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Spec Me, Whole new Setup

GiraffePencils

GiraffePencils

GiraffePencils

Soldato
Joined
15 Feb 2013
Posts
3,089
Location
Edinburgh
Hi All,

I currently have an aging Razer Megalodon and some Logitech speakers.
I recently sold my Guitar amp and started playing guitar through my PC using the Rocksmith USB which disagrees with both my headset and speakers which causes me to use some cheap free earbuds :mad:

So I want to move away from it all, Get a proper headset and Audio solution. Hopefully with the ability to use it with my guitar (This isn't a must have I can keep using the rocksmith USB)

I Play FPS mostly and watch films on my pc, I'm not really attached to the 'all-in-one' headset so a decent pair of headphones will do, Over ear if possible.

Budget: 300
Ideally less but it's a shot in the dark for now
 
What do you mean by "disagrees with both my headset and speakers"? The cable that you use with Rocksmith is just an ADC (analogue to digital converter) and if you install ASIO4ALL should work with any other sound software too.
 
I mean that I couldn't find anything online would fixed it, I either got one or the other, never both.
I'll try that tonight, it'd be great if it works.
But I still would like to get a new sound solution, the Rocksmith problem just fueled me to get research started.

I originally thought I'd go the razer route and get a tiamat, but I'm more and more unhappy with razer products and have been told to avoid the "5.1" & "7.1" headsets
 
no, the rocksmith cable and the headset,
Or the rocksmith cable and the speakers.
The website for rocksmith just said they have trouble with certain usb audio devices
Sorry if I wasn't making myself clear earlier in the thread.
 
Try installing ASIO4ALL and see if it allows you to hear anything but I wouldn't hold my breath if both your headset and speakers are USB. Worth a try though, it's free :D

So when it comes to headphones, what kind of sound are you looking for?

Do you need a lot of bass?

Do you need very accurate treble for positional audio in FPS games?

You mentioned movies, will you be listening to music too?

Do you need closed back headphones?
These will generally have more bass but the sound stage will be smaller and the bass can overpower the positional audio somewhat.

Or do you want open backed headphones?
Usually the bass is lighter but the sound stage is bigger and positional audio will be more accurate.
 
I'll try that out, thanks.

I listen to a lot of rock and metal, but I'll not sit and listen to music on it's own.
I'd be more interested in better sound in games and movies.

Accuracy in games would be great, I play FPS regularly.

Closed back vs. open back, is this sacrificing sound leaking for better sound?
I'll be alone when on the PC normally, but if i'm up late then it might disturb, How much sound leaks?
 
It can be quite a bit, if I take my AKG K702's off I can still hear what's playing quite easily from 20 feet away. If you are in separate rooms though and close the door that will cut pretty much all of it out.
 
Hmm, well my PC is in the bedroom and my partner's a nurse and she'd be ****ed if she wasn't able to sleep while I'm on the PC.
If it's significantly better, I'd probably just give up late night gaming lol
 
If you're using them in the same room then closed back would be essential if you wish to remain a couple :D

Beyerdynamic DT770 pro (80 ohm) around £125 (straight cable)

Tons of bass but also a very good sound. When using them for FPS gaming, just reduce the bass with your sound card's EQ and you'll have the best of both worlds because they also have very accurate positional audio.

Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro (250 ohm) around £125 (curly cable)
Same as above but with slightly tighter control over the bass, it does however require an amp but as you are upgrading anyway that won't be a problem.

Sound cards:

Creative Sound Blaster Z (OEM) £50
Speakers 5.1 using 3x3.5mm sockets.
Bare bones version of the Z for less money (but still very good sound quality). Good all rounder with dedicated headphone amp (up to 300~600 ohm*) and socket.
ASIO support: Yes
*I had trouble pushing 250 ohm DT990's to high volumes

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD £99
Speakers: L & R via RCA or 5.1 via optical
High quality sound for gaming, movies and music. Built in headphone amp (up to 330 ohm) and dedicated socket.
ASIO support: Yes

Asus Xonar Essence STX £135
Speakers L & R via RCA or 5.1 via optical
Highest quality sound for gaming, movies or music. Powerful built in headphone amp (up to 600 ohms) which has no trouble pushing even relatively difficult to drive headphones to high volumes. Dedicated 6.3mm headphone socket.
ASIO support: Yes

I personally use an STX for gaming and movies, I have an external DAC & Amp for music. I also plug my guitar into the microphone socket (normal guitar lead) and use it with Guitar Rig Pro 5 via ASIO.
 
Thanks man,
Fits nicely into budget,
Is that the best I can get without a large jump in budget?
I notice the DT 770 says 'every part replaceable' so it should last a fair while yeah?
 
The DT770 is a good all rounder and is built like a tank.

If you were only interested in positional audio then the AKG K702 (£165) or Q701 (£200) are the best but they leak sound like you were wearing speakers on your head.

For movies you want bass for that whole immersion thing and explosions, don't forget the explosions! :D

The Philips Fidelio X1 (£188) has the bass, large sound stage and decent positional audio but it's open backed (like the AKG's) and would no doubt wake your partner.

There are countless others but as your options are limited by having to keep the noise down, the Beyers are the logical choice without spending silly money.

ps. the Beyers have more than enough bass too :D
 
Klkl, good to know.

Now you mention you use an external Dac & amp for music, I've always thought that as all my music is mp3 (a handful of flac) there's nothing to be gained from one
am I about right?

Also A mic?
My mate has a Blue yeti, seems good but he does casts so probably OTT for me, any suggestion?
 
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Depends on the bitrate, 320kbps MP3 are "almost" indistinguishable from FLAC.

An external DAC will not have any of the Dolby or DTS processing so you will lose out in games and movies. This is why I have both an external DAC and a sound card - best of both worlds.

Don't know much about microphones sorry, though Blue mics are well thought of. I've seen a few reports that the Blue Snowball is too quiet, though the ********* looks quite good.
 
If you can go a little more then this is a really good mic

Chord CCU1 Condenser Microphone

Or

Samson CO1U. USB Studio Condenser Microphone


Or for a bit more


T Bone SC 450 USB Microphone
 
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