Im gonna go with moondrop srr first. It s just 50 dollars
Just ordered the new schiit hel 2 (Schiit Audio: Audio Products Designed and Built in California)
Seems like a no brainer when looking for an entry level Dac/Amp on PS5. The only other option is the JDS atom stack which doesnāt have a mic, or the mayflower arc which is more expensive (and rather old).
Will post how I like it once I get it.
interesting, they raised the price by $10 and made the hel 2. Itās at the same price point as all the entry levels dedicated unitsā¦ I have my doubts but its worth a try.
Mic inputs are usually just not worth usingā¦ looking at the hel 2 it appears half as strong as the Magniā¦ of which a magni and modi is the same price as hel 2ā¦ yeah, I wouldnāt recommend something like this less you needed the desk space, had lesser demanding headphones, and you absolutely needed a mic input
thatās going to be an extremely hard no from me, as that particular unit and others like it from soundblaster have some straight up false advertisingā¦ they claim it can drive up to 300 ohmsā¦ it cannot drive the 32 ohm beyerdynamic tygr 300r properly so where they are getting their MW per channel at 300 ohms is beyond me
The big thing on the Hel2 is the UAC1/2 interoperability and the additional optical port allows for extracting a signal from the HDMI for Xbox. Taking an Atom back to UAC1 to use on a playstation is a one way trip and it has no optical to support xbox.
yeah the new consoles seem to create limitations on what can be used and what canāt.
False advertising issue eh? I will delete my comment dont want spread misinformation
I have contacted them about it as I had their play and g3 both here and neither power up to their claimsā¦ they have stuck to their claims though which is honestly ridiculous the only unit from soundblaster I would say is okay is the g6 and x3ā¦ but there is absolutely alternatives to that company
lol I did check one outā¦ I mean, hey atleast it powers stuff? haha. No but in all seriousness, that unit is pretty dreadfully badā¦ I would like to see an all in one kind of unit like that from one of the other companies thoughā¦ just done right as I think that would be rather interesting
Something gaming related that powers all our headphones, mics, and speakers all in one while maintaining desk space would be pretty ideal
I have one but donāt have a PS5 just yet - how are you planning on hooking it up since to my knowledge PS5 doesnāt have optical out, right?
Do you have the original hel, or the hel 2? Because the hel 2 supports UAC1, so you use USB
How is a mic input not worth using? The alternative means I either need to add another USB sound card / USB mic (which will also add to cost), or connect the mic to the controller (which is very anoying, been there with mixamps and its horrible imho).
When comparing to almost all other dacs (save for the JDS labs) you also need to add some kind of HDMI extractor to get an optical out, which also adds to the cost AND might introduce input lag of your monitor.
Both the above issues add more components, cables and possiblities of ground loops.
So imho, comparing a 200 dollar with mic in and UAC1 support to a 200 dollar stack that doesnāt do either is not a fair comparison. Adding a decent HDMI extractor and USB mic input will add 70-100 bucks, making the stack quite a bit more expensive. And that is excluding the conveinience factor of just having 1 device for everything. I honestly also think the HEL is plenty powerfull enough for every gaming headset you might want to use, excluding maybe a 600 ohm byern
the input is mainly to clean up the signal and in some cases provide slightly more clarity to the vocalsā¦ however, if your pc or ps4 already support the mic with good qualityā¦ it makes the port completely pointlessā¦ more so since you can convert usb to 3.5mm and vice versa. Itās also not hard to just go buy a cheap USB bar with multiple ports.
the controller is obnoxious I will admit as it adds wireless into the mix which just destroys sound qualities both vocal and headphone alikeā¦ comes with the territory as wireless still isnāt the best to be quite honestā¦ then again, with an amp you still have to have that cable reach over to it which can also be seen as a potential annoyance.
agreed. least for the time being till companies introduce more options with ease of compatibility of the newer generation.
Well, JDS isnāt the only one that can be used on the new gens eitherā¦ you can still just go grab the G6 and it should work just fine and that ones cheaper than the hel by around $80 - $100 and it also can actually drive the 600 ohm beyersā¦ best sound quality? no, performance though and per dollar? better option.
The main problem isnāt so much the amp itās the dacā¦ the dac needs the ports to be supportive to the newer gensā¦ though alot of dacs use UAC2 not UAC 1 not to mention the issues with lack of opticalā¦
itās a bit of a shitshow in all honestyā¦ however, lets do some mathematics hereā¦ a generic stack can be found off the used markets at $70 per unitā¦ or $140ā¦ these stacks lack a mic input but gain exponentially more power, cleaner sound, and better sound quality traits in most cases. Take schiit hel its small and compact so ease of desk space, easy to plug in so less cabling concerns and what not, compatible naturally with the new gens, has a mic port, but it costs $60 moreā¦ but your mainly paying for convenience and a mic port that does, in all honesty, barely anything at all
itās powerful to an extentā¦ it does have some issues with 600 ohm beyers and on the rarer event of certain planars it can struggle to provide the full body of the sound signature. Itās not a bad unitā¦ I just donāt think itās worth it for the price tagā¦ and honestly I never have considering the stacks are actually better than the Hel and can be bought for cheaperā¦ I prefer to save people money when I make recommendations but also point to something with the better qualities for their experienceā¦ hel is convenience but for an added cost.
since the new gens dont use a UAC2(which is incredibly stupid in my opinionā¦) the dacs have to be able to be compatible with UAC 1 USB which creates extreme limitations on what you can useā¦ there are dacs that support thisā¦ just not in a large supply at the moment unfortunatelyā¦ Hel 2 has the support you need for new gensā¦ the market is slowly starting to adapt to the new gens as time goes on
1 Like
I honestly think you underestimate the convenience / money saved by having a mic input in your dac/amp.
If you advice people to buy a stack, the mic input will become a problem that needs solving. And unless I am missing something, that means either buying a AUC1 mic/usb converter (or a USB mic), which is an additional 10-20 bucks, or connecting the mic lead to your controller making the wires a big mess (and going through settings on your console every time you start it).
I agree a stack is probably the better choice if we are just looking at audio quality, but for online gamers, mic connectivity is a must have.
If people already have a usb (mod) mic, itās a no brainer to go for a stack.
nope not really, not when modmics exist and work on any headphone. Mic inputs add slight convenience but are not remotely necessary
pcs have 3.5mm as well as usb and 3.5mm can be plugged into controlers or converted to usb.
mic connectivity is really not that big of an issue
If your buying a headphone your main issue to solve is getting a mic to begin withā¦ your not buying a headset so you donāt have that microphoneā¦ modmics come in 3 different varieties 3.5mm usb and wireless dongleā¦ meanwhile you can also make use of dedicated mics that use usb or audio interface. An audio interface would be better than taking some 3.5mm input for a microphone as you stand to gain better vocals from one through the use of XLR microphone however, these are more than likely more expensive.
If were talking extreme budget, you stand to gain more per dollar by just grabbing the modmic uni plugging it into the controller and rolling an entry level amp and dac as in the long runā¦ uni is around $40 and entry levels are around $140-$150 off the markets not brand newā¦ yet they provide you with more quality of sound and more power
Al of those options are still more hassle and require you to get a good deal on the 2nd hand marketā¦ Donāt get me wrong I see your proposition but completely dismissing the benefit of a mic input in your gaming dac is very shortsighted imho.
For people who do not have a usb/wireless mic and game on console a mic input saves both money and/or hassle/wires
not sure how you see a modmic or something like dedicated mics as a hassleā¦ people use this stuff all the time and I know many who will more than likely disagree with you on it being a hassleā¦ especially with how often those mic inputs actually degrade your vocal quality. as for the 2nd hand marketā¦ the prices I listed arenāt a good deal as you put it but the standard price for usedā¦ you see them priced at that point all the time its quite common and not at all hard to achieve.
as I always say, your more than welcome to disagree with meā¦ I just see it as a complete waste
for consoles I am not sure why you would have a 3.5mm microphone to begin with less your plugging it into the controllerā¦ though convertors are like $10 or something so its not that big of a deal
The hasle comes from having 1 wire into your controller, and 1 wire into your amp.
I have been there, for a long time, and it sucks to constantly be tied to multiple pieces of equipment.
But yeah, itās okay to agree to disagree. Just wanted to put some emphasis on the convenience of having a mic input in your dac/amp. For me, the convenience is worth more than a slightly better sound for the same price.
I mean, I think we can agree there that it is a nice convenience in that particular regardā¦ however, I am a bit annoyed that to get the same results in terms of sound quality and raw power you need something like mayflower which is practically twice the price of the entry levelsā¦ hel and g6 are convenient budget options but they donāt hold up to others like the Magni, spark, atom, etc. and other units like syba sonic while are decent for the priceā¦ they are barely stronger than a weaker motherboard
For a gamer, technically you can get away with picking up just the g6 and call it a dayā¦ as it powers the 600 ohm beyers just fine(just not the best sound quality) and you have the mic inputā¦ I canāt particularly recommend Hel as I feel itās a bit too pricey but I can recommend units like the g6 that have that mic port. G6 isnāt a good amp but the dac is respectable for its price with bonus features like the software equalizerā¦ so its not bad for consoles in my opinionā¦ Hel is absolutely better on sound quality but its $200 vs $100 for less power just better sound qualityā¦ My other issue with inputs though is that, if you tried as many as I have, around 95% of those units actually reduce your microphone quality depending on the microphone thats being used as they can introduce compression, distortion, too much warmth, among other problemsā¦ While I donāt have that particular problem with the Hel in particularā¦ its still worth notingā¦
I absolutely agree that it would be quite annoying though to have one plug into a controller and the other into the ampā¦ you could cable clip them but yeah, in terms of consoles I can agree to that.
You think the mayflower is better than the hel? Why? From the reviews I have read / watched most state the opposite