USB Gaming Headphones Vs. Traditional

Question

I have a new Creative Labs Sound BlasterZ sound card and just purchases the Plantronics Gamecon 780 USB 7.1 gamer headset. I play Battlefield 4 primarily with headphones.

Now my questions are:

1. Am I bypassing the sound card when I plug the USB headphones in?
2. Am I getting the surround sound from the processor in the headphones or the motherboard?
3. Would it be better to plug analog headphones into the sound card.
4. Can I use a USB to standard headphone jack adapter then run it through my soundcard. (how well would that work?)
5. Is the sound card just a waste of money when it comes to headphones.
6. What headphone and setup is going to yield me the best sound quality for Battlefield 4?

Answer 1

1. Yes.
2. The headphones.
3. Maybe.
4. I don't see how that would work.
5. Only if you use it with USB headphones that have their own build in.
6. No idea.

Answer 2

1. Yes
2. Headphones
3. Doesn't really matter if the headphones only have a Left Output and a Right Output
4. You can use both soundcards simultaneously, but depending on the application you're trying to get sound from, you may only be able to source one sound card for all your sound or you might be able to source one sound card as your output (speakers) and the other as your input (microphone)
5. If your computer doesn't have a sound card already built in, then yes. Very few headphones are actually built to have a significant improvement on your listening experience
6. It depends on the atmosphere you're trying to generate

True surround sound only exists if you have:

1. multiple outputs
2. the soundcard software is built to recognize and utilize those outputs to exhibit a "3D" atmosphere
3. the application generating sound is build to recognize and utilize those outputs to exhibit a "3D" atmosphere

Unless your headphones actually had 7 speakers and a subwoofer, it's not a 7.1 Surround Sound system.

Answer 3

Am I bypassing the sound card when I plug the USB headphones in?

Yes, in order for you to actually get any benefit from the fancy sound card, you actually need to plug in a device into it.

Am I getting the surround sound from the processor in the headphones or the motherboard?

Headphones work on 2.0, which left and right speaker. I don't understand what you mean by surround sound? as in a 5.1 setup. left, back left, right, back right, center? then you're not going to get surround sound period.

Would it be better to plug analog headphones into the sound card.

Yes of course, this way in fact you're actually using the sound card, and not the motherboard/usb interface. I don't understand why you have an impression that USB is better than 3.5mm audio jack. Most people would argue that analog is better than USB in every respect.

Can I use a USB to standard headphone jack adapter then run it through my soundcard. (how well would that work?)

You could try. I've never personally tried this before, i don't know if it will even work. But if you're not willing to buy new headphones, it's worth a shot.

Is the sound card just a waste of money when it comes to headphones.

Pretty much these days it is. Because the built in audio that motherboards come with these days is will more than be enough for the average gamer or PC user. especially for the fact you're only using headphones.

What headphone and setup is going to yield me the best sound quality for Battlefield 4?

This question is really mostly an opinion based question, can I really can't give you a certain answer, but I will say this, know what you're budget and spend wisely.