spec me i'm nub

garnhamr

garnhamr

garnhamr

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3 Sep 2010
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132
hi i've got a creative xfi extreme gamer that i bought many years back. i'm considering getting some headphones for positional audio in fps games but i've gotten confused about the technologies.

i see that stereo/single driver headphones are better so i want to go for those over a gaming headset but then i guess i need some form of virtual surround coming from my soundcard. This is where i am completely stumped as to what i should be buying/doing/looking for.

is my current card fine?
what card should i buy instead?

my budget is umm.... well i don't want to spend more than £250 really, i'm a total nub when it comes to sound quality however i do like to follow in the footsteps of others and i see that the ad700 are popular
 
do you want open or closed back headphones? Open will normally give you a better sound stage but they leak sound like crazy. Also, your card has no headphone amp at all, so if you're looking at good headphones such as the AKG K702 you'll need either a very good sound card or an external amplifier to drive them.

Take a look through this list of headphones, it reviews them from a gaming standpoint. The Fun category is for general gaming, atmospheric sounds, etc. and also for music. The Competitive category concerns positional audio.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad...guide-update-7-9-2014-ultrasone-hfi-15g-added
 
sound leakage doesn't matter at all so open backed ones it is.
if i went with the ad700x would my cmss-3d and this xfi extreme gamer be good enough?
should i be looking for dolby headphone support?
just really want to get my head around the technologies.
 
What are you going to be doing with the headphones? Is it strictly for positional audio and nothing else? Reason I ask is the AD700X has very little bass, so wouldn't be great at anything else.
 
seen the k702's for £160 and the reviews seem really good, i am tempted.
i'm guessing my extreme gamer card with its cmss-3d would be alright but i could get better if i buy something else but i really dont know what. soundcard with an amp built in or what
 
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The AKG K702's would be your best bet but they absolutely have to be amped. So either a new sound card or add an amp between your existing card and the headphones.
 
i find it hard to believe that music technology hasn;t advanced to the point where an extreme gamer from like year 2000 isn't crappy. i guess my best bet would be going for a new sound card for the newer tech and a built in amp just to keep costs down
 
Get yourself a simple Fiio Amp. The K701 isn't expensive to drive, a simple Fiio will give them some juice! I like the E11 because it's warm and puts out a lot of power for what it is.
 
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