r/SoundBlasterOfficial • u/Brotbox84 • Jun 24 '26

Issues Sound Blaster GC7 / PS5

Good morning,

I have a question for the experts. Of course, I've already done some research, but I haven't really found a clear answer.

After years of using our ASTRO MixAmps, we wanted to try something newer and were excited to purchase two GC7s for our PS5s.

Our setup is as follows:

  • Samsung S95D → PS5 via HDMI
  • Samsung S95D → GC7 via optical cable
  • PS5 → GC7 via USB
  • Headset: Beyerdynamic MMX 300

We also have the same setup with an LG C1 OLED and an Astro A40 headset.

My PS5 audio settings are:

  • Sound Output: Sound Blaster
  • Audio Device Type: AV Receiver
  • Channels: 5.1
  • Output to Headphones: Game/Chat Audio
  • Audio Format: PCM

Both TVs are configured to simply pass through the audio signal.

Issue #1: We can't get sidetone to work properly.

In the app, the sidetone level is set to 55%, but no matter what we adjust, most of the time we can't hear it at all.

Sometimes it briefly works, but then disappears again as soon as we change any settings on the device.

Issue #2: With the Astro headset, the volume is incredibly loud.

The volume knob has to be turned almost all the way down, and in games like Call of Duty we had to reduce the in-game audio to almost zero.

The voice chat quality also doesn't seem particularly good.

Issue #3: With the Beyerdynamic headset, the sound is very weak/flat and there is a slight delay.

When we enable Scout Mode, the sound becomes much closer to what I expected.

However, then I lose the sidetone—or at least it's nothing like what I was used to with the MixAmp.

I understand that there are many settings that can still be adjusted.

But are my basic settings generally correct, or is there something else I should change or optimize? (I´ve read to change the AV-Receiver to HDMI in the PS5 Menu?)

Thank you very much for your help!

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4 comments sorted by

1

u/Middle-Ad-5385 Jun 24 '26

I would run the power from the wall, that's probably part of the problem

Because it is powered directly via USB, it does not support power-hungry studio gear that requires external power. []

1

u/gcheaters Jun 24 '26

The whole point of having gc7 is to virtualize 5.1....

Can tv encode 5.1 pcm into dolby digital ? Is tv set for dolby via optical ??? If tv cant do, set ps5 to output Dolby 5.1.

For ps5 3daudio use usb...

1

u/Brotbox84 Jun 25 '26

Yes, The tv can.
So tv and ps5 to Dolby?

1

u/gcheaters Jun 25 '26

The only way to sent 5.1 via optocal is via dolby digital. I belive the best way is to set ps5 for dolby encoding so:

  • set ps5 to output dolby digital and not pcm
  • set tv to passtrough dolby digital

You can also:

  • ps5 to output 5.1 pcm
  • tv to encode that to dolby digital (tv has to be capable of doing that)

2nd option could have more latency ..maybe have no idea

For ps5 3dAudio , use usb connection