paper. Am not saying Kaves are better because I know there not and it's something you would expect comparing 80 pound headset to a 150 pound set.

My point is I prefer 5.1 over stereo anyday.
 
The point being with headphones the drivers are so close to your ears that bigger drivers with a wider soundstage are better than smaller ones positioned correctly.

Both end up giving the same effect but ad700's are better at doing it because they are a lot clearer.

If it was speakers and having them positioned around a room far away from your ears then yes multiple speakers would be better than just 2 for movies/gaming.

I use 5.1 on my stereo headset it's emulated but there is a difference from using a pure stereo input into the mixamp or sound card.
 
On paper they are similar. But there is no comparison to AD700 for positional accuracy. I would suggest trying them before taking such a staunch stand against them or for 5.1. Also they are not true 5.1, it is not possible in a headphone :P :)

That being said, if you are happy with them and don't intend to upgrade then this conversation does not even need to be occuring.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
The point being with headphones the drivers are so close to your ears that bigger drivers with a wider soundstage are better than smaller ones positioned correctly.

Both end up giving the same effect but ad700's are better at doing it because they are a lot clearer.

If it was speakers and having them positioned around a room far away from your ears then yes multiple speakers would be better than just 2 for movies/gaming.

I use 5.1 on my stereo headset it's emulated but there is a difference from using a pure stereo input into the mixamp or sound card.
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I have used virtual 5.1 in loads headset and it's not the same quality as true 5.1
Even my sound card can turn any stereo headset into virtual.
From my experience with different headsets stereo and virtual nothing comes close to the Kaves. It's true though I have never used a headset costing over 100 pounds so what you saying should be true vs something that cost me 75 pounds.
All that matters is am very happy with what I got. :)
I was just wanting to know more about DACs and what the offer.
 
Cookeh said:
On paper they are similar. But there is no comparison to AD700 for positional accuracy. I would suggest trying them before taking such a staunch stand against them or for 5.1. Also they are not true 5.1, it is not possible in a headphone :P :)

That being said, if you are happy with them and don't intend to upgrade then this conversation does not even need to be occuring.
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You sure there not true 5.1? Because they do have each set of speakers for front, center and rear and each set of jacks for them
I can control each set of speakers. So if I just want to hear rear channel only I can do so.
http://www.roccat.org/Products/Gaming-Sound/ROCCAT-Kave-5-1/
 
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DAC is simply a digital to analogue converter headphones use analogue, computers use digital, simple as that really.

if you have a half decent 3rd party sound card (not onboard) then chances are you will see no noticeable difference on your current headset when using a DAC tbh.

if you want a DAC then you would be better off getting better headphones to go with them, and if you get a DAC you will need an amp too, either built into the DAC or an external one to pair with the DAC.

fiio E17 is the best "all rounder" cheapest amp/dac you can get. it has multiple inputs, is portable and costs less than £100.

there are better options but they don't have all the inputs or portability factor or cost more.
 
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