M17x r4 - Creative Sound Blaster + Sennheiser PC350 SE. Really quiet? Not impressed with sound either?

So I basically bought a pair of Sennheiser PC350 Special Editions. However, they are really quiet and the sound doesn't impress me. I'm not sure what's going wrong. Does it have anything to do with my soundcard? It's the Creative Sound Blaster that came with my Alienware M17x r4.

I am comparing them with my Audio Technica ATH-M50's. And I've tried using both my laptop + my phone, and the issue persists.

Thanks in Advance for any help!

 

I didn't find the 350's (not sure what the SE's bring to the table) that amazing either. Mediocre isolation, OK sound at best especially for the money, and a slightly reedy mic too (though if I was being nice I might say that sort of sound might help cut through other chatter better). They were comfy though. I had them head to head with the cheaper G35, and the Logitechs were a much better proposition overall.

The 350 SE's have a 150 ohm impedance and a relatively low efficiency which may be a problem for some soundcards. You could throw more amping at it, but in all honesty if it's anything like the PC350 (since the specs appear to be identical) I think what you're hearing is pretty much the best it gets.

 

I really don't want to get an external amplifier just to use these headphones. Was looking at the modmic and saw that they will be bringing out the 4.0 soon.
I've tried logitech, they're really not that great, especially sound quality wise.

Not sure which other headsets to look at. Turtle beach haven't pleased me much either.

What about the pc320, should they be okay? I mean sound-wise. The "pro noise cancelling mic" seems to be used in most of their headsets. Can't really find out if they just use the same one across the PC range or not.

 

Depends on what you want out of them. Superior sound? Better gaming impact? Good surround?

 

I really just want a pair that will have a similar quality mic to the PC350 SE's with better sound when using the inbuild soundcard in my laptop. Don't want to get an Amplifier just to use headphones.

 

Just use the M50's with a modmic or something then. They're (the mic) not particularly impressive from what I've heard from people who seem to know what they're talking about but they can't be much worse than the PC350's - again, I found the mic pretty comparable to the cheaper G35.

 

Yes I think that can be the last resort. It turns out that thee PC350 has a nominal impedance of 150 ohms. This is far too high, hence they don't sound any good with my current soundcard. With proper Amping they're supposed to sound spectacular. But they're not really a viable option.

So did you know anything about the pc320?

 

Nope, as I pointed out above. They sound the same, just louder.

Actually here's a handy tip: People who tell you that relatively impact-less phones like the diffuse-equalised Sennheisers (of which I consider the PC350 to be one) sound hugely different with an amplifier are actually very likely suffering moderate (and up) hearing damage, and are likely accelerating it.

 

I actually don't mind them being just louder. They sound okay and are less than half the price. If the microphone is also decent I'll be happy.

Then I can decide in a couple of years when Sennheiser finally release new gaming headsets, whether or not to upgrade, providing they don't need an amp to work properly.

Thanks for the help. I'll check them out and even though I wasn't considering an amplifier before, I definitely won't now