Audio

Upgrade Your Audio with Overclockers UK

Often overlooked in favour of the visual experience that can be attained from making upgrades to processors and graphics cards, the audio equipment plays as much a significant role in delivering an immersive gaming experience to that of any other component. As the visual quality of gaming continues to improve so to does the enriching aspects of sound design – with modern technology providing higher quality magnets, precise drivers and consistent responses in frequency.

Gaining the best experience from your in-game audio will always be dependant upon the quality of the game itself as well as the output device that's been designed to deliver it. Featuring various integrations and design choices from open-back and closed-back structures, to 20Hz and 20,000Hz frequency responses, every headphone manufacturer will incorporate technologies and styling to based on the intended use case of a given headphone.

SOUND TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINED

Headphones

Functioning in two different methods yet visually similar, headphones can be found in open-back and closed-back earcup designs, each with their own benefits and downfalls. Sitting atop the user's ears in a less-confined nature, open-back headphones deliver a natural sounding experience as the construction of the ear cup allows for air to pass through the device as though it were part of the surrounding environment.

Fully enclosing the user's ears in a shell-like construction, closed-back earcups deliver full isolation from the surrounding world, allowing the user feel completely immersed in the output of sound, as though it were being directed from the inside of your head. By its very nature, noise-cancellation is largely improved from an open-back design, active-noise-cancellation however, is a feature in itself not standard to the design of closed-back earcups.

Headphones also feature larger drivers allowing for cleaner delivery of bass, especially with the closed-cup design. As the audible frequency range is measured on a scale of 20Hz to 20,000Hz, bass falls towards 20Hz with some models giving way for a lower frequency, and treble sitting towards the higher end at 20Hz with some models also being able to provide higher frequencies.

Providing more audio channels from the standard 2.0 stereo, headphones are able to deliver 2.0, 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound allowing for a richer listening experience with separate channels for a wider range of sounds. Where headphones also contain a greater benefit lies within their impedance rating. Headphones by their very nature have a higher frequency of impedance. This means that an audio source with a receiver or an amp such as at-home entertainment systems will best be suited for headphones with a higher impedance rating, as the audio source demands it in order to deliver higher quality audio.

Those with a lower impedance rating are best suited for audio sources from portable means. Headphones with an impedance rating of 70 ohms to 200 ohms are regarded as high, along with certain models going as high as 600 ohms. Built with larger drivers consisting of sizes from 30mm right up to 70mm, sound quality is generally higher than in-ear earphones, allowing for higher quality audio that's clearer and more precise.

Headsets

Containing similar traits to standalone headphones, where headsets excel in-terms of additional functionality resides in its combination of a microphone. Ideal for listening to music, movies and gaming sessions, microphones allow the user to speak when involved in gameplay, making them ideal for online-multiplayer and competitive gameplay. Ranging in driver sizes and headphone impedance according to their respective design, headsets seek to strike a balance between clarity and vocal communication.

Earphones

Ideal for audio sources with low-power output, the primary advantage of earphones is convenience for travel. Consisting of driver sizes ranging from 8mm up to 15mm, due to their physical structure, certain earphones may contain more than 2 drivers per ear cup, with impedance ratings usually ranging from 16 ohms to 32 ohms.