Hello everyone. I've recently purchased a pair of Sennheiser HD700s as an entry into HiFi audio headphones. For many years I've relied on crappy "gaming" headphones that have always left me disappointed, and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoy how these HD700s sound. I do love my music, but I love to game too. I was wondering if anyone had any advised Soundcards or external AMP/DACs that would work nicely with these headphones. They perform quite well with my basic on-board audio (in comparison to my crappy headphones I used to to use) when it comes to music, but for anything gaming they seem sub-par. They have boosted treble (so certain weapons are too loud) and low sounding footsteps. I could tell the moment I bought them that I'd have to switch between these headphones and my old headset to get be the competitive gamer I am, but I realized it's something I can probably avoid.
I'm a novice when it comes to anything audio, so all that I know is that I'd like to use these headphones for both competitive gaming and music. With the low quality headphones I've used thus far, even the on-board audio I have now is better for listening to music. My only goal for now is to figure out how to make these more applicable for gaming within my current $300-ish budget. I can stretch that figure a small bit if need be.
I've already looked into the Asus Essence STX ii and it's 7.1 daughter board, but to be frank I'm not knowledgeable at all when it comes to these sorts of things. I have no idea what I should be looking for in terms of specs, I just know that a sound card meant for gaming sounds really nice for me. I have a very small desk and small room for anything external, so I'd naturally prefer an internal card, but if the external is high enough quality I'd be fine with stretching things a bit. I'd also like any information on the Essence that you could share, because I wasn't able to find any sort of detailed review on how it performs with these headphones. It just seems like a lot of people have them and that they are highly rated. I've seen a few mentions of HD700 owners having them, so my hopes for them are high.
Thank you for your time and input.
I'm a novice when it comes to anything audio, so all that I know is that I'd like to use these headphones for both competitive gaming and music. With the low quality headphones I've used thus far, even the on-board audio I have now is better for listening to music. My only goal for now is to figure out how to make these more applicable for gaming within my current $300-ish budget. I can stretch that figure a small bit if need be.
I've already looked into the Asus Essence STX ii and it's 7.1 daughter board, but to be frank I'm not knowledgeable at all when it comes to these sorts of things. I have no idea what I should be looking for in terms of specs, I just know that a sound card meant for gaming sounds really nice for me. I have a very small desk and small room for anything external, so I'd naturally prefer an internal card, but if the external is high enough quality I'd be fine with stretching things a bit. I'd also like any information on the Essence that you could share, because I wasn't able to find any sort of detailed review on how it performs with these headphones. It just seems like a lot of people have them and that they are highly rated. I've seen a few mentions of HD700 owners having them, so my hopes for them are high.
Thank you for your time and input.