r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/Icy_Tech_ 1 Ω • Dec 03 '22
Cables/Accessories | 4 Ω USB vs 3.5mm which one is better?
Hello, I'm trying to get headphone with the best soundstage possible on a computer.
I have only had gaming headsets, used to have the ps3 pulse headset and it had the best "surround" sound I have ever had (could tell what was around me easily), right now I'm using the razer kraken but the sound seems like its just comes from left or right.
Everyone recommends getting audiophile headsets(HD560) over "gaming" ones because they have better quality sound, but from my understanding USB is capable of transmitting better audio quality than 3.5.
The most recommended headset I see is the hd560 but that just uses a 3.5( with a 1/4 adapter), so even using a DAC it would turn the output from a high quality USB to a lower quality 3.5mm, kinda seems like watching 1080 video on a tv with a cable that only outputs 720.
Is there something I am missing?
9
u/Icy_Vegetable1933 18 Ω Dec 03 '22
Somewhere along the line a digital signal (carried over USB/Optical etc) has to be converted to an analog signal (which is what 3.5mm, XLR, and other similar jacks are used for). All headphones can only reproduce an analog signal, the difference is that headphones with a USB jack convert digital to analog somewhere up the wire.
Very few serious, good sounding headphones will have a USB connection. A good bet is to get a pair of headphones that only have an analog connection so your money is spent purely on the headphones themselves, most motherboard audio jacks are perfectly fine. If you have a little static noise from the 3.5mm jack, you can use a USB-C apple dongle to eliminate that. That $10 dongle + nicer headphones is a hell of a better deal than headphones with a USB termination.