Sennheiser PC350 SE

[Hambros]

Hey guys, I just treated myself to a brand new pair of Sennheiser PC350 SE headphones for 1/2 off, making them a more than reasonable deal at the $130 price range. I have a couple of questions regarding this new headset.

1. After ordering, I instantly realized that I use on-board audio on my msi z97-g45 gaming motherboard. I searched up the motherboard and MSI had their whole article about how the audio is so explicit and advanced, blah blah blah... But hell, it's on-board audio on a $100 mobo.
TL;DR: Will on-board audio suffice for the Sennheiser PC350 SE?

2. I looked at at least 30 headsets before I made my purchase. This pair seemed like a hop skip and maybe a jump from the 320's, and the price had been slashed down to only $10 more. However, unlike many other headsets that I had looked at in similar price range, these headphones did not mention anywhere that they used Dolby Digital Surround technology, nor did they artificialize 5.1/7.1 surround sound. With that said, does that mean my Sound Blaster Cinema program's "Surround" setting not have an affect on the headset? Also, am I able to download the Dolby Digital Program?

 

[RazerZ]

1. Yes. Even though it's onboard audio it is still quite decent and you shouldn't need a high end sound card/dac.
2. No, it will work perfectly with it. The headphones that have 5.1/7.1 surround sound either use hardware or software to simulate it in most cases. Without the software or hardware they are plain stereo headphones. You shouldn't need to download any other surround surround sound programs.

 

[Hambros]

1. Yes. Even though it's onboard audio it is still quite decent and you shouldn't need a high end sound card/dac.
2. No, it will work perfectly with it. The headphones that have 5.1/7.1 surround sound either use hardware or software to simulate it in most cases. Without the software or hardware they are plain stereo headphones. You shouldn't need to download any other surround surround sound programs.

Thanks

 

[maarkr]

Most Sennheisers are not made for those types of applications. I have a set of 555s and these are made for flat, accurate music monitoring for use mainly in mixing and audio production. Dolby and other technologies color and massage the sound, which makes many products unsuitable for critical listening where music is mixed for use in many other applications and technologies. I'm not familiar with the model you bought but just so you know that there are many types of cans with different uses for different brands and models... look up like the Grado line to learn a little about hps for audiophile or studio mixing applications. Sounds like you just want a cool sounding gaming set, so yeah, go for surround/dolby/dbx/etc to beef up what you hear.

 

[Hambros]

Most Sennheisers are not made for those types of applications. I have a set of 555s and these are made for flat, accurate music monitoring for use mainly in mixing and audio production. Dolby and other technologies color and massage the sound, which makes many products unsuitable for critical listening where music is mixed for use in many other applications and technologies. I'm not familiar with the model you bought but just so you know that there are many types of cans with different uses for different brands and models... look up like the Grado line to learn a little about hps for audiophile or studio mixing applications. Sounds like you just want a cool sounding gaming set, so yeah, go for surround/dolby/dbx/etc to beef up what you hear.

I'm a fan of Sennheiser because of my studio headphones, with both sound and build. This gaming headset had a similar hinge thing on the cans that makes them very durable (in my experience). Plus, the reviews were great. Most of the headsets that had Digital Surround were cheaper, or had bad reviews, and this was on sale, so it won my vote. However, sound isn't critical here, since I'll just be gaming with this. A bit disappointed that I won't get the surround sound experience with this, but it should suffice. I can hear people walking around from farther away than my teammates with my studio set.

And, to clarify, the set I'm talking about is the PC 350 SE Gaming Headset, with a boom mic and all the likes

 

[Hambros]

Oh, and what's interesting is that the pair cheaper than these, the 320s, and the more expensive pair, the 363Ds, both have Dolby Digital Surround