Audio setup for Gaming?

[Dalkamyr]

Hi I'm trying to figure out which would be the best way to go about my sound system for Gaming:

I intend to use headphones/headsets BOTH on PC and XBOX ONE X. Its important to me that I'm able to switch sound input between pc and console easily... Also my headset might require some form of amping...

In the past I had a xonar dx soundcard and it did an amazing job at giving me good sound quality but it picked up interference and noises because it was an internal sound card... Would it be smart to consider an EXTERNAL sound card to avoid interference and ease of use with my setup to switch between both platforms on a regular basis?

What about just a really good motherboard (I intense to soon build a gaming pc) with ON-BOARD audio? Do good mobos with good onboard sound quality come with an OPTICAL INPUT to be able to hook my xbox one x to it?

Do you have good external sound card suggestions under 200$?

 

[Mighty-Lu-Bu]

I guess I am starting to become an audiophile because I think that most onboard audio from motherboards is just completely lacking. Since I game on PC as well as PS4, I wanted something that I could use for both of them.

I have a Sennheiser GSP 301 headset, a Sennheiser Game Zero headset and a pair of Audio Technica M50Xs. I use the Creative SoundBlasterX G6 which can be used with PC, PS4 and XBox One- it is essentially an external sound card that has a build in headphone amplifier and it works pretty great. I think you can find the sound card brand new for under $150- but do NOT settle for the G5 because the G6 is actually the superior product.

 

[Dalkamyr]

I guess I am starting to become an audiophile because I think that most onboard audio from motherboards is just completely lacking. Since I game on PC as well as PS4, I wanted something that I could use for both of them.

I have a Sennheiser GSP 301 headset, a Sennheiser Game Zero headset and a pair of Audio Technica M50Xs. I use the Creative SoundBlasterX G6 which can be used with PC, PS4 and XBox One- it is essentially an external sound card that has a build in headphone amplifier and it works pretty great. I think you can find the sound card brand new for under $150- but do NOT settle for the G5 because the G6 is actually the superior product.

You talked about your 3 headsets. How do they compare? Do you prefer the game zero to the m50x?

Also I noticed that the g6 has optical input and output but they look more like headphones jack inputs and outputs than optical... I'm guessing the g6 comes with toslink adapters to allow optical connections correct?

Also how is it connected to your pc? Through USB? or from an optical output on your motherbaord to the g6?

 

[John Naylor]

The ALC1220 on board sound is equivalent to a $75 - $90 sound card. Spending more will bring better sound but you are not going to hear it on a $100 pair of headphones. While I will throw a headset on in a pinch (can't sleep, others sleeping), the idea of playing a game w/o 7.1 with a nice subwoofer is a place I wouldn't want to go.

My son has a $300+ pair of Sennheisers that he use for music , but uses the G933 for Gaming. He's a pilot so always using at odd hours.

 

[Mighty-Lu-Bu]

You talked about your 3 headsets. How do they compare? Do you prefer the game zero to the m50x?

So the sound quality is probably the best from the Audio Technica M50xs, but it does have some draw backs. There is no built in mic and quite honestly, it isn't the most comfortable headset for long gaming sessions (I definitely got some head and ear fatigue). Possibly it is because I have a big head, but after a few hours my ears and my head hurt.

The Game Zeros are my favorite gaming headset ever, especially when paired with a sound card or amp, but it isn't very heavy on base. A lot of people say you can just plug this in without a sound card, but whenever I do that I notice that the audio is a bit flat so for me a sound card or headphone amp is a must. This hands down is the most comfortable headset I have ever worn and it blows other headsets out of the water in terms of comfort. The mic on the Game Zero headset is probably the best mic I have ever used on a headset and the fact that the headset folds up, that the cable is detachable and that it comes with a carrying case is just icing on the cake. The higher end GSP (500 and 600), are basically spiritual successors to the Game Ones / Zeros, but they aren't nearly as comfortable and to be honest they look a bit goofy.

The GSP 300 overall doesn't sound as good as the Game Zeros, but on the other hand it is a lot more comfortable than the M50xs, but it is the bulkiest out of the 3. It has a pretty good built in mic, but it the cord is non detachable. It's a great for a $85 headset, but it doesn't beat the Game Zeros or the M50Xs.

Again, my sound card of choice is the external Sound BlasterX G6 which has a built in headphone amp and whether I am using my headphones on my PC or PS4 the audio is noticeably better when using this card.

 

[Bill_Bright]

but it picked up interference and noises because it was an internal sound card...

It may have picked up interference and noises, but that was NOT because it was an "internal" sound card. Interference and unwanted noise is caused by something faulty, either with the card itself, or something near the card. It could have been a bad solder joint, a bad cable, a loose connection, faulty shielding on some component, damaged slot, a "difference in potentials", or a bad ground.

Would it be smart to consider an EXTERNAL sound card to avoid interference

Without knowing the source of the interference, there is no way of answering that. If the source was, for example, coming the refrigerator in your kitchen, having an internal card that sits inside your metal computer case may help block that interference. An external sound device (along with all the external audio connections) may be more exposed to noise and interference from external sources.

But if the source of the interference is a faulty motherboard component, an external card might help. But since even an external card connects to the motherboard, interference may still be a problem. So again, without knowing the source of that noise/interference, there is no way in telling if an external card will help with that.

I recommend you first, check your wall outlets. Every home and every computer user should have access to a AC Outlet Tester to ensure your outlet is properly wired and grounded. Poor grounding is a major cause of unwanted noise and interference!

I recommend a tester with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) indicator as it can be used to test bathroom and kitchen outlets (outlets near water) too. These testers can be found for your type and voltage outlet, foreign or domestic, (like this one for the UK) at most home improvement stores, or even the electrical department at Wal-Mart. Use it to test all the outlets in the home and if a fault is shown, have it fixed by a qualified electrician.

I got into audiophile quality audio reproduction long before I got into computers. And I got into computers in 1975! My first pair of quality speakers (which I still have) where the Acoustic Research AR-3a's. Mighty-Lu-Bu is right that most motherboard sound is lacking. But the better boards do include better quality sound. But of course, over all quality depends on many factors, including the sound source (original recording), compression, amplification, transmission (cables), speakers, and your own ears.

You cannot expect "true" audiophile quality sound from headphones or a sound card that costs $150 - not when you consider when a pair of decent B&W bookshelf speakers cost $6000/pair! Note the stands are $1000 extra! And of course, then you need a quality amp/receiver to run them!

I am just saying, keep your expectations and perspectives in line.

As for difference in potentials, that is a common source of audio noise that is typically easy to render. Because every wall outlet is a slightly different distance back to the service panel and to Earth ground, there can be a "difference in potential" between the two grounds in two different outlets. This can cause interference (and noise) when two devices are powered through two different wall outlets.

This is pretty easy to fix or avoid completely. First, ensure the wall outlets are wired properly. Then, if possible, power all your computer equipment (PC, external sound card, monitors, powered speakers) are all powered through the same wall outlet. If not possible, use a small 22AWG connecting wire to "strap" all the devices together. For example, connect one end of the wire to a screw securing the PC's power supply to the case, and the other end of the wire to a screw in the subwoofer's chassis. Then connect a wire from the external sound card to one of those other devices. This puts all the grounds on all the devices at the same potential. A good thing.

 

[Dalkamyr]

So the sound quality is probably the best from the Audio Technica M50xs, but it does have some draw backs. There is no built in mic and quite honestly, it isn't the most comfortable headset for long gaming sessions (I definitely got some head and ear fatigue). Possibly it is because I have a big head, but after a few hours my ears and my head hurt.

The Game Zeros are my favorite gaming headset ever, especially when paired with a sound card or amp, but it isn't very heavy on base. A lot of people say you can just plug this in without a sound card, but whenever I do that I notice that the audio is a bit flat so for me a sound card or headphone amp is a must. This hands down is the most comfortable headset I have ever worn and it blows other headsets out of the water in terms of comfort. The mic on the Game Zero headset is probably the best mic I have ever used on a headset and the fact that the headset folds up, that the cable is detachable and that it comes with a carrying case is just icing on the cake. The higher end GSP (500 and 600), are basically spiritual successors to the Game Ones / Zeros, but they aren't nearly as comfortable and to be honest they look a bit goofy.

The GSP 300 overall doesn't sound as good as the Game Zeros, but on the other hand it is a lot more comfortable than the M50xs, but it is the bulkiest out of the 3. It has a pretty good built in mic, but it the cord is non detachable. It's a great for a $85 headset, but it doesn't beat the Game Zeros or the M50Xs.

Again, my sound card of choice is the external Sound BlasterX G6 which has a built in headphone amp and whether I am using my headphones on my PC or PS4 the audio is noticeably better when using this card.

The interference I mentioned came from case cables that linked the front headphone jacks to the motherboard... Probably soldering wasn't done properly or something... Anyhow, I feel I would definitely appreciate the upsides of having an external sound card.

I keep hearing nowadays mobos have "just a good sound quality as a soundcard"... Is that true?

I used to have an Asus hero IX maximus z270 mobo and I feel like it's sound wasn't as good as the xonar dx soundcard... Even though that's a 300$ mobo...

Lubu, there was two other questions you didn't answer from my previous reply. About "how exactly" you connect your headset to your amp/pc and about toslink optical adapters

 

[Bill_Bright]

I keep hearing nowadays mobos have "just a good sound quality as a soundcard"... Is that true?

As I said above,

But the better boards do include better quality sound. But of course, over all quality depends on many factors, including the sound source (original recording), compression, amplification, transmission (cables), speakers, and your own ears.

Much depends on how discerning your own ears are. Also important is, what are you listening to, and what else is happening?

If you are listening to computer generated explosions, voices, and gunfire, for example, realism will depend on the original programming. And if you are engaged in avoiding being shot, absolute tonal accuracy is really not that important. And even if you are sitting back and deep into listening to music, without a true, blind A - B comparison with the live performance, determining if the reproduction is true to the original, or not, is next to impossible.

Frankly, I have found "faithful" reproduction of the original material depends mostly on the speakers - especially with analog recordings. And with digital sources, the compression methods matter a lot too.

 

[Vayra86]

Hi I'm trying to figure out which would be the best way to go about my sound system for Gaming:

I intend to use headphones/headsets BOTH on PC and XBOX ONE X. Its important to me that I'm able to switch sound input between pc and console easily... Also my headset might require some form of amping...

In the past I had a xonar dx soundcard and it did an amazing job at giving me good sound quality but it picked up interference and noises because it was an internal sound card... Would it be smart to consider an EXTERNAL sound card to avoid interference and ease of use with my setup to switch between both platforms on a regular basis?

What about just a really good motherboard (I intense to soon build a gaming pc) with ON-BOARD audio? Do good mobos with good onboard sound quality come with an OPTICAL INPUT to be able to hook my xbox one x to it?

Do you have good external sound card suggestions under 200$?

When it comes to onboard audio, the ALC1220 is a very good solution and yes it is easily on the level of a good, dedicated PCIe card. In fact you even get isolated audio sections on the board and yes it does eliminate all of the old onboard audio issues. You can find ALC1220 on literally every mainstream board these days that is not super budget.

Of course, the die hards will oppose that, but if you want to stay in sanity mode, don't even worry. It sounds very good. If you do want to go wild on audio (which is fine don't get me wrong, I love good audio myself, I've just learned my limits and money can only be spent once), I'd say spend it on a solid receiver + good passive speakers. Get as neutral EQ as you can. Monitor speakers do very well for that and they also suit close proximity listening like most people do behind a PC.

My background is one of DJ'ing and mixing on PC and some production work too. I've learned by now that its rather easy to get a satisfying audio setup and if you want to go for true perfection, be ready to spend big for extremely minor improvements - and even merely situational improvements - because every piece of audio content is mastered differently and even the genre of music you listen to sounds better on specific types of speakers and headphones. The main differentiator is personal taste, really.

TL - DR: ALC1220, a receiver that can push enough watts for your listening room, and 2.0 or 2.1 passive speakers, maybe with optional 5.1 for immersion. For gaming I would certainly recommend a separate subwoofer (or two if you want to edge into audiophile territory). Also, I've personally found toslink to still be the clearest most reliable way to transport audio.

 

[Mighty-Lu-Bu]

The interference I mentioned came from case cables that linked the front headphone jacks to the motherboard... Probably soldering wasn't done properly or something... Anyhow, I feel I would definitely appreciate the upsides of having an external sound card.

I keep hearing nowadays mobos have "just a good sound quality as a soundcard"... Is that true?

I used to have an Asus hero IX maximus z270 mobo and I feel like it's sound wasn't as good as the xonar dx soundcard... Even though that's a 300$ mobo...

Lubu, there was two other questions you didn't answer from my previous reply. About "how exactly" you connect your headset to your amp/pc and about toslink optical adapters

So for my PS4, I connect the optical cable to "optical line/ in" and then you hook up the USB for power- you have to do this for both PS4 and XBox a these devices do not allow audio through USB. For PC, all you do is hook up the USB and that'st it.

Hopefully that answers your question.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.