Headsets/Headphones/Sound Quality thread

[Phinnway]

Headsets/Headphones/Sound Quality thread

Anyone have any general tips for increasing the sound quality on your computer?

I noticed razor has this free audio driver: http://www.razerzone.com/surround/

My last pair of headphones had really good audio quality that simulated surround sound. These new ones suck by comparison. Laughably, they're from the same company, and my new pair is a newer model. The difference in sound quality is really noticeable when playing certain games, like Star Citizen for example. The roar of engines as ships warp in at lightspeed just doesn't sound the same

 

[web-head91]

well currently i'm using the samsung ear buds that were included with my smartphone and i came to appreciate them a lot. they're small, practical and have pretty good sound quality (unless my standards are extremely low).
another headset worth checking out is this one:http://www.amazon.de/GHB-SA-901-Kop...e=UTF8&qid=1453450215&sr=8-2&keywords=headset
i remember trying it before at a friend's house and i enjoyed it very much, but never came around to buy it.

as for Razor products, i never tried them but they striked me as over-stylized products without much quality to be had, matching the company's legendary arrogance XD.
speaking of Razor:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterra...date_be_warned_fellow_master_racers_dont_buy/

 

[227]

What is "sound quality"? Something that sounds good in certain games, or something that sounds consistent/accurate across all of them? Lots of headphones color the sound and end up sounding too dark or too bright, but that works for certain games (and is terrible for others). If you want accurate, you're best served looking for something on the lower/mid end of what a mixing engineer would use if someone took a hammer to their studio monitors and they had no other options.

 

[eskiMoe]

well currently i'm using the samsung ear buds that were included with my smartphone and i came to appreciate them a lot. they're small, practical and have pretty good sound quality (unless my standards are extremely low).

Depends on what kind of headphones you've been using thus far. But those earbuds that come with smartphones (unless it's like a specific premium model like the Marshall smartphone) are usually absolute trash.

 

[web-head91]

Depends on what kind of headphones you've been using thus far. But those earbuds that come with smartphones (unless it's like a specific premium model like the Marshall smartphone) are usually absolute trash.

as i said, i don't have a exactly high standards when it comes to sound. if the sound is clear and not with "static", then i'm good XD (plus it's free so i can't complain.)

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

There was some thread about it in the past: http://forums.cdprojektred.com/threads/31600-Concerning-Headphones/

 

[eskiMoe]

if the sound is clear and not with "static", then i'm good XD

lol. Hey, whatever floats your boat.

Anyone have any general tips for increasing the sound quality on your computer?

Take the following with a grain of salt. I'm not exactly all knowing when it comes to audio but here are my two cents:

1. Avoid everything "overly marketed" products with LED lights and sleek designs and lots of big and impressive sounding figures in the box. Gamers are suckers for stuff like that and marketing people know this.

2. Don't buy headsets. With a few exceptions they are all apologetically bad and overpriced. But if you have to pick your poison I've heard the HyperX Clouds are pretty good. But since apparently they are made by Beyerdynamic it's not exactly surprising..

I would recommend getting a decent pair of headphones from respectable companies (Like Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, AKG etc.) and getting something like this with them:

https://www.modmic.com/

3. Don't buy overpriced sound cards. Although usually having high quality DACs (digital to analog converters)s, they are too exposed to EMI noise (electromagnetic interference) and have built in headphone amplifiers with sky high output impedances:

Most headphones are between 38-80 ohms so having 20-40 ohm output impedance can and probably will noticeably deteriorate the signal and can result into e.g. weaker bass.

Just stick to your onboard audio codec (unless you're buying a cheap mobo, they are pretty great nowadays) or get an external DAC/amp. However, do note that some headphones are more source forgiving than others. My old Sennheiser HD 598s sounded much clearer/richer with my O2 DAC/Amp combo compared to my onboard audio codec but with my HD650s it's very difficult to notice a difference. In fact there might not be any.

You could probably drive these with a toaster and they'd still sound great.

EDIT:

4. If you're only using the optical output for your headphones, getting a sound card is a waste of money since it's going to bypass the DAC in sound card anyways. Just use the optical output in your mobo.

 

[Sagitarii]

as i said, i don't have a exactly high standards when it comes to sound. if the sound is clear and not with "static", then i'm good XD (plus it's free so i can't complain.)

Everybody loves good sound. Some people just don't know it yet. Once you get a decent pair of headphones - you can never go back.
What's your budget for headphones? I'm sure we can list some worthy ones.

 

[eskiMoe]

If you live in the US and are looking for a quality set of open back headphones there's a killer deal on massdrop right now where you can get the Sennheiser HD6XX (HD 650) for $199.

One of the best headphones I've owned. I highly recommend them.

 

[PsyCoil]

If you live in the US and are looking for a quality set of open back headphones there's a killer deal on massdrop right now where you can get the Sennheiser HD6XX (HD 650) for $199.

One of the best headphones I've owned. I highly recommend them.

Indeed, I own these too and they're fantastic I was just going to recommend these. Though, you'll need a decent DAC for them, too.
But if you're looking for something portable you don't want these. A good bang for the buck in that case is Audio-Technica ATH-M50x.

If you're looking for something cheaper: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/KZ-E...608.0.0.RY6hwZ

Definitely audiophile grade sound, with amazing noise canceling. They color the lows so you better like a punchy bass. Build quality is average here so you'll need to take good care of them.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Still using my Sony MDR-V6.

 

[Odinsauge]

At work I currently have the Logitech G430, I listen music a lot and from time to time have skype calls so I need a headset and not only earphones. The standard model the company gave us is crap.
I wear glasses and everything that is not over ear or in ear hurts.I was looking for a good headset for some time and I don't want to spend 100€ or more for it. I'm not that sophisticated about listening music. I listen to youtube and mp3s so quality yes but not that much as I have to compare technical figures or compare small details that are barely audible.

The G430 fits very well and I can wear it several our without any pain and the sound is also good. At home I've an AKG headset, the quality is great but the ear parts are placed on the ear and that hurts after an hour or less.

 

[volsung]

Could somebody recommend a decent but not overpriced set of headphones for late night guitar practice? That is, a wide frequency range and able to cope with a strong, amplified and raw sound signal, with a flat EQ kind of sound. They would plug directly into an amplifier or a digital amp simulator. I read a couple of good things about the AKG K-240.

 

[Odinsauge]

Could somebody recommend a decent but not overpriced set of headphones for late night guitar practice? That is, a wide frequency range and able to cope with a strong, amplified and raw sound signal, with a flat EQ kind of sound. They would plug directly into an amplifier or a digital amp simulator. I read a couple of good things about the AKG K-240.

I don't know this phones in particular but AKG has very good quality in general. Everyone I know that had an AKG product was happy with it. But I would recommend to buy them and test them. I don't know about other retailers but on AMazon it's no problem to send them back. I did it also with a headset that didn't fit well.
Or if you can find them in a shop, try them there.

 

[eskiMoe]

Could somebody recommend a decent but not overpriced set of headphones for late night guitar practice? That is, a wide frequency range and able to cope with a strong, amplified and raw sound signal, with a flat EQ kind of sound. They would plug directly into an amplifier or a digital amp simulator. I read a couple of good things about the AKG K-240.

The only possible problem I can find in those headphones is that since they are semi open there might be some sound leakage (in and out) when playing your guitar. So if that's not a problem I'd go for it. Haven't personally tried them out but I've read nothing but good from those cans.

 

[Mivo]

I sometimes dabble a bit in making electronic noise ("music"), so a few years back I bought an audio interface (basically an external sound card, a Focusrite Scarlet 2i2), Audio Technica ATH M50 neutral headphones (they don't color the sound like hifi headphones do), and a pair of studio monitors (speakers, JBL LSR305). I use the same set up for gaming. Prefer using the speakers, since they have fantastic bass for their relatively small size, but switch to the headphones after midnight because of the neighbors. Comfort-wise I prefer on-ear headphones, but for sound quality I get more out of the around-the-ear headphones - it's just more immersive, especially for gaming.

For guitar practice, I'd also use neutral headphones, like the ones I mentioned. But most studio headphones should do -- as long as they don't color the sound. The ATH M50 (the current model is M50x) were my pick after researching quite a bit, and I liked their price, but this is totally subjective, I feel, and the differences in the "affordable price range" aren't that big. There are some good knockoffs coming from China these days too.

(Eep, and after posting this, I noticed that this was an older thread. Sorry about that!)