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MXRC
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Jul 27, 2017
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This question gets asked a lot.
Let's start with DACs since these are easier to talk about objectively.
If perceptive 3D audio imaging is a must-have: Sennheiser GSX 1200 or any one of the SoundBlasterX(-Fi) external DACs will do. They vary in price, but perform pretty much in the same way. Main differences are some go to much higher sample rates, and have a ton of available channels if you have multiple apps all producing sound or if you're mixing audio. You can do the research.
Tip: 1. Always get external DAC just to avoid the hassle of potentially introducing electrical noise when compared to internal DAC/audio cards. 2. DAC surround sound DSP usually gets overridden when a game has built in surround sound or bypassed entirely. It becomes essentially a waste of money since the game will output 2-channel stereo with the sounds already "baked" into 3D space with appropriate processing. Most games do this when you set the output to "headphone" and it usually sounds better than what the DAC's DSP will process since it's the developer's software controlling the signal processing and who knows better than the fools who made the game, right? (subjective) 3. That said, if you watch movies the DAC's 5.1 or 7.1 DSP will still be viable.
I personally prefer gaming with a plain 2-channel stereo DAC and just use in-game surround options when available. I have all my digital audio running through a set of Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies. This is overkill so it's hard to recommend, so maybe start with a NuForce DAC5. It's stereo, has high sample rate, portable, and has a great clock which is important for digital audio without getting into technical yada yada.
Headphones: This is more subject to personal preference and isn't as clear cut as DACs. I recommend the one I use for gaming - Philips Fidelio X2.
These have amazing/wide sound stage with great stereo separation. I've found it perfect for immersive and competitive gaming. It has the ability to really place sounds correctly in 3-D space. It's also great for music listening. I can't say enough good things about these headphones. One caveat is they don't have a microphone. It's easily remedied by pairing it with V-moda Boom Mic which I also use. The mic is clear and noise free.
That's all.
Jul 27, 2017
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