Sound Card, Speaker advice and more

So I recently built myself what I deem as a very nice everyday gaming PC. Anyways this is completely irrelevant because I don't believe the specs of my computer matter for my 2-3 questions here (However if they do feel free too tell me so).

Disclaimer:If you post in this thread and show little to no knowledge about the questions I have asked I will report and ask you be infracted, I am looking into these reasons so I can go out and buy some nice new stuff, not too waste my money.

Question 1. Do you know anything about sound cards and why I would want to buy one and what they do for your computer. Ie; do they help speaker sound? headphone sound? Do they help with headsets (microphones in anyway)? If so, can you recommend any.

Question 2. I currently have some random shitty speakers, and a razer tiamat headset, I don't like wearing the headset on my head because after 1-2 hours my ears will hurt, and I get a slight headache. At the moment I sit it on my desk and use the mic too talk, and shit speakers too listen so my question is, does anyone know GOOD quality both sound and microphone headsets. Price range doesn't matter too much maybe somewhere between $200-$500.

Question 3. Regarding the above question, do you think for my own personal preference I would be better to buy really good speakers, and a really good microphone separately since I already don't like wearing headsets? If yes, please post some recommendations WITH your opinions both good and bad. Price range for both would be same as above try too keep them below the $500 mark.

Information about above: I currently use a 2 monitor 27" ea setup, I have little desk space for said speakers but can always make room if I get enough feedback about specific sets.

Thanks for your time in reading my post you don't have too answer all questions if you simply just have some recommendations for Mics/Headsets/Speakers ; that is fine! However keep in mind you must either own one, heard very good reviews, and be able to back your statements up!

 

I have the same issue as you, regarding headsets giving me a headache/hurting after a certain duration of time. I've been doing extensive research on headsets, being which would be the best bang for my buck, and also be suitable for my tender head. Needless to say I went with the Sennheiser PC 363D, which doesn't require a soundcard or amplifer, it comes with a USB sound card with Dolby Headphone control (Virtual surround sound). The headset is VERY light and the earpads are also extra large, fitted with velvet, just as the headband. It is also an open ear headset, so your ears won't get too hot after long periods of time (on each side there are aluminum plates with grates, to promote air-flow). You can also look at various mic tests on youtube, Sennheiser brags about how they fitted it with their best mic. Anyway, it will end up costing $300.. which is actually in your budget. http://en-us.sennheiser.com/gaming-headset-pc-363d

*Also comes with a free Assassins Creed IV PC download with the purchase of the headset, and a 2 year warranty.

Going with this option would save you some money, as you wouldn't have to put forth the money and time into installing your sound card. AND I really don't think it's worth getting a dedicated sound card (sounds like your MOBO probably already has a decent enough on board card), unless you're some crazy audiophile that spends $1,000+ on headphones.

 

Thanks and I really appreciate your reply I was actually following and posted in your thread about the headphones you purchased and sadly forgot all about going back too see for your reply, for now I have had these headphones under my eyes since I saw your thread. I will keep these highly in mind and with this in mind, would still be interested in buying some nice speakers for when I have friends over or more then just me listening to the computer. Netflix being a great example here.

 

I would advise you to buy some Senheiser headphones.
I have had similar experiences with headphones, hurting my ears, headaches and all that stuff, especially with the cheaper brands.
I switched to Turtle beach a while back, but when my last pair snapped in half (no clue why, I'm always careful with expensive stuff) I switched to a pair of Senheisers.
Best headphones I've ever had.

 

I appreciate the time you took in replying as well Cas. That is two very good recommendations for senheisers and I will finalize my purchase of the headset mentioned above on Monday. Will give this thread till then for people to open my eyes too different headsets or options of course, however I am mainly now seeking speakers!

So anyone with good recommendations on really good speakers meant for computers please post them below! Also if I would need a sound card for said speakers please let me know thanks!

 

1. Sound cards are mostly marketing bullshit. Unless you're motherboard's soundcard has failed or you have extremely high-end headphones with an amp don't get one.

2. MrSpeakers Mad Dogs + ModMic, that's what I use for my headset. PC360's are essentially HD598 + mic and I'd say inferior to the Mad Dogs.

3. Generally speakers + external mic is a bad idea, unless you want people to hear every single thing you're listening to.

Just ordered some LCD-2's. More than likely to be worth every penny.

 

Thanks for the reply Trippin! I would only be using the speakers when not using the microphone, If that makes sense. Unfortunately since I was little I seem too get very bad headaches very easily and this will be my only route around it, to stay comfortable while playing games. Looking at the Mad Dog pros right now, I mean they seem nice however they look heavy.

Still up for recommendations! have definitely not made any final decisions yet though I am clearly siding towards the Sennheiser PC 363D.

 

330g vs 280g, I wouldn't call that heavy. They also will a fair amount more comfortable.

 

1. Soundcards are really just for audiophiles. The card I had in my last PC, the XtremeSound 5.1, increased the volume cap of my machine by about two, so the card's vol. 50 was my onboard sound's vol. 100. They're also good for surround sound and other options like that if your onboard doesn't have any.

2. I personally use headphones and mic separately, which I prefer. Headsets I hear are subjective just like headphones, you try a few and just go with what you prefer. No way in shit should you pay $200-500 for a headset especially if you don't like them.

3. I have a speaker - mic - headphone setup (no headset) and it's great. I don't have surround but I use some Altec speakers that cost around $40 and they're the best I've ever used. My mic is the Blue Snowball, cost around $100. The Blue Yeti is a better mic, but if you don't care about binaural recording/3D/stereo recording then the Snowball is terrific. It's a really crisp mic and I use it mostly for Youtube videos, so if you're not really into that, buy some random $50 mic instead. Blue will get you quality though, despite being significantly more expensive.

As for headphones, they're subjective. I used to sell headphones for a job and I can 200% truthfully tell you that the whole market is just brand loyalty. Find some good, sturdy headphones and you'll be happy. My current pair is by Sony and they're better than any Senheisers or Bose headphones I've used recently (then again my store didn't have their like $400 lines, so if you have that kind of budget, try those). I paid $30 for them on sale. The best thing you can do is find a store where they have demo pairs for you to try and just get the one you like best.

Like Trippin said though if you plan on doing mic + speakers at the same time, people will hear the shit you have coming out of your speakers. At my house the walls are thin and everyone here is on everyone's case about noise, so I only use my Sony headphones 80% of the time. I use my speakers when I play music while cleaning up or something, never while recording/chatting. In that respect you're probably better off with a headset unless you're cool with just using headphones while you're using your mic.

 

I've got an Xonar STX, great card for the price. If you do get a good pair of headphones(I'm talking like $300+) might be worth learning about seperate DACs, amps etc, as they'll give better sound the a top tier soundcard.(dno much about them myself, do plan on upgrading soon tho)
As for headphones, get a proper pair of headphones & a seperate mic(I use an $8 zalman clip on mic, and people say its good soo recommend that. u dont need an expensive mic, uve gotta be careful with the expensive mics picking up all the ambient noise etc etc, to much of a hassle just for communication). So many brands for headphones, best bet is to go onto an audio website/forum and ask there. Overclock.net is pretty helpful.

Just like to point out that the razier tiamats were IMO very uncomfortable, so u might just dislike the feel for the razers

 

This is coming from a guy that is a little OCD, I do mean little, (there are some rattles that will drive me nuts and some losses) about sound quality:

I personally think that if headsets bother your head that much, you should try a high-end profile headphone, as opposed to a headset. Purchase a desk or clip-on mic. I'm talking about names like AKG/Sennheiser/Sony (studio headphones, don't go cheap)/etc. - I am currently in the process of looking for a replacement for my AKG's because their customer service was absolutely atrocious. DO NOT... And I truly and wholly mean DO NOT go with "Bose" or "Beats" as a "quality headset".

As for your specific headset hurting you: The headset you linked is an on-ear headphone, it presses on the ear which after wearing for a while will become obnoxious/obvious. You should - and this is personal opinion - switch to an over-ear headphone that cups AROUND your ears. I have also found that a band-support system makes the headphones less apparent on your head.

As a simple example of the band-support I am referring to, see here: **NOTE** I am not saying you should buy these, as I have not tried them.


Sound cards DO make a difference in your sound quality if you have an amp to attach to it and you would be using your computer for watching movies - as in you would like to watch them in surround sound. However, for every-day gaming purposes it does not make that much of a difference. I can say that I have noticed slight differences in sound confusion/positioning while playing over-simplified games like counter-strike, but again that is me. And you will get pitch differences between the two... but unless you're a nut about it, the audio profiles don't change that much.

At the moment, from all of the research I have done, I am going to try the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s next, even though they don't have the band I had previously explained. I'm -hoping- that the sound stage on them is decent and that the comfort level is equivalent to my current pair.

 

You're better off just upgrading your mobo to a quality one with fantastic onboard digital audio, like the Asus or MSI mobos. I can hardly tell the difference between my previous mobo with soundcard installed and my current Asus with its incredible onboard audio. I currently run video off my GPU, and instead of funneling audio thru GPU via HDMI, I run optical toslink cable from mobo directly to my Denon AVR 7.2 channel receiver via onboard audio. I am running a 7.1 channel setup consisting of Martin Logan Motion-series speakers, with a ML Dynamo 1000 sub, and the sound quality is nearly breathtaking. I actually find that I have less background white noise than my previous setup, likely since I can run a quality optical audio cable to my receiver.