It requires the adapter, yes, but that's essentially still required with the Astro A50 setup. The Sennheiser PC363D was more of a purist PC gaming headset by Sennheiser gaming, but the G4ME ONE and G4ME ZERO are both PC headsets, first.
See that's an issue, here. I was taken aback reading your description of your experience with the Astros. I believe
@pinger has either the A40 or the A50 and he has told me he has phenomenally accurate audio pinpointing with those. This is generally accepted consensus. They have a large sound stage. The Astro
should be offering an experience highly similar to the Turtle Beach. The Astro functions like an adapted PC gamer headset with the exception that the TXD (the "mixamp" unit) is like a special, discrete, external sound card that is made specially to harness the audio capabilities of the PS4 or Xbox One. That's why you still require the headset adapter with it. Still, it's a relatively simple setup:
- Connect Astro A50 and TXD "mixamp" unit to PC or Mac; update firmware of each
- Turn off HDMI audio
- Change Optical audio to "Bitstream Out"
- Change Bitstream audio to "Dolby Digital"
If that still isn't providing directional audio cues with your console gaming then I would operate under the assumption that all similar sound solutions (revolving around an adapted PC headset and the mixamp) will yield similar results.
The most expensive Turtle Beach headsets just include their own discrete Dolby 7.1 cards into the headset itself, but that seems to be the solution that is producing the results you desire (with the Turtle Beach X800).
Frankly, I think you should buy Sennheiser and be done with inferior companies, since I'd say that 8/10 gamers who buy Sennheiser come back with a satisfaction report similar to
@echohead's. Otherwise, it seems like you're just figuring out what you like best via trial and error. No better way.