Upgrading PC Audio Setup - Suggestions needed

[datkern]

I’ve been using the A40 with mixamp on my PC for a year or so now. Previously used on my PS4 and never really needed to upgrade it so it works well on my PC.

 

That being said I only ever use the same preset with the Dolby surround setting and have enjoyed the quality. I’m going to be buying a USB mic so I feel like I need to upgrade my headphones with a new amp/dac setup.

 

I’ve enjoyed how immersive the A40s with amp have been but having only tried one setting I feel like I’m missing out. I need something that will be immersive. I’ve done a lot of research on Sennheisers but have seen mixed reviews on which to use when gaming and most recommend for music. I’ve also seen people using the schiit stacks but will this amp/dac get me the immersion I’m looking for..? Or is that up to the headphones?

 

I mainly play horror games, World of Warcraft and FPS so being able to listen to my enemies around the corner and feel like I’m in the game surrounded by enemies or players is what I’m looking for. Budget is not an issue..looking to treat myself.

 

FWIW I did look at the GSX1000 with HD58X but heard this amp is only really worth the 7.1 VSS and everything else is kinda meh on it. So I feel like I need to move away from amps with VSS and jump to other actual quality audio setups that offer more. I’m an audio noob but this is a summary of what I enjoy and expect to have in my next upgrade.

 

Thank you in advance!

[MrMcMuffinJr]

Gaming headsets are, and will always be gimmicky piles of alpaca vomit no matter what the manufacturer is. Here is my setup that will blow any headset out of the water.

 

Schiit Audio Magni 3+ $99

Schiit Audio Modi 3+ $99

DROP Sennheiser HD 6XX $200

 

The Imaging on the 6XX will blow your mind. 999999999999999999999999999999999999999x better than the gimmicky "gaming" 7.1 surround BS. The 6XX are also perfect for music. it's a complete package.

[H713]

2 hours ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

Gaming headsets are, and will always be gimmicky piles of alpaca vomit no matter what the manufacturer is. Here is my setup that will blow any headset out of the water.

 

Schiit Audio Magni 3+ $99

Schiit Audio Modi 3+ $99

DROP Sennheiser HD 6XX $200

 

The Imaging on the 6XX will blow your mind. 999999999999999999999999999999999999999x better than the gimmicky "gaming" 7.1 surround BS. The 6XX are also perfect for music. it's a complete package.

I'll throw in the Grados SR225s at that price. Not the most durable. They were my preference after comparing a bunch of options, but everyone has different preferences in this regard. At least for me, I felt like the Grados were both relatively accurate and relatively unfatiguing.

 

If you want a microphone, the short answer from me is to get an SM57 (plus a windscreen) and a Behringer interface. The people on the other end of the Discord call will thank you. 

[Tigerleon]

2 hours ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

and will always be gimmicky piles of alpaca vomit no matter what the manufacturer is

There are exceptions and you have to admit that. HyperX cloud 2's are a reskin of already good headphones which are the takstar pro 80's just with a mic, the cooler master MH752's are also a reskin of the takstar pro 82 headphones.

[MrMcMuffinJr]

23 minutes ago, Tigerleon said:

There are exceptions and you have to admit that. HyperX cloud 2's are a reskin of already good headphones which are the takstar pro 80's just with a mic, the cooler master MH752's are also a reskin of the takstar pro 82 headphones.

that's hardly an exception. That's like calling someone a good songwriter after they just sang a cover.

[Tigerleon]

6 minutes ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

that's hardly an exception. That's like calling someone a good songwriter after they just sang a cover.

They use the exact same drivers. Your statement makes no sense. Approved that they actually sound good by Zeos from Z reviews.

[MrMcMuffinJr]

8 minutes ago, Tigerleon said:

They use the exact same drivers. Your statement makes no sense. Approved that they actually sound good by Zeos from Z reviews.

yes. TASKARs sound good. all CM and HX did was add a mic. It's not their R&D that made them sound good

 

edit: this is literally their only lazy contribution

 

[Tigerleon]

4 minutes ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

yes. TASKARs sound good. all CM and HX did was add a mic. It's not their R&D that made them sound good

I never said that. But again. You are soo right about gaming headsets. About 99.9% of all gaming headsets are trash but again. The ones I just mentioned aren't.

[MrMcMuffinJr]

3 minutes ago, Tigerleon said:

I never said that. But again. You are soo right about gaming headsets. About 99.9% of all gaming headsets are trash but again. The ones I just mentioned aren't.

if it's anything, it's proof that these "gaming" marketed companies don't know how to make headphones so they lazily borrow from other companies who actually know what they're doing.

[Tigerleon]

Just now, MrMcMuffinJr said:

if it's anything, it's proof that these "gaming" marketed companies don't know how to make headphones so they lazily borrow from other companies who actually know what their doing.

Which automatically makes them to know what they are doing. Do you go to a mechanic to get your ears checked? No. So they went ahead and made the right decision to "borrow" their headphones. Which is one of the greatest thing I've seen these companies do.

[MrMcMuffinJr]

4 minutes ago, Tigerleon said:

Which automatically makes them to know what they are doing. Do you go to a mechanic to get your ears checked? No. So they went ahead and made the right decision to "borrow" their headphones. Which is one of the greatest thing I've seen these companies do.

they sound amazng...just HX doesn't deserve the credit

[Tigerleon]

Just now, MrMcMuffinJr said:

they sound amazng...just HX doesn't deserve the credit

Just a bit of credit for choosing the right headphones.

[MrMcMuffinJr]

Just now, Tigerleon said:

Just a bit of credit for choosing the right headphones.

welp...that isn't quite enough to grant them an exception

[datkern]

6 hours ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

Gaming headsets are, and will always be gimmicky piles of alpaca vomit no matter what the manufacturer is. Here is my setup that will blow any headset out of the water.

 

Schiit Audio Magni 3+ $99

Schiit Audio Modi 3+ $99

DROP Sennheiser HD 6XX $200

 

The Imaging on the 6XX will blow your mind. 999999999999999999999999999999999999999x better than the gimmicky "gaming" 7.1 surround BS. The 6XX are also perfect for music. it's a complete package.

I think I might try this setup. Based on the games and atmosphere I’m looking for. This type of setup would accomplish this right?

 

Also I kind of wanted less equipment so would the Fulla 3 or Hel work the same way?

[MrMcMuffinJr]

3 minutes ago, datkern said:

I think I might try this setup. Based on the games and atmosphere I’m looking for. This type of setup would accomplish this right?

 

Also I kind of wanted less equipment so would the Fulla 3 or Hel work the same way?

the 6xx maxes out the Fulla and Hel. learned that the hard way. doesn't sound very good

[datkern]

4 hours ago, H713 said:

I'll throw in the Grados SR225s at that price. Not the most durable. They were my preference after comparing a bunch of options, but everyone has different preferences in this regard. At least for me, I felt like the Grados were both relatively accurate and relatively unfatiguing.

 

If you want a microphone, the short answer from me is to get an SM57 (plus a windscreen) and a Behringer interface. The people on the other end of the Discord call will thank you. 

Thanks! I had good experience with Grados too but for music, quality headphones.
 

For a mic I was leaning at purchasing the Blue Yeti or the Nano version.. how does it compare?

[datkern]

7 minutes ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

the 6xx maxes out the Fulla and Hel. learned that the hard way. doesn't sound very good

Alright so sounds like the Schiit stack with the 6XX is the way to go for an optimal experience and should get me what I'm looking for in terms of an immersive experience right? For example when playing Resident Evil 2.. I want to feel and hear the zombie on me LOL.

[H713]

4 hours ago, datkern said:

Thanks! I had good experience with Grados too but for music, quality headphones.
 

For a mic I was leaning at purchasing the Blue Yeti or the Nano version.. how does it compare?

 I'm generally not a fan of USB microphones. I've only used them on occasion, but in my experience their performance and reliability are considerably worse than a good analog microphone with an interface. I also like the flexibility of analog equipment- the SM57 I listed, for example, will work just about anything, be it a modern Behringer interface or a vintage API console from the early 1970s (obviously the 1970s API will sound better).

 

If you buy that Behringer interface, there isn't a huge reason to buy the Modi. The Behringer interface has line-level outputs that you can use to drive your Magni headphone amplifier. The DAC in the Behringer isn't terrible. If you're worried about it (I've never been able to reliably hear the difference between modern converters in a blind test), you could upgrade to a Focusrite 2i2 or Motu M2 and get some small improvement in performance. 

 

Depending on the headphones, you could probably forgo the Magni as well. The Grados for example, are very easy to drive and the headphone amp in most of these audio interfaces will be sufficient. That said, a dedicated headphone amp might be worth it just for the better volume control. The Asgard is a significant step up in this regard- it uses an Alps RK27 for the volume pot as opposed to one of those little green 9mm pots (there are a few companies that make them). The RK27 is about as good as it gets in terms of stereo tracking (that is to say, same levels for both left and right) without spending crazy money. The Bourns series 82 and the Clarostat 388 pots are also excellent.

[datkern]

30 minutes ago, H713 said:

 I'm generally not a fan of USB microphones. I've only used them on occasion, but in my experience their performance and reliability are considerably worse than a good analog microphone with an interface. I also like the flexibility of analog equipment- the SM57 I listed, for example, will work just about anything, be it a modern Behringer interface or a vintage API console from the early 1970s (obviously the 1970s API will sound better).

 

If you buy that Behringer interface, there isn't a huge reason to buy the Modi. The Behringer interface has line-level outputs that you can use to drive your Magni headphone amplifier. The DAC in the Behringer isn't terrible. If you're worried about it (I've never been able to reliably hear the difference between modern converters in a blind test), you could upgrade to a Focusrite 2i2 or Motu M2 and get some small improvement in performance. 

 

Depending on the headphones, you could probably forgo the Magni as well. The Grados for example, are very easy to drive and the headphone amp in most of these audio interfaces will be sufficient. That said, a dedicated headphone amp might be worth it just for the better volume control. The Asgard is a significant step up in this regard- it uses an Alps RK27 for the volume pot as opposed to one of those little green 9mm pots (there are a few companies that make them). The RK27 is about as good as it gets in terms of stereo tracking (that is to say, same levels for both left and right) without spending crazy money. The Bourns series 82 and the Clarostat 388 pots are also excellent.

Thanks for this, super helpful! So to put it simply is the Asgard a 'bit more power than the Magni+Modi and essentially would be 1 device, simplicity.

 

That being said if I go with the Asgard + 6XX.. I'll be achieving a way more immersive experience than my current ASTRO Gaming A40 TR with MixAmp Pro TR setup? For example when playing Resident Evil 2.. I want to feel and hear the zombie on me LOL.