I'm so confused about Audio...

So I know a bit about IT (I'm a Network Engineer), but when it comes to PC Gaming and Audio, I get really confused and lost.

I am looking to buy headphones cause the GF is starting to nag me when I kill Demons in Diablo3 really LOUD on the speakers, hehe.

A few questions:

1) What's the difference between pluggin them into the Speakers Headphone Jack (3.5mm) or using USB? Which one is better? What pros and cons of each one?

2) I went to EB Games and JB HiFi (I live in Australia), and they have the SteelSeries and Turtle Beach Series. Some of the TBeach even say "Optimized for PC Gaming". Which one is better? Which model, cause there are so many? (They say they have 4 speakers on each earphone, subwoofer, 5.1)

3) In JB, I also went to the music section and tried on these Sony $45 Headphones. They were really comfortable and sounded great (to my ears), but they use 3.5mm so...?

4) I don't want to spend more than $100-$150. I don't want to get a new sound card (I have the ASUS P5N32E-SLI Motherboard which comes with the dedicated ASUS Sound Card). I know to get awesome sound you need to spend, but I'm on a budget and just want good sound.

Thanks for the help.

You should go with 3.5mm since you got a dedicated sound card.

You should go with 3.5mm since you got a dedicated sound card.

spittis

If you use a USB headset you will "bypass" your soundcard making it useless. And a cheap USB headset usually means a bad sound processor. For your budget you could get the Shure SRH750DJ. I have only read positive things about them. Check the stickied headphone FAQ for more.

So I know a bit about IT (I'm a Network Engineer), but when it comes to PC Gaming and Audio, I get really confused and lost.

I am looking to buy headphones cause the GF is starting to nag me when I kill Demons in Diablo3 really LOUD on the speakers, hehe.

A few questions:

1) What's the difference between pluggin them into the Speakers Headphone Jack (3.5mm) or using USB? Which one is better? What pros and cons of each one?

2) I went to EB Games and JB HiFi (I live in Australia), and they have the SteelSeries and Turtle Beach Series. Some of the TBeach even say "Optimized for PC Gaming". Which one is better? Which model, cause there are so many? (They say they have 4 speakers on each earphone, subwoofer, 5.1)

3) In JB, I also went to the music section and tried on these Sony $45 Headphones. They were really comfortable and sounded great (to my ears), but they use 3.5mm so...?

4) I don't want to spend more than $100-$150. I don't want to get a new sound card (I have the ASUS P5N32E-SLI Motherboard which comes with the dedicated ASUS Sound Card). I know to get awesome sound you need to spend, but I'm on a budget and just want good sound.

Thanks for the help.

FelipeInside

Steelseries are awful headsets.

Most motherboards have good onboard sound. I see no reason to get an external soundcard.

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"]

So I know a bit about IT (I'm a Network Engineer), but when it comes to PC Gaming and Audio, I get really confused and lost.

I am looking to buy headphones cause the GF is starting to nag me when I kill Demons in Diablo3 really LOUD on the speakers, hehe.

A few questions:

1) What's the difference between pluggin them into the Speakers Headphone Jack (3.5mm) or using USB? Which one is better? What pros and cons of each one?

2) I went to EB Games and JB HiFi (I live in Australia), and they have the SteelSeries and Turtle Beach Series. Some of the TBeach even say "Optimized for PC Gaming". Which one is better? Which model, cause there are so many? (They say they have 4 speakers on each earphone, subwoofer, 5.1)

3) In JB, I also went to the music section and tried on these Sony $45 Headphones. They were really comfortable and sounded great (to my ears), but they use 3.5mm so...?

4) I don't want to spend more than $100-$150. I don't want to get a new sound card (I have the ASUS P5N32E-SLI Motherboard which comes with the dedicated ASUS Sound Card). I know to get awesome sound you need to spend, but I'm on a budget and just want good sound.

Thanks for the help.

Taijiquan

[QUOTE="Taijiquan"][QUOTE="FelipeInside"]

So I know a bit about IT (I'm a Network Engineer), but when it comes to PC Gaming and Audio, I get really confused and lost.

I am looking to buy headphones cause the GF is starting to nag me when I kill Demons in Diablo3 really LOUD on the speakers, hehe.

A few questions:

1) What's the difference between pluggin them into the Speakers Headphone Jack (3.5mm) or using USB? Which one is better? What pros and cons of each one?

2) I went to EB Games and JB HiFi (I live in Australia), and they have the SteelSeries and Turtle Beach Series. Some of the TBeach even say "Optimized for PC Gaming". Which one is better? Which model, cause there are so many? (They say they have 4 speakers on each earphone, subwoofer, 5.1)

3) In JB, I also went to the music section and tried on these Sony $45 Headphones. They were really comfortable and sounded great (to my ears), but they use 3.5mm so...?

4) I don't want to spend more than $100-$150. I don't want to get a new sound card (I have the ASUS P5N32E-SLI Motherboard which comes with the dedicated ASUS Sound Card). I know to get awesome sound you need to spend, but I'm on a budget and just want good sound.

Thanks for the help.

FelipeInside

HAHAHAHHA, u guys are confusing me even more.... HAHAHAHAHA - spittis is saying use the 3.5mm jack (through my speakers) with good headphones so it's using my sound card - Mcspanky37 says don't - The other guy said buy a new sound card.... hahhaha Now you see why I have been confused. Are the sound cards inside those Turtle Beach really bad? My mainboard (therefore my ASUS sound card) is now nearly 4 years old so maybe the sound cards in the TBeach are better?FelipeInside

To elaborate: 3.5mm jacks built into speakers that let you plug headphones into them are always poor in quality. I doubt your ASUS Soundcard is anything worthwhile, so it wouldn't be much of a loss to use USB. Having said that, I don't know any good headphones that use a USB connection. And in my opinion, gaming headsets are crap. If you want good sound, you don't want a gaming headset. They aren't made to produce hi-fidelity sound.

no you don't.

USB blows.

no you don't.

USB blows.

jakes456

Yeah that seems to be the general consensus.

Ok, I've gone to the shops and I'm looking into this one (sorry about blurry image):

The good thing about the Z6A is that it's POWERED by USB but the audio connectors are 3.5mm

- 3.5mm stereo line input jacks x 3 (Front, Surround, Center/Sub)

It also has quick disconnect for removing the headset from the amplifier, meaning I can just disconnect if I don't want to use them and store them away.

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/pc-gaming-headsets/ear-force-z6a.aspx

This is my sound card:

So basically the TBeach connects to all the surround ports on the sound card, so what happens to my speakers? (The Green Cable connected already). I want to be able to switch between the two.

Thanks.

Let me make things simple here.

Do not buy headphones or headsets that use USB.

Do not buy gaming headphones or headsets, they are overpriced and generally suck.

Things such as 5.1/7.1 in a headphone is a gimmick.

You should purchase a pair of quality stereo headphones from a reputable brand (if a microphone is needed get a clip on microphone).

If you're worried about the quality of sound from your current soundcard, you may consider purchasing something inexpensive such as the Asus Xonar DG (this also has Dolby headphone which can help simulate a surround sound using stereo headphones).

Finally, always plug your headphones directly into the soundcard as to obtain the best audio quality.

Let me make things simple here.

Do not buy headphones or headsets that use USB.

Do not buy gaming headphones or headsets, they are overpriced and generally suck.

Things such as 5.1/7.1 in a headphone is a gimmick.

You should purchase a pair of quality stereo headphones from a reputable brand (if a microphone is needed get a clip on microphone).

If you're worried about the quality of sound from your current soundcard, you may consider purchasing something inexpensive such as the Asus Xonar DG (this also has Dolby headphone which can help simulate a surround sound using stereo headphones).

Finally, always plug your headphones directly into the soundcard as to obtain the best audio quality.

NVIDIATI

NVIDIATI has the right of it. Start by buying a decent set of headphones like the Audio Technica ATH-M50s, then if you feel the sound needs improvement - such as if you are detecting hard drive noise while listening - you might consider a sound card.

Start with a nice pair of headphone first, though. Read the Headphone FAQ at the top of these forums. They will provide a number of suggestions at multiple price points.

Good luck, Boz

*Edit* Testing Strikethrough HTML Code

Most computers will have a headphone jack (3.5mm) on the front of the case. When you plug your headphones in it will automatically turn off the rear output.

If you do not have a front 3.5mm headphone jack alternatively you can use a male to female 3.5mm stereo splitter, though this is less ideal because your speakers will still output sound. If you can power-down your speakers, this is not an issue and you can go ahead with the splitter, turning off the speakers when you want to use your headphones. You may require a male to female stereo 3.5mm cable extension depending on the distance to the rear of your case to listen to your headphones comfortably.

Ignore multi-speaker gaming headphones. Just as a bigger television does not necessarily mean a better picture, having more speakers does not necessarily improve audio quality. Those Audio Technica ATH-M50s headphones are a good value, and an excellent introduction to higher-end headphones.

Good luck!

Boz

For surround sound on headphone the best way to go is good stereo headphone + dolby headphone processing. For dolby headphone you will have to purchase an asus xonar DG sound card but it's very cheap last time I checked was $30. If you dont like dolby headphone you can turn it off simple as that. And yes you would be selecting the surround option in games when using dolby headphone.

Another really vital feature of the xonar sound card would be the headphone amplifier. Since your motherboard is 4 years old forget about it having a built in amp. The advantage of an amp is quite simply to make things louder and punchier and it works really well with quality headphones. You may or may not like dolby headphone but this is one feature that wont be going to waste.

The good headphones dont come with built-in volume controls. Again the simple solution is to buy a cheap keyboard with volume buttons. Having volume control on a headphone is an uncomfortable thing anyways, I just want plain wire coming from the cups the volume control feels annoying.

For surround sound on headphone the best way to go is good stereo headphone + dolby headphone processing. For dolby headphone you will have to purchase an asus xonar DG sound card but it's very cheap last time I checked was $30. If you dont like dolby headphone you can turn it off simple as that. And yes you would be selecting the surround option in games when using dolby headphone.

Another really vital feature of the xonar sound card would be the headphone amplifier. Since your motherboard is 4 years old forget about it having a built in amp. The advantage of an amp is quite simply to make things louder and punchier and it works really well with quality headphones. You may or may not like dolby headphone but this is one feature that wont be going to waste.

The good headphones dont come with built-in volume controls. Again the simple solution is to buy a cheap keyboard with volume buttons. Having volume control on a headphone is an uncomfortable thing anyways, I just want plain wire coming from the cups the volume control feels annoying.

Gambler_3

Your soundcard is good for speakers but it doesnt have any headphone specific features. You should buy the "ASUS Xonar DG".

Dolby headphone is a software thing, it works really well for me I can never live without it. I have never tried a hardware surround headphone so I cant compare but not too many people seem to like them.

While you may or may not like the sound "quality" when using dolby headphone there is no questioning it's usefullness in multiplayer games, you WILL get better positional audio over stereo dont worry about that.

Your soundcard is good for speakers but it doesnt have any headphone specific features. You should buy the "ASUS Xonar DG".

Dolby headphone is a software thing, it works really well for me I can never live without it. I have never tried a hardware surround headphone so I cant compare but not too many people seem to like them.

While you may or may not like the sound "quality" when using dolby headphone there is no questioning it's usefullness in multiplayer games, you WILL get better positional audio over stereo dont worry about that.

Gambler_3

What do you mean by that? Is the audio quality LOWER when using Dolby Headphone?

Also, does it use a lot of resources (RAM, performance) since it's software based?

What do you mean by that? Is the audio quality LOWER when using Dolby Headphone?

Also, does it use a lot of resources (RAM, performance) since it's software based?

FelipeInside

No the sound card will handle the processing wont affect your CPU/ram.

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"]

What do you mean by that? Is the audio quality LOWER when using Dolby Headphone?

Also, does it use a lot of resources (RAM, performance) since it's software based?

Gambler_3

No the sound card will handle the processing wont affect your CPU/ram.

Other people could give you better recommendations on what headphones to buy, normally you can trust nvidiati and boz recommendations.

But I can tell you the xonar DG is going to be a very good purchase for you and fits well in your given criteria. It's basically an entry level soundcard dedicated for headphones and is almost a must have over on-board sound if you have even half decent quality headphones.

Other people could give you better recommendations on what headphones to buy, normally you can trust nvidiati and boz recommendations.

But I can tell you the xonar DG is going to be a very good purchase for you and fits well in your given criteria. It's basically an entry level soundcard dedicated for headphones and is almost a must have over on-board sound if you have even half decent quality headphones.

Gambler_3

Correct, I didn't know about that Dolby Headphone thing until you explained it thanks.

I just thought my sound card had the surround ports so I automatically assumed it would do surround.

Also, the AMP thing sounds cool cause I play games with explosions so it's nice to hear Big Bangs with good bass in them.

BTW, what headphones do you use?

BTW2, if I get this sound card....would it do the virtual surround with my Creative 2.1 Speaker Set as well?

BTW3, it says on the Xonar Product Page that it switches AUTOMATICALLY from front to back with headphone plugged in.... I'm guessing I have to connect the front Audio Port straight to the sound card?

Cool. The 3 important factors I am interested are: 1) Sound Quality: I want good quality but not awesome perfect quality. 2) Comfortable Headphones: that's the issue with the Audio Technica ATH-M50. I can't find them in shops. I want to try a pair on before purchasing. 3) Surround: very important since I normally use my PC for gaming, not music or movies. $$$PRICE is also a factor...I don't want to go crazy on the wallet. FelipeInside

As I'm in Canada I'm not exactly familiar with Australian retailers, so it would be a good start to know what retailers you have close to you that carry headphones.

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"]Cool. The 3 important factors I am interested are: 1) Sound Quality: I want good quality but not awesome perfect quality. 2) Comfortable Headphones: that's the issue with the Audio Technica ATH-M50. I can't find them in shops. I want to try a pair on before purchasing. 3) Surround: very important since I normally use my PC for gaming, not music or movies. $$$PRICE is also a factor...I don't want to go crazy on the wallet. NVIDIATI

As I'm in Canada I'm not exactly familiar with Australian retailers, so it would be a good start to know what retailers you have close to you that carry headphones.

BTW, what headphones do you use?

BTW2, if I get this sound card....would it do the virtual surround with my Creative 2.1 Speaker Set as well?

FelipeInside

No that wont be possible.

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"]

BTW, what headphones do you use?

BTW2, if I get this sound card....would it do the virtual surround with my Creative 2.1 Speaker Set as well?

Gambler_3

No that wont be possible.

BTW3, it says on the Xonar Product Page that it switches AUTOMATICALLY from front to back with headphone plugged in.... I'm guessing I have to connect the front Audio Port straight to the sound card?

FelipeInside

I asked a BTW 3 (lol....) as well. Why won't it do it with the Speaker Set? Don't they plug into the same port as the headphones? (sorry for being dumb)FelipeInside

Anyways I am kinda lost on what you are really trying to ask here. :(

Whats the problem with connecting the front audio port of your casing to your soundcard? If thats what you mean...once you have dont that, you can connect the headphones to the front 3.5mm port of your casing and it will automatically switch to headphones so you dont have to turn off your speakers.

You can still connect your headphones to your speakers but thats not recommended as mentioned before. I personally wouldnt even recommend using the front audio port, plug in your headphones directly into the back of the card for best audio. That would mean you will have to manually change cables when switching from speakers to headphones but you gotta do that for best audio.

[QUOTE="NVIDIATI"]

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"]Cool. The 3 important factors I am interested are: 1) Sound Quality: I want good quality but not awesome perfect quality. 2) Comfortable Headphones: that's the issue with the Audio Technica ATH-M50. I can't find them in shops. I want to try a pair on before purchasing. 3) Surround: very important since I normally use my PC for gaming, not music or movies. $$$PRICE is also a factor...I don't want to go crazy on the wallet. FelipeInside

As I'm in Canada I'm not exactly familiar with Australian retailers, so it would be a good start to know what retailers you have close to you that carry headphones.

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"]

BTW3, it says on the Xonar Product Page that it switches AUTOMATICALLY from front to back with headphone plugged in.... I'm guessing I have to connect the front Audio Port straight to the sound card?

Gambler_3

I asked a BTW 3 (lol....) as well. Why won't it do it with the Speaker Set? Don't they plug into the same port as the headphones? (sorry for being dumb)FelipeInside

Anyways I am kinda lost on what you are really trying to ask here. :(

Whats the problem with connecting the front audio port of your casing to your soundcard? If thats what you mean...once you have dont that, you can connect the headphones to the front 3.5mm port of your casing and it will automatically switch to headphones so you dont have to turn off your speakers.

You can still connect your headphones to your speakers but thats not recommended as mentioned before. I personally wouldnt even recommend using the front audio port, plug in your headphones directly into the back of the card for best audio. That would mean you will have to manually change cables when switching from speakers to headphones but you gotta do that for best audio.

Or just buy a 3.5mm splitter ?

My speakers have a volume and ON/OFF switch so I can just turn them off when using the headphones.

Also, why is not recommended going through the speakers? My Creative has a little port that when u plug headphones in, it automaitcally switches the audio on the speakers OFF and uses the headphones (I can also use the speakers volume controls). Isn't the signal coming from the same source?

EDIT: another idea just came to my head. Can u check something for me. When u change ports on the back of the sound card, does it ask you what u are pluggin in? (Headphones, Speakers etc). If so that way I can have both plugged into different ports on the sound card but still get the Audio Out.

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"][QUOTE="NVIDIATI"]

As I'm in Canada I'm not exactly familiar with Australian retailers, so it would be a good start to know what retailers you have close to you that carry headphones.

NVIDIATI

Or just buy a 3.5mm splitter ?

My speakers have a volume and ON/OFF switch so I can just turn them off when using the headphones.

Also, why is not recommended going through the speakers? My Creative has a little port that when u plug headphones in, it automaitcally switches the audio on the speakers OFF and uses the headphones (I can also use the speakers volume controls). Isn't the signal coming from the same source?

EDIT: another idea just came to my head. Can u check something for me. When u change ports on the back of the sound card, does it ask you what u are pluggin in? (Headphones, Speakers etc). If so that way I can have both plugged into different ports on the sound card but still get the Audio Out.

FelipeInside

Okay I tried using my headphones from the speaker jack and there seems to be no sound quality decrease, I did no extensive testing though which I will do later. And the speaker volume control has no effect on the headphone volume.

You cannot do that as there is only one port for headphone and stereo speakers, the other ports are for surround speakers and the center channel.

Thanks Gambler. One thing that STILL confuses me, please bear with me. The sound card I have says it surround per the motherboard link I posted before. It has the surround ports. So if I buy those Turtle Beach, they should work in surround since I just plug them into the correct ports. Now, if I get the Audio Technica, I should still get surround with my sound card right? You are just recommending the Xonar cause I also get AMP? and Dolby Headphone which is what? A better surround?FelipeInside

But with the AD headphone you wont get surround from your sound card. With stereo hardware you need the proper software to emulate surround on stereo which your sound card lacks. Dolby headphone is just one of the few ways of getting surround sound on stereo headphones.

Given the three criteria you listed, I'm going to change my recommendation from the ATH-M50 to the AD-700 (both Audio Technica). It is not that I particularly like Audio Technica, they just happen to have products that meet your specification and price range.

There are two types of over-ear headphones: Open-back and Closed-back. Open back works better with Dolby Headphone and other simulated surround effects because it has a "wider soundstage." Think of it like going to an outdoor concert. Closed-back headphones, by contrast, feel more like listening to a band in the studio, which does not play as well with positional audio effects. The benefit of open-back is that they tend to breath better and be more comfortable, and generally offer an experience closer to being live. Closed-back headphones offer better low-end extension, meaning better bass. Kick drums are thumpier and roaring engines have more presence.

So I would recommend the AD-700 or a pair of Grado on-ear headphones like the SR-125i, which is also available through your retailer. I would personally choose the Grado, but this is very much a personal decision. You will need to read some reviews and decide for yourself. The AD-700 is widely considered an excellent gaming headphone.

As for a sound card, I would wait. That particular motherboard has an excellent audio chipset (for a mobo), even if it lacks Dolby Headphone or CMSS-3D (your motherboard has excellent surround support, but this is for home theater, not headphones). There is no reason you need to install a sound card right away, regardless. You may get your headphones and say, "This is awesome, I don't need anything more!" Or you might decide you want the surround processing, in which case you can go down that road, too. The point is that - from a consumer standpoint - there is no reason to buy bothright now. The sound card requires headphones to do anything, so start with the headphones, and buy the card if you feel you need it later.

As for how Dolby Headphone and CMSS-3D (the latter of which is Creative's version of Dolby Headphone, which is fine) work, they basically take two-channel audio and create a "surround" effect. Most headsets that claim to be 5.1 or 7.1 are, in fact, just regular headphones with the aforementioned processing.

One final suggestion is that you consider the Astro Mixamp. You can run an optical cable from your motherboard to the Mixamp, and get the benefit of a headphone amp, external volume control, and Dolby Headphone processing in one shot. You'll pay for it, though.

Good luck,

Boz