Gaming Headset + Xonar U3?

I'm looking to get a new gaming headset and I'm pretty much set on the Astro A50. Now because I have a Sager Laptop, the Audio is quite terrible for my standards. But I have a Xonar U3 USB soundcard so not all is bad. Now how would I go about hooking up the A50 to the Xonar? I dont think there is a way right? the Xonar only takes 3.5mm line jack input, whereas the headset connects via USB. I'm scared that the headset will sound crappy because its connected to my bad integrated laptop soundcard. Or wont that matter because its USB? Can anyone help?

 

I think if a headset is connected by USB then it has it's own soundcard or something (aka your laptop sound doesn't matter).

 

Really? That would be awesome!
The headset does come with a "mix amp" a little box which wirelessly connects to the headset

Can anyone else confirm this?

 

Yup, the signal through USB is digita, hence the headset needs to have it's own DAC to convert the signal from digital to analog so whatever soundcard you have doesn't matter. Any USB headset will appear as a separate audio device in Windows too as a result.

 

Awesome guys thanks I can pickup the headset with no worries now
+rep

 

The xonar u3 should have optical output through spdif......I'm actually dealing with the same thing right now. I bought a pair of astro a40s. They sound ok but I know they should sound better. I just ordered the xonar u3. I'm hoping this will solve the issue because the on board audio is horrible on my np9150. And with the mix amp all I'm doing is amplifying that horrible sound.

 

Honestly you won't need one if you are only running the A50's especially since they come with the little mixamp (provided you are getting the package not just the headset itself).

If you aren't completely set on buying the Astro's there are many better options available at the 300USD price point. Beyerdynamic DT 880 or 990 Pro, AKG Q701, Sennheiser HD 600. All of these options are pretty much open back headphones (which imo just gives better sound stage which is nice for gaming). You will need a small mic to go along with this, the AntLion modmic is fairly well regarded as is the Zalman clip on mic. Pick up a cheap DAC/Amp combo like the Fiio E7 (or the newer E07k) and you should be set, all for around or under 300 USD.

If you absolutely must have a complete headset (mic included), then the Sennheiser PC 360 and Beyerdynamic MMX 300 are your best choices (though they are overpriced compared to what I listed above). Note that all the suggestions I have listed are just based around PC gaming, if you want to use these headphones on consoles then you will need something like the Astro Mixamp or the Creative Recon3D (which I use) to get the microphone working along with the headphones.

Finally I should add that these are just my own opinions, if you like the sound of the Astro's by all means keep/buy them. Just know that there are better (imo) options out there for the same price. Cheers.

 

Well hello there

First of all thanks for your input. I am indeed not 100 percent set on the astros yet, since the u3 isn't required. I do like the Sennheiser 650s (600s not easily available in Switzerland) but I don't know how much they are better in terms of audio quality. I don't like AKG and have never heard of the other brand. If I'm going for a headset it will definitely be the astros. They seem to be write good in terms of sound. Now If I were to get some headphones instead I would need a better sound card to take the full advantage of them right? But that's something I don't really want to deal with. See being in Switzerland kinda has its disadvantages when it comes to stuff like this. Shipping costs are extremely high, so for me it would be much easier to just get the astros

Unless you tell me the sennheiser 650s completely blow the a50s away I'm kinda set if you see what I mean...

 

In terms of pure sound 'quality' the Astro A50's are probably equivalent to maybe a $50 headphone. The HD 650 is a pretty good deal at ~$300 (probably refurbished/second hand) and would destroy the Astro for music/media.

Have a read of this guide over on the head-fi forums: LINK
The guy that made it has tested most of the popular headphones that are currently around and a lot of them are in or around your budget range.

As for pricing, I lived in New Zealand most of my life and only recently moved to the US for work. The cheapest price for the HD 650 in NZ is 647NZD (about 530 USD), so for me the prices in the US are just amazing. I think one of the major reasons why things are so cheap in the US (especially where I am currently living) is the small or complete lack of sales tax. I'm not sure what it is like in Switzerland but in New Zealand we have a 15% sales tax on pretty much everything. Compare that to Massachusetts which has a sales tax of only 6.25% or better yet in New Hampshire (where I'm living) there is no sales tax, which is really nice.

 

If you plan on getting anything besides the Astros with a mixamp, you need something like the xonar. The p150em does not support 5.1 through the toslink/optical port. I personally have the xonar u3 with the a40s and the mixamp and it does sound really good. But ninja is right, the a40/a50s are not the best out there.....from what I understand the Sennheiser PC 360 or the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 are the best without spending a crazy amount of money.

 

yeah I have done some more research and the pc 360's do tend to be better. I do have a Xonar U3 so it would work perfectly. I dont know how to get my hands on a astro standalone mixamp. Though I have seen lots of people use this combination (360+astro mixamp)

Could you elaborate how exactly you have your U3 and mixamp hooked up to the a40's? Isnt hte U3 useless with a mixamp?

It looks like that if I dont go for the A50's I'm gonna miss out on the Mixamp. So what's the difference between the pc 360's + U3, and the pc 360's + Mixamp, I mean obviously the virtual 5.1/7.1 but is it really worth it, to go and search for a standalone mixamp?
I'll mostly use the headset for gaming and blu-rays, I bet 7.1 would come in handy there but is virtual any good?

ninja: In switzerland we have only 8% tax, but everything is expensive anyway. Interestingly the HD 650 will only cost me around 440 USD, whereas the PC 360 would run me 220USD I am quite surprised how cheap they are. But I dont think the 650 will do well for gaming...

 

You can buy Astro's mixamp from their website, crosslimit. Also, check out this link. All of the headsets are plugged into the Astro mixamp. Luckily they just released the 2013 edition too.

 

Yeah but they dont have the 5.8 mixamp anymore, everyone seems to be using that and there arent really any "reviews" with other versions of the mixamp. I'm just wondering if any mixamp will produce better sound than my U3

Thanks for the link, its been posted before though

 

Didn't see that. Sorry.
And honestly, I don't think so. For games at least, it wouldn't be much of a difference to get a mixamp. For music, a mixamp may sound a little better but I doubt by much.

 

Cool thanks for that

Anyway I have pretty much decided on getting the HD 650s. My buddy has some 598s and I didnt like them too much. Also the 598 supposedly have much better sound than the PC 360s so thats why I'm going for the 650s.

Would the Fiio e07k be good enough to power the 650's or do i need an e17. Does anyone know?

 

Since you're getting such a nice pair of headphones I would get a decent AMP/DAC. For gaming, maybe get the astro mixamp and use that in conjunction with a schiit magni amp?

 

Have a look at the JDS labs O2 amplifier (~150 USD) or the new Schiit Magni (~99 USD), both should perform fairly similar. My 650's are driven pretty well on the O2 amp but I'm planning on purchasing a few new items in the new year. Namely something with a bit more kick and probably tubes (all tubes or hybrid). I honestly don't know how the E07k compares with the E17, both will drive the 650 no problem but not to their potential.

If you want to stick with FiiO's products then the E9k would be your best bet for just an amplifier (its better suited than both the E07k and E17 as it is more suited to driving higher impedance headphones like the HD 650). This does mean you lose the DAC unless you want to also purchase the E07k (pretty sure its compatible with the E9k dock). Price ~160 USD

Alternatively for a bit more money you could get the Schiit Magni/Modi combo (~200 USD) which should (I haven't tried it) do better than the FiiO combo. As a next step up you would probably want to look into getting something like the Bottlehead Crack + Speedball amplifier (DIY kit so some basic soldering skills/tools required), which is considered as one of the best matches for the HD 650. The DIY kit retails for around 400 USD but you can get it pre built for around 700 USD (which is a bit of a rip off for some basic construction). However once you win the lottery/rob bank/sell organs you can splash out on something real nice like the Woo Audio WA6SE (~1000 USD).

Anyways those are my thoughts.

Links:

FiiO products on Amazon

Schiit Audio

JDS Labs


Bottlehead

Woo Audio

Also here is a pic of my 650's next to my 400's:

 

Wow you really know your stuff

Anyway the Mixamp is quite expensive 120$ I think so I dont think I'm going there.

The Fiio line is just soo easily accessible in Switzerland. All the other Products I cant seem to find, even on eBay (I cant use Amazon yet ) Also I prefer not to buy on ebay. as the import tax is quite high (50$ per Item :O)

Now I do need a DAC/AMP combo to start with. I'm also looking to power my phone with the amp and the fiios is quite portable. Later I will probably upgrade to something like the e9k and see how it sounds and go from there.

I'm not ready to solder my own stuff yet, first I have to change my thermal paste and see how that goes, I'm pretty scared

 

Ouch that import duty is a killer. I would probably just go with the FiiO E07k (not the E7) as it seems to be a fair bit cheaper than the E17.

 

Okay so I own the schiit asgard and bifrost, and the Fiio e09k/17 combo. I actually also own the 360, hd650, and a dt880. The beyers only touch the schiit but the senns I use with both.

Schiit is amazing compared to Fiio but costs a lot more as well. Had the magni or whatever the low cost new dac amp combo from schiit been out i would have bought those, however schiit only sells them through their own website because their profit margin on them is quite low. Meaning you won't find them on ebay, only schiit website directly.

That being said having the option to grab the e17 for on the go is very nice. I use it occasionally with an ipod or my vita and the sound improvement is noticeable. The 650s are somewhat forgiving but will scale nicely should you feed them better.

The combo e17 9k together is not bad for the 650. It's not schiit level but not bad. Apart I would not recommend them highly but perhaps for the money it's not a bad place to start with the e17. I think the 9k is just an amp.

Also 650s over 360 hundred percent yes if you have an external mic. The sound is much better for everything.

 

Well If i grab the E17/7k will I be able to use it with another amp apart from the e9k?

 

I just returned the astro a40s and have a set of beyerdynamics mmx 300 on the way. Picked them up for $270 on amazon. I'll still be using the xonar+mixamp combo. Hopefully they are worth the money. They a40s aren't really that great IMO.

 

Definitely, just run a 3.5mm cable from the headphone jack on the E07/E17 to the other amp (dual rca or 3.5mm on the other end depending on the amps inputs). Not sure if there are any issues with running a double amplifier stage, I imagine there shouldn't be unless there is a DC offset from the E17/E07k which may cause clipping (highly unlikely).

 

ok cool, so its just a standard male-to-male 3.5 cable then?

The double amp situation wont be a problem since there is a bypass switch for the amp on the E17/7k

 

Yep pretty much, just make sure to check what your future amplifier has in terms of input jacks. Many of the higher end amps only have RCA, coax/spdif, or single/dual XLR inputs. Just something to keep in mind.

 

Im really happy about my MMX 300 so hopefully it will be great for you too.
My setup also includes a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD external USB soundcard.

 

NinjaPirate I sent you a PM

sorry to bring this up again, but does anyone know if when you route your headset, headphones through pc speakers like the logitech z623 or 523, will you get any loss in sound quality? Also do the speakers change the sound (e.g. add more bass etc..)