Audio is an integral part of any gaming experience that defines your enjoyment and engagement when playing the said game. Without proper audio, one cannot get the full experience that the game has the potential to provide.
Despite gamers knowing audio to be very important for gaming the fact of the matter is most people spend a lot of money optimizing their PC and desk setup but rarely invest in a good audio setup.
All they do is buy a gaming headphone and call it a day. Although there is nothing wrong with that but to enjoy audio to the fullest you need a proper audio setup, one that includes other audio components as well along with your gaming headphones.
Many people don’t know that some other components besides headphones also exist that improve audio and what they need for a proper audio setup but also why they need it.
Ready to transform your gaming audio setup? Then let’s begin.
Prerequisites
Before diving headfirst into the setup there are some common prerequisites that you should take. Most of these involve knowing what you want from your audio setup before buying the equipment because to buy the appropriate equipment you need to know where you are headed with your audio setup.
The main thing that you have to decide is whether you want a wireless audio setup or a wired one. Keeping in mind that in Hi-Fi audio, wired is always going to be better hence this article will focus on that.
That being said, you can also get a wireless audio setup up and running that is good but for that, you will need a good amount of money because good wireless audio equipment is expensive.
Audio gear can vary a lot in pricing depending on the product offering. Let’s focus on value for money audio equipment and where possible will provide you with a couple of different choices.
Equipment you Need for a Proper Audio Setup
For putting up a proper audio setup the following is the equipment or the gear that you will need.
Headphone: It goes without saying that a headphone is the backbone of any audio setup. While most of you may have a gaming headset already but I want to invest in the open-back headphones.
Open-back headphones are a type of headphones that are primarily made for professional use hence are capable of producing exceptional sound. These headphones perform great for gaming due to their exuberant sound which aids in providing a more immersive gaming experience.
For starting out check out the Philips SHP9500 or if you fancy a more refined headphone then get a Sennheiser HD 560S.
A Dac Amp for Headphones: To get the best sound out of your headphones you need the best DAC Amp combo. The onboard sound processing that your motherboard has is not good enough to unleash the full potential of open-back headphones that we are using for this process.
Hence making the need for an external DAC Amp compulsory.
For gaming check out the Schiit Fulla DAC Amp or the Creative SoundBlaster X3. A more premium option can be the Sennheiser GSX 1000. Choose the DAC Amp according to your needs.
If you have gone with the Philips SHP9500 then the Schitt Fulla or the Creative Sound Blaster X3 will serve you well but for Sennheiser HD 560S pair it up with the Sennheiser GSX 1000.
External Microphone: A gaming audio setup is not complete with a microphone. After all, without a microphone how will you scream at your friend when he commits a mistake in the game.
Anyhow, no need you to go with a condenser-type microphone because for casual use and gaming it can be unnecessarily distracting and too much to handle.
In place of that, you can buy the V-Moda boom pro microphone. This is a microphone attached to a 3.5mm cable. Since both the Philips SHP9500 and the Sennheiser HD 560S have removable cables hence with the use of the V-Moda boom pro you can effectively turn them into gaming headsets without much of a hitch.
How to Connect Everything to form an Audio Setup
Now that we have got every piece of the puzzle all that needs to be done now is that we have to connect everything to the PC. Fortunately connecting and configuring this gear is easy.
Firstly, connect your DAC Amp to the PC via the supplied USB cable. Once it gets connected download the audio drivers of the DAC Amp via the manufacturer’s website. Once the software is downloaded your DAC Amp will be successfully connected to the PC.
Now just connect your headphones to the DAC Amp and you are done. This is all that it takes to put up a proper audio setup.
Conclusion
If you are finding it overwhelming to put an audio setup then take each step one by one. Start with a DAC Amp and for a while use it with any headphones that you have lying around. Then after a while upgrade to an open-back headphone. You don’t necessarily have to get all the things in one go if you don’t want to.