Soundcard necessary for Tiamat?

[kemperkipie]

If I want to buy the "Razer Tiamat true 7.1 Surround headset" (http://www.razerzone.com/tiamat/en)
Will it be necessary to buy a new Soundcard, or would it make any difference? I currently have the onboard for an "Asus Sabertooth Z77" which contains the "Realtek® ALC892" which also supports 7.1 surround sound.
What will be the difference compared to a good soundcard? Will it sound bad if i use Realtek? Or would I have problems? And if I really need that Soundcard, which one is recommended?

 

[gamerk316]

First off, I dislike surround headphones, due to design compromises that have to be made (undersized drivers). And given how most "gaming headphones" aren't high quality when it comes to audio anyways, I don't know how much a sound card will help out.

 

[kemperkipie]

Well, I've seen some reviews. The Razer Tiamat turns out pretty good. With 10 drivers it's able to put some pretty good surround sound (for headphones). I know it isn't, and will never get close to a real speaker surround set. But I game in the living room, and am not able to put an extra 5.1/7.1 Surround sound set there. Besides pretty good surround, it should be able to produce some decent bass, and that's what I like about it (I listen to hardstyle, so I'd need some bass when I use it for music ).

But now if I buy this headset, I don't want any crackling or something like that. So I'm not sure if the Realtek® ALC892 will produce good sound.

 

[Gothams Finest]

Don't bother wasting your money, the tiamats are rubbish for gaming and they're even worse for music (not surprising as their not made for music, but you mentioned music so I thought I'd bring it up).

I have used quite a few headset/headphones including top end stuff and these have to be one of the worst headphone sound quality I have ever experienced.
I was expecting much more TBH for the money, even though they are made by razer. The corsair vengeance 1500 sound better than these with their fake virtual surround sound, and thats saying something.

 

[kemperkipie]

According to your extra message thing below your messages, u own one yourself? Is it that bad? Is it worse than the Razer Megalodon, which I own atm, they are more than 2 years old, so I would like to replace them.

 

[Gothams Finest]

According to your extra message thing below your messages, u own one yourself? Is it that bad?

I do own the Tiamats, and yes IMO they really are that bad. If you want my advice steer clear of "gaming headsets" with gimmicks such as "surround sound".

Buy a good pair of stereo headphones from Denon, Sennheiser, Audio Technica or Beyerdynamic.

 

[gamerk316]

Buy a good pair of stereo headphones from Denon, Sennheiser, Audio Technica or Beyerdynamic.

I'd throw Grado in the mix, as they offer better quality in the sub $120 range.

I loved my Beyerdynamic DT 770's; shame the cable sleeve that connects to the earcup tends to go so fast [its the flexible kind...], as its the best headset I've ever owned quality wise. There was a massive quality difference between them and my Sennheiser PC350's, and that was a specilized gaming headset.

If you want a 5.1 headset, spend $100 or so on a mid-range Grado/Sennheiser/Audio Technica headset, and buy a soundcard with Dolby Headphone. Much better quality then going the gaming headset route.

 

[kemperkipie]

I wish i could try them out somewhere :/ I really liked the Razer Tiamat, and all reviews were pretty good.. How can they turn out so bad then?

And what matters more for best quality sound, the Headset, or the Soundcard?

 

[gamerk316]

I wish i could try them out somewhere :/ I really liked the Razer Tiamat, and all reviews were pretty good.. How can they turn out so bad then?

Because people are used to listening to low quality audio, so they focus their reviews on the 7.1 aspect. I bet the reviews have lines like "sounds better" or "deeper bass" or "easier to hear footsteps" littered all over them, right? Meanwhile, things like driver balance, tests of the entire range of frequency responses, and comparisons to other gaming or audiophile headsets are likely missing from the reviews.

Compared to even cheap audiophile headphones, gaming headsets are near universal rubbish.

(Sorry if this comes out strong, but its true. I'm getting tired of people spending $250 on an Astro A40, then complaining when they can't hear a difference when using a soundcard.)

And what matters more for best quality sound, the Headset, or the Soundcard?

Both, though as my experiences indicate, you can have a very wide variance in quality just moving between headsets. My DT770's, once broken in, made my old PC350 sound horrid by comparision [both being driven by my Xonar Xense], and at the time I got it, I considered that a significant upgrade over my Logitech G35's. Barring high impedance headphones though, its hard to justify anything more expensive then the ASUS Xonar DX, which goes for about $70. But a soundcard alone can not work wonders if the device outputting the audio stinks.

Right now, I'm waiting on my Audio Technica ATH-m50 to arrive, and I'm interested to see where that falls between my two previous headsets.

 

[kemperkipie]

That sound pretty logical.
I think i'm staying at my Razer Megalodon atm, they give good quality imo, but they are getting too loose.. and over 2 years old.
But if I want surround sound on a headset, i'd better pick a decent stereo headset with a good soundcard with virtual surround options?

btw, just some small question: Most soundcards fit in the small PCIe slot, right? Instead of using the same PCIe slots as Graphic cards? Since i only have 1 of the smaller slots free

 

[gamerk316]

But if I want surround sound on a headset, i'd better pick a decent stereo headset with a good soundcard with virtual surround options?

In my opinion, yes. Dolby Headphone does a very good job of creating a virtual surround space.

btw, just some small question: Most soundcards fit in the small PCIe slot, right? Instead of using the same PCIe slots as Graphic cards? Since i only have 1 of the smaller slots free

Yeah, most PCI-E soundcards are PCI-E 1x, so any PCI-E slot will do. Just make note of any power connector requirements [usually 4-pin molex or floppy power connectors].