.1 means subwoofer.

Try dolby headphone maybe?

Is that a downloadable software?

Though this most probably won't improve soundwhoring, what sound card are you using? dac, amp, anything?

I believe that I got the Asus RAMPAGE IV EXTREME motherboard. Which means I got this onboard soundcard: Realtek ALC898 7.1

Not enough to run them iirc why did you get these headphones anyway?

I suggest you to buy an external dac/amp, especially for listening to music.

To put it in simple terms (though technically wrong), it's a piece of hardware that connects via usb that acts as a soundcard (dac) and provides amplification, which those headphones in particular benefit of. The headphone is connected to the amp, not the pc..

With that said, now it depends on your budget and on searching which combo in particular suits that headphone best. Just be sure to have both a dac and an amp, whether that both come in a single product (pc > dac/amp > phone) or buying them separately then connect them (pc > dac > amp >phone), because those two don't necessarily come together. The go to site is head-fi.org.

This topic could get miles more complicated, and expensive as well, but it would overkill for that equipment, unless you plan to buy better (more expensive) headphones in the future and that really require the effort.

No megaman3, you are right asking about the sound card etc, because it DOES make a huge difference depending on what he is using to run that sweet pair of headphones.

Personally I don't know if all that will really improve his experience while gaming, there's a lot of placebo effect in this, but I do know amplification does make a noticeable difference with those headphones in particular and a better dac would be quite nice.

I wouldn't say the effect of amplification alone is huge though, night and day and all that. To put it in numbers, it isn't 100% improvement but 20-25%.

it will, lol.

Impedance: 300 ohms

have you set "headphones" in audio options?

you should also turn off everything from your soundcard, like dolby headphone.
BF4 should have proper positional(3d) audio with headphones, unlike quake live. :(

the soundengine will do the work for positional audio, so when you tell your soundcard to do the job(dolby headphone and the like) it will just walk over the soundengine and fuck the positional audio up.

I am well aware of that these headphones do need something more powerful to drive them. Christmas is coming and I hope to get something to drive them then. I was short on cash and could only afford these headphones atm.

So, yes, I will get something to drive them! On the other hand, I'm a soundwhore-guy when it comes to fps so when playing an old game like CoD4 (yes, used to play it competitively) with my G35 I could hear exactly where everyone was. Now with these stereo headphones I can't hear shit. What sounds like someone is to my left is actually almost in front of me. Tried Razer's Virtual Surround and that didn't sound too good. What do I need to get better sound to visualize where everyone is?

Btw, if I buy a AMP, do I connect the headphones to them and then the AMP to the PC? Won't the signal be the same since the source is the same?

On the last paragraph, if you buy a dac/amp (something that does both functions) then yes. Think of it as an external usb soundcard that's miles better than what's on the motherboard (dac) and that also provides power (amp).

The thing with the 650 is they aren't great gaming headphones to begin with. Maybe even a CAL is better for that alone.

lots of people not reading the op, he has a sennheiser hd 650...

you need a decent source and YOU NEED AN AMP to drive those 650s. trust me, i used to play with sennheiser hd 600s and no way would a realtek onboard soundcard have provided enough power for those to sound anywhere near decent.

i think so too.

all i read here is how he needs this and that to run his low impedance headphones.
but his actual problem was, that he can't locate enemy positions anymore.
he can invest 1000€ to run the headphones properly, but his problem will remain.

Yep. As I wrote in the spoiler/hide, I don't think the 650s are great gaming headphones to begin with.

why wouldn't they be good for gaming? i played with 600s for years and they are far better than anything else i've tried including other (...bit cheaper... :p) sennheisers and akgs.

it doesn't really matter which headphones you use as long as you're used to them.

some on head-fi will say the hd280 are shitty due to their 'small soundstage' yet there was a time where toxic and fox did fine with them for years.

Q3 and specially QL aren't games that benefit a lot from having better sound equipment, but in other games it's an auditory wallhack (Q4 for example. Weird).

Those are different applications for them, though. It's like saying that the Kensington Expert Mouse is terrible for FPS, when it was in fact was not designed for that purpose.

Head-fi is mainly populated by audiophiles, or those who use headphones professionally, and they typically focus music. Gaming is not only a completely different ballpark, but a completely different sport. Headphones do no need to be super critical for most gaming, like for example the DT48, nor do they need to be super musical either, so they'll be fine even if they are not €400 pair running through a DAC and an amp. Especially for Quake, or specifically QL, which let's face it, does not have a very robust engine to begin with. A pair of €10 earphones will do you fine in a quiet environment, as will HD280 or even the HD800.

Some people also made charts online trying to be objective about how soundstage is ok for gaming for few models all grouped in different budget category, I'd have to search that page again though...

Just get new G430, great 7.1 with external audiocard bang for a buck.

http://www.razerzone.com/surround

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdT9XVZlEGk

nice find, and i even almost donated, but my paypal account is empty. :P

the demo sounds pretty nice.
now i just need a game which supports 7.1 sound. :P

Do you need a decent headphone to play ql? Is it easier to locate the enemy, when you use good Headphones? I always thought, that it wouldn't matter, an enemies sound does not get louder, when the opponent is closer to you. So the sound cues are so confusing that you have to learn them by heart and it should not get easier by using a better headphond that in some cases you just cannot tell if the enemy is above you or on the same level, because the sound is linked to the normals,e - so I thought, but I couldn't tell because I use some 10 euro inear. Protip: Make sure you wear them the right way :P

good quality headphones have also benefits in games with the worst soundengines(hello QL).

it sounds wider and more distinguished(ty dict.cc).

A decent pair of headphones will be great for gaming no matter what they are (talking for 2 channel audio, here). Unless you are developing sound for games, chances are, you won't need a 'critical' pair of headphones anyway. That's why a lot of people casually play with their Turtle Beaches and other assorted crap, but hey, for simple gaming, those work fine. Similarly, many players use and swear by the Razer and SteelSeries headphones, though you would not be doing audio mixdowns with them either.

It gets trickier when you get into surround sound.

HD650s won't have the surround directionality, as with only two channels available, they're not made for surround. They're high quality, mid-level 'audiophile' headphones, and they're not designed to play back 5.1/7.1 mixes (that ".1" perplexes me, as they're not an open-air system with a sub, but whatever, that's how they're marketed). The directionality of the ingame sound will depend on the sound engine (like Quake for example, with being able to hear through walls, but not up/down or the RL bouncepad on DM6), and I seriously doubt many games try to simulate a binaural experience.

A surround sound protocol can be simulated through software or dedicated boxes that simulate a surround mix for a two-channel signal, but that's as close as you'll get without a dedicated pair of surround sound headphones.

Also, you may find headphones or earphones with more than two drivers, like the Sony XBA-4. Often, even with the extra drivers, they will still be designed for two channel playback, so don't make that mistake if you come across them, looking for surround sound capabilities ;).

In short, HD650 are not surround sound cans, and you'd be better off looking for a pair that are dedicated for surround, instead of putting money towards DACs and amps.

Hope that helps any.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVme7rxdTLk

I have the 595 and Asus Essence STX, there is not a big difference when moving from realitek to asus. The sound might be better, but i am sure i can't predict better where it is coming from.