[Brooko]

Quote:

The mixamp creates surround sound, you need to connect it to the soundcard through optical (toslink)
 
The poster above me probably doesnt know what a mixamp is .. its main purpose is not being just an amp

 
Dude - he knew exactly what he was talking about.  Unfortunately you don't appear to.  The X-Fi Titanium handles the surround sound and postional gaming cues - so the mixamp is not actually needed.  The only reason you'd get a mixamp is if you needed it for both console and PC gaming.  The X-Fi is also the better kit.

 

[Hoax]

Quote:

 
Dude - he knew exactly what he was talking about.  Unfortunately you don't appear to.  The X-Fi Titanium handles the surround sound and postional gaming cues - so the mixamp is not actually needed.  The only reason you'd get a mixamp is if you needed it for both console and PC gaming.  The X-Fi is also the better kit.

 
If things were just that simple
 
We could all just live with 1 and the same thing if it did the same .. However you seem to forget as crazy as it sounds that different products have different quality .. I got the X-FI from the Fatal1ty series and surround sound sucked until I hooked up an astro mixamp to the X-Fi
 
Anyways, just check out the youtube vids of akatrent and yes he used it on a ps3 but it can be used on any pc sound card with surround support and digital outputs. Also he compares the Astro headphones with the PC360 sennheiser and end result is that the PC360 headset has less body. I dont have have the PC360 but i do have the DT 990's someone in this thread also recommended and compared to the DT 990's the sound is fuller / more bassy for sure. Great for games and movies. Astro's overpriced? maybe a little because its an official pro gamers headset people are willing to pay good money for but the quality wont disappoint you for sure

 

[Brooko]

I can assure you that if set up properly, the X-Fi card will do surround with associated positional audio just fine - and you don't need the mix-amp.  If you don't believe me, ask the same question in MLE's gaming thread.  That was what Roller was commenting on.  Also the card Roller suggested was the X-Fi Titanium HD - were you talking about the same card when you mentioned the mix-amp??
 
You advising the OP that he would need to get both is plainly wrong, and also irresponsible (especially when someone could be spending their money based on your recommendation).
 
I won't comment on the headphones in question - I haven't heard either the PC360 or Astro.  Any gaming I do nowadays is with my DT880s and they are just fine for me 

.

 

[Hoax]

 Also the card Roller suggested was the X-Fi Titanium HD - were you talking about the same card when you mentioned the mix-amp??

 
You advising the OP that he would need to get both is plainly wrong, and also irresponsible (especially when someone could be spending their money based on your recommendation).
 
I won't comment on the headphones in question - I haven't heard either the PC360 or Astro.  Any gaming I do nowadays is with my DT880s and they are just fine for me 

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I do have both, and yeah I recommended him the same card roller did but I pointed him towards the high end versions of X-FI.
 
you should get the soundcard (one of the X-FI) and then hook up the digital outs that were meant to feed a surround set to the mixamp 5.8. The surround quality you will be getting from the astro is great. Much better than without astro so yeah I do recommend both and no they do not do the exact same thing I see it more as teamwork between the 2 units than i'd say the XFI or MIXAMP is better.. You want both  

 

[danny93]

Quote:

 Also the card Roller suggested was the X-Fi Titanium HD - were you talking about the same card when you mentioned the mix-amp??
I do have both, and yeah I recommended him the same card roller did but I pointed him towards the high end versions of X-FI.
 
you should get the soundcard (one of the X-FI) and then hook up the digital outs that were meant to feed a surround set to the mixamp 5.8. The surround quality you will be getting from the astro is great. Much better than without astro so yeah I do recommend both and no they do not do the exact same thing I see it more as teamwork between the 2 units than i'd say the XFI or MIXAMP is better.. You want both  

 
Dude you just said  "I got the X-FI from the Fatal1ty series" That is not the Titanium HD 

 
To OP dont listen to this guy, the mixamp is a toy compared to the Ti HD (yes I atually have/had both...sold the mixamp) and should not ever be used with the Titanium HD or a computer if you have a half decent soundcard...you can however use a stereo amp with the Titanium HD like the Fiio E9 etc but seriously dont use the mixamp...the only ever time you should EVER consider using it is for a console as has already been stated...
 
You do not want both...will detract from the sound of the Titanium HD greatly! 
 
Im still dissapointed with the positional of BF3 though...such a shame...it sounds great but just hard to know where from  
 
What FPS has great positional audio...wanna give it a try  

 

[Hoax]

Yeah CMSS 3D the thing you guys say is so awesome, all it does is change stereo sound into 3d sound and is a complete joke. I cant believe someone would even want to enable it.
If you got rid of the astro you probably connected it the wrong way to your pc or simply used crappy headphones. If you want surround over headphones there are only 3 serious options
 
An Astro Mixamp / Beyerdynamic headzone / Smyth Realiser .. The last 2 options are best but a little expensive to add to your pc rig just for some gaming. Everything else is pretty much a joke or has some serious flaws you have to consider (like inteference with other equipment).

 

[Brooko]

You know - your name kind of matches the (mis)information you're giving

 
Welcome to my /ignore list.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Considering I have directly compared the Mixamp to the Headzone and found the surround effect to be pretty much the same... dismissing the cheaper one over the one that costs 10x more is just silly. Sure, the Headzone has better overall fidelity, but it's not leaps and bounds better. In the end, I returned the Headzone and stayed with the Mixamp. Haven't missed the Headzone one bit. Also, the Headzone has an absurdly high 100ohm output impedance messing with practically every headphone's sound signatures. Made the D7000 the so bassy, it felt like I was in an uncalibrated movie theater. Enjoyable at times, not very real to the D7000 sound.

 

[Brooko]

MLE - quick question.
 
For PC gaming only (no console) - in your opinion is there any advantage to the mixamp over a X-Fi Titanium HD, or an Asus Xonar STX?  And secondly - if you were using either the Creative or Asus card, would there be any point in using a mix-amp in tandem?  

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

No, I think the Mixamp would be detrimental, due to the fact that it has an audible noise floor. I'm sure a proper soundcard like those would yield higher quality, not to mention a stronger and more capable amp section. For console gamers like me, there be slim pickings out there, which is why the Mixamp is the best we got.

Honestly for a PC gamer, I wouldn't look into the Mixamp unless you're certain that you'll need it for non-PC use in the future. The Mixamp works for DVD players and whatnot...whatever has Dolby Digital.

 

[Brooko]

Thank you MLE - reinforced my thoughts, and hopefully puts an end to some of the 'garbage' Hoax was suggesting.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I didn't really read what he was saying, but if he likes the Mixamp, I'm sure he'd like something like the Asus Essence STX, which does the same thing as the Mixamp, with a better amp section, and integration with the PC. If I was getting a soundcard, it'd be that one. That or a cheaper soundcard that has Dolby headphone, paired with a 'better' amp.

 

[Hoax]

Well let me explain why I like the combo of both and not either a mixamp or a good soundcard. a good EAX compatible soundcard emulates sound effects in 3d games such as for example being able to hear if footsteps are inside or outside something the mixamp cant do. However in my personal experience the surround field that these creative cards produce over headphones was just not good enough and I needed something that would add a more convincing surround feeling.
 
So to summarize why I like both:
 
1) The creative card for good EAX effects
2) The mixamp to add more depth to the sound that the soundcard doesnt do good enough on it own (in my opinion)
 
So to understand where im coming from, the mixamp on itself is useless, a good soundcard ofcourse would be a better choice IF you had to choose between either one of them. However to get the better surround experience without missing out on EAX you want both
 
EDIT -
 
Those mentioned asus cards dont support EAX which in my opinion would be a deal killer as all major games support EAX you will miss out on alot

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

That sounds like you're adding extra processing from the EAX to the Mixamp's Dolby mode. I fail to see how this can be good, if not more unnatural. But I haven't tried it so...

 

[relaxedfire]

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and get the Asus Xonar STX. I appreciate the help Mad lust!