Favorite audio setup

ilm

SasqWatch
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This started out as a tech help post for recommendations on a headphone, but as audio is so under exposed in gaming I wanted to know what your audio setup is for gaming.

Do you respect soundtracks and their composers with a decent speaker setup, or do you use some cheaper logitech speakers? And more importantly, suggest some of your favorite games to go with it.

For headphones I have an old cheap Superlux HD668b. Replaced the cushions with soft textile ones and added a bluetooth dongle so I can use it with my phone (but I'm looking for something better).

For my desktop I have a pair of wharfedale diamond 9's. Love them to death. When I first got them, I was amazed (and saddened) at all the detail and richness I have been missing in my music. Although, recent years I play mostly on the tv which has a pair of boston acoustics tower speakers.

As for gaming, the soundtrack of Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice really set the mood. I'm sure there are better examples, but it is the last game I played which really drew me into its atmosphere using good sound design.
 
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I am not an audiophile but I appreciate good sound and I absolutely hate background noises like humming or hissing.
Personally I am using headphones 99% of the time, for watching Shows as well as Gaming.
I am also recording pretty much everything I play. Therefore the recorded sound quality is extremely important.

So what would I recommend? If you want to record anything and want to exclude background noise in your recordings as well as in your headphones, do yourself a favor and buy an external soundcard. If you use a headset with normal audio jacks which goes straight to your PC, this might cause noises in the cable and the mainboard can also add additional noise. This is why a 10€ external USB Soundcard can be better than a 100€ internal Soundcard.
I cannot recommend a specific product here. I am still using my external USB Soundcard which came with an Sennheiser Headset I bought maybe 10 years ago.

Which headset would I recommend? In the past I was a big fan of Sennheiser Headsets. And the ones you can buy from 50€ to 100€ are pretty good. The more expensive ones like the "game one" which have this microphone in a thick plastic "shell", they suck unfortunately due to the bad microphone quality. For gaming it might be ok. But for recording it's pretty bad, as the microphone cannot handle "popping" noises, like when you say "Peter's Path splits apart".

My solution was to use that headset, which is extremely comfy for watching movies.
For gaming I segmented the problem into two, which makes it easier to solve: A good mic and good headphones.
Regarding the mic I went with the Mod Mic 2 Omni, which is an extremely good microphone which you can attach to just any headphone. I actually attached both magnets, so that I can also easily swap it around when eating or something else.
The important part is: For good audio quality, get the Omni Directional, or a version which can switch between both modes. The Uni only records your voice and is much better in suppressing other sounds, but the sound quality will suck.

With that microphone you can then just chose whatever headphones you want.
I went with the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro. It's sound is excellent.
However due to the round (as in o) ear-parts (and not 0-shaped), they are not as comfortable as the Sennheiser ones for my rather big ears and if I had to buy headphones today, I would probably take different ones, probably even from Sennheiser.
Regarding Headphones you should first think about what you actually want regarding shape and whether it should be "open" and "closed". And don't mistake this for "over ears" or "on ears". "Open" just means that you can still hear yourself when you are talking, "Closed" means, that you hear almost nothing from the outside. So Closed dampens the sound in both directions. And if you do something in an open office, you should definitely chose the closed ones. For home it's down to personal preference.
I don't like it, if I cannot hear my own voice when I am talking. So I am using the open ones.

Looks pretty much like this:
https://antlionaudio.com/products/modmic-usb
USB_Hero_Headphone_Whtie_1024x1024.jpg
 
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I have a Dolby atmos setup, 7.6.4

I’m more in to special effects, positional audio and environmental sounds. I have a mix match of speakers, axiom, SVS and JBL. Audiophiles would probably frown upon it but it sounds great to me.
 
Sennheiser HD598SE with an antlion mic. They're open back headphones so they won't keep your sound very private or isolated, but if you're playing RPGs in open worlds, or want to feel like you're in the middle of the action in a movie, something like these are a great investment (I bought mine second hand for $80 Canadian, and they look like they never left the box). They're excellent for sound accuracy when listening to music too. These are not bass headphones though, so if you're looking for serious thump, look at something else.

"Gaming" headsets just never really cut it for sound accuracy. Which is why I chose the dedicated cans with an aftermarket mic like Kordanor uses above. However i'm told that the Game One or PC37X headphones are Sennheiser's attempt to make an audiophile quality headset with gaming chops, and have a similar open back design to the 598s. I have not tried them.

I also have an external Sound Blaster card I use because it has a built in amp. A lot of hardcore audiophiles will tell you using an amp is better sound because there's less analog pathways for interference, and more power brings warmer sound, but most of that is probably placebo. Really, any good quality external card is great as long as it has enough power to drive your headset and get the volume you want.

In the end though, your ears are yours only, and if you have a store you can try a few, whatever you think sound best trumps all.
 
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I prefer open back headsets too for their soundstage (like it's live, better spatial awareness, etc.). In fact, I think the best sound can only be reached with headphones that are open. I loved my 50 euro Sennheisers PCX1000 as my first headset.

Unfortunately that means there is no one size that fits all:
- Headphone during flights are, of course, best closed -> Sony 1000XM3 (or the Boses), but their microphone seems to be subpar (integrated, no boom mic), + I tried closed headphones and I couldn't hear myself talk. Very annoying.
- For headsets I prefer to avoid the gaming ones, but it almost seems they are the only ones being reviewed (Sennheiser gaming one, Arctis 7, …)

Best candidate at the moment is the Jabra Evolve 65 for conference calling. Boom mic, open back, and still decent for music. I never truly considered the modmics though. I'd hate the extra cable dangling around. Especially for on the go I'd like to have bluetooth.

I see there is a specific modmic for the superlux I have:
https://antlionaudio.com/products/modmic-starter-bundle

Maybe I should use those for conference calling and buy a more expensive ANC, bluetooth headphone for music listening on the plane (and home). Those Sony 1000XM3 are expensive though (discounted 260 euro as the 1000XM4 are on their way). Choices, choices, …
 
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I prefer open back headsets too for their soundstage (like it's live, better spatial awareness, etc.). In fact, I think the best sound can only be reached with headphones that are open. I loved my 50 euro Sennheisers PCX1000 as my first headset.

Unfortunately that means there is no one size that fits all:
- Headphone during flights are, of course, best closed -> Sony 1000XM3 (or the Boses), but their microphone seems to be subpar (integrated, no boom mic), + I tried closed headphones and I couldn't hear myself talk. Very annoying.
- For headsets I prefer to avoid the gaming ones, but it almost seems they are the only ones being reviewed (Sennheiser gaming one, Artic 7, …)

Best candidate at the moment is the Jabra Evolve 65 for conference calling. Boom mic, open back, and still decent for music. I never truly considered the modmics though. I'd hate the extra cable dangling around. Especially for on the go I'd like to have bluetooth.

I see there is a specific modmic for the superlux I have:
https://antlionaudio.com/products/modmic-starter-bundle

Maybe I should use those for conference calling and buy more an expensive ANC, bluetooth headphones for music listening on the plane. Those Sony 1000XM3 are expensive though (discounted 260 euro as the 1000XM4 are on their way). Choices, choices, …

You can attach any modmic to any headset. This bundle you linked includes the modmic uni though, which is the "gamer" microphone with bad recording quality, but which only records sound coming from your direction. For better quality I'd recommend to go for Omni or a new version which can be used in both modes.
 
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Regarding Headphones you should first think about what you actually want regarding shape and whether it should be "open" and "closed". And don't mistake this for "over ears" or "on ears". "Open" just means that you can still hear yourself when you are talking, "Closed" means, that you hear almost nothing from the outside. So Closed dampens the sound in both directions. And if you do something in an open office, you should definitely chose the closed ones. For home it's down to personal preference.
I don't like it, if I cannot hear my own voice when I am talking. So I am using the open ones.
Thanks for the detailed suggestions. Gives me some things to think about.

I had the same experience with not hearing my own voice with a borrowed Sennheiser pcx550. In reviews they mention that ANC mics of some headphones pick up your voice and echos it so you don't have that problem.

I will investigate the modmic approach. I will be using it at home or a meeting room so open back is not a problem. A headset with microphone is most urgent now.
 
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I use the same receiver/speakers I use for my surround sound for TV, which sits right above my computer. The setup is getting pretty ancient, though. I think I bought it back in the late 90's.
 
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I have an oldish Sennheiser as headphones. I don't even remember its name anymore.

Because I'm almost deaf on one ear, I must swtich the loudness a bit to the ear I'm almost deaf with; then, with that ear I can at least hear a little bit of sound.
 
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