spectere.net
The Chatterbox => Computing => Topic started by: NewF on November 29, 2010, 03:03:28 PM
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I just purchased a Triton AX Pro headset today, tried tweaking it around a bit, and it sound alright I suppose. Unfortunately when playing left 4 dead 2, the sound is very muffled and sounds retarded, nothing like surround sound at all. Christ, my old 20$ surround sound headset sounds better. Not sure if my settings are wrong or what, but if I can get some help to fix this before I start to lose it, Thanks.
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How are they connected and to what? PC/Console using USB, 1/8th jack, component, or digital optical?
Found this pic of all the box's contents, did you get everything here? (aside from the power supplies, some models come with 1 PSU and a splitter) http://www.minhembio.com/forum/uploads/monthly_10_2009/post-176395-1255522011.png
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How is the headset plugged in, 3.5mm, USB, or optical?
Also, some thing do rely on the Windows speaker type to be set right. If you're using Windows XP, go into "Control Panel" and "Sounds and Audio Devices," the click on the "Advanced" button on the bottom section of the dialog. Make sure that it's set to the appropriate surround sound setting.
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Its 3.5 mm, and I used the 4 jacks, the pink green black and orange, I had them plugged in correctly and everything. Also, there were like 2 different settings I could use, 1 was "speakers" xfi extreme audio, and the other was digital audio s/pdif, xfi extreme audio. I tried both, and it seemed only the "stereo" one would tune and work properly when I was messing with equalizer settings. When I tweaked them with a song playing, it sounded semi ok, still not as good as my cheap ass 20$ surround sound headset, and when I went into the game, it just became worse. Sounded muffled, an as if I was in like a corridor or something. But by the looks of it, I think i'm gonna go with an easy fix, and just trade this headset in for th USB one instead, and bring the soundcard back as well.
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Wow, I don't understand....I just went and got the USB headset, and the exact same thing is happening...I personally think its just the trittons in general....They suck! My fucking 20$ A4tech headset sounds better than them for christ sakes. I might as well get my money back and get a new gfx card instead or something.
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I might as well get my money back and get a new gfx card instead or something.
*a week from now*
My old $10 gfx card worked better than this piece of shit!
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Wow, I don't understand....I just went and got the USB headset, and the exact same thing is happening...I personally think its just the trittons in general....They suck! My fucking 20$ A4tech headset sounds better than them for christ sakes. I might as well get my money back and get a new gfx card instead or something.
soundcard in your PC? update drivers if possible
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Wow, I don't understand....I just went and got the USB headset, and the exact same thing is happening...I personally think its just the trittons in general....They suck! My fucking 20$ A4tech headset sounds better than them for christ sakes. I might as well get my money back and get a new gfx card instead or something.
Which OS are you using? Windows Vista and 7 are very different beasts, and many sound cards allow you to apply effects ("enhancements") to the final mix. If any of those are enabled and not tweaked right they could caused the audio to sound crappy.
If you really want a set of headphones, give Skullcandy (http://www.skullcandy.com/) a shot. My dad and I both have headphones from them (I have a set of Skullcrushers, my dad has the Hesh) and they deliver very crisp sound.
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I'll throw my 2c in and recommend some Sony MDR-V6s. Relatively cheap and still VERY high quality sound, full ear experience with supreme bass that isn't muddy or dry. They've been making these bad boys since the early 80s and people still hold them as the most durable headphones they've had that also offer the same great performance no matter how much you use them. There are 2 more 'higher' models that come after the V6 that offer small improvements such as larger drivers or gold plated connectors.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665089914
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_MDR-V6
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If you really want a set of headphones, give Skullcandy (http://www.skullcandy.com/) a shot. My dad and I both have headphones from them (I have a set of Skullcrushers, my dad has the Hesh) and they deliver very crisp sound.
As a borderline audiophile that makes me sad inside. While skullcandys might be better than your average cheap shit, they should in no way be compared to brands that actually sound good :/
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As a borderline audiophile that makes me sad inside. While skullcandys might be better than your average cheap shit, they should in no way be compared to brands that actually sound good :/
When on earth did I say that they compared to better headphones or were intended for audiophiles? You're putting words in my mouth.
They're good if you want something in the $50-60 range and are awesome for games, especially Skullcrushers (mostly due to the subwoofers; you can feel explosions and the like). It's pretty obvious that he wants it mainly for games.
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Cnet reviews, sorted by editor's rating, $20-$30 range
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/?filter=100021_10194732_&tag=mncol;srt&sort=edRating7+desc
Where are skullcandys there? Halfway through the second page.
Cnet reviews sorted by user's rating, $20-$30 range
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/?filter=100021_10194732_&sort=userRating%20desc&tag=mncol;page
Where are they this time? Top of the 4th page.
Cnet reviews sorted by editors rating, $50-$80 range (there was no 50-60)
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/?filter=100021_10194681_&tag=mncol;srt&sort=edRating7+desc
Where are they? Page 7.
Cnet reviews sorted by users rating, $50-$80 range
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/?filter=100021_10194681_&tag=mncol;srt&sort=userRating+desc
The TiTan earphones are on page 1, because of a single 5* review, which is hardly a review at all (and the only one that user has made). I'm pretty sure you realize how unreliable most user reviews are anyway.
My comment about being a borderline audiophile was about the fact that unlike a lot of the public, I actually care about audio quality enough to know what I'm talking about. Most of the general public hears a headphone that sounds better than $5 POS earbuds and thinks it sounds amazing.
I would definitely suggest Sennheisers or Audio-Technica, or AKG products. And if you can go a little over the 50-60 range, I'd even suggest Grado SR60's, for about $79. They are actually audiophile headphones, and compare favorably against Sennheiser headphones that are much more expensive (plus, they have better bass than the senns).
I would definitely say to go for a company that has actually been making headphones for years, such as Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, or AKG, rather than a company that seems to be just going for the style aspect. I'd bet you any money that as long as you put a tiny bit of effort into making sure you don't buy a specific pair that sucks, anything from any of those companies would be acceptable, and likely sound quite a bit better than skullcandy headphones.
Also, I hear skullcandys are quite fragile (no personal experience there, so I really don't know, but that is something I hear a lot). About the only headphones I would reliably say Skullcandys are better than are the Urban Audio ones... Those are trash.
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(http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/7740/didntreadx.gif)
ps he's talking about video games, not the difference between 320 kb/s and FLAC
I personally recommend the Skullcrushers, too. I hear everything well, despite using a pair of $20 earbuds.
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I was going off what spectere said. In just about any price range there are better headphones than skullcandys out there. If all you care about is how they look, be my guest, but last time I checked it's nice to have headphones that actually sound good (you'd be amazed how much better games sound with awesome headphones).
By no means does he have to follow anything I said, or even read it, but being someone that actually cares about quality (and last I heard, skullcandys have a habit of breaking quickly), I thought that I would put forth some suggestions for alternatives that aren't skullcandys.
Also, cheap headphones make everything (including 320 kb/s mp3s) sound a lot worse than it should.
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soundcard in your PC? update drivers if possible
I fully updated the drivers to the most recent, still didn't really do anything.
Which OS are you using? Windows Vista and 7 are very different beasts, and many sound cards allow you to apply effects ("enhancements") to the final mix. If any of those are enabled and not tweaked right they could caused the audio to sound crappy.
If you really want a set of headphones, give Skullcandy (http://www.skullcandy.com/) a shot. My dad and I both have headphones from them (I have a set of Skullcrushers, my dad has the Hesh) and they deliver very crisp sound.
I'm using Windows 7, and I tried tweaking the settings out as much as I could, maybe I was doing something wrong, but i'm really not sure. I tried the USB version of the Trittons, and personally, they sounded the exact same way...I personally think it was just the quality of the headphones themselves. Because those headphones were actually the earlier versions compared to the Tritton 720's and what not. But then again, I don't think they should sound shittier than the A4Tech HD-800's I purchased for $20. Also, with those skullcandy headphones, do they have a mic? I'm looking for something with a microphone on it as well and those didn't look like they had one. Also, I'm looking for a good surround sound headset, the current one I have is a 7.1 surround sound headset, so I should look for something 7.1 surround. I was actually thinking on getting the Psyko headset, seems pretty awesome, but at the same time, I don't wanna buy them and end up being disappointed with them.
I'll throw my 2c in and recommend some Sony MDR-V6s. Relatively cheap and still VERY high quality sound, full ear experience with supreme bass that isn't muddy or dry. They've been making these bad boys since the early 80s and people still hold them as the most durable headphones they've had that also offer the same great performance no matter how much you use them. There are 2 more 'higher' models that come after the V6 that offer small improvements such as larger drivers or gold plated connectors.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665089914
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_MDR-V6
Again, it looks like these don't have a mic, but I don't know.
When on earth did I say that they compared to better headphones or were intended for audiophiles? You're putting words in my mouth.
They're good if you want something in the $50-60 range and are awesome for games, especially Skullcrushers (mostly due to the subwoofers; you can feel explosions and the like). It's pretty obvious that he wants it mainly for games.
Correct. They're mainly for gamaing, but at the same time, I DO want good sounding music. These A4Tech headphones have good sound for both. Unfortunately, I would stick with the A4Techs, but first off, they broke on the left headphone, and I had to superglue it back together, and 2, the program to use to tweak the sound settings isn't compatible with Windows 7. I try to open it, it takes like 45 minutes to open, then afterwards, it never saves the settings, and takes up all my memory....I tried playing left for dead 2 when I tweaked them, and it said, fail to launch, because I didn't have enough free memory to do so.
I just want something that sounds like full awesome surround sound, where it feels like I'm sitting in a room, surrounded by a bunch of speakers, and not wearing headphones. And before you say "well just go buy a good surround sound system for your computer", I'm not going to because I like to listen to my shit loud, and I'm tired of getting the cops called on me for noise complaints. And I personally like headsets better anyway :)
Oh, also, if I were to get a new good set of headphones, what soundcard should I get? Because I normally used the soundblaster XFI Xtreme audio, not sure if I should bother with any other one or not.
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Also, with those skullcandy headphones, do they have a mic? I'm looking for something with a microphone on it as well and those didn't look like they had one.
They have a small gaming line that does include a microphone: http://www.skullcandy.com/shop/all-products/headphones.html?limit=all&cat=11 (http://www.skullcandy.com/shop/all-products/headphones.html?limit=all&cat=11)
Also, I'm looking for a good surround sound headset, the current one I have is a 7.1 surround sound headset, so I should look for something 7.1 surround. I was actually thinking on getting the Psyko headset, seems pretty awesome, but at the same time, I don't wanna buy them and end up being disappointed with them.
I don't believe they make any of those, so you'll probably have to look for something different.
I don't know of any good surround sound ones, unfortunately.
Oh, also, if I were to get a new good set of headphones, what soundcard should I get? Because I normally used the soundblaster XFI Xtreme audio, not sure if I should bother with any other one or not.
Confusingly enough, the XtremeAudio isn't a true X-Fi (go go Creative Labs naming conventions!). It's a cheap card bundled with fancy software and doesn't contain the signal processor (EMU20K) that gives the other X-Fi cards the ability to use special effects for supported games and 3D sound.
I use the X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional (say that three times fast), which supports hardware audio buffers and all of that fancy crap. I haven't really had any major issues with it, aside from the "What U Hear" option (Creative's name for the recording device that lets you record audio that's currently playing to an external program) being mysteriously gone on my last Windows 7 install (it's stayed in the list since I upgraded to the Core i7 system, so hopefully it'll continue to stay there!). I believe it supports 7.1, and has digital input and output ports. Very clean audio, too; there's very little noise when nothing is playing.
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Headset
Surround
I don't think your gonna get anything that even comes close to being as good as actually having surround in a headset unless you want to shell out some good money for it...
And you know, you could get good headphones, and a clip-on mic, and that would likely work just as well as a headset. I've got some cheap-ass clip-on mic (which I've had to jery-rig since the clip thing is broken, but that's neither here nor there), and it actually works quite well (clear sound, don't have to yell, etc.)
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I don't think your gonna get anything that even comes close to being as good as actually having surround in a headset unless you want to shell out some good money for it...
Weight and comfort might be a factor, too. I don't know, though, I haven't used any surround sound headsets.
And you know, you could get good headphones, and a clip-on mic, and that would likely work just as well as a headset. I've got some cheap-ass clip-on mic (which I've had to jery-rig since the clip thing is broken, but that's neither here nor there), and it actually works quite well (clear sound, don't have to yell, etc.)
I wouldn't go with a clip-on mic simply because the cheaper ones tend to pick up a lot of background noise. I've raided enough to have heard just about every type of mic there is, and the only thing that I've heard pick up more noise are desktop mics. Those of us who used boom mics (which, thankfully, was most of us) were the only ones who could be reliably heard.
Of course, your mileage may vary. You might have gotten an exceptional deal for the money and got one that didn't blow chunks. The ones that I heard were pretty bad, though.
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Well it was certainly a lot better than the mic build into my laptop, lol. But yeah, my brother used to use that mic for talking with is friends over webcam chat all the time, and it worked really well. He usually just clipped it to something like a glass, or any stationary object on the desk, and talked normally, and it worked perfectly. I don't know anything about where we got the mic or anything though. I just think some people take things too seriously with the whole headset thing. There are lots of other ways you can set things up that work just as well.
And like I said, I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that most "surround" headsets are gonna be using that stupid dolby chip in a regular old stereo configuration unless you actually spend a decent amount of money.
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I'm not concerned about the price. The Tritton I bought was around $140, and the psyko is around 200. I've heard alot of good things about the psyko, and it just looks insanely insane, but at the same time, maybe it was the soundcard in general that made it sound like shit. Perhaps I should get a new soundcard.
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Can't help you too much on that front myself. Anything I look into for soundcards is gonna be geared towards multitrack recording... (read, inputs sound amazing, very great Signal to Noise ratio, but not designed for gaming, and no surround unless you REALLY pay out your nose).
And if your really willing to pay that sort of money, I'd almost suggest going for headphones and a mic, unless your deadset on getting a headset. (You could get some fucking awesome Grados and a VERY good mic for less than $200)
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I'm kinda deadset on getting a headset. Been using them since day 1, and I've always favored them. perhaps I'll try the psyko and get a better soundcard.
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Well it was certainly a lot better than the mic build into my laptop, lol. But yeah, my brother used to use that mic for talking with is friends over webcam chat all the time, and it worked really well. He usually just clipped it to something like a glass, or any stationary object on the desk, and talked normally, and it worked perfectly. I don't know anything about where we got the mic or anything though. I just think some people take things too seriously with the whole headset thing. There are lots of other ways you can set things up that work just as well.
Most solutions work great with one-on-one conversions with little noise in the background. The part that's tricky is when you have 5-10 people talking with game sounds playing. Or, even worse, when people have their Vent/TS audio going through their speakers and they use a sensitive mic. Nothing is more distracting than hearing myself two and three times, especially when I'm trying to bark shit out during a raid.
I'm not exaggerating when I say that the only people who could be clearly understood without fail are the people who had some sort of headset. The mics just aren't as sensitive on those so you don't have to worry about hearing the dog down the street barking when they hit the push to talk button.
And it definitely beats getting a unidirectional mic, putting it on a boom stand, and keeping it in front of your face while you play. :)
I'm kinda deadset on getting a headset. Been using them since day 1, and I've always favored them. perhaps I'll try the psyko and get a better soundcard.
Oh, another thing: if you're using front inputs for anything, don't. There's infinitely more noise and static on them just because they generally use unshielded wires going all along the inside of your computer. I have my front inputs going into my X-Fi and it picks up an incredible amount of noise when the front panel mic input is enabled (the rear line in that I use for my Xbox 360 delivers the tiniest hiss when it's on; the front panel input delivers crackly audio that's even noticeable at low volumes and changes depending on how much load I'm putting on my hardware...fun fun!).
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Most solutions work great with one-on-one conversions with little noise in the background. The part that's tricky is when you have 5-10 people talking with game sounds playing. Or, even worse, when people have their Vent/TS audio going through their speakers and they use a sensitive mic. Nothing is more distracting than hearing myself two and three times, especially when I'm trying to bark shit out during a raid.
I'm not exaggerating when I say that the only people who could be clearly understood without fail are the people who had some sort of headset. The mics just aren't as sensitive on those so you don't have to worry about hearing the dog down the street barking when they hit the push to talk button.
And it definitely beats getting a unidirectional mic, putting it on a boom stand, and keeping it in front of your face while you play. :)
EDIT: I missed his post about being serious about a headset, but my point remains that I think this would be a MUCH better setup in terms of quality for what you'd be paying.
I was referring to using headphones (and damned good ones at that) and a very nice mic. For under $200 you could get something like this Cardioid Mic (http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR-1500-Cardioid-Instrument-Microphone/dp/B002GYLWQY) (you'd need an XLR to 3.5mm (http://www.infinitecables.com/pop-usa/av_xlrm-3.5mm.htm) cable) and a very nice pair of headphones (and you could use them as regular headphones, since you wouldn't be lugging a whole headset around to listen to music.)
Yeah, something like that IS a pain to set up, but probably 95%+ of "computer" mics are omnidirectional (likely including headset ones). Cardioid mics have high sensativity in the front, and quite low sensitivity in other directions. They're great for avoiding picking up unwanted sounds, and a mic like the one I linked would probably sound 1000% clearer than just about any mic made for a computer. Combine that with a good set of headphones, and a bit of jery-rigging to get it set up somewhere unobtrusive, and you have a VERY high quality setup that likely sounds better (both in the headphones, and to whoever is listening to you) than a headset.
It's probably too much of a pain for NewF, but if he's willing to put a bit of work into it, I'd bet you any money he anyone he plays with would get MUCH clearer sound from him than if he was using a headset (even a good quality one) and he'd be able to enjoy some great headphones as well.
The mic and cord would cost about $46.04 before shipping, which leaves $153.96 for finding a good pair of headphones. Grado SR-80i (http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestige-SR80i-Stereo-Headphone/dp/B000G3LCQC/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291223034&sr=1-1-catcorr) headphones (the same ones I have) cost $99 plus shipping, etc. So even with shipping and tax, you might have some money left over.
Of course, I wouldn't blame someone for choosing a different headphone than the Grados for gaming, simply because of the comfort issues. Grados need to be broken in, and even then aren't amazingly comfortable over long periods of time. But basically anything in the $100 range for quality headphones (Sennheiser, AKG, Audio-Technica etc.) would likely sound better than a headset.
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Yeah, something like that IS a pain to set up, but probably 95%+ of "computer" mics are omnidirectional (likely including headset ones). Cardioid mics have high sensativity in the front, and quite low sensitivity in other directions. They're great for avoiding picking up unwanted sounds, and a mic like the one I linked would probably sound 1000% clearer than just about any mic made for a computer. Combine that with a good set of headphones, and a bit of jery-rigging to get it set up somewhere unobtrusive, and you have a VERY high quality setup that likely sounds better (both in the headphones, and to whoever is listening to you) than a headset.
I really don't think anyone's going to hear much of a difference. By the time compression gets a hold of the audio, my Xbox microphone (which sounds considerably better when it's not being used for Xbox Live, hilariously enough -- I use mine for Skype and Vent and it's clearer than a phone call) sounds no better than the higher quality ones that I have. Most of the small amounts of background noise (hiss, primarily) get compressed away.
If you were doing any sort of recording, like making Let's Plays and such, I could definitely see the appeal of going with a more permanent setup, but for straight-out gaming a boom mic is going to be far more convenient and really won't sound much different in the long run.
Of course, I wouldn't blame someone for choosing a different headphone than the Grados for gaming, simply because of the comfort issues.
That's most of the reason my dad and I prefer our Skullcandy headphones over...well, every other one we've ever used. Comfort.
When I was an apartment dweller I used my Skullcrushers a ton because that was the only chance I had to listen to loud music, and they are still the only set of headphones that I've been able to wear for an entire day without feeling much discomfort without any sort of break in time. They aren't noise canceling earphones, but the earmuffs do a good job of keeping outside noises out.
As for their supposed fragility, mine have seen thousands of miles of travel, have been stuffed into the small travel bag (they're collapsable, which is probably their nicest feature) that they come with countless times, and have been used quite a bit in the last two years and they're still kicking ass.
To each his own, but they do generally sound nice and even the larger sets are still very portable and comfortable. Portability and comfort were my two biggest factors, and they definitely deliver. I do keep a couple of sets of buds (I have a set of nice, yet reasonably priced, Senns and the "eh, they're okay" set of Apple earbuds that came with my iPod) handy if I want something a bit less bulky and noticeable, though.
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Yeah, when I install my xfi soundcard, I disable on-board sound, so I only use my xfi soundcard, nothing else.
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Well, to be honest I wear my Grados a LOT (like from 11 PM onward, and very often throughout the day too) and I dont really mind them. They were kinda pre-broken in since they were a floor model (which I'm actually going to be sending back for warranty sometime soon, because of the damages sustained before I got them), but I honestly don't see why people bitch about the Grados being so uncomefortable... Maybe the fact that they sound godlike compared to every other headphone I've owned offsets that a bit.