Yuri57

Enjoying Cyberpunk a lot. 120 hours in, and still haven't wrapped up the main story. Some day. 😛
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some RTX Psycho pics, enjoy!

Hehe, cool, I hope you will like it 🙂

Hi!
I want to share my experience here on PC audio / headphones.
It is very often an overlooked topic when building your entertainment/gaming PC setup.
But truth be told: quality audio is super important for music enjoyment, as well as movies and game immersion.
And the best part is: if you upgrade it once, it will probably last much longer than your CPU / GPU, etc.....
 

Audio can become expensive but it doesn't have to be. Also it is true that usually you get what you pay for, meaning more expensive equipment will sound better and you don't need superhuman hearing to tell the difference. Since audio equipment can last 10-20 years even, I think it makes sense to make an investment into quality audio gear.
 
This is mainly a headphone guide because I mainly used headphones, I think for gaming they are superior since orientation of the sound sources can be really accurately reproduced this way. And you will not bother your neighbours with your shooting. Some headphones you can even take into an office and not bother others while open designs will annoy anyone in the same room.
 
You will need 3 things: a headphone, a DAC (digital-analog-converter) and an amplifier (or amp). If we are talking about quality audio, trust me, your onboard audio just won't cut it.
If you don't feed a proper, clean signal to you headphones, you can never bring out their full potential, and there is no point of getting a quality set or reading this guide.
 
What I did is: I bought several headphones in the 100-200 USD range and compared them.
Beyerdinamic 770Pro (80 Ohm): CLOSED; very detailed sound, superb sub-bass, sounds better with EQ. Excellent for movies and rock music, great experience for gaming. Don't buy the 32 or 250Ohm version.
Sennheiser HD58X: OPEN; very natural sound, excellent for classical music and competitive gaming, you would not believe how accurate it is when it comes to footsteps. Not the same driver/detail as the HD660S.
AKG 712 Pro: OPEN; super fast driver, excellent sound quality but needs a very powerful amp to sound good. Very comfortable but doesn't feel sturdy. In the US it is overpriced.
Phillips SHP9600: OPEN; very warm, boomy, not ideal for music, ok for movies and some casual gaming. Explosions made spectacular.
If I had to choose from this list I would get the Beyer 770Pros, after EQ they sound superb, very "lively" and detailed sound.
I would get only the Sennheiser if you are a hardcore competitive gamer, like classical music and not really into rock. I wasn't very satisfied with their resolution.
The AKG is really good overall but I would only buy it for no more than 200USD, keeping in mind that they might fell apart after 5 years.
Phillips is only a good choice if you are on a stict budget (they are only a 100 USD on Ali, shipped) and not a hardcore audiophil, for music I would choose something else.
 
If you want no compromises get the Beyerdinamic DT1990Pros.... they simply beat every cheaper headphone by a big margin. They are super sturdy, look excellent and the sound it just wow.... I have never ever heared so much detail in music in my life from any device. They are truely on another level. And as I said you don't need superhuman hearing to tell the difference, I'm sure. Just be sure to have quality audio as your source (for example Tidal). I am very happy with this purchase and I think my audio needs are covered for the next 10-20 years with this headphone.
 
I feel like I also have to mention the Bose QC series here as well: they have a very peasent sound and they are truely more compfortable than ANY other headphone. They are not as detailed as a Beyer but hey, if you are traveling this is your go-to. Trust me, it is better to have these on your head while on a plane and relax than have a full day off due to (ear) fatigue. Bluetooth is very comfortable on the go but if you are at your hotel, I would use a DAC/Amp plus cable to get the best audio quality.
 
DAC Amp:
As a general rule of thumb don't spend more on your DAC/Amp than your headphones but don't ignore it because your headphones can only sound as good as your source signal.
If you want something portable, go with the Audioquest Dragonfly series. It comes in 3 variens Black. Red. Cobalt. Even the Black sounds a lot better than on-board audio. The best value is probably the Red and the cutting edge is the Cobalt. I was very impressed with the Cobalt, you will not find a better DAC/AMP you can take with yourself in the pocket.
They say the Fiio K5 Pro is also decent for it's price.
After reading many reviews it seems that the Topping E30 + L30 combo offers the best value if you have a decent pair of headphones. I'm very satisfied with this DAC, I can use it with 3 different devices and the sound quality is just excellent. China is the new Japan when it comes to audio electronics!
For the amp I bought an SMSL SP200 which is a bit more expensive but I planning to use it with planar headphones so the extra juice will come in handy.
 
I made reviews on youtube for most devices mentioned here, please keep in mind that I'm only an enthusiast, not an audio professional but my main message is simply this:
if you have a decent PC (like myself) don't be cheap when it comes to audio. It is a decade long investment and you will definitely hear the difference with better equipment.
High end audio brings music to a completely new level. And when shopping for a gaming setup, know what you are looking for...
 
Hint: you will need good imaging, sound stage and detail.
 
 
 

I got this setup, it took 2 months to arrive but it is an absolute bargain: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dSzkAFJ
Runs extremely well!

I just want to recommend this game, it really looks amazing and you don't need a fast computer to run it.
Once you get the hang of it, it's real fun!