Audio is one of the most underrated aspects of gaming. Many players never pay any attention to their audio settings as long as they can hear important footsteps and noise.

However, audiophiles exist and they’re gamers too and they need to know if consoles or PCs have better audio, so let’s take a look.

Is Audio Better On PC Or On Console?

Audio is generally better on Consoles than on PC. Console audio is create and optimized specifically for the console that it is on, so generally speaking, it will sound better, crisper, and more clear during games. Many players have noticed this in a variety of games, even when using the same type of audio.

I do not know the exact science behind the audio quality on consoles vs the PC, however through my own experience, and the anecdotal experience of many gamers on various forums, the audio on consoles tends to be better.

This is extremely noticeable in games like Call of Duty and Battlefield, where you need to rely on sound to find enemies.

Keep in mind though, that some games do actually sound better on the PC. Fortnite for example, has had many complaints from console players.

Sometimes it can be very difficult to determine whether an enemy is above, below, or on the same level as you. It all comes down to how the game decides to implement sound.

Even if audio quality is better on consoles, you can still get pretty good quality on your PC and it will mostly come down to what kind of headphones you’re using.

Why Is Audio Better On Console?

Audio is better on consoles because the audio in games are specifically optimized for the console, while PC games have more general audio optimization. Console manufacturers also invest more in their audio hardware than PC manufacturers generally invest, giving consoles a distinct advantage in audio quality.

However, most of the time your audio quality is going to come down to your headphones regardless of your device.

Through research and experience, I’ve found that many players find that audio is much clearer on consoles like the Xbox and PlayStation than it is on PC.

We can only guess as to why, but it probably just comes down to the hardware in these consoles and the fact that these games can optimize their audio for these consoles because they know exactly how the audio works.

Audio quality won’t only differ between consoles and PCs, but it will also differ between different consoles.

The Switch, for example, has pretty poor audio. This is likely due to the Switch’s mobility. Because the Switch needs to be mobile, Nintendo had to sacrifice on less necessary components, like the sound.

Some games may also sound better on the PC than on XBox or Playstation.

Audio quality is determined by many factors, which makes it hard to pinpoint exactly why some games sound better on some consoles than others.

The headphones and even personal preference all play a role in how audio sounds, in the end.

How To Improve Audio On Your PC

If you are a PC gamer, and are looking for ways to improve your audio, here are a few things you can do:

Upgrade Your Headphones

The easiest way to immediately upgrade your audio is to invest in a good headset. Something like the Razer Kraken Gaming Headset on Amazon can dramatically improve your audio, especially if you are using cheap headphones or no headphones.

The convenience of a gaming headset is great and headsets like the Kraken have very good audio quality.

However, if you want to upgrade even more, you’ll probably have to look into getting a dedicated headset with no mic.

If you go this route, you’ll also have to buy an external microphone, but the audio quality you can get will be beyond anything you’ll find in a gaming headset.

Of course, this also means spending money in the triple digits. If you are looking for a great pair of dedicated gaming headphones then I recommend the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Headphones.

Not only do these headphones provide great sound quality, they are also versatile meaning you can use them for gaming, streaming, listening to music, and much more.

This is what I currently use for my setup and I love them. You can read my entire review of these headphones here.

Get A USB DAC

A DAC (digital to analogue converter) is a device that plugs into your PC that will boost audio quality beyond what any headphones ever could.

A USB DAC is comparable to installing a really high quality sound card, except it is much cheaper and way easier, making it the best option for improving sound quality.

You can check out one of my favorite DACs here on Amazon.

Of course, a DAC won’t make a huge difference if you do not have quality headphones to pair with it, so make sure the rest of your gear can carry its weight as well.

Optimize Your Sound Settings

One last thing you can do to improve your audio on PC is optimize your sound settings.

Make sure that both your PC sound settings and your game audio are optimized for the game you are playing.

Most games these days allow you to adjust things such as the volume of the background music, the volume of your teammates, and much more.

Play around with these different settings and find what works best for you. Just keep in mind that every game will be slightly different as far as the audio customizations they allow and so you should optimize accordingly.

Is Warzone Audio Better On PC Or Console?

Warzone audio is better on the console than it is on PC. On the console, it is much easier to pinpoint where sound is coming from, and audio just sounds crisper. Many players have compared playing Warzone on PC and on console, and the general consensus is that the console version has better audio.

How good Warzone sounds is mostly going to come down to your headphones. However, there have been many PC players complaining about the audio quality.

You can see for yourself if you check out Warzone streamers. It seems like many PC streamers have trouble trying to determine exactly where sound is coming from, while console streamers have almost no issue doing so.

This is probably due to how audio is implemented on PC vs console, even though they both supposedly use similar tech.

Is Fortnite Audio Better On PC Or Console?

Fortnite audio is better on the PC than on the console. Overall, both versions of the game have issues with vertical audio. It is hard to determine whether enemies are above or below you.

In general, though, Fortnite sounds better on PC and it is easier to determine where players are than it is on consoles.

Whether you play on console or PC, you’re going to need a good headset if you want to have quality audio in Fortnite.

On top of your actual gear, you will want to go into your audio settings and make sure you’re on Dolby 7.1 audio.

You may want to play around with this setting, as some headphones actually sound better with different settings, but Dolby 7.1 is what most serious players use.