Headphone upgrade

Xire · 12 Jan 2017 at 21:55

Hey guys,

Im a bit of an audio noob to be honest and would just like some help really!

I have recently obtained some AKG K702 headphones and would like to make the most out of them. Currently all I have is onboard sound. What should I be looking to buy to get the best out of them?

I should also note I intend on getting a new desktop mic so would need to connect that up too.

Any help is appreciated

rids57 · 12 Jan 2017 at 23:21

What will be your main use (gaming/music) and what's your budget?

If the answer is gaming, is virtual surround important or is good stereo enough?

Xire · 12 Jan 2017 at 23:29

rids57 said:
What will be your main use (gaming/music) and what's your budget?

If the answer is gaming, is virtual surround important or is good stereo enough?

A mixture really but the main use will be for gaming.

To be honest virtual sound would be nice but if it isnt feasible, I can live without.

budget: £200

Mariusz · 12 Jan 2017 at 23:40

With a budget of £200 and gaming being the main use I would have recommended the Sennheiser GSX 1000 but I tried to run AKG K712's off a GSX and they didn't sound good (HD599 are magical for detail and positional audio with the GSX

).

stoke1863 · 12 Jan 2017 at 23:43

Would the Schiit Fulla 2 work well with the K702? It's good value

Xire · 12 Jan 2017 at 23:44

I was looking at the ZXR

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/crea...ound-card-retail-70sb151000001-sc-091-cl.html

People seem to be recommending this.

or even the Zx version.

rids57 · 13 Jan 2017 at 01:21

Personally I would recommend the Asus Xonar STX at £135, it matches the ZxR in everything except multi-speaker use and has a lower output impedance (10ohm vs 38ohm) which can make a big difference with low impedance headphones.

The STX can drive the current hungry AKG K702s easily, I played hundreds of hours of Skyrim using the same pairing.
If you find that you would like more bass, there is a very easy (and reversible) mod you can perform on the K702s that adds around 5db to the bass and sub-bass, which fills out explosions very nicely. If you are more focused on competitive FPS gaming then you won't be wanting extra bass, footsteps are found in the upper mids and you'll want those as clear as possible.

AKG K702 / Q701 bass port mod

* and before anyone leaps in with "don't buy a sound card, an external DAC/Amp is better" - The OP wants virtual surround for gaming.
** it's a shame that the Sennheiser isn't up to driving the K702s as it would have been ideal but to get that device working would require easy to drive headphones such as the HD 599 but that would mean £200 for the box and the same for the headphones.