[Gaming Audio] Astro MixAmp presets + Best Audio Gear Guide + Headphone Reviews

[goaty]

5. Should I also buy FX Audio DAC X-6 as someone mentioned it or something similar in that price range? (JDS Atom is too expensive 170€, and Mayflower amp not available in Europe)

my arc is being shipped to Europe as we speak

[alanmcgregor]

I need help for my audio headset !!  I am a Pubg player on Ps4 in a short time I will start playing competitively and I need to acquire the best sound combination for Pubg and other FPS games.  I have seen many recommendations in this thread but I would need more personalized help.  I am open to any suggestions.  Currently my headsets are astro a40 + mixamp gen3.  My budget to buy my new headset is 200 euros approx.  I need an urgent change because I can't hear my enemies accurately and in competition it is a disadvantage.  I need to hear the footsteps of my enemies as accurately as possible.  I usually play in a noisy tournament in the background since I have the play in the living room because of space problems and not having a gamer room.  Thank you very much in advance to all xim gamers.  a greeting

In you case closed-back headphones/headset might be more situable.

These will be your options:

Sennheiser HD558 or HD598Cs, decent mids, good treble, excellent sound imaging. (sound positioning)

HyperX Cloud Alphas, great mids, weak treble, excellent sound imaging

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro, regular mids, best treble, decent sound imaging.

Now, for sound whoring this depends more on the game audio design. Most games, like CoD, Overwatch, Battlefield, Apex Legends, footsteps sound cues are in the mids (mid-range) and in the lower treble. Other games like R6S, Fortnite, PUBG footsteps are in the upper mids and mainly in the treble. From the headphones above the HD598Cs or HD558 (discontinued) might be your best bet, follow by the DT770 Pro.

These headphones are in 80 to 120 euros.

A Headphone Amp, is a must if you want the best detail and sound detection even if these are from 50 Ohms impedance to above.

Same as my other recommendation Monolith Liquid Spark will be great, if you can find the Sound BlasterX G6 under £100 might be another great option. Its "Scout Mode" what it does is to kill the bass, and highly insanely the upper mids and treble for footsteps detection.

I have a SBXG6 it has better sound delivery (dynamic range) than the most expensive X7 BUT... its DAC kind of makes the soundstage feel narrower, makes anything that is a mid distance or close, sound very loud.

What I mean with narrower soundstage: soundstage is like on visuals will be your Field of View, how much of the environment you can see. Soundstage is how much of the environment you can hear.

With the ARC and Micca Origen my soundstage is like 104 FoV, and with SBX feels like 70 FoV. Is not bad you must definitely can positioning audio cues, but I'm spoiled (used to). Wide soundstage gives me more awareness, I can hear someone coming from a far and have time get ready to attack, by contrast with a narrow soundstage I can hear someone coming when they are really close to me.

[alanmcgregor]

5. Should I also buy FX Audio DAC X-6 as someone mentioned it or something similar in that price range? (JDS Atom is too expensive 170€, and Mayflower amp not available in Europe)

my arc is being shipped to Europe as we speak

Awesome, same here today I got the notification that my ARC MK2 is on its way.

For the record, I have no business with Mayflower (same with XIM) but its product as a high fidelity gaming DAC and Amp for consoles is without a doubt remarkable, I wish it was cheaper but is hand made, I can understand and respect that.

Sound Blaster X G6 gives you great value for your money, it will allow to hear hi-res audio on high impedance headphones.

Schiit Hel is a missed opportunity by Schiit, they should add optical input and 100% console compatibility, by numbers seems a notch better than Arc MK1 with great mic amp for $189.

If you want something two notches better than the Arc without Mic, you need something like a separate DAC with optical SPDIF input like JDS EL DAC II ($300) and a separated Amp like Atom ($100) or Liquid Spark, two notches for $180 (is like 5% better sound) is not worth it IMO.plus you have to get a separated mic interface.

[Jadehe]

I need help for my audio headset !!  I am a Pubg player on Ps4 in a short time I will start playing competitively and I need to acquire the best sound combination for Pubg and other FPS games.  I have seen many recommendations in this thread but I would need more personalized help.  I am open to any suggestions.  Currently my headsets are astro a40 + mixamp gen3.  My budget to buy my new headset is 200 euros approx.  I need an urgent change because I can't hear my enemies accurately and in competition it is a disadvantage.  I need to hear the footsteps of my enemies as accurately as possible.  I usually play in a noisy tournament in the background since I have the play in the living room because of space problems and not having a gamer room.  Thank you very much in advance to all xim gamers.  a greeting

In you case closed-back headphones/headset might be more situable.

These will be your options:

Sennheiser HD558 or HD598Cs, decent mids, good treble, excellent sound imaging. (sound positioning)

HyperX Cloud Alphas, great mids, weak treble, excellent sound imaging

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro, regular mids, best treble, decent sound imaging.

Now, for sound whoring this depends more on the game audio design. Most games, like CoD, Overwatch, Battlefield, Apex Legends, footsteps sound cues are in the mids (mid-range) and in the lower treble. Other games like R6S, Fortnite, PUBG footsteps are in the upper mids and mainly in the treble. From the headphones above the HD598Cs or HD558 (discontinued) might be your best bet, follow by the DT770 Pro.

These headphones are in 80 to 120 euros.

A Headphone Amp, is a must if you want the best detail and sound detection even if these are from 50 Ohms impedance to above.

Same as my other recommendation Monolith Liquid Spark will be great, if you can find the Sound BlasterX G6 under £100 might be another great option. Its "Scout Mode" what it does is to kill the bass, and highly insanely the upper mids and treble for footsteps detection.

I have a SBXG6 it has better sound delivery (dynamic range) than the most expensive X7 BUT... its DAC kind of makes the soundstage feel narrower, makes anything that is a mid distance or close, sound very loud.

What I mean with narrower soundstage: soundstage is like on visuals will be your Field of View, how much of the environment you can see. Soundstage is how much of the environment you can hear.

With the ARC and Micca Origen my soundstage is like 104 FoV, and with SBX feels like 70 FoV. Is not bad you must definitely can positioning audio cues, but I'm spoiled (used to). Wide soundstage gives me more awareness, I can hear someone coming from a far and have time get ready to attack, by contrast with a narrow soundstage I can hear someone coming when they are really close to me.

Hello Alan,
 First I want to thank you very much for the time spent looking for a great audio option like the one you propose!  I have various doubts?  Monolith Liquid spark is sold out ... I will buy SBX G6 !!
 Do I have to use Mixamp and SBX G6 simultaneously?

 And another question is regarding mixamp, is there any way to listen more to the game than the ps4 audio group chat without losing game volume?  If I turn the wheel towards the game under the volume of the voice chat but also the game and it is impossible to listen to the enemies when the classmates speak ... I need to listen loudly to the game and softer the voices of my classmates

 Sorry to ask you so many things but you are an expert in this audio and you are a Savior for the uneducated audio

 Thanks a lot again

[Jadehe]

Sorry for my English, I am Spanish
Very thanks for your dedication

[Jogi]

Hello everyone,

I have a short question and need your opinion 

I'm looking for a new headset for my Xbox One together with the Astro Mixamp Gen 4. I currently use the Sennheiser Game One and had ordered the GSP 500 from Sennheiser. Unfortunately I didn´t like the comfort that much, because for my feelings the lateral pressure is way too high and my ears and also my head started to hurt after a short time, so I send them back.
Now I have an offer for an Audio Technica ath-adg1x which is only 2 months old and would cost 100 €.
What´s your opinion about that and would it be a good investment?
Oh and which EQ settings would you recommend for CoD Modern Warfare?

Thanks in advance 

[Epic1Hit]

i got the Sound Blaster x7 what settings do i set on my xbox?

[alanmcgregor]

Hello Alan,
 First I want to thank you very much for the time spent looking for a great audio option like the one you propose!  I have various doubts?  Monolith Liquid spark is sold out ... I will buy SBX G6 !!
 Do I have to use Mixamp and SBX G6 simultaneously?

 And another question is regarding mixamp, is there any way to listen more to the game than the ps4 audio group chat without losing game volume?  If I turn the wheel towards the game under the volume of the voice chat but also the game and it is impossible to listen to the enemies when the classmates speak ... I need to listen loudly to the game and softer the voices of my classmates

 Sorry to ask you so many things but you are an expert in this audio and you are a Savior for the uneducated audio

 Thanks a lot again

Hola Jadehe . Gracias por tus comentarios. No te preocupes por el inglés entendí tu pregunta, te contesto en español, ¿sale?.

En teoría, puedes usar el SBX G6 y el MixAmp de la siguiente manera:
MixAmp Salida de Audífonos -> Adaptador en Y que separa micrófono y audífono -> extension de macho a macho 3.5mm -> Entrada de Audio del SBX G6. SBX G6 conectado a un cargador USB externo.


Así, podrías usar audífonos de alta impedancia con el MixAmp a través del SBX G6 y con la perilla de Chat Mix regular el volumen entre el sonido del juego y del Chat Party (tus compañeros de equipo). Es muy importante que uses el SBX G6 en Modo Directo, sin Surround ni ningún, filtro sonoro SBX sino el sonido se distorsionaría aun más.

Pero esa no es la manera correcta, es más no necesitas el MixAmp para nada cuando tienes el SBX G6, este DAC/Amp es mejor en todos los aspectos.

Así es como lo puedes conectar:
Conecta el SBX G6 por USB a tu consola,
Salida Optica SPDIF de tu PS4 a la Entrada Óptica SPDIF del SBX G6.

Después en: Configuración / Sonido y Pantalla / Opciones de Salida de Audio, En Puerto Primario de Salida, Principal Selecciona DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL), activa la casilla Dolby Digital 5.1 Ch y Aceptar.

Siguiente, en Formato de Audio (Prioridad), selecciona Bitstream (Dolby).

Después en Configuración / Dispositivos de Audio, asegúrate que Sound Blaster X G6 este seleccionado tanto en: Dispositivo de entrada y Dispositivo de Salida.

Importante: En la opción Salida de Auriculares selecciona: Audio del chat

Hasta aquí ya tienes todo listo. 

Ahora, así es como vas poder controlar el volumen entre el juego y el audio del chat:
En la sección Sonido/Dispositivos en la opción Control de Volumen (auriculares) -este es el audio del chat- ajusta el volumen del audio del chat a tu gusto, el audio del juego no cambia, seguirá claro y presente; mejor que la perilla del MixAmp.

Sé que fue mucha info, espero que me halla explicado bien.

-TL;TR Short Version in english, for everyone-
While you can use the SBX G6 as external headphone amp with MixAmp, is not necessary or optimal. Is better to use SBX G6 alone, you need to use the Optical SPDIF output on the SBX G6 input, set Audio to Chat Party and you can control the Chat party volume through the Headphones Volume option, game sound volume source is coming from the OPTICAL source and it won't be affected.

[alanmcgregor]

Hello everyone,

I have a short question and need your opinion 

I'm looking for a new headset for my Xbox One together with the Astro Mixamp Gen 4. I currently use the Sennheiser Game One and had ordered the GSP 500 from Sennheiser. Unfortunately I didn´t like the comfort that much, because for my feelings the lateral pressure is way too high and my ears and also my head started to hurt after a short time, so I send them back.
Now I have an offer for an Audio Technica ath-adg1x which is only 2 months old and would cost 100 €.
What´s your opinion about that and would it be a good investment?
Oh and which EQ settings would you recommend for CoD Modern Warfare?

Thanks in advance 

First, welcome to the XIM Community! 

Got it, thanks for your question.

I love how the ATH-ADG1X sounds and its mic is the best, but man I struggled to feel it comfortable.

Most people loves them out-of-box, for me (big head, werewolf ears) the clamping force is too annoying specifically due the cup is pressing at the top and lower portion of my ear, fortunately I have a pair of custom earpads (ZMF Auteur) with a bigger ear hole, the cans sits around my ear without touching it. Still, I wish they have vertical swivel on the cups.

Comfort is a coin toss, but there are work-arounds; Sound delivery: dynamic range, sound-stage, imaging, sound-whoring, mic performance are amazing overcomes its dreadful cable and cheap/flimsy volume box (which glued it).

My suggestion, try the Philips SHP9500($67) with a V-moda Boom Pro ($25) on your MixAmp, which can drive them without amplification and Emperor Potara has some EQ presets design for it.

Philips SHP9500 is legendary due its value performance, these are $67 headphones that sounds like a $150 ones, I'm not exaggerating, by far best than most gaming headset up to $200. Open-back, great soundstage, outstanding imaging for the price, very comfortable headphones with low clamping force and big earcups.

Compare with the ADG1X, SHP9500 are more comfortable, better treble accuracy, exceptional for sound-whoring (stereo mode, no surround) but if you don't like treble this might be too harsh for you -my case-, ADG1X are a bit "less bright".

Compare with the Sennheiser Game Ones, SHP9500 will sound more open, neutral with a improved sound-stage, better midrange (footsteps) and imaging. Less bass though.

It will be nice to have more open-back gaming headsets, but with the "ships" (SHP9500) we really don't need them  that much

[alanmcgregor]

i got the Sound Blaster x7 what settings do i set on my xbox?

Sorry I can't help you with that, was very disappointed with the X7 and I don't own a XB1 maybe someone else chime in. 

[chad20]

I have sennheiser 598se headphones and a dss2. Would the sbx g6 be a good choice? Also are my headphones good or should I upgrade them also?

[Jogi]

First, welcome to the XIM Community! 

Got it, thanks for your question.

I love how the ATH-ADG1X sounds and its mic is the best, but man I struggled to feel it comfortable.

Most people loves them out-of-box, for me (big head, werewolf ears) the clamping force is too annoying specifically due the cup is pressing at the top and lower portion of my ear, fortunately I have a pair of custom earpads (ZMF Auteur) with a bigger ear hole, the cans sits around my ear without touching it. Still, I wish they have vertical swivel on the cups.

Comfort is a coin toss, but there are work-arounds; Sound delivery: dynamic range, sound-stage, imaging, sound-whoring, mic performance are amazing overcomes its dreadful cable and cheap/flimsy volume box (which glued it).

My suggestion, try the Philips SHP9500($67) with a V-moda Boom Pro ($25) on your MixAmp, which can drive them without amplification and Emperor Potara has some EQ presets design for it.

Philips SHP9500 is legendary due its value performance, these are $67 headphones that sounds like a $150 ones, I'm not exaggerating, by far best than most gaming headset up to $200. Open-back, great soundstage, outstanding imaging for the price, very comfortable headphones with low clamping force and big earcups.

Compare with the ADG1X, SHP9500 are more comfortable, better treble accuracy, exceptional for sound-whoring (stereo mode, no surround) but if you don't like treble this might be too harsh for you -my case-, ADG1X are a bit "less bright".

Compare with the Sennheiser Game Ones, SHP9500 will sound more open, neutral with a improved sound-stage, better midrange (footsteps) and imaging. Less bass though.

It will be nice to have more open-back gaming headsets, but with the "ships" (SHP9500) we really don't need them  that much

Hello @alanmcgregor and thanks a lot for your response 

I looked after the Philips SHP9500 and here in Germany they cost around 120€ and a V-Moda Boom Pro costs 40€. All in all I would be around 160€ which is about 175 dollars.

So I´ve tried the ATH-ADG1X today and i really love the sound so I bought em. I use the rubber band Mod and this keeps the headset perfectly on my head. Apparently I also have werewolf ears and the pads are still pressing on my ears.
I found some cushions at amazon.de that are well rated, but for the ATH-A900x/AD-900x. Do you know if they also fit on the ADGX1? Oh and last but not least, which Mixamp EQ settings could you recommend for fps games like Call of Duty?

Thanks again in advance 

Greetings

[alanmcgregor]

I have sennheiser 598se headphones and a dss2. Would the sbx g6 be a good choice? Also are my headphones good or should I upgrade them also?

Hello chad20!.

Those are great headphones!. If weren't discontinued it will be in my top 10 recommendations; are very neutral perfect for analytic listening, forward mid-range (footsteps), weak bass (like any open-back) and a bit lack of treble.

However, you haven't listening on their full potential. Yes, I totally recommend to go for a better DAC/Amp.

SBX G6 will be a big leap from DSS2, which is only a DAC, no power. SBX G6 Scout mode will improve the treble performance in your headphones, I guarantee. If you want very precise directional sound cues don't use any surround mix, go Stereo.

But I have to say it, I believe:
Micca Origen

is a more accurate DAC/Amp, because as I mentioned before the SBX G6 makes the soundstage (sound equivalent of "Field of View") feel "narrow", any sound source that is very close, like you weapon gunshots are very loud and dominate what you can listen.

Micca Origen by the contrary "expands" your sound-stage, is more clean and accurate than SBX G6 and cheaper. Also is not platform dependent so you can use it on your PC, Mac or any new console generation via SPDIF.

The only drawback is the that you need an external microphone interface.

[alanmcgregor]

Hello @alanmcgregor and thanks a lot for your response 

I looked after the Philips SHP9500 and here in Germany they cost around 120€ and a V-Moda Boom Pro costs 40€. All in all I would be around 160€ which is about 175 dollars.

So I´ve tried the ATH-ADG1X today and i really love the sound so I bought em. I use the rubber band Mod and this keeps the headset perfectly on my head. Apparently I also have werewolf ears and the pads are still pressing on my ears.
I found some cushions at amazon.de that are well rated, but for the ATH-A900x/AD-900x. Do you know if they also fit on the ADGX1? Oh and last but not least, which Mixamp EQ settings could you recommend for fps games like Call of Duty?

Thanks again in advance 

Greetings

Awesome! congrats for your new ATH-ADG1X cans 

Well my brother werewolf, you can use the ATH-AD700X/AD900X earpads with the ATH-ADG1X the problem is these still have the same small earhole (60mm inner radius)

I tried these: Brainwavz Gaming Earpads

It has a bigger earhole (8cm vs 6cm) but still round, my top ear was clear but the lower still pressed, the gel feels pretty cool and cold but it gets warm quickly. Due the materials of the earpad headset low end or bass was increased.

Then I tried the Dekoni Audeze LCD's Velvet-Earpads, which are round it can be use on the audio-technicas and the earhole bigger and oval (like the GSP 500). These had the best memory foam, the sound on the headset was better than the original earpads, and didn't touch my ears the cups sits around of them... but they were so thick that the clamping force was a bit increased.

And this are the ones that make the trick for me:
ZMF Auteur Pads (in Suede)

Fits right in the ADG1X and the sound was improved, bass was boosted due the thickness of the suede and the treble was reduce (I'm sensitive to treble) yet accurate. Those are hand-made and ship internationally.

Now about the MixAmp EQ for your ATH-ADG1X:
Open the Astro Command Center and recreate these EQ presets:



These were made for the AD900 which use a very similar drivers than the ADG1X. All the credit for Emperor Potara and Metalix.

I recommend the first preset: Potara Flow (of Life) for Casual gaming and Omni-Power for competitive sound-whoring dolby surround disabled

 

[Jogi]

Awesome! congrats for your new ATH-ADG1X cans 

Well my brother werewolf, you can use the ATH-AD700X/AD900X earpads with the ATH-ADG1X the problem is these still have the same small earhole (60mm inner radius)

I tried these: Brainwavz Gaming Earpads

It has a bigger earhole (8cm vs 6cm) but still round, my top ear was clear but the lower still pressed, the gel feels pretty cool and cold but it gets warm quickly. Due the materials of the earpad headset low end or bass was increased.

Then I tried the Dekoni Audeze LCD's Velvet-Earpads, which are round it can be use on the audio-technicas and the earhole bigger and oval (like the GSP 500). These had the best memory foam, the sound on the headset was better than the original earpads, and didn't touch my ears the cups sits around of them... but they were so thick that the clamping force was a bit increased.

And this are the ones that make the trick for me:
ZMF Auteur Pads (in Suede)

Fits right in the ADG1X and the sound was improved, bass was boosted due the thickness of the suede and the treble was reduce (I'm sensitive to treble) yet accurate. Those are hand-made and ship internationally.

Now about the MixAmp EQ for your ATH-ADG1X:
Open the Astro Command Center and recreate these EQ presets:



These were made for the AD900 which use a very similar drivers than the ADG1X. All the credit for Emperor Potara and Metalix.

I recommend the first preset: Potara Flow (of Life) for Casual gaming and Omni-Power for competitive sound-whoring dolby surround disabled

 

First, thanks again for your help 

I have ordered the Brainwavz XL ear pads from Amazon. I´ll give them a try and if I'm not satisfied, I'll send them back and order the ZMF Auteur Pads, which you recommend

I recreated the EQ settings and I can´t wait to try them later. I disable Dolby Surround on both Potara Flow and Omni Power, right?

Oh and one more question (sorry) at the end. Do you know if there are some EQ settings for the Sennheiser Game One?

Have a nice day