Best surround sound for gaming

[Bjorn24]

Ok I know I will get a lot of different opinions on this but I just want more info from people who have one of those or more...
I was a ps4 gamer and loved my astro a40!!! But now that I switched over to pc gaming I'm not getting the same level of surround sound awareness that I had on the ps4 (*note I have a older astro mixamp that doesn't work well on pc)
So I wanne get a new mixamp/dax/amplefier for the pc.

For headphones I'm going for open back but still wondering which.

 

*note: I like good audio, but it is mostly for gaming and the ability to hear footsteps around me. 

Those are the ones I'm thinking of:

1. astro mixamp pro tr

2. sound blasterx g5

3. sound blaster x7

4. sennheiser gsx 1000/1200pro (what is the different, the 1200pro is cheaper)

 

I know there is a huge different in price but if one is better than the other I'm willing to pay more for it

I hope someone can help me

[3 Minute Reviewer]

10/10 people will tell you that virtualized surround sound is a gimmick to sell you overpriced soundcards. My advice would be to get headphones with good imaging and high quality treble. Check out the Philips shp9500 and the ATH-WS1100iS as some possible options (then get a mod mic to make them headsets).

[Bjorn24]

13 minutes ago, kmathieu2220 said:

10/10 people will tell you that virtualized surround sound is a gimmick to sell you overpriced soundcards. My advice would be to get headphones with good imaging and high quality treble. Check out the Philips shp9500 and the ATH-WS1100iS as some possible options (then get a mod mic to make them headsets).

That is what I meant with different opinions. but how do you explain that I can perfectly hear every movement on  the ps4 and not on the pc? 
I had a lot of headsets/headphones for the ps3 and ps4 and the astro a40 was just perfect. no other headset/headphone could give me an exact direction from where they are, except for the a40...
And now I game on the pc I have some sort of direction but not as good as I had from my astro a40 on the ps4.

*note my astro a40 is an older headset so they don't work as well as the newer version on the pc.

[an actual squirrel]

See if you can find drivers for your motherboard that have dolby digital live, like they talk about in this thread 

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/unlocked-realtek-hd-audio-drivers-for-windows-10-dolby-digital-live-dts-interactive.228612/ 

 

Once you have dolby digital live and set it up right, then your astros should work on your pc similiar to how it works on your consoles.

[pas008]

6 hours ago, kmathieu2220 said:

10/10 people will tell you that virtualized surround sound is a gimmick to sell you overpriced soundcards. My advice would be to get headphones with good imaging and high quality treble. Check out the Philips shp9500 and the ATH-WS1100iS as some possible options (then get a mod mic to make them headsets).

Not here

Many games use virtual surround

Many games have shit sound

So using algorithms to enhance is a gimmick

 

Lol

 

 

[Max_Settings]

6 minutes ago, pas008 said:

Not here

Many games use virtual surround

Many games have shit sound

So using algorithms to enhance is a gimmick

 

Lol

 

 

Yes it is. Don’t start his again. And I swear to fucking God if you link that video....

[pas008]

19 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

Yes it is. Don’t start his again. And I swear to fucking God if you link that video....

 

 

 Want more?

[kol]

51 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

Yes it is. Don’t start his again. And I swear to fucking God if you link that video....

 

26 minutes ago, pas008 said:

 

 

 Want more?

 

[JabroniBaloney]

A good pair of stereo headphones. 

[Majinhoju]

Get a nice pair of stereo headphones and call it a day.  If the game has good sound design, it will sound surround.

The only virtual surround that has impressed me is Dolby Atmos since it's actually built into the game's sound design (though barely a handful of games use it so far).  And it works great using a pair of stereo headphones.

[an actual squirrel]

The advantage to the way OP was doing it on console is that every game would use the same HRTFs, since the processing was separate from the game. This gives you the opportunity to really get accustomed to it, and then transitioning between different games is easy.

 

The issue with relying on the in game virtual surround sound option is that:

1. It's pretty rare for games to offer it

2. Each game might use a different type. So for example, Overwatch uses dolby atmos for headphone, and Monster Hunter has Yamaha Vireal for headphones. Learning both sets of HRTFs is tough, and I don't envy people who would play those back to back.

 

The advantage to the in game option is that you are not limited to 7.1. So you can have height channels. So this can be the better option if you are dedicated to one game at a time.

[Bjorn24]

7 hours ago, an actual squirrel said:

The advantage to the way OP was doing it on console is that every game would use the same HRTFs, since the processing was separate from the game. This gives you the opportunity to really get accustomed to it, and then transitioning between different games is easy.

 

The issue with relying on the in game virtual surround sound option is that:

1. It's pretty rare for games to offer it

2. Each game might use a different type. So for example, Overwatch uses dolby atmos for headphone, and Monster Hunter has Yamaha Vireal for headphones. Learning both sets of HRTFs is tough, and I don't envy people who would play those back to back.

 

The advantage to the in game option is that you are not limited to 7.1. So you can have height channels. So this can be the better option if you are dedicated to one game at a time.

Oke I had a look at your first post and loved the idea and now have the latest realtek drivers installed but I like to have an external amp because I like the idea of setting everything up on the amp and not needing to go to change things in my pc settings like suggested in the link you give me. (I don't trust myself with it)
I don't mind the extra cost if it works well.

But what I learned so far is that I was to much focused on 7.1 surround sound like on the ps4, better to get good headphones (what I will get) and set them up right.
I like the astro mixamp tr because it is a cheaper option but is it as good as like the soundblasterx g5?
And I realy like the sound blaster x7 for al the options but pure for in game sound is it worth the price over the x g5?

For headphones I'm thinking of the akg k702/k712pro, Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro, sennheiser hd 600 or something like those.

[Max_Settings]

2 hours ago, Bjorn24 said:

Oke I had a look at your first post and loved the idea and now have the latest realtek drivers installed but I like to have an external amp because I like the idea of setting everything up on the amp and not needing to go to change things in my pc settings like suggested in the link you give me. (I don't trust myself with it)
I don't mind the extra cost if it works well.

But what I learned so far is that I was to much focused on 7.1 surround sound like on the ps4, better to get good headphones (what I will get) and set them up right.
I like the astro mixamp tr because it is a cheaper option but is it as good as like the soundblasterx g5?
And I realy like the sound blaster x7 for al the options but pure for in game sound is it worth the price over the x g5?

For headphones I'm thinking of the akg k702/k712pro, Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro, sennheiser hd 600 or something like those.

Out of those for gaming I'd take the 712

[an actual squirrel]

Well, what I was saying is that you want to find unlocked drivers that come with dolby digital live. Then connect your mixamp to your pc with an optical cable, and use dolby headphone on the mixamp with your astros. This allows you to have the same virtual surround sound across all pc games, just like you did with the ps4.

[Bjorn24]

26 minutes ago, an actual squirrel said:

Well, what I was saying is that you want to find unlocked drivers that come with dolby digital live. Then connect your mixamp to your pc with an optical cable, and use dolby headphone on the mixamp with your astros. This allows you to have the same virtual surround sound across all pc games, just like you did with the ps4.

But I can not select dolby digital for output on my pc only dts.
I have an asus prime z370-a mobo and that suports dts but I don't know how to enable dolby digital on it

 

[an actual squirrel]

36 minutes ago, Bjorn24 said:

But I can not select dolby digital for output on my pc only dts.
I have an asus prime z370-a mobo and that suports dts but I don't know how to enable dolby digital on it

 

There are modded drivers you can get which will unlock dolby digital live. That's what the techpowerup thread was about.

[Bjorn24]

3 hours ago, an actual squirrel said:

There are modded drivers you can get which will unlock dolby digital live. That's what the techpowerup thread was about.

oke I will have a look again I hope I can figure it out.
I have at the moment my astro a40's linked with optical but it lags still in game 

 

*Update: Oke I have now Dolby Digital Live 5.1 selected.
Do I need to do something else for my astro's to work well or just select ddl 5.1 and link my astro a40 with optical?

[Reckless95]

I had the Astro A40's, now currently own the AKG K712 Pro's. I also just ordered Audeze LCD-X's with Schiit's new Lyr 3. When I get them I'll comment how they compare.

 

The K712s are big but light and comfortable. The sound stage doesn't require virtual surround due to the nature of this headphone. It does however benefit from a decent dad/amp. I actually haven't really ran my Sound Blaster ZxR that much and have been powering them off of my Marantz receiver (I have speakers I mainly use and headphones when I feel like being competitive/quiet.

 

K712's only downfall to me is their lack of bass. However, that is a trade off I accepted and knew going in, on a headphone I paid around CAD $500 (import fees/tax inc.) for back in 2014.

 

The A40's sound muddy/distorted compared to the K712s. However this is to be expected when you're comparing a "gaming" headset compared to a well made headphone.

  

FWIW, I probably have close to 3-4k hours on them. These were made in Australia, compared to China I believe now. If on a budget maybe the AKG KXX depending on the prices. Maybe even Sennhieser's 6XX or 600s, Hifiman's 4XX or 400is. Don't think you can go wrong with any of these choices. When I did my research, I went with the K712s for their soundstage for gaming. 

[an actual squirrel]

21 minutes ago, Reckless95 said:

The sound stage doesn't require virtual surround due to the nature of this headphone.

No, they still need virtual surround sound, To perceive more than just 90 degrees left and 90 degrees right, you need to have the hrtf information for those additional angles. The only way you can get those is through binaural recordings or virtual surround sound on surround sound mixes. This is why in pas008's videos, there is much more depth in the virtual surround sound examples than the stereo ones.

[Reckless95]

9 minutes ago, an actual squirrel said:

No, they still need virtual surround sound, To perceive more than just 90 degrees left and 90 degrees right, you need to have the hrtf information for those additional angles. The only way you can get those is through binaural recordings or virtual surround sound on surround sound mixes. This is why in pas008's videos, there is much more depth in the virtual surround sound examples than the stereo ones.

To each their own, when I use virtual surround on my K712's, it sounds worse and is harder for me to pinpoint the location and how far away someone is. 

 

In in a game such as CSGO, I can tell without it where someone is and how far away. 

 

Edit: I actually chose SBX from those videos when I was looking for a virtual surround.

 

Maybe my Marantz receiver has Dolby Headphone, I just prefer it over my ZxR.

[GamerDude]

Just to add, best surround sound gaming experience wasn't with my AKG812, neither was it with my HD800, or any other cans + Oppo HA-1 + Surround software (like Razer Surround). The setup that gave me that surround sound in games (which actually support surround like Dead Space) was with my Logitech Z5500 + Creative SB Zx....nothing beats actual 5.1/7.1 speaker setups. I find all these simulated surround through software to be rather 'meh'.

[Bjorn24]

15 hours ago, Reckless95 said:

To each their own, when I use virtual surround on my K712's, it sounds worse and is harder for me to pinpoint the location and how far away someone is. 

 

In in a game such as CSGO, I can tell without it where someone is and how far away. 

 

Edit: I actually chose SBX from those videos when I was looking for a virtual surround.

 

Maybe my Marantz receiver has Dolby Headphone, I just prefer it over my ZxR.

what do you recomend?
I wanne go with the akg k712 pro but I still need an amplefier.

I'm thinking of the sound blasterx g5 (I can still play with the surround sound or dissable it) 
Or maybe the sound blaster x7 because it is well rated for audiophile and possibility for surround gaming (has dolby digital)

[Reckless95]

3 hours ago, Bjorn24 said:

what do you recomend?
I wanne go with the akg k712 pro but I still need an amplefier.

I'm thinking of the sound blasterx g5 (I can still play with the surround sound or dissable it) 
Or maybe the sound blaster x7 because it is well rated for audiophile and possibility for surround gaming (has dolby digital)

After reading @Max_Settings's reviews, I would ask him. He has heard many more headphones and probably amps/dacs compared to me. 

 

From what I originally read, the O2 Dac/Amp from JDS is fairly popular and the schiit stack (modi 2, Magni 3) I believe. 

 

Something to consider too: https://store.sonarworks.com/collections/reference-4/products/akg-k712-pro-individual-calibration

 

[Bjorn24]

On 13-4-2018 at 3:15 PM, Max_Settings said:

Out of those for gaming I'd take the 712

Oke I will get the akg k702 or k712pro

But which amp is the best for those? 

I'm thinking of the sound blasterx g5 (I can still play with the surround sound or dissable it) 
Or maybe the sound blaster x7 because it is well rated for audiophile and possibility for surround gaming (has dolby digital and I can still use it with the ps4)

[Max_Settings]

52 minutes ago, Bjorn24 said:

Oke I will get the akg k702 or k712pro

But which amp is the best for those? 

I'm thinking of the sound blasterx g5 (I can still play with the surround sound or dissable it) 
Or maybe the sound blaster x7 because it is well rated for audiophile and possibility for surround gaming (has dolby digital and I can still use it with the ps4)

What’s your budget? Sound blaster doesn’t make great audio stuff. Fulla 2 or Schiit Stack would be much better.