mannon
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Post by mannon on Sept 29, 2010 6:53:31 GMT -5
Yeah but you only have to do that for pure stereo only sound, and even then I find that I can often tell the difference based on context like whether I'm hearing footsteps on gravel or concrete, ect.
Dolby Headphone applies a muffling filter to the sound channels to attempt to simulate the binaural image produced by sounds reaching your ears and being muffled by your head and the shape of your ears.
As long as the range and quality is good enough for you to pickup on the audio cues even cheap headphones should suffice, while still avoiding any problems incurred from the environment, less than perfect speaker placement, seating, or posture, any differences in the speakers themselves, or from the lack of left/right isolation.
We're just talking about positional cues, not whether or not you can hear every single note from each individual instrument in an orchestra. There certainly are bad headphones for it, but really few headphones or home theater systems take the positional quality of their sound as the #1 consideration in price setting.
Personally I'm not sure which I would prefer, but I'm kinda partial to headphones, mainly for the isolation and eliminating unnecessary variables.
Though I really wish we had more robust binaural simulation in games... ;-s Apparently there are some iPhone games that make more use of it, but still... I guess sound just isn't as sexy as graphics and thus doesn't get the investment dollars.
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Post by baztian on Oct 8, 2010 0:01:46 GMT -5
Used to own the Astro Mixamp and DT 880. Too many wires to justify the sound quality. Returned to speakers and am pleased with my 5.1 setup.
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Post by vulgar on Oct 18, 2010 2:47:45 GMT -5
I use a USB audio interface made for guitars and Sennheiser headphones, and it sounds really good. If you really want to go all out you can't go wrong with studio grade headphones and maybe even a mixamp with a built in EQ (it'd be nice to raise footsteps and lower airsupport white noise). You can build one of those gaming headsets with equipment from a local guitarcenter. It's probably cheaper too.
But I do not claim to be an audiophile.
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brandon7s
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Post by brandon7s on Oct 21, 2010 4:31:53 GMT -5
Best audio setup I've found for my PS3 so far is: AKG K701's ($300), Astro Mixamp (150ish, IIRC), zalman clip-mic. The mic can be anything, really. I love the K701s though - great soundstage, comfortable (I easily wear mine for 9+ hours at a time), and they sound just plain great - for music or gaming.
I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro's that Iuse sometimes, but the hyped bass frequencies give me a headache after a while. I also tried the ATH-AD700's, but they completely lacked any bass - explosions and gunshots sounded like dry poofs, and not BOOMs. They are fine for soundstage/locational awareness, but they sound terribly thin with gaming.
The DT880's are alright as well (sold those though), but they have frizzy headache-inducing highs, to me. Also, not nearly as comfortable as the DT990 Pros, or AKG K701s.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2010 20:30:36 GMT -5
Just picked up an Astro Mixamp and TB HXP-1's with some Christmas cash so I'll be in the market for selling my Tritton AX720's if anyone is interested. Will also post my thoughts on the two and how they compare. I'm thinking this is an upgrade, more or less just a curiosity thing.
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n1gh7
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Post by n1gh7 on Dec 27, 2010 21:10:03 GMT -5
I just got some Shure SRH840s. They are replacing my Astros. Need to get a clip on mic or something...
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zeebo
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Post by zeebo on Dec 28, 2010 6:13:51 GMT -5
The best possible and still reasonably priced would be the mix amp plus a nice pair of audiophile cans. If you are looking towards the entire a40 setup, I own it and can fill ya in with any questions.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2010 9:07:18 GMT -5
I spent a great deal of time reading on the various setups out there and it seems like for amplification the options are Astro Mixamp and Turtle Beach DSS and the best bang for buck gaming headsets are the Turtle Beach HPX and Razer Carcharias. I found a combo used deal on the mixamp/hpx so that is the direction I went. Someday I will pick up some 'audiophile cans' to pair with the mixamp and a clip on mic, but for now I think this will be a rockin' setup.
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brandon7s
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Post by brandon7s on Dec 29, 2010 5:31:42 GMT -5
As I always mention in these kinds of threads, my favorite setup is a Mixamp + AKG K701. If you don't want to spend the money on the K701, the Audio Technica A700's have similar soundstage.
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n1gh7
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Post by n1gh7 on Dec 29, 2010 13:07:27 GMT -5
What do you use for a mic with your AKG + Mixamp?
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Post by deez on Dec 29, 2010 16:01:37 GMT -5
Everyone I've read so far is talking about Dolby Headphone tech and all simulated surround sound headphones. What I did was I spent the time to create a TRUE surround sound headphone system that involves some slightly complicated rigging. It however, can be modified on the fly to be LAN Tournament viable with a simple cord swap and a Mixamp thrown in the mix.
I'd reccomend looking into Auxilio_ab_alto's threads on MLG forums and Gamebattles Forums, he even has his own website now I believe with all the information.
I bought a pair of Turtle Beach HPX-SS coupled with the normal surround sound cable. Then bought a Creative Extigy external sound card and hooked it up to be my surround sound decoder (real simple.) Then just bought a Steelseries Headset Mic Adapter to make the headphone mic work with the Xbox Controller along with a Mic cable to make it reach my gaming throne.
In the end it sounds FANTASTIC. I can hear anything coming from anywhere, and I can even hook it up to my computer whenever I want for some Hi-Fi computer gaming. It'd also usable as a Tourney Headset just by purchasing a Mixamp + Turtle Beach HPX (some code behind it) cable adapter and just swapping the cables since there's a handy connector that can adapt to 5 different setups.
For only about $130 I got a true surround sound system that I can change into just about anything, I'd really reccomend it if you're not TOO electronically challenged ;D
Note: Don't trust anyone saying Dolby Headphone/Simulated SS is better or as good as True Surround Sound....It's not
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n1gh7
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Post by n1gh7 on Dec 29, 2010 18:50:08 GMT -5
Um, anything with 2 cans around your ears is not true surround sound. The soundstage of headphones if muddy if you have more than 1 speaker in each can. Simulated surround sound is alot better than surround sound in headphones.
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Post by themccannman on Dec 30, 2010 5:29:41 GMT -5
As an audiophile myself... Your an audiofile too?!? im an mp4 what are you? lol sorry i just had to
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2010 21:55:00 GMT -5
Can definitely say I like the Mixamp+TB HPX better than my Tritton ax720s. Bit lighter, bit more comfortable and a bit better sound staging (ability to determine directions of shots/steps/explosions)
I think they were worth the upgrade, but now I gotta sell the Trittons!
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wittyscorpion
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Post by wittyscorpion on Sept 1, 2015 14:25:19 GMT -5
Refresh this thread for new gen consoles. I had a premium headset in X360 days (around MW3) which has aged beyond usefulness, not to mention that it does not work well with XONE. I picked up the stereo headset MSFT sells at $50 and it is working OK, but I am tempted to get another premium headset, especially after I just picked up another XONE (so my wife and I can play Halo together) and I need a headset anyway. Astro announced this today: A40 TR w/MixAmp Pro (TR = "tournament ready" ): Looks nice but I have no experience with any Astro headsets. Bros who own A40, especially the ones made for current gen consoles, how do you like yours? Also, since I don't play tournaments or stream, I probably should not care about this particular offering? What options should I look into? A40 vs. A50? MixAmp M80 vs. MixAmp Pro? something else?
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Post by LeGitBeeSting on Sept 1, 2015 15:05:24 GMT -5
I own an A40. It's straight trash, don't buy a Astro headset. The mixamp however is alright.
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Post by kylet357 on Sept 1, 2015 15:12:08 GMT -5
I also recommend staying away from Turtle Beach. They break way too easily. I shit you not, the last pair I had broke because of being worn. And I only had it for about four months.
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wittyscorpion
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Post by wittyscorpion on Sept 1, 2015 15:25:50 GMT -5
I own an A40. It's straight trash, don't buy a Astro headset. The mixamp however is alright. Are you saying that you can use non Astro headsets with the mixamp? I also recommend staying away from Turtle Beach. They break way too easily. I shit you not, the last pair I had broke because of being worn. And I only had it for about four months. My previous one is a Turtle Beach, and yes, it did seem fragile.
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Post by volgon on Sept 1, 2015 15:35:26 GMT -5
steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/siberia-v3I use the v2 and they're probably my favorite headset I've ever used (though I haven't used that many). The build quality is just fantastic and there aren't many moving parts, so the constant risk of plastic cracking like in Turtle Beaches or other headsets is significantly lower with Siberias. It uses wires, rubber, and foam for the arch (I guess that's what you would call it, the part that goes on top of your head), with the primary plastic being the outside ear cups and the connector between the cups and the arch. Sound quality is perfectly fine also, I did plenty of soundwhoring in Ghosts with these. Looks like you'll need an Xbox One adapter to use it(I'm on PC) but even with the adapter it's still going to be almost $200 cheaper than buying Astros.
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Post by LeGitBeeSting on Sept 1, 2015 15:37:56 GMT -5
Yes. The mix amp can be purchased separately.
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wittyscorpion
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Post by wittyscorpion on Sept 1, 2015 16:38:10 GMT -5
Yes. The mix amp can be purchased separately. Can I use the MSFT stereo headset with the mix amp pro, and get simulated surround sound? If yes, I would just prefer that. Could save me enough money to spend on XONE Elite controller BTW, for XONE bros who are trying to understand different options, this reddit post I found has the clearest descriptions: https://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/2q5dv9/updated_xbox_one_audio_answers_headsetssurround/ If I understand correctly, Astro's MixAmp pro should just work with any stereo headset?
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Post by LeGitBeeSting on Sept 1, 2015 16:53:23 GMT -5
If I understand correctly, Astro's MixAmp pro should just work with any stereo headset? Yep.
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wittyscorpion
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Post by wittyscorpion on Sept 1, 2015 19:39:10 GMT -5
Great, the decision is much simpler than I thought. Just buy a MixAmp pro and use it with any stereo headset that you like.
The MixAmp will provide simulated surround sound, and the MSFT XOne stereo headset is good enough for FPS gaming, which is the only thing I do on XONE anyways. I can always pick up a premium headset later if I want to.
Thanks to all the recommedations!
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fpsdredd
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Post by fpsdredd on Sept 2, 2015 0:45:00 GMT -5
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Post by fpsdredd on Sept 2, 2015 0:52:06 GMT -5
Oh BTW, if you are planning on live streaming with the astro mix amp you will have some extra leg work to do. You will need to splice a USB cable to have a separate power source to avoid the noise generated by the fans from either a PS4 or XBone. I power my astro mixamp with a usb power adapter plugged in to the wall for the power cable splice and then the data cable splice goes to the PS4 for the audio data. Just a heads up.
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tooros
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Post by tooros on Sept 2, 2015 3:51:42 GMT -5
Astro mixamp here. I have the Sennheiser PC360 with integrated mic and a V-Moda set with a 2 quid skype mic, separate cable and a bunch of cable ties. Both headsets work well. The mixamp is great.
Not having seen the M$ one - does it have a 3 pin jack or separate mic/speakers cable?
Might need a 'Y' splitter.
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banana
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Post by banana on Sept 2, 2015 8:02:53 GMT -5
Everyone always beats me on linking that lol
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wittyscorpion
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Post by wittyscorpion on Sept 2, 2015 9:39:17 GMT -5
Astro mixamp here. I have the Sennheiser PC360 with integrated mic and a V-Moda set with a 2 quid skype mic, separate cable and a bunch of cable ties. Both headsets work well. The mixamp is great. Not having seen the M$ one - does it have a 3 pin jack or separate mic/speakers cable? Might need a 'Y' splitter. MS's Headset has a single 3.5mm 4 pole jack. Looks like this is exactly what the MixAmp needs? BTW, I ordered the MixAmp Pro last night thru Amazon Prime and it was promised to be delivered by the end of day today . What would be the best way to test the quality of surround sound? Like which game would be the best for testing?
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tooros
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Post by tooros on Sept 2, 2015 13:31:23 GMT -5
When I got mine I used that cod map in the African village with the chickens in crates. 'Stood in the centre, shut my eyes, spun the joystick and walked to the clucking. I found them every time.
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Post by LeGitBeeSting on Sept 2, 2015 13:38:43 GMT -5
Is that how you found scoota loo?
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