10 years ago I had:
X-Fi Xtremegamer and a random pair of headset/headphones.
good awareness (probably due to CSS3D)
good costumization software (EQ, etc).
Music sound quality was ok.
But this set up was far from perfect, even for awareness in games.
Windows fucking 10 came out and eventually ditched the soundcard in an old PC, because of drive issues.
Now I have:
AKG Q701, HD650, HD59X
GSX1000
(motherboard is from 2016 / medium end: i don’t think this is important to mention since the headphones are connected via the GSX1000)
The sound seems crap, using all headphones, compared to what I had 10 years ago.
No awareness at all in games, and music is just ok.
I mainly use the headphones on PC.
What can I do to max out the headphones potential?
go back to windows 7 in order to use the old soundcard?
buy external dac/amp?? how will this improve awareness w/o having software algorithm?
buy a dedicated soundcard? like xonar STX or other?
am I missing something with the GSX1000 to hear the same shit quality as with onboard sound?
I think you had a similar question in another post.
So I’ll try troubleshooting without knowing what you have for onboard sound. Try to toggle to the maximum playback rate your motherboard supports. Make sure you surround sound (7.1- Sonic or Atmos) is disabled as it limits to 16bit.
For GSX, you can get an HD light to show up on it if you change your playback settings to 24bit, you loose EQ and locks you in 2.0, but it sounds much better. Edit - make sure you use a USB v2.0 port or lower (usb 3.0 is not recommended).
Otherwise, if still you are still unhappy, DAC and Amp. My vote is for the Atom amp. There are many options for a DAC, the GSX in HD mode would work too, though its still limited to 24/96kHz, but you’d have better results with something else.
all you need to do is get yourself a DAC and decent Amp, it will make a world of difference. if your budget is constrained, you can get a combo unit like the Schiit Fulla 2.
if you want good audio on a PC motherboard, you have to have at least the 1220 codec. if you don’t, it won’t be enjoyable…
Windows 7’s days are numbered so I’d advise against that. Have you confirmed that the old drivers are completely incompatible with Windows 10?
A good (neutral) DAC and amp will have minimal impact on things like imaging and awareness. Headphone choice and software (EQ and such) is far more important for that kind of thing.
Might help with music quality. Still won’t help with imaging and awareness.
The GSX1000 is only recommended for up to 150 ohms. That might explain poor performance with the HD650. I chose the Soundblaster G6 over Sennheiser’s offering because of that.
I don’t think switching to Windows 7 would be worth it unless you had it as a resource and were determined to spend no money.
The best way to get the most out of your headphones would be to buy a discrete headphone amp and DAC. If you were to buy a DAC/AMP, then I suspect things would sound better due to being able to optimally power your headphones (amp should have a rating for up to 300 ohm loads for your equipment).
A solution like the Xonar Essence STX II is overpriced for what you can get external to your computer for audio. I have used one previously (years ago) and ditched it for a Creative X7. If I was to give advice to the old me, then I would have skipped the X7 for any of the number of DACs and amps people are posting all over these forums.
The GSX1000 is probably not driving some of your headphones properly (Senn 650) and ‘gaming features’ other than EQ to cut out bass and elevate treble usually messes with sound in ways that makes things either more distant or gives less imaging for slightly larger sound stage.
Anything over 16bit will help with dynamic range (how loud or soft something can sound) if the game can output over 16bit. Listening through the headphone or 2.0 option in both game and windows settings is recommended for gaming on headphones as it will give you the most accurate imaging (where a sound is spatially and directionally located from your position in game).
Thanks.
Does any DAC/Amps have DSP built-in?
Despite of raw quality sound, isn’t an engineered algorithm better to obtain the best image for in-game positioning?
I’m considering the Topping D10 + Atom.
I don’t play much now. I might consider playing more often, if I get proper sound.
I played FPS, such as MoH:AA, America’s Army, OperationFlashpoint, PUGB, CSGO, etc, and some strategy games, like AoM.
I also intend to use the sound system for everything else: other games with immersive Campagins, Flight simulation, and to watch movies and listen to music (mainly classical).
Thanks. If I want to choose a headphone with included software (EQ, etc) I need to pick a usb-connected (in-build sound card) one? Correct? Than defeats the purpose of buying a DAC/amp
I was curious and looked into reviews of devices like the Senn GSX1000 and I think HardwareCanucks said it best: it expands the soundstage in the way that DIRAC simulates stereo in headphones, but it changes the sound cues, isn’t always accurate, and changes volume levels. So it is good for casual gaming to give a more expansive sound, but it probably isn’t a good choice for competitive gaming.
The truth is that games already do simulation of sound down to stereo headphones (2.0). Unless there is a plug-in that works at the code level for a game, I wouldn’t use it for competitive gaming.
Just don’t… You have 3 pairs of amazing headphones that aren’t used now and you’ll be able to enjoy them 100% with the D10 + Atom combo… probably for the price of “headphones with software”. And I don’t even know if there’s one pair of “headphones + software” that sounds good. They’re just toys, or pricey toys.
Chipset, not codec. Not sure why everyone is calling it a codec, maybe it’s PC component manufacturers’ ignorance, but I’m pretty sure the ALC 1220 is a chipset providing at least DAC, ADC and headphone amp functions. (Maybe it also does hardware coding/decoding of popular digital formats like MP3, but that wouldn’t be reason enough to call the whole thing a “codec” when its main functions are really the DAC and ADC ones - the heart of any soundcard.) </tech_grammar_nazi>
Not sure why everyone is calling it a codec, maybe it’s PC component manufacturers’ ignorance, but I’m pretty sure the ALC 1220 is a chipset providing at least DAC, ADC and headphone amp functions. (Maybe it also does hardware coding/decoding of popular digital formats like MP3, but that wouldn’t be reason enough to call the whole thing a “codec” when its main functions are really the DAC and ADC ones - the heart of any soundcard.) </tech_grammar_nazi>