I really wish my Sennheiser GSX 1000 was compatible with the PS5. The virtual 7.1 it somehow manages to create on my PC is insane.
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Using a DAC is a complete game changer!
- Thread starter hlhbk
- Start date
Best headphones approaching audiophile territory without breaking the bank are the HiFiMan HE400I 2020 Edition.
These used to be $500 headphones, the refresh are still the same quality as the old $500 priced ones but with a much more durable band at a fraction of the cost - https://www.amazon.com/HIFIMAN-HE400i-2020-Version-Professional/dp/B08BC5CM9N
These don't have a built in mic however if you add one of these - https://antlionaudio.com/collections/microphones
You can convert a excellent pair of headphones into a fully functional headset. This will set you back about $250 total at the minimum
Comparative alternatives are the Sennheiser GSP 370's - https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-GSP-370-Low-Latency-Noise-Cancelling/dp/B07YQFJ2DR
Or SteelSeries Arctis 9's - https://steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/arctis-9 (This are compatible with the PS5) or if you need Xbox Support the 9X - https://steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/arctis-9x
Shame there isn't a universal Arctis 9 that has both PS5 and Xbox Support, but the HiFiMan's paired with a ModMic should be universal pretty much, but again most affordable high end set without encroaching the $300+ territory.
Schiit stacks have been pretty popular, but I avoid them because I've read too many posts about build quality issues and poor customer service. JDS Labs O2 series and Atom series are pretty good and around the same price range. I use a Topping D30 DAC with a JDS O2 amp (Massdrop Edition) and it's been great for me on PS4 and PC.
Has anyone used the PA2V2 with games (consoles or PC)? How is it?
How do these compare to the ATH-M50s?
You are passing the analog audio from the monitor to the speakers, and I'd expect that analog amp to be fairly basic, that low level analog is then again amplified by which I assume are active speakers.
It's a non-ideal scenario. Typically these are a TV based setup, to allow you the multiple connections for the devices. HDMI1/2/3 for Console1/2/PC. Then optical to the DAC/AMP, and on to the speakers. Or HDMI1/2 for console 1/2 -> Optical -> DAC and HDMI3 -> PC and PC -> USB -> DAC.
Check if your monitor has any digital outputs such as optical or coaxial.
Xbox (HDMI) -> TV (optical) -> DAC/AMP
OP
OP
I am confused you linked the steel series headset as an alternative but its a gaming headset and currently many reviews rank my razer headset higher than the steel series?
I realize the Razer one came out in July. Does everyone here making comments have experience with them or at least read up on them?
I've experienced the DAC OP mentioned on a friend's setup and it sounded pretty fantastic. For me however, a long ass cord from the DAC to the couch for console gaming just is never going to be a thing in my life unless I have a dedicated room for playing and not just the living room. Too much foot traffic.
OP
OP
I can only play games at night while my wife and 1 and a half year old are asleep lol.
A great pair of headphones with a solid DAC and amp makes a huge difference in terms of audio quality, but it also depends on what headphone/DAC combos you go with.
For a great low cost DAC I would recommend the Fiio K3:
While I do plan on upgrading to a Schiit stack in 2021, the K3 is phenomenal at it's asking price.
Currently I primarily use the Sennheiser HD6xx from Massdroo, hands down the best pair of headphones I have ever owned, but my AKG K712 Pro's are also extremely nice to use.
For a great low cost DAC I would recommend the Fiio K3:
While I do plan on upgrading to a Schiit stack in 2021, the K3 is phenomenal at it's asking price.
Currently I primarily use the Sennheiser HD6xx from Massdroo, hands down the best pair of headphones I have ever owned, but my AKG K712 Pro's are also extremely nice to use.
This is my issue. Running a huge cable across the living room just isn't viable. It's a bummer.
That actually won't work for me - my DAC/amp is a Lexicon Alpha, which is really a recording interface first, and a DAC/amp second. As such, it doesn't have optical in but rather inputs for recording audio (XLR, 1/4", RCA).
What about this? My TV has a SPDI/F out, so can I feed that into my DAC/amp (with a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter)? Will I lose any fidelity by using the TV's audio output?
I checked it out, the inputs are all analog. The SPDIF out from your TV into a line input won't work. In fact the USB is meant to power the device, it happens to work because it is also recognized as a USB audio interface.
For future reference, any digital output from your TV (optical/SPDIF/coaxial) could be used as inputs into a dac without any fidelity concerns. These are digital signals sent from the TV to the DAC, not amplified analog signals.
My previous pair of headphones died on me and I didn't want to pay to replace them, I got lucky and found an old pair of AKG K240 (600 ohm version) from the 90s in my parents' storage. I'm not an audiophile but I did some research and apparently this is a terribly power hungry monster of a pair! I was expecting them to sound terrible plugged straight into my motherboard but honestly they sound fine? Using Equalizer APO + HeSuVi made a big difference. I have no idea what kind of AMP I would need to drive these properly, but I'm guessing anything is better than my current setup with these headphones?
Yeah, the older K240s were tough to drive but sound pretty amazing. I think a JDS O2 Amp might be able to run it at the bare minimum.
I greatly appreciate the information! Thank you. Looks like I'll have to break down and get another device if I want to have a DAC/amp for my Xbox consoles.
Interesting that the SPID/F output from a TV is digital and not analogue. I'll have to ponder that more as I'm not quite wrapping my head around that.
Stupid question for everyone. If I were to buy the Sony XM4's and a DAC, would I be able to get surround sound of some type/3D audio even tho the Sony's are stereo only?
If I have an AVR already, can I just purchase an amp. Connect the amp to the AVR for use with my headphones? Cause I feel like my 558's don't sound to good on my Denon AVR. Not sure if I should buy better CANS or just get the Magni3+.
I listen to music a hell of a lot more than I play games, so my gear is probably overkill for most.
I also have a Peachtree Nova 150 amp in my living room, feeding Focal floorstanders. My headphone setup here is a Schiit Jotunheim feeding Focal Clear headphones.
I found the Peachtree DAC really, really lacklustre and lifeless, especially for music. So I ended up saving and buying a Chord Qutest. I run a Pro-Ject Streambox into that via USB, which allows me to access my music collection that's sat on a hard drive on my PC, and I also run an optical cable out of the back of my TV into it. The step up was HUGE. DACS matter a ton, at least if you are serious about music. The articulation and attack of notes are what gives music it's timbre and colour, the Chord DACS do a remarkable job at this. In terms of movies and gaming, it was also a clear step up. More definition and greater spatial seperation.
For my PC in my study I used an old pair of Sennheiser 598 CEs out of an Audioquest Dragonfly Black USB DAC. This was fine for gaming, but I've been curious about surround headphones for some time. A few weeks ago I bought the Audeze Mobius gaming headphone, which has surround support. For titles such as RD2 it's uncanny how immersive it can be.
I'm very aware that I have caught the audiophile bug, and part of me regrets that. My next wants are isolation feet for my speakers and a CD transport to feed the Qutest. My advice is, if you enjoy the gear you have (even if it's just gaming headsets out of a 3.5mm socket) then continue on as you are! That said, there's an audiophile maxim that's often repeated, buy the best speakers you can. This includes headphones. They make the most difference in any setup.
I also have a Peachtree Nova 150 amp in my living room, feeding Focal floorstanders. My headphone setup here is a Schiit Jotunheim feeding Focal Clear headphones.
I found the Peachtree DAC really, really lacklustre and lifeless, especially for music. So I ended up saving and buying a Chord Qutest. I run a Pro-Ject Streambox into that via USB, which allows me to access my music collection that's sat on a hard drive on my PC, and I also run an optical cable out of the back of my TV into it. The step up was HUGE. DACS matter a ton, at least if you are serious about music. The articulation and attack of notes are what gives music it's timbre and colour, the Chord DACS do a remarkable job at this. In terms of movies and gaming, it was also a clear step up. More definition and greater spatial seperation.
For my PC in my study I used an old pair of Sennheiser 598 CEs out of an Audioquest Dragonfly Black USB DAC. This was fine for gaming, but I've been curious about surround headphones for some time. A few weeks ago I bought the Audeze Mobius gaming headphone, which has surround support. For titles such as RD2 it's uncanny how immersive it can be.
I'm very aware that I have caught the audiophile bug, and part of me regrets that. My next wants are isolation feet for my speakers and a CD transport to feed the Qutest. My advice is, if you enjoy the gear you have (even if it's just gaming headsets out of a 3.5mm socket) then continue on as you are! That said, there's an audiophile maxim that's often repeated, buy the best speakers you can. This includes headphones. They make the most difference in any setup.
The digital outputs (of any device) such as Optical, SPDIF and Coaxial send digital streams of data downstream to your typical AVR which has a DAC inside, that converts the digital signal to analog. Most our devices are digital but we can't hear or understand digital, we only understand analog.
So, from your phones, to cameras, to media players, to consoles and TVs are all digital, they process and produce digital audio, which then has to be converted to analog via a DAC. Typically all these devices have DACs and amplifiers in them, you just don't think about it. When you play a song on your iphone, it's a tiny dac converting the original digital signal to analog, and sending that tiny analog signal to a tiny amp which amplifies the tiny analog to a bit bigger analog, which comes out of the included speaker, or via the headphone out.
When you use the digital outs of any device, you are skipping the internal conversion and amplification process, which for most these devices are an afterthought, as opposed to a device which is designed for that purpose (dac/amp, integrated amp, pure dac). You are taking the digital bitstream out of the device directly and handing it off to a dedicated device for the conversion then amplification, in this specific scenario.
Think of a CD player from back in the days. What did the CD player actually do? CDs are digital, a laser picked up the digital stream, sent to it to an onboard DAC, which converted the digital to analog, which was then handed off to a receiver which amplified the analog to bigger analog and drove speakers.
But most of these desktop dac/amps aren't good enough to drive actual speakers, so then you get into dedicated dacs, which do the conversion only and hand off the analog to a dedicated amplifier, which then drive the speakers.
Just for fun :), a purely dedicated audiophile dac: https://www.rockna-audio.com/products/wavedream-dac
So serious question: What does the Sound BlasterX G6 have that my Asus Prime Z390-A does not?
I once had a Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital for my Sennheiser HD 660s and my motherboard was able to deliver more power than the Pro-Ject. Am I misunderstandind something?
I once had a Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital for my Sennheiser HD 660s and my motherboard was able to deliver more power than the Pro-Ject. Am I misunderstandind something?
Reset could I technically take my cloud alpha s and plug into a DAC like the OP's and push the headphones? Like I just got them and they are ok but not as good as everyone has made them out to be.
It depends. The internal DAC build into a headset probably isn't better then some individual external DACs. However the bigger question is when you pair them with an AMP which goes back to the point of the quality of the Headset itself and to be driven to produce overall higher quality sound.
Anyone unsure on this subject, I highly recommend watching this video. It will help a lot. Not every DAC is created equal. The conversion of Digital to an Analog signal on individual DAC / AMP stacks typically produce far better results than some combos.
Which cables do I need for these to work with my PC? Just a USB connection?
Yeah, just USB. The cable is probably included in the package, too.
yeah that's why I wasn't sure why it's not working. I think the Modius and the Bifrost 2 use their new internally developed Unison USB interface. The gungnir might also be using a different USB implementation. Not sure why they're not working. I also have a soekris 1541 and that doesn't work either.
Cool, thank you. What about the Element II? Is that one a class higher than the Atom combo?
I also have an Eitr and a Modi Multibit I can try in the weekend.
Looks like the Element II is a DAC/Amp combo unit. I haven't really looked at this model at all, but I don't really like the hybrid models, since if one part of it goes bad, then you can't use it at all. Whereas with separate DAC and amp units, one of them can still if used if the other goes out.
I really struggle to notice a major difference in quality between HD558s with no amp/DAC and my dt990pros with a schiit modi/magni3+ even though the latter costs over three times as much.
Yep this is major thing to take note of. Some DACs will such as the Modi 3 for example have option for Optical, USB, and even Coaxial input. So if you can't go from Optical > DAC > Amp > Speakers / Headset. You can interchange it with a USB output instead.
However in the case USB output devices, the PS4 for instance will detect this as a headphone device, so depending on compatibility with the device itself your mileage will vary.
Is this when gaming or listening to music? I feel the equipment matters more with the latter, but that's just me.
Cool thanks. I might be doing something wrong. I'll try again and maybe the volume on the switch was low or something.
I just connected a Sennheiser GSX 1000 and that works!
edit** yeah not working. Only the GSX 1000 works
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Understood. So will the Atom Combo suffice for my Sennheiser HD 660S for music?
Should be fine, but you'll end up wanting to upgrade and buy more. Then you'll want different headphones, and new gear to run those, etc.
You just saved me from purchasing the Modi 3 & Magni3+. Going to wait and see for what is available for next gen.
Well, I already have that with PC components, speakers, TVs and AVRs. One more question if I may. The Element ii says it also works for powered speakers. So just to be absolutely clear, powered speakers for the PC are speakers with their own amp so to speak? Where you need to connect one speaker to a power outlet?
So I'm going to be the dumbass in the thread and go "So this is an amp plugged into your computer/console that you then plug headphones into?"