Do I need an amp or sound card (or both) for my gaming headset?

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LewisMason

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I was looking for a gaming headset when I found the Sennheiser Game Zero's and really liked the look of them but I was wondering if I would need an external amp or sound card for these to sound good.

The motherboard I have is the MSI b350 tomahawk (idk if this is relevant as I know very little about sound/audio). The headset will mainly be used for gaming/listening to music as I listen to music 99% of the time when I'm on my PC.

Anyways, I was just wondering if this is essential for this headset and what your guys opinion is.

EDIT: If I do need an external amp/sound card can you give me recommendations, my budget is around £100 (not including headset ofc).
 
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BringerOfTea
Your motherboard should be just fine running them, if you find them to flat sounding, as suggested above a dedicated unit for them might bring tem up to a high level.
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guanyu210379

guanyu210379

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Game Zero? hmmm...
it is already not the standard max 32 Ohm headphone. It is 50 Ohm.
hmmm...
From power point of view, it is...I would say...a the limit to the point as you would perhaps use an extra headphone amplifier.
From sound quality, the on-board should be sufficient. Sound quality is determined up to 80% by the end driver such as headphone, speakers, etc. soundcards, DAC, amplifier handles only the rest 20%...assuming it has enough juice
Power is not only about the loudness but also about hearing certain frequency zones on lower volume. If the power isnot sufficient, it will be either not loud enough or some frequencies are not recognizeable.

I do not know why Sennheiser makes 50 Ohm. If it is 64 Ohm or 80 Ohm or even 250 Ohm, It would be easier to recommend to use an amplifier.
Up to 32 Ohm, I would say...you do not need extra amplifier.
For 50 Ohm, it is almost exactly between yes and no.


If you decided to use an amplifier or DAC, this one looks good:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/M-Audio-Super-DAC-Conversion-High-Quality/dp/B00X67G4WM/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1502976180&sr=8-8&keywords=headphone+USB+DAC
If anyone has any recommendation, you are welcome.



 
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BringerOfTea

BringerOfTea

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LewisMason

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Would it be cheaper to get a more expensive/cheaper headset that will provide the same experience but for cheaper as including the amp and headset is £274.

Or is an amp essential with most high end headsets now?
 
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LewisMason

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So for the game zero, being as it IS a headset would I need the amp. As in, what difference does an amp actually make? (I really am clueless when it comes to this stuff sorry :p)
 
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LewisMason

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Good point... Thanks for the help and such quick replies. Really helped me :D
 
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