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My point is the benefits you gain from a dedicated DAC/AMP and high-end cans, or expensive gaming headset and MixAmp, are negligible for next-gen console gaming. Two years ago I would have agreed with you, but it’s not worth the effort on PS5 and XSX for very little difference for positional audio cues, which are all processed digitally by the console soundchip.
I looked at the Ifi Zen Can or Mayflower AMP and DT990s fairly recently. As good as they are for the price, that’s $500+ AUD I don’t need to spend. If I was an audio snob or comp gamer, I might care enough to bother, but a soundscape tweaked for positional cues sounds bloody awful. You also have to route a splitter cable and mic through the controller for game chat, which is a whole other level of frustration.
I wouldn't buy cans that need more than 30 Ohms to drive because you're locked into a dedicated AMP. They won't work with a controller, MixAmp (or similar gaming audio device), nor with a mobile device. I recommend the X2s because they're excellent bang for buck and they're versatile. I wanted all-rounder headphones that sound great for gaming, movies, TV & music rather than a dedicated pair just for soundwhoring, which ruled out the ATs for me.
Controller audio from PS5 and XSX is very good and close enough to a $1000 dedicated gaming audio setup to render the purchase obsolete. I have both and would be happy to simply use controller audio these days. It’s much more convenient, sounds surprisingly good, doesn’t disable VRR, works with XIM’s Push To Talk and allows for console-based audio processing to work as designed.
Just bang a 3.5mm mic and decent, affordable, easy to drive cans onto a controller and be done with it, hence the simplicity of the X2 (or equivalent) & BoomPro recommendation. No mucking around with audio extraction and cable spaghetti, it’s plug and play, works with everything and is near enough to a soundwhoring setup to be good enough. A dedicated audio setup will always sound better, but doesn’t make a significant enough difference for next-gen console gaming to justify the effort or expense.
Try Dolby Atmos and 3D Audio on Xbox and PS5 - they’re very good surround sound solutions for the price ($10 and free), and you can always ignore them in favour of plain stereo if you want. A MixAmp M80 isn’t needed for 30 Ohm cans, will sound whisper quiet for headphones that need more grunt and restricts your setup to stereo only, but it does allow for EQ tweaking. That’s the one addition I’ve considered for a quick and easy controller audio solution, but there’s a long 3.5mm cable on the M80 and I’m unclear on its purpose (I'm assuming it's for an Astro headset), so I haven’t pulled the trigger.
As for the X7, it's still a great bit of kit 7 years after launch, but I don't use it for Dolby Digital or SBX processing these days. SBX causes a frequency spike at 80Hz which messes with my mic in OBS and GoXLR won't take a DD signal from my consoles, so my setup is limited to stereo. I can get around that with controller audio and console digital processing, or I can power down the SPDIF channel on the GoXLR and enable DD on the console.
What the X7 does better than anything else is consolidate audio input from my PC, Mac, GoXLR, TOSlink matrix and phone or tablet into one central, compact device that outputs to my X2 cans and Logitech Z5500 5.1 speakers. I can't do that with a Zen, Mayflower or Schiit stack, they don't have anywhere near the number of inputs required for my audio setup. When I want to use game chat, I just unplug the BoomPro from the X7 and plug it into the console controller...easy peasy. Significantly less hassle than cable splitters on Xbox or a BT-W2 adapter on PlayStation.
how about some kinda contest? that would fun
thanks for your generosity though
I have two, I'm sending cloud the one tomorrow. When I get to my apartment in Nashville I may do something like that for the second one if thats kool with the mods! I want to play on a controller anyway wanna get ready for the nexus!
Thanks for your thoughts, Alan. I’m not into streaming, just thought this might be a decent solution for playing on my PC and Series X, but its standout feature seems to be SXFI and my headset isn’t supported.
Really struggling to find a device that gives great positional audio and that works with 4k 120Hz consoles and PCs.
Yes its still max sensitivity, XIM Apex STs also work for NEXUS. However you can set stick and motion sensitivity as high or low as you want through the Manager App. Not only that but you can set X and Y sensitivity and even fully customize stick curves.
That depends. Motion aim works like a mouse, so bad looks mechanics will still negatively affects Motion. However if you are experienced with thumbstick aiming there's a lot you can do to improve it from the native controls.
Do you want digital movement for fast strafing, at the expense of left-stick aim assist? Go with a keyboard.
Do you want analog movement for 360 degree movement at variable speed that works with left-stick aim assist? Go with an Azeron.
Another consideration is it's much easier to configure an Azeron for wheel menu navigation than a keyboard.
Love my Azeron Compact, but not the Classic. I have an Azeron Cyborg preordered for September.