The official PS4 Headset/Headphones Guide/Discussion

[Psycho Sonny]

Shake dont listen to Psycho you DO NOT NEED A MIXAMP with that headset m8.

- Connection: mini stereo jack plug (3.5 mm)

you don't need one but it requires a 3.5mm jack connection which the controller can provide but the sound quality from the controller is awful

therefore if he wants decent sound as well as being able to use surround sound (virtual) then he needs a mixamp

 

[davethe11]

Wonder if you knowledgeable folk could advise me on something please. My current setup is:

PS4 -> hdmi -> TV -> optical -> DAC with headphone amp -> Senn HD555

I want to get a virtual surround setup going and are looking at either a dss or a mixamp (I've been following this thread keenly). The mixamp has a USB 'passthrough' connection, and the dss has a USB connection for USB headphones - as my DAC has USB input, would this work:

PS4 -> optical -> dss or mixamp -> USB -> DAC -> Senn HD555

Basically I'm confused about the USB output on the dss and mixamp and whether they can be used to pass on the surround-processed signal digitally. I've scoured google, and I'm still confused, the mixamp has a USB passthrough for power and data, but I can find no more information than this. Regarding the dss, I don't know if a USB DAC would be recognised the same way as USB headphones would be. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

the usb output on the mixamp is for charging stuff, not for audio afaik, well that's what it is used for on the model i own, it charges the wireless receiver

basically you don't need to use your DAC as the mixamp is a DAC/AMP

 

[davethe11]

the usb output on the mixamp is for charging stuff, not for audio afaik, well that's what it is used for on the model i own, it charges the wireless receiver

basically you don't need to use your DAC as the mixamp is a DAC/AMP

Thanks for the information, I was hoping to use my DAC/Headphone Amp (Beresford Caiman) with a surround-processed signal as I'm guessing it will give better quality than the mixamp, but I'm not clued up on these kind of things. I will have a think on it though, the ability to control game volume/chat volume on the fly is tempting.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

What I would do is get a mixamp and use that until they update USB on the console to output surround sound (which may never happen).

I also have a dac/amp and I only use it with pc because of the benefits of my mixamp

 

[davethe11]

Mixamp it is, thank you for your help and for all the info in this thread

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Actually you could double amp the mixamp but tbh it wouldn't be much better because your headphones are very easy to drive.

Basically turn the volume on the mixamp down very low to mitigate the built in amp then use a 3.5mm to rca cable into the amp portion of your dac/amp and just use the amp.

This is what I shall be doing when I get my schiit vali

 

[davethe11]

Great idea, I've got a 3.5mm to rca adapter so I will try this out

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Tbh it won't make much difference I imagine unless it's a "coloured" amp.

Better off with just the mixamp less hassle. If you were to use more demanding head phones then it would be worthwhile.

Have you modded your 555's to 595's by removing the foam from the ear cups?

I would recommend the mod as I owned 595's and they were brilliant for competitive fps.

 

[davethe11]

I haven't modded mine yet, I've considered doing it but am not convinced that it would improve them. I've read that the drivers are the same as the 595's, but some speculate that the drivers in the 555's are kind of binned after testing as being of poorer quality and that the foam is there to smooth out frequencies effected by the lower quality (I am no audiophile btw, just what I've read). I weighed up the pro's and con's of maybe even damaging them during the mod and chickened out! Every once in a while I'm tempted, but I'm happy with them (I almost modded them a few days ago lol).

 

[silvagti]

My Sony PS4 headset 2.0 wireless headset arrived earlier this week. Pretty impressed with it so far. It's light, comfortable and the sound quality seems good to me (though I'm no audiophile so can't really pass serious comment on it).

Works really well with windows/PC too which was half the reason I bought it. Definitely worth the £70 price tag. That was towards the top end of what I'd personally consider spending on a headset having said that.

My previous headset was a Creative Fatality headset which compared to the Sony is plastic and creaked when moving my head whilst wearing it. I found it kind of sweaty and uncomfortable too but then it was only £25 so I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[Soviet]

Just got a Astro Mixamp Pro imported brand new from a US etailer, and hooked them up to my Gamecom Commander. Blown away by how much better it sounds.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

What were you plugging them into before? The controller?

If you want to try some high end headphones

https://www.massdrop.com/r/6HW75F

sign up there and search for

SoundMAGIC HP200 Headphones

They are £220 in the UK from the popular jungle store, only £90ish from there if you miss customs, they have been very highly reviewed at £200+, you won't get better headphones for under £100 period.

 

[Soviet]

I did, but as they're my gaming PC headset I just ended up using a cheap £20 PS4 accessory headset plugged into the controller, as I couldn't be bothered swapping it round all the time. Now I've got the Mixamp I'll be using them all the time.

I'm pretty happy with the the Gamecom Commander right now, although I am thinking of buying a Beyerdynamic DT770 for my music.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

DT770 are also highly regarded for gaming too, not as good as the HP200 though from head fi reviews.

What kind of headphone you looking for in regards to music? Take a look in sound city for advice. Fidelio X1 is good if you like bass, DT770 for a closed all rounder, Q701 for clarity and space, HD600 for hi-fi reference level smoothness.

 

[Soviet]

DT770 are also highly regarded for gaming too, not as good as the HP200 though from head fi reviews.

What kind of headphone you looking for in regards to music? Take a look in sound city for advice. Fidelio X1 is good if you like bass, DT770 for a closed all rounder, Q701 for clarity and space, HD600 for hi-fi reference level smoothness.

I'm kinda at a loss whether I should look for open back or closed TBH. To make things awkward I like any music as long as it sounds good, but do like music with good bass. I was looking at the Fidelio X1, and I believe the X2 comes out shortly so might take a look at that if it's a decent enough improvement for the price.

As for Sennheiser, I borrowed my dads 598s and just couldn't get along with them, not sure why as the bass was good but they just sounded a bit tinny at times.

Might make a thread in the Sound section. My worry is forking out another £150+ only to find they're not much better than what I've got.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I'm kinda at a loss whether I should look for open back or closed TBH. To make things awkward I like any music as long as it sounds good, but do like music with good bass. I was looking at the Fidelio X1, and I believe the X2 comes out shortly so might take a look at that if it's a decent enough improvement for the price.

As for Sennheiser, I borrowed my dads 598s and just couldn't get along with them, not sure why as the bass was good but they just sounded a bit tinny at times.

Might make a thread in the Sound section. My worry is forking out another £150+ only to find they're not much better than what I've got.

If you want bass stay away from sennheisers, sennheiser focus on reference and clarity and tend to be bass light in terms of rumble but focus on tightness when it comes to bass. HD650 is warmer but it lacks bass if you have listened to something like Fidelio X1's which offer a nice rumble.

For decent bass you should be looking at Fidelio X1's or DT770's, or possibly even Q701's with the bass port mod but even then the Q701's are all about tightness and clarity over rumble.

Are you looking for a bass head can? then look at the bass head thread on head fi. If your looking for a nice pair of headphones with good bass then DT770 or Fidelio X1 (both of which are good gaming cans).

If you want a high end pair of cans with bass then HiFiMan HE-400 pricey though at £300ish but they aren't that great for gaming, good but not great but excellent for music and bass

 

[Soviet]

If you want bass stay away from sennheisers, sennheiser focus on reference and clarity and tend to be bass light in terms of rumble but focus on tightness when it comes to bass. HD650 is warmer but it lacks bass if you have listened to something like Fidelio X1's which offer a nice rumble.

For decent bass you should be looking at Fidelio X1's or DT770's, or possibly even Q701's with the bass port mod but even then the Q701's are all about tightness and clarity over rumble.

Are you looking for a bass head can? then look at the bass head thread on head fi. If your looking for a nice pair of headphones with good bass then DT770 or Fidelio X1 (both of which are good gaming cans).

If you want a high end pair of cans with bass then HiFiMan HE-400 pricey though at £300ish but they aren't that great for gaming, good but not great but excellent for music and bass

Cool cheers I'll take a look. I'm a bit of a basshead but reckon I'll be better off going for a decent all rounder with good bass. Everybody seems to rave about the Fidelio X1 so might see if I can trial one somewhere.

 

[Reeve]

- Connection: mini stereo jack plug (3.5 mm)

you don't need one but it requires a 3.5mm jack connection which the controller can provide but the sound quality from the controller is awful

therefore if he wants decent sound as well as being able to use surround sound (virtual) then he needs a mixamp

Just out of curiosity how much better would this be if you split the mic and audio signal so that the mic signal went into the controller and the audio went into the TV?

Apologies if its a stupid question.

 

[kdd]

Read a bit about metro redux, if the conversions are handled well and it runs at 1080p 60 fps it could be a bit of a bargain.