Upgrading my audio setup

[Snowi_]

So currently all I have is a pair of Sennheiser Game Zero headphones. This has been good enough for me cuz I mainly just play games but I've kinda been wanting to get some better ones cuz listening to music with these isn't very great. I looke at a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and a pair of Beyerdynamic Dt-990 pros. I really have no clue on what is good and what isb't and I would also need a mic on top of that. Help and suggestions are in place!

[Freakwise]

7 minutes ago, Snowi_ said:

So currently all I have is a pair of Sennheiser Game Zero headphones. This has been good enough for me cuz I mainly just play games but I've kinda been wanting to get some better ones cuz listening to music with these isn't very great. I looke at a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and a pair of Beyerdynamic Dt-990 pros. I really have no clue on what is good and what isb't and I would also need a mic on top of that. Help and suggestions are in place!

If you purely just want to listen music i wouldn't look into 2i2, i would probably just go get a normal dac or other interface...

 

don't get me wrong it's definitely a good product, i even own one, it's just that you can get better deal for something similar, like the Scarlett solo, which is the mini brother of 2i2 which is same and since you're going to use 1 mic anyway I'd say you should get that instead..

[Snowi_]

27 minutes ago, Liam danu said:

If you purely just want to listen music i wouldn't look into 2i2, i would probably just go get a normal dac or other interface...

 

don't get me wrong it's definitely a good product, i even own one, it's just that you can get better deal for something similar, like the Scarlett solo, which is the mini brother of 2i2 which is same and since you're going to use 1 mic anyway I'd say you should get that instead..

How does the solo actually differ from the 2i2? Also do you have any mic suggestions?

[Freakwise]

1 minute ago, Snowi_ said:

How does the solo actually differ from the 2i2? Also do you have any mic suggestions?

Solo is only having single separate mic and instruments inputs so you can only use one mic and possibly an instrument like a guitar at the same time, as for 2i2 they have 2 combined mic (with phantom power, solo also have that if you're using condenser mic) and instruments inputs through it's hybrid xlr/ts jack

 

That's the only difference

 

As for mic, i recommend Audio technica at2020/2030 or if you have the budget go for sm7b 

Both of them is condenser mic

[thewill102]

I can recommend the Audient iD4 MK2, with the Beyerdynamic. It is connected via USB-C and only powered from it, so only one cable. It can drive my DT770 Pro 250Ohm without a problem, and i have heard it also could take on up to 600 Ohm Headphones

[Freakwise]

2 minutes ago, thewill102 said:

I can recommend the Audient iD4 MK2,

Oh this also a great, especially if you using it on desktop and constantly changing volume since the knob are in the top

[Snowi_]

5 minutes ago, thewill102 said:

I can recommend the Audient iD4 MK2, with the Beyerdynamic. It is connected via USB-C and only powered from it, so only one cable. It can drive my DT770 Pro 250Ohm without a problem, and i have heard it also could take on up to 600 Ohm Headphones

I'll check that out too!

[Snowi_]

10 minutes ago, Liam danu said:

Solo is only having single separate mic and instruments inputs so you can only use one mic and possibly an instrument like a guitar at the same time, as for 2i2 they have 2 combined mic (with phantom power, solo also have that if you're using condenser mic) and instruments inputs through it's hybrid xlr/ts jack

 

That's the only difference

 

As for mic, i recommend Audio technica at2020/2030 or if you have the budget go for sm7b 

Both of them is condenser mic

Does the instrument input just play the audio coming from the guitar straight to your headphones or do you need some software for that?

[Freakwise]

Just now, Snowi_ said:

Does the instrument input just play the audio coming from the guitar straight to your headphones or do you need some software for that?

It does not require special software, unless of course you want to record it but anyway, you just need to configure the interface as input/output device on windows like normally you would, and you're set...

 

Also there's something called direct monitoring Which is give you "zero latency" and send in input directly to your headset and studio monitor if you have one

 

[Snowi_]

3 minutes ago, Liam danu said:

It does not require special software, unless of course you want to record it but anyway, you just need to configure the interface as input/output device on windows like normally you would, and you're set...

 

Also there's something called direct monitoring Which is give you "zero latency" and send in input directly to your headset and studio monitor if you have one

 

Alrighty thanks for clearing that up  I have to admit im a real noob when it comes to these things so uum which nob on the Scarlett Solo changes headphone volume

[Freakwise]

1 minute ago, Snowi_ said:

Alrighty thanks for clearing that up  I have to admit im a real noob when it comes to these things so uum which nob on the Scarlett Solo changes headphone volume

On the solo the headphones gain is tied up with the main gain so this big knob is the one (image below)

 

And on the 2i2 is the very right on top of headphones out (image below)

 

 

Also I'm not familiar with the audient id4 mk2 but my guess was that the headphones out also tied to main/monitors gain, but it has input mix function so basically controlling mix between Audio that coming from pc and your microphone, which maybe another factor of consideration (image below)

 

Some tips: if you can buy the latest version of the interface you use in this case is 3rd gen for focusrite and mk2 for audient

[JRNOETH]

3 hours ago, Snowi_ said:

So currently all I have is a pair of Sennheiser Game Zero headphones. This has been good enough for me cuz I mainly just play games but I've kinda been wanting to get some better ones cuz listening to music with these isn't very great. I looke at a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and a pair of Beyerdynamic Dt-990 pros. I really have no clue on what is good and what isb't and I would also need a mic on top of that. Help and suggestions are in place!

Someone recommend the Fiedlio X2HR's and I picked them up. I can safely recommend them they don't need an amp or audio interface to drive (30 ohms). I then picked up a Shure MV7 usb/xlr (works great on usb). 

 

[Freakwise]

2 hours ago, JRNOETH said:

Someone recommend the Fiedlio X2HR's and I picked them up. I can safely recommend them they don't need an amp or audio interface to drive (30 ohms). I then picked up a Shure MV7 usb/xlr (works great on usb). 

 

Hey, umm, did you know the price of the Fidelio x2hr?

I'm suddenly getting interested in it, because if it was end up cheaper than hd 600 it maybe worth the shot

Since I look it up on Google and the frequency response is pretty much flat and that's the reason i compare it to hd 600 

[JRNOETH]

19 minutes ago, Liam danu said:

Hey, umm, did you know the price of the Fidelio x2hr?

I'm suddenly getting interested in it, because if it was end up cheaper than hd 600 it maybe worth the shot

Since I look it up on Google and the frequency response is pretty much flat and that's the reason i compare it to hd 600 

Amazon had it on sale 2 days ago for $120ish but i believe they are usually $140ish max? in my research they were slightly cheaper than the DT990's and did not require an amp, amp/dac or any other sort of extra to power them just fine. I really like them, someone recommended me if i wanted a cheap amp the Soundblaster G3 but I haven't looked into it yt as they are running just find now. but the G3 is like $40 bucks and is USB c (comes with adaptor for usb a) 

 

I ended up with the Shure MV& ($250) but there are plenty of other mics that are cheaper that would also work.

 

Edit to add 2nd paragraph.

[rice guru]

I will say if you wanna power a 250 ohm Beyer I would go with an audien id4 mk2 over a Scarlett.

[rice guru]

1 hour ago, Liam danu said:

Hey, umm, did you know the price of the Fidelio x2hr?

I'm suddenly getting interested in it, because if it was end up cheaper than hd 600 it maybe worth the shot

Since I look it up on Google and the frequency response is pretty much flat and that's the reason i compare it to hd 600 

The fidelios are flat ish they are neutral with a lean towards low end as it has better bass extension so you get a bit more rumble. The HD 600 is a bit more detailed sounding and has better scaling with amps and sounds pretty great with tubes and is one of the ideal headphones to test tube amps with as it responds really well to tube rolling. The biggest most obvious difference though is the presentation. The hd600 is narrow sounding for an open back making it great for studio work and monitoring. The fidelios are wide sounding. Both in my opinion have pretty lackluster imaging though but the fideio is better than the 600 on that front. The wide soundstage combined with the smooth warm sound of the Fidelio makes it a better for casual listening with a bit of the fun factor as well as fun for open world single player games and makes it decent for competitive as well. While the 600 is great for critical listening , monitoring, and having around if your into tubes. The 600 does well with casual listening too if your into neutral flat headphones which personally I'm not

[Snowi_]

2 hours ago, rice guru said:

I will say if you wanna power a 250 ohm Beyer I would go with an audien id4 mk2 over a Scarlett.

You think so? Why is that exactly? I'm not really an audiophile or anything so I have no clue

[rice guru]

57 minutes ago, Snowi_ said:

You think so? Why is that exactly? I'm not really an audiophile or anything so I have no clue

Power. The headphone out on the Scarlett's are under powered barely / or less powerful than a average motherboard out in regards to power. You can get the 990 to a respectable volume level but no headroom. Which welcomes stuff like distortion into the mix cause your just pushing the amp so much.

[The Flying Sloth]

With regards to purchasing a mic I would stay away from the AT2020/2030 and as Rice has detailed there are very little situations where it's worth purchasing a 2i2.
When considering a mic take a look at the guide in my signature for recommendations and background knowledge to help you decide. 

[thewill102]

23 hours ago, Liam danu said:

Also I'm not familiar with the audient id4 mk2 but my guess was that the headphones out also tied to main/monitors gain, but it has input mix function so basically controlling mix between Audio that coming from pc and your microphone, which maybe another factor of consideration (image below)

Yes exactly.

 

14 hours ago, Snowi_ said:

You think so? Why is that exactly? I'm not really an audiophile or anything so I have no clue

As @rice guru already said, Focusrite often has weak headphone outputs. The Audient has a big headroom, especially for the Beyerdynamic DT770Pro/Dt990Pro 250 Ohm.

 

I have the DT770 Pros with 250 Ohms and they sound great with the Audient iD4 Mk2. It might be a bit more expensive but the sound quality is outstanding. You dont need any special software either, except the driver Software, with which you can controll the loopback feature aswell. As you would have a XLR mic, you probably dont need the Loopback feature. 

 

As often as i heard, that FocusRite works well, i can also say from multiple sources and personal experience, it is often not the "Rite" choice

[Freakwise]

21 hours ago, rice guru said:

if your into neutral flat headphones which personally I'm not

I'm using it for mixing and arranging in daw, and since I'm bedroom producer i can only turn on the monitor at day and my room isn't particularly well sealed off (acoustically speaking), so a headphone with flat response is definitely a choice for me

Edited May 20, 2021 by Liam danu

[The Flying Sloth]

7 hours ago, Liam danu said:

I'm using it for mixing and arranging in daw, and since I'm bedroom producer i can only turn on the monitor at day and my room isn't particularly well sealed off (acoustically speaking), so a headphone with flat response is definitely a choice for me

Just be warned that headphones lie, great form a dirty mix but for anything more serious you'll need to be using monitors.