My audio is a joke

My audio is a joke these days and it's depressing me. Can some gurus help me out?

I moved apartments so can't blast my speakers (not a joke) for gaming any more. I have a pair of Logitech G35 but wowza they piss me off... all sorts of crackle and pops and sounds terrible when I turn up the bass to my liking (only like 4 out of 12 notches). There are lots of problems I could go on about but the only thing I do like about them is their 7.1 positioning.

I have a pair of ATH-M50s. They are good for music but not games. The directional audio is quite poor. However, I wonder if a better soundcard with virtual surround could help them. I'm guessing yes for some headphones but not the M50s; they are very "in your face".

Since I have speakers for music, I'm wondering if I should spring for a soundcard + hi-fi headphone or stick to a gaming headset of some kind since that's 100% the purpose (since I have M50s already).

I've read a few reviews but it's hard to get a clear picture since head-fi guys would never think about a gaming headset, even for gaming. I can understand this to a degree but what headphones are made to get that 7.1 style positioning otherwise?

Any suggestions appreciated!

 

Suspect with good soundcard (or amplifier) your headphones will improve directional quality.

 

Regardless, the M50's aren't the best cans in the world for directional audio. Could be worth considering a better headphone for gaming anyway. It all depends on budget.

 

Yea; based on the sound stage of the M50s, I'm guessing they won't have great direction regardless of soundcard. Or at least not "open" enough for a more immersive surround experience.

I've been eyeing the Beyerdynamic DT series for quite some time but am afraid to pull the trigger due to lack of info on gaming/directional pinpointing.

I'm looking to spend enough to get the virtualization for gaming. I have an external USB soundcard on my DJ Mixer and will almost always use it for listening to music because I can EQ it via hardware. So I guess I'll narrow it down to soundcards for now. Anything around $80-$100 that is great for virtual surround sound and stable? The Xonar DX seems to fit the bill.

 

Let me give you some advice you probably wont follow, but I'm going to ask you to trust me on this. Grab yourself the cheapest SBZ you can, and then get yourself a set of Philips Fidelio X1's before they blow up in price.

 

Good advice right there.

Darkest, quick question, which do you think is better Dt990 premium 250ohm, 600ohm, or the X1's?

I would grab the X1's in a heartbeat, but my problem is the non-replaceable black velour pads. In winter here in the northeast my skin can get dry, making the pads hard to keep clean. The Beyer's have silver pads.
From what I hear SQ is pretty close between the two. Right now the X1's are a steal at $220.00 vs. $320.00 for the 250ohm 990 prems.

 

Depends on what you want to use them for and what you favour when it comes to audio. I easily recommend the X1's because the OP is looking for a fantastic gaming related set of headphones.

You're right in that the worst issue you'll face with the X1's is the pads. The general build quality beyond that however, is fantastic. The fixed pads I think can be saved, a hand wash here and there and at worst some manual love. I find it unlikely you'll feel the need to replace them for a year and a half at least.

For general use I would rate the X1's above the 990 pro's. Frankly, unless you're of a very special disposition I would rate them above any DT990 product hands down. But that is personal, for a specific line of cans.

 

Those X1's look DOPE. Unfortunately, I should have mentioned that I am looking for closed back headphones. My lady would not appreciate the X1s as much as us, though I am considering anyways, lol. They look extremely comfy and quality.

Why did you recommend any SBZ card? Do the X1s not require any amplification? The cheapest SBZ I saw on Newegg was about $75, which is on par with the ASUS Xonar DX. I'll probably end up getting one of those two because the price is right.

Thanks for all the input, this is helping me out.

EDIT: Wow tons of people over at head-fi are praising the crap out of the X1s and comparing them to some really big names... Getting a better picture of what they sound like too. I am a basshead no doubt; that's why I can't do Sennheiser cans. I don't expect to be gaming much when the lady is around anyways so hmmm...

 

Why would open back be of an issue? How close are you in proximity to your girl when you'll be using your headphones?

 

Pretty damn close; I live in a small apartment and she is moving in with me soon due to unplanned life events. I've never really used open backs before though, so I'm wondering how much these will actually leak? Do they isolate at all? I want these extremely badly now, hahaha. You monster.


PS they are $230 on Amazon right now. What price would you say is a deal and a steal?

 

Be exact on how close, are you talking on the same couch or over a room? Or a different room? It's hard to tell with the info given.

 

Well if we're both lounging, it's going to be the same room. I know open backs are a bad idea for this reason but sheeet these look most excellent.

 

I would recommend you get them, buy them from Amazon. Give it a trial and see how it goes, Amazon are absolutely fantastic when it comes to returns. Just be sure to look after them. If you want headphones suitable for gaming and general use right now, the X1's are the best on the market. Buy and try them, if the girl isn't happy send them back and we can go over new options.

I recommended you get the SBZ because it comes with a more advanced feature set, is more modern, and has a 600ohm (albeit a weak one) headphone AMP built in. That can and will make a massive difference to your use of audio in games and general.

 

Damn, Darkest mate, we need a pair of those too. Can't sleep lol

 

Not a bad plan. She won't be joining me for a month either, so I can give them a proper trial period of long test runs.

Regardless of if I end up getting these or not, what do you think about the ASUS Xonar DX and the SBZ mentioned earlier? The DX is 7.1 and the SBZ 5.1 for around the same price. I'm a big fan of ASUS but never had one of their soundcards before.

 

I'd personally go with SB Z.

 

Edited my last post mate, check it.

 

Thanks again for quick responses. Well firstly, should I stay away from OEM soundcards? That doesn't even make much sense to me. Any particular model you'd recommend, and do you like their naming system or ridiculously long model numbers? haha.

Sound Blaster Z 30SB150200000 ($102) vs 70SB150200000 ($74); both are OEM

I'd just as soon go with the cheaper if I'm going to grab some $230 headphones. But what's $30 more at this point, shucks.

 

The OEM models of the Z are fine, it just means that you wont get a driver disk and the cheap/poor external mic.

 

Sweet. Well I read this on a review of the X1:

I also read something about the cable that comes with the X1 having poor impedance and to purchase a Mediabridge cable instead.

But as for the soundcard, if the above quote sounds accurate, is that something that poses problems for the SBZ line?


EDIT: One other thing; apparently you can't replace the earpads; that's annoying. Going to look into this now though.