Gamers, What's Your Audio Set Up?

[Random Guy Esq.]

I thought I'd start a thread for general gaming audio discussion because I'm bored out of my skull in lockdown curious about what set ups other people are using.

At the moment I have a Creative G6 with Sennheiser 58X Jubilees. My gaming PC is a pretty recent build, but with exams, assignments, and a cocooned parent, I actually haven't had much time to test it that much. Initial impressions are good though, but I need to get stuck into more games next month before I make up my mind on it. Still haven't settled on a mic or desktop speakers yet, but I'm in no rush really. In fact, I may not need them at all depending on what games I get into.

So what are you using? PC, console, both? Speakers, headphones? Stereo or virtual surround? Do you use your set up for music and/or movies too? If you have a headphone collection, do you have different pairs for different types of games, or is it more of a mood thing? What about DACs and amps?

Anyway, let us all know what you're using, and how well it works for you. It might even turn into a nice repository of ideas and suggestions for the rest of us who are less experienced!

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Gaming: Asus Essence STX sound card -> Beyerdynamic DT1990 headphones ( which prove you can have detail with bass) or Edifier RT1600T mk2 active speakers

Music: PC -> Schiit Modi Multibit DAC -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp -> Beyer DT1990 / HiFiMan HE400i (with Dekoni sheepskin pads) / Sennheiser HD650 headphones

Ah I've read so many good reviews for the DT1990 recently. They're definitely on my Most Wanted list.

How do you find the Schiit stuff? I nearly bought the Magni/Modi stack a few years ago (older models than those available now), but circumstances intervened.

Sennheiser pc350 here with onboard sound on new motherboard.... Not cutting it in modern warfare though

The olde creative xfi extreme music is retired due to lack of pcie slot now... Stop gap is a xonar dx I had lying about.... Awfull for music compared to on board even but definitely better in game... Though nothing compare to old card.

Soundblaster AE5 in the post

Lockdown is proving to be an expensive experience...

But enjoyable after coming from a 2600k setup from last decade nearly lol....

Just a new monitor required now....

Yeah, I'd probably have gone for the AE5 except I ended up going with an ITX build eventually. Supposed to be a good card though!

PC -> Nad D3020 -> Fidelio X2HR + ModMic Wireless

D3020 also drives a pair of Cambridge Audio Minx XLs, not amazing but pretty decent for the size and the space they're filling.

Oooh, I had the D3020 recommended to me before. Nice having a quality all in one solution!

How are you finding the MM Wireless? I'm very tempted by it except for the price. I really want the convenience of it, but don't know if I want to pay for it lol.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

General purpose music/gaming: PC -> Topping D10 -> JDS Labs Atom -> AKG K7XX
If the lass complains about sound leakage then: PC -> Topping D10 -> JDS Labs Atom -> DT770 Pro
If I want a break from wearing headphones then: PC -> Topping D10 -> JDS Labs Atom -> Presonus Eris 4.5

I see the Atom mentioned a lot on forums. Must be good! How do you find the Presonus speakers? My PC is in a medium sized room, but is positioned to one side, near the adjacent wall. So I don't think it would be worth my while investing in another amp and passive speakers. For my situation, smaller powered speakers seem a more sensible choice.

Modmic: Very convenient, sound quality is superb and the battery life is great too. Lasts about a week between recharges. Weirdly it likes to pair to the D3020 so I have to turn the mic on, then the amp.

Ha, handy tip! I've listened to some sound comparisons online, and while the wireless loses a little quality over the wired versions, it's not night and day. Listened to in isolation, it sounded pretty good to me.

I had the Modi / Magni 2 & 3 - sounded really good but the soundstage isn't great, it's wide but flat, as though everything was in a line through your ears. I upgraded to the Modi Multibit and Vali 2 which produced a far more holographic stage. Only reason I upgraded to the Asgard 3 was the tube rolling was getting out of hand, lol. The Asgard 3 is everything the Vali 2 was plus cleaner imaging, smoother highs and more bass slam.

The Asgard 3 looks like a versatile piece of kit at a very easy to swallow price. Is there a big difference between the standard Modi and the multibit?

For music/movies I have a pair of Sennheiser HD600 and a custom amp I built myself.

Ha, fair play. I wouldn't even know where to start. Years ago I had a flatmate who used to make portable amps in mint tins. I should have paid more attention.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

If you have any experience with a soldering iron and even basic electronics knowledge it is actually really easy to get into https://www.tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy/ and very hard to master.

Cheers, I'll look into that.

I probably shouldn't own up to this here but I have taken delivery of the Sony PlayStation Platinum Wireless headset in the last few days. It's a total leftfield purchase but I wanted to hear the 3D audio from the (few) Sony supported games and therefore as I had a few vouchers decided to go for them. They aren't overly comfortable, tend to be lacking in comparison to the K361s but the 3D audio on Horizon Zero Dawn is pretty impressive. It's a fantastic game for audio anyway but to hear depth and height in the sound is something else. I am also pretty impressed with the VSS surround on non-3D audio games. Also very convenient when gaming on the PS4.

I'm genuinely interested in seeing how audio on the PS5 works out, after them hyping it. It's definitely an area that could use some love.

For how often I use the Presonus they do the job perfectly and sound fairly neutral without them interfering with bass etc too much. Depending on what passive speakers you have these might not be much smaller. The 4.5's are a decent size. They also do smaller models but I managed to get the 4.5s second hand for a decent price. They have controls on the back for if they are placed close to a wall.

Good info, thanks!

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Has anyone here tried Super X-fi? I think that's what it's called.... the one where you upload pictures of your ears! Just curious as to what you made of it if so.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

I see Razer have released their THX Spatial Audio software for everyone, at £20.

I'm guessing not many here have tried it as previously it only came with their own headphones/speakers. But I'm kind of curious. I may download the trial in the next couple of days.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Interesting I may have to give it ago I paid for Dolby Atmos the other day but im not overly impressed by it

Excellent. Post your thoughts if you do go that route!

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

I've not tried that incarnation but I gave their old positional audio app a whirl - it did a serviceable job but was a little lacking when it came to the small subtleties that really rounded out the presentation of positional audio of the top offerings like CMSS-3D.

Thanks Rroff. I might have a look around the web and see if anyone has done a comparison between the different releases.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Does anyone know what the story with EPOS is? As best I can figure out, they're a gaming (and corporate too, apparently) audio company formed by Demant, who had been partnering with Sennheiser. It looks like Sennheiser have sold their "gaming dept" and EPOS/Demant will be selling Sennheiser's existing gaming headsets under their own brand, and developing their own products too. The first of these is due to debut in October.

I know most here use headphones rather than headsets anyway, but I gather some of the Senn headsets were reasonably well thought of. Looks like the GSX will be an EPOS product from now on as well.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Sennheiser was a part of the Demant group. Demant being a maker of mainly medical equipment, hearing aids, Cochlear Implants and Bone Anchored hearing aids and calibration equipment among others. Demant and Sennheiser decided to split to allow each company to evolve more in their own fields. Demant have now released EPOS headsets. Most likely using the strengths of all the knowledge from Sennheiser, while infusing Demants acoustics knowledge from the science behind hearing to create the EPOS brand.

I'm sure these headsets will be amazing, just like their Oticon OPN S hearing aids I use and prescribe in my role. Looking forward to the reviews

Interesting stuff, thanks. Will keep an eye out for reviews... Or ear!

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Currently running a Soundblaster G6 -> K712 Pro with my PC and PS4.

keeping a close eye on the PS5 setup though, as they’ve dropped the Optical port. They’re still supporting USB audio devices, but it seems their 3D audio solution only outputs over USB to select devices. That’ll mess up the profiles on my G6, so I may have to look towards another solution for that.

Yeah, keeping an eye on this as well.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Can I get a recommendation on behalf of a friend, please? He's looking for a headset to use wired with a DualSense controller. I was going to suggest the new Sennheiser/Drop collab (think it's the PC38X), but figured you guys here would be able to offer some feedback on it, or viable options. Cheers!

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

PC38x and Dualsense work very well together - seems the Dualsense has a little more drive behind it as it seems to get the PC38x to more than adequate volume levels.

As a great sounding and convenient solution for the PS5, I don't think there is a lot to beat them, unless a mic isn't essential or they want to go down the slippery slope of external Dacs/Amps etc.

That's good to know, thanks! Yeah, he's looking for a relatively simple solution, and prefers open backed. Sounds like these will do the trick for him!

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Hi lads, I'm looking for some advice on what will be a convoluted set-up. I want to keep it as simple as possible without sacrificing too much audio quality...

So my home office/gaming set up consists of a PC and PS5, monitor and TV, all on the same desk. I'm currently using a Creative G6 with Sennheiser headphones for everything, but I'd like to buy speakers or a soundbar so I don't have to wear the headphones all the time. They could be cheap enough speakers/soundbar really, as the heavy lifting of gaming and movies etc will still be done by the cans. To complicate matters, I also want to do some recording and maybe even streaming as well. What type of devices should I look at for handling all this, i.e. console, PC, mic, good headphone quality, soundbar, whilst still playing nicely with game capture/streaming?

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Talk about a big desk

How are you using PC and PS5 with G6, changing the USB cable each time?

I'll be honest - this is my near future set up (waiting on a solid wood counter top to be delivered for the desk - 180x100 cm). Yeah, it'll be a bit of a pain swapping USB on the G6. For the PS5 I'd plug the headphones directly into the DualSense except the quality is noticeably worse.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Yeah, thanks to @The_Arbiter and @Timber

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Found this on reddit - the GC7. It's being aimed squarely at content creators, streamers etc.

Official press release.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Anyone here familiar with Matrix Audio? I like the look of their Mini-i 3 as a compact, all-in-one desktop solution.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

Is anyone here using software only for their virtual surround sound? My Creative G6 has given up the ghost and I was thinking of replacing it with the Schiit Hel 2E, so was wondering if any of the VSS programs are any use these days.

 

[Random Guy Esq.]

I 've gone from using SBX a lot (just the surround part) on my old SB X7 and G6 DAC/AMPs to using either plain stereo (PC), Dolby Atmos for Headphones (Xbox) or Tempest 3D (PS5).

Part of that is just the way I've gone from a PC for gaming to being more a console gamer these days. I think on the few games that use it 3D audio does offer something over VSS. That said I think the G6 is still better than software solutions for VSS and if you play lots of competitive online FPS games the G6 (or a Mixamp) can help. I do have two DAC/AMPs (G6 and K5 Pro) so always have the option of using SBX but for a while I haven't used it. So I have no problem just using a stereo DAC/AMP.

Thanks. I may try and pick up another G6, maybe B stock as I do mostly game on PC (although nothing too competitive). I have a PS5 but mostly use it for single player games. Part of my interest in the Hel was probably just wanting something new to play with.