5.1 sound through headphones? Which ones? help!

Hey all - just waiting for delivery on an M17x R3...

Will be using it pretty much 100% with headphones (will not be hooking it up to my TV surround sound system) and am looking to play games which rely on 5.1 sound (Battlefield/Skyrim/COD etc). I only have bog standard stereo Sennheisers currently (unknown budget model).

I have read many threads on here about the poor quality of the onboard sound card and that I need to get an external sound card but I'm confused now about what I should buy?

Ideally I don't want to have multiple sound cards/adapters/boxes to keep the cables/kit to a minimum and I have read that I need Dolby Digital Live to get 5.1 sound?

Also price is a big factor, I don't want to spend too much if possible.

Help please... which headphones (and soundcard?) should I get?

Also, I have seen these - are they any good? Would I still need an external sound card?

CM Storm Products: Sirus 5.1

 

Usb headsets have their own built in soundcards so you don't need an external sound card. You will also be bypassing the default Dell IDT audio with those headsets

I don't know if they are any good, but digital emulation often sounds better than a mediocre analog sound card

In general, if you have a mediocre sound card, go with usb headsets and the sound card on the Alienware laptops is mediocre

 

Great - many thanks for your advice...

Think I will go with the Sirus above which is USB and true 5.1.

 

For headphones, good stereo will beat budget surround sound every time.

I'd go for something like this:

Amazon.com: Sennheiser HD 518 Headphones (Black): Electronics

With a DAC like this:

Amazon.com: FiiO E7 USB DAC and Portable Headphone Amplifier (Black): Electronics

 

i love my logitech G930 but thats 7.1 wireless and requires a usb adapter

 

got a razer megalodon

love it although prolly a tad pricey.

I cant do stereo anymore lol its almost like im going deaf when i have a stereo headset on .

soundcard in the laptop is fairly bad so i wouldnt use that at all regardless.
Such a shame that in a high end like this the soundchip in it is horrible

 

If you are playing multiplayer FPSs, you will really want 5.1 positional audio. You will probably want that anyway, just for full immersion in games even in single player. This means you want an external DAC that can do Dolby Headphone (technically, one could say "Dolby Headphone or THX TrueStudio Pro / CMSS", but I hate CMSS and the Creative products it comes on), in addition to a pair of good headphones.

There are enormous threads on Head-Fi and AVS Forum on gaming headphones and related issues. You should check those out for recommendations, especially this thread Mad Lust Envy aka Shin CZ's Guide To Headphone Gaming (particularly with Dolby Headphone)

My personal recommendation would be to get an Asus Xonar X3 USB external soundcard and either a pair of Sennheiser PC 360s if you want a headset, or Audio Technica ATH-AD700s if you want just headphones.

 

I agree with the Logitech G930, great sound and wireless!

 

i have a third vote for the g930 by logitech.
i crank the volume play some bf3 and turn the rest of the world off.
sound is great, although i did have some driver issues originally but they seemed to resolved after a nuke and pave.

i get about 8 hours on them without a charge and the range is awesome. i can go all the way upstairs from the basement woth no issues.

last point i found em for $110 on amazon which put them at a lower price point than the megaladon and the wired version of the same headset.

 

I'm a bit confused guys! I just got my M17-R3 and it had an option for the soundblaster SB X-Fi MB which I went for, having good experiences with x-fi on my desktop. I thought it might be just the software and using a 'standard' on board chip but the creative auto-update program identifies it on my hardware. is this chip a poor one - I haven't connected it to my 5.1 yet?

 

Great information, thanks. i've checked out the amd lust link and i'm now thinking i want to have this. my question is as i have a SB chip and it says dolby licensed (and CMSS), might i be getting a dolby pro-logic signal already. The positional 4 channel (front and rear sockets) that it comes with is fantastic in FPS's so I'd like that experience in headphones if not too cumbersome.

 

I have an R2, and haven't used the newer R3s, so I don't know if your built-in audio chip will do Dolby Headphone. If you get the X-Fi "upgrade" (which I strongly recommend against), it will for sure do THXTSP/CMSS. Dolby Headphone is what you want for 5.1 / 7.1 HRTF. It isn't the same thing as Dolby Pro Logic. So, if it says "Dolby Pro Logic" and not "Dolby Headphone", you still need something else to to the HRTF for your headphones.

Also, my thinking has just changed on headphones / headsets. I just got Audio Technica ATH-AD900s. They are great in all the ways the 700s are (except being ever so slightly less comfortable), and way better in the few ways that the 700s are lacking. Also, I just discovered the AntLion ModMic, which I am getting, and which has great reviews. I'm going to pair this thing with the 900s, and I'll have the best of both the headset and audiophile headphone worlds.

 

been using razer megalodons for 3d gaming. great positioning but very poor 2d quality.

i use the sennheiser hd555's for that, after reading that shin CZ guide, i bought myself a mixamp. can't wait for it to come in. if i can get decent positional audio with the quality of the hd555's (modded to 595's) i'll be one happy camper (literally)

 

Thanks, I'll give up on the on-board (I did go for the x-fi 'upgrade' ). So if I understand it all, as long as i go for Dolby Headphone with USB connector, I will have a separate chip that will decode and feed the phones? Sorry, I confuse easily...

 

Yes, if you get an Asus Xonar U3, or something like it, it will connect to your 'puter via USB, and you will plug your headset / headphones+mic into it. The U3 (or whatever) will do the 5.1/7.1 Dolby Headphone. On top of doing Dolby Headphone, the chip in the U3 just sounds much, much better than the onboard audio.

 

When I got my laptop, I got it bundled with their headset which read 5.1. Is it really? So far I don't know anybody else who has 'em.

 

I will throw in my recommendations. A Creative Soundblaster X-FI Surround 5.1 PRO and a Turtle Beach HPX/Z6a. Best solution I have used thus far.


Megalodon's are pretty bad honestly, The sound leakage is just terribad. Low Volume. G35's are far better, but the Meg's do position very well, and are epicly comfy.

 

Thanks again, think that is the way i will go

 

GREAT...i just ordered 1 after seeing your review