Advice on audio hardware.

[Bluro]

Hello,

 

I've been looking for a proper audio setup for my pc, but since I have no clue what to look for perhaps you guys might help me out.

 

I've been using Astro A40s for the past 3 years or so. First set died in about 2 years due to damage from falling. Second one is also showing some hesitation to work properly and can't do anything about it since the warranty is up.

 

I mostly play games and listen to music on my pc, with an exception of few movies once in a while.  But I really like my sound quality to be the best it can be. 

 

This time I'm looking into a full upgrade, that means headphones, mic, soundcard, amp/dac etc.

 

I'm using Asus Sabertooth Z87 mobo with CM V8 GTS and SLi Gigabyte 780s. There's still a spot in top for a soundcard I believe.

 

What headphones should I look into? 

 

What mic?

 

What soundcard?

 

Is an amp/dac better than a soundcard or you can use them both?

 

I would prefer Asus soundcards/amps, or perhaps there are far better than asus ones? 

 

I've had look into Blue Yeti mics, any opinions on them? What accys you should need to have a clear voice?

 

In terms of budget, it's not limited at this time since I don't know the prices yet, but as a starting point let's say 1000$, which can be raised to 2000$ if needed.

 

I think this should do for now. If I'll remember anything I'll post it up.

 

Thank you for understanding that I'm a total newb here and thank you for time and patience helping me.

 

 

[theodoro]

Read the post here
http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/18617-the-audio-boards-frequently-asked-questions-pre-answered/

It's a great post and i agree 100% with it.

Oh, and my suggestion would be the philips fidelio X2 with no sound card for headphones and the blue yeti. 
Since the budget is very big you could check the Oppo PM1. Great headphones.

[xtroria]

My recommendation is to go with:

 

Sennheiser HD600 for headphone

Schiit magni + schiit modi for amp + dac

Blue yeti or Mod mic for microphone

 

The setup over-all would cost $500-600 depending on where you can get the HD600. This is a very very good setup and can be said an entry into mid to high level audiophile gears with the headphone and amp/dac. If you prefer a bigger soundstage from your phone for the cost of bass, AKG K712 pro could a good choice. 

 

There are many headphones at this kind of price, could you probably what kind of music you usually hear ?

[Bluro]

I don't have a specific music taste. It varies from dubstep and dnb to metal/rock.

 

I've searched quite a lot past hour and read about your products too.

 

However, at this point I am not sure if I should go for amp+dac rather than a soundcard.

[Lauen]

If you're getting lower impedance / more efficient headphones, you wouldn't need a DAC nor an amp. and for the first good headphones, I see no need in spending more than 1-200 USD. A great starting point is the Sennheiser HD558 for open headphones, or the Beyerdynamic DT990 if you want stronger bass, however it usually comes in the 250 ohm variety, but it might not need an amp depending on how loud it actually gets on your motherboard. the Fidelio X2's mentioned are very good. Sennheiser HD600 or 650 are also very nice but may need an amp.

 

For closed headphones, a great start for neutral ones are Shure SRH440 or 840, or the Sony MDR-7056 or v6. For more bassy ones, Audio-Technica ATH-M50's come to mind, but they are, for me, very uncomfortable, as the pads are basically on-ear and become very stiff over the course of a month or two. They also sound no more than okay unless they're at around $100 USD, if not there are much better options for the price. for even bassier sound there are the Beyerdynamic DT770 which come in 32, 80 and 250 ohm, they are all good but sound just a tiny bit different, the 250 supposedly sounds the best but not THAT much better, so then the 80 is nice cus it will probably work on all devices you have. the Custom One Pro's are also great. Another step up and we have the Mayflower Fostex T50RP V3, modded by Mayflower Electronics, which is a bass monster with very good sound in general, but requires an amp.

 

If you need an amp or a dac for any reason, Schiit Magni + Modi is a nice solution, but even better is the O2 and ODAC solution, in NA sold by Mayflower and JDS Labs. in EU sold by Epiphany and Head 'n Hifi. Soundcards are generally bad due to their amps usually having >10 ohm output impedance which is bad for <80 ohm headphones due to the dampening factor, that headphones should have at least 8 times the impedance of the source. the O2 amp has <0,1 ohm output impedance, and good power so it should work with pretty much anything.

 

for mic, You don't really need anything fancy if you're not gonna be recording videos or anything, so a ModMic is a great option. or a Blue Snowflake. If you are in need of something better, Blue Snowball, Yeti, Audio-Technica AT2020 and 2020+ are great. I think that covers most of what I wanted to say.

[xtroria]

If you're getting lower impedance / more efficient headphones, you wouldn't need a DAC nor an amp. and for the first good headphones, I see no need in spending more than 1-200 USD. A great starting point is the Sennheiser HD558 for open headphones, or the Beyerdynamic DT990 if you want stronger bass, however it usually comes in the 250 ohm variety, but it might not need an amp depending on how loud it actually gets on your motherboard. the Fidelio X2's mentioned are very good. Sennheiser HD600 or 650 are also very nice but may need an amp.

 

For closed headphones, a great start for neutral ones are Shure SRH440 or 840, or the Sony MDR-7056 or v6. For more bassy ones, Audio-Technica ATH-M50's come to mind, but they are, for me, very uncomfortable, as the pads are basically on-ear and become very stiff over the course of a month or two. They also sound no more than okay unless they're at around $100 USD, if not there are much better options for the price. for even bassier sound there are the Beyerdynamic DT770 which come in 32, 80 and 250 ohm, they are all good but sound just a tiny bit different, the 250 supposedly sounds the best but not THAT much better, so then the 80 is nice cus it will probably work on all devices you have. the Custom One Pro's are also great. Another step up and we have the Mayflower Fostex T50RP V3, modded by Mayflower Electronics, which is a bass monster with very good sound in general, but requires an amp.

 

If you need an amp or a dac for any reason, Schiit Magni + Modi is a nice solution, but even better is the O2 and ODAC solution, in NA sold by Mayflower and JDS Labs. in EU sold by Epiphany and Head 'n Hifi. Soundcards are generally bad due to their amps usually having >10 ohm output impedance which is bad for <80 ohm headphones due to the dampening factor, that headphones should have at least 8 times the impedance of the source. the O2 amp has <0,1 ohm output impedance, and good power so it should work with pretty much anything.

 

for mic, You don't really need anything fancy if you're not gonna be recording videos or anything, so a ModMic is a great option. or a Blue Snowflake. If you are in need of something better, Blue Snowball, Yeti, Audio-Technica AT2020 and 2020+ are great. I think that covers most of what I wanted to say.

 

But once he learns about sound though, he will regret not buying the expensive ones

 

*the urge to get new headphone is strong*

[SSL]

snippsters

 

O2 does not sound better, it just has realistic gain options.

[Lauen]

But once he learns about sound though, he will regret not buying the expensive ones

 

*the urge to get new headphone is strong*

IMO it's more about going from shit to good and then good to very good and then eventually getting the perfect headphone (for you).

 

O2 does not sound better, it just has realistic gain options.

I didn't say it sounded better but doesn't it have slightly better output impedance? plus what you said, gain options and the possiblity to use pretty much any headphone with it.

[SSL]

IMO it's more about going from shit to good and then good to very good and then eventually getting the perfect headphone (for you).

 

I didn't say it sounded better but doesn't it have slightly better output impedance? plus what you said, gain options and the possiblity to use pretty much any headphone with it.

 

Could be. Seems like they are both on the same order of magnitude though.

[xtroria]

IMO it's more about going from shit to good and then good to very good and then eventually getting the perfect headphone (for you).

 

Personally, I would say HD518/558 is good but it's a bit meh for serious listening later on. People go over it a lot and then ended up upgrading after a short period of time. He has a good amount of budget to start with and since HD600 sells like hotcakes in the market, it won't be so bad starting from that point

[creatip123]

Awwww, no love for Aune T1.....

[Pomfinator]

Awwww, no love for Aune T1.....

An AMP/DAC that couples as a hand-warmer as well for the low low price of $200

 

What a deal

[Jack H]

Since you haven't said a price point, I'll give you a few options:

 

~$100

Sennheiser HD518 + zalman mic

 

Sennheiser HD518's are very good for the price, they have a very balanced sound, and the zalman mic is surprisingly decent for its $10 price point.

 

~$130

Sennheiser HD558 + zalman mic

 

Sennheiser HD558's have very similar sound to the 518's, but are a decent amount more comfortable.

 

~$275-$525

Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 ohms + Fiio e10 / mayflower o2 + odac combo + zalman mic / modmic

 

You've got a lot of options here. The DT 990 pros are at a really good price, they are EXTREMELY comfortable and good sounding for the price. A really nice bass extension, decent mids, and slightly analytical highs. These are 250 ohms, so they will need amplification. The two main options are the budget fiio e10 off of ebay, which will be around $50. The reason I say don't go e10k is because they are only rated up to 150 ohms, while e10 is rated up to 300, which is needed for the DT 990's. For a more premium and higher-end option, the mayflower o2 + odac is an amazing choice and will last you for many higher end upgrades. For a mic, zalman mic if you don't feel like spending much on it, but the modmic 4.0 is a really good option for a more premium mic.

 

~$460-$725

Sennheiser HD 600's + fiio e10 / mayflower o2 + odac combo + zalman mic / modmic

 

Beginning of the high end. The HD 600's are an amazing headphone that is almost universally well-regarded. Again, fiio e10 or Mayflower depends on how much you're willing to spend, it won't make a huge difference, but the o2 is a definite step up. Mics are the same story, zalman if you don't need an amazing mic, or pay more for a much more premium option. At this price point, a lot of other headphones can be used, really depends on what kind of sound you like. I personally really like hte HD 600's, and they're my recommendation.

[ShearMe]

I Would caution against spending me than a few hundred. Anything you get at that price point will be better that your Astros. From there, it's more about figuring out your preferences until you know what you want for an end-game headphone.

Any ole sub-100 dollar USB Mic + a $20 boom arm will be enough for anyone sort of serious professional work.

[Bluro]

Thanks for all the great answers.

 

I don't know much about the technical stuff, still learning, but I do sure know what I want from my sound equipment. 

 

For example. I am currently using IE80s on my phone, looking at IE800s later on.  On my car I've built with Alpine, starting with a high-end IWE-535BT head unit along with Type R speakers and ending with PDX V9 amp. However, on car audio I hate having a lot of bass, so I didn't install any subs. While on my phone or pc I'd like more of a pure sound with enough bass not to screw up the quality.

 

Don't know if this really helps out of what I am looking for in the sound department. Perhaps even the new Astro A40s would do, but they tend to fail on me somehow and have bit of static sounds and the mic just sucks.

[ShearMe]

snip

Oh god, if you have IE80's why would you dare think Astros are good?

For a not-so-bassy sound, HD600 is recommendable fromm Sennheiser, K 702 from AKG, DT880 from Beyerdynamic, or ATH-AD1000X from audio-technica. Those would all be a good starting point, and could easily be end-game material if you end up enjoying their neutral sound signature.

Mind you, those all still have noticeable differences, so best to read up on in depth reviews and comparisons before picking.

[Lauen]

Oh god, if you have IE80's why would you dare think Astros are good?

I was thinking the exact same thing but didn't know how to phrase it. Thank you based sheep

[xtroria]

~$460-$725

Sennheiser HD 600's + fiio e10 / mayflower o2 + odac combo + zalman mic / modmic

 

Very Beginning high end option. The HD 600's are an amazing headphone that is almost universally well-regarded. Again, fiio e10 or Mayflower depends on how much you're willing to spend, it won't make a huge difference, but the o2 is a definite step up. Mics are the same story, zalman if you don't need an amazing mic, or pay more for a much more premium option. At this price point, a lot of other headphones can be used, really depends on what kind of sound you like. I personally really like hte HD 600's, and they're my recommendation.

 

Fixed it for 'ya

[Bluro]

Because I didn't know better, lol. Back then I was playing a lot of FPS games which required a "gaming" headset. 

 

Anyways, that being said I'll look into all the mentioned headsets, since most of them are new brands to me, besides audio-technica.

 

Thanks for all the help and tips. Everything sits noted.

[Jack H]

Fixed it for 'ya

true true

[NannerBeans]

Neutral headphones? Fostex TH600 is the best that I've listened to if you don't mind spending that kind of money.

[ShearMe]

Fixed it for 'ya

Not "very" high end, but definitely not beginning either.