I Just Bought Razer Tiamat 7.1 Headset, Do I Need A Sound Card/ DAC

Memedreamassmachine

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Jul 8, 2016
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i have some HP motherboard with integrated sound, and i was wondering if i need a dac or soundcard to run this things true 7.1, it has 10 different drivers, which makes me think i need a different card...
 

sizzling

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I tried mine on the motherboard 7.1 sound but it wasn't strong enough to drive them properly. After lots of research I went for this soundcard https://www.asus.com/uk/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG_Xonar_Phoebus/

It's was a huge improvement. Just remember you do not set them up as a headset, you set them up as a 7.1 surround sound system.
 

sizzling

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Also I found I had to use them for a few hours to bed them in before they sounded right. They are not fantastic audio quality, pretty poor for music but the surround sound is better than any virtual surround headset that uses 2 drivers. Not as good as real 7.1 but the best I have found in a headset.
 

Memedreamassmachine

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Jul 8, 2016
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which one do you recomend, can you keep it around 50 bucks?
 

Memedreamassmachine

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Jul 8, 2016
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i think your confused, the Tiamat 7.1 is real 7.1, has 10 drivers.
 

sizzling

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Not confused at all, I have been using a pair for about a year. Although they have the best surround sound of any headset I have tried they fall very short of a real 7.1 speaker setup which I have also run but do not keep setup as its not convenient in my computer room. A 7.1 speaker setup allows you to really pinpoint where a sound is coming from, the Tiamat's give you an approximation of where the sound is supposed to be coming from.

I have only tried my motherboard soundcard and the Asus Phoebus but from the reviews I read the Phoebus seemed to come out on top for getting the most out of the headset without spending too much. Do some Googling and look up the reviews and forum threads from others.
 

sizzling

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Razor seem to have removed the list of recommended soundcards from their site but this review still lists them http://www.pcgameware.co.uk/reviews/headsets/razer-tiamat-7-1-review/

The Asus Phoebus came out after this review but I know they came highly recommended when I was looking.
 

jimmysmitty

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Oct 5, 2007
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Wow is that old. I thought the headsets were newer.

You can't buy most of those sound cards, the Creative Labs X-Fis have been mostly replaced with the Z/Zx/ZxR etc and most of the Asus have been updated as well.