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Possible to use an external sound card with the HMD´s free USB port?


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Hi! I didn´t buy my Vive yet , but need to know if is possible to use an external sound card - like soundblaster g5- with the free USB port that VIVE HMD has. I guess it would boost my sound experience , since will amplify the headphones i intended to use (Sennheiser HD 598 (50 ohm) and give me virtual surround (by BlasterX Acoustics Engine PRO) especially for non-vr games, like Skyrim, The Witcher 3 etc (games which don´t have directional audio).

Originally, i was intended to buy a pci-e sound blaster Z and force it to process the game sound (with SBX PRO surround and equalizations) and send the result (via nVidia HD audio) from the HDMI OUT of my graphic board to the HDMI IN of the HMD. But i guess it is not possible.....unfortunately.

All of this because i think the HMD Dac isn´t better than a dedicated soundcard.

What do you think?

Thak you :)

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Hi Rhiannon,

 

Thank you for that very fast reply. 

 

If that port is for USB Headphones and considering that my future external sound card is an USB sound card (into where I will plug my headphones), so...it will be possible? Normally, USB headphones connect to its dac/amp usb hardware (that connects to the USB HMD port of Vive), which i understand to be an external sound processor or sound card or dac/amp. What do you think? HTC Vive USB audio port is compatible with USB soundblaster OMNI? I know that is compatible with dac/amp dragonfly, at least. But I need to know if is compatible with SoundBlaster OMNI because it has the SBX virtual surround processor which is supreme for old games.

 

Thanks

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Where do you need to plug in your headphones?  If you need to plug them into the audio card, you are going to need a long enough cord to go from the card to your headphones, and be long enough to go to your head (thus matching the length of the 3 in one and the cords to the linkbox), because there is not a place to plug either of those into the audio card.  If your computer is using the audio card as it's sound, chances are that the Vive will to.

 

Rhiannon

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Hi Rhiannon,

 

I did a visual scheme and posted here: 

 

The USB cable of my external sound card (Sound Blaster Omni) would connect to the HMD USB free port.  That cable is a micro-usb-to-USB type.

 

What do you think?

 

Thanks.

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,

 

We've never had this question asked before, or that solution tried.  So I can't say for certain that would work.  It definately looks feasible.  Another thing you could try is going straight from the external audio card to the headphones, without having to go through the USB port on the headphones.  once again, just make sure you have long enough cables.

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