PC Audio Equipment Overhaul

[iklalter]

Hello Guys,

 

I am currently looking to completely overhaul my audio equipment, meanig I want to buy a new microphone, a new pair of headphones and any interfaces or amps that are required to get the most out of these peripherals. 

 

I want to spend a total of 500€ but since some brands (like Sennheiser) are cheaper here while some are more expensive let's just assume a budget of 500$. I was thinking about splitting the money about 50:50 for mic(+mixer) : headphones(+amp). I have already done quite a bit of research, but I really want to hear you guy's opinions on what I considered to be good choices, nevertheless I am completely open for entirely different advice of what to buy.

 

I am gonna give you a brief overview of what I want to use the equipment for and what my surroundings are:

 

My PC is currently in a medium large room with no acoustic isolation. However, I am soon moving into a smaller room where I want to place some acoustic panels on the wall. 

 

Microphone: I want to use the Microphone mainly for voicechat, voice recording and occational intrumental recording. I was thinking about a Rhøde NT-1A but I don't know if there is any advantage in terms of sound over the NTUSB. I would be potentially able to get a somehow decent USB Mixer Interface for about 40€.

 

Headphones: I already have a good Gaming Headset (Logitech G933) but I want a pair of headphones exclusively for listening to music since I am a big fan of Jazz, Funk and occasionally Dubstep. I also do some music production and have a Nord Keyboard I want to use the headphones with, since the sound of my gaming headset is not ideal and my other headphones (beats mixr, don't judge me) ruin the sound of the keyboard. So I am looking for Studio Headphones, it would be cool if they could also pack some bass. I have considered AKG K 702's and also the top model of AIAIAI's modular headphones which Linus reviewed some time ago.

 

USB Interface/Amp: I am not really sure if it is beneficial to buy a USB Interface for the mic or an amplifier for the headphones in my price range since this occupies a fairly large part of the budget. Do you guys have any opinions how I could solve this situation (for me the best solution would be a combo unit if there was one) or if I should just spend the entire money on the headphones and mic?

 

Just a little notice on my soundchip: I have a Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H with integrated sound, until now it has served me fairly well, but I don't know if it is good enough to run my new headphones.

 

Thanks in advance guys, I am really thankful for every response, especially because you guys have quite a bit more expertise than I do.

 

 

[pas008]

hd 600 or  hd 650 if sennheisers are cheaper there

they are pretty much do everything well

[schwarzerrogen]

One thing to keep in mind with recording and headphones is you don't want the best sounding headphones but the most accurate sounding headphones. While to most people they probably couldn't tell the difference between top end gaming headphones and studio headphones there is a difference. 

 

For music production you'll want open or semi open cans (unless you're using them to record drums or something else that's quite loud). I'm an AKG user myself, and  can say that the 701s are fantastic for studio work (as they are designed for) but honestly I don't think you need to be spending $400 on headphones. I'd look at the K240 mkIIs, they're easily the best value headphones I've seen ($150 or so for great, clean sound) and would suit what you're doing much better. I'd only recommend the 701s if you're doing long sessions of extremely critical listening (such as editing orchestral work).

 

As to if your onboard sound will run those headphones, without a doubt yes, and the impedance shouldn't be any concern. I would caution on this from a quality of sound aspect as most motherboard audio chipsets aren't designed for audio production.

 

For a microphone and interface, the NT1-A will do everything you'll want it to do, but keep in mind it is a studio condenser and as such requires the usual pre-amp requirements:

1) XLR connections

2) Phantom power

3) Variable input gain

 

There are a lot of budget-conscious options available to you for interfaces; a check of the usual online shops (MusiciansFriend, Sweetwater, Long and McQuade) will bring up a lot of results. I'd look at smaller factor (2-in 2-out) USB devices from PreSonus, Focusrite, Tascam, Roland as the starting point. Most can be had for about $150 or so, and in terms of quality are quite nice. I'm thinking that the NT1-A may be a bit overkill for what you want to do, and I'd recommend something along the lines of the MXL 3000:

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/mxl-3000-mic-bundle

 

This is a very good mic for it's price (obviously not a Neumann or DPA) but still not bad. It also comes with a cable and pop-filter.