I might re terminate mine to speaker wire & connect it to the back of my receivers L/R terminal, since it has a beefed up PS.

Interesting idea;I hadn't considered that before. But wouldn't you loose the headphone processing? I believe DH, or, on the Yamaha, Silent Cinema, is auto-activated on headphone jack insertion, and only output on the headphone jack? If you think of a work-around I'd be interested to check it out.

Interesting idea;I hadn't considered that before. But wouldn't you loose the headphone processing? I believe DH, or, on the Yamaha, Silent Cinema, is auto-activated on headphone jack insertion, and only output on the headphone jack? If you think of a work-around I'd be interested to check it out.

I know.. My friend said it doesn't guarantee automatic improvement.. It depends on the receivers output stage & other variables.. But Ideally speaking, this headphone would greatly benefit from the extra juice.. As its recommended to get the most out of the 340's, since no headphone amp has enough drive through the headphone jack.. They do, however, sound very good under powered. I watched the lost boys & the lossless True HD track was pretty spectacular.. for 150-200 the 340's are a steal, especially with a amp with a beefy PS..

Denon will soon anounce their new High end headphone. The 7000.. This is in another class over the 2000/5000.. Will retail for around 1,150..Street price should be around 800.00 or so.. A person who demoed them said its a mix between the L3000 & the sen house sound.. For those that don't know, the L3000 are one of the greatest headphones ever made & sale for over 2,000. They also have the best bass out of any headphone past or present.. Some comparing the quality to 2,000 subs..:eek:

http://vaiopocket.up.seesaa.net/image/d7000a.jpg

I think the Grado PS-1 holds that title but the L3k is certainly no slouch. I'd like to hear the new Denon's but would not blind buy just because I don't care much for the Senn house sound. If they sound closer to the L3k I'd probably like them but I enjoy the intimate vocals and crisp top end from the Grado house sound (as long as they have plenty of bass too:p)

I know.. My friend said it doesn't guarantee automatic improvement.. It depends on the receivers output stage & other variables.. But Ideally speaking, this headphone would greatly benefit from the extra juice.. As its recommended to get the most out of the 340's, since no headphone amp has enough drive through the headphone jack.. They do, however, sound very good under powered. I watched the lost boys & the lossless True HD track was pretty spectacular.. for 150-200 the 340's are a steal, especially with a amp with a beefy PS..

Yes, I wonder if there is a Dolby Headphone processor (maybe a PC sound card w/ DH, like some available?) that takes 8 ch analog inputs. Or HDMI, but I know I have not seen that yet unless one of the higher end receivers can process the new audio formats and apply DH to the headphone output. So far I've struck out. One interesting product if someone found a headphone processor (DH, ideally) that takes multi-channel analog inputs is this new device from GEFEN (http://www.gefen.com/kvm/dproduct.jsp?prod_id=5277) which takes HDMI input and breaks out 8 ch. analog (20 watts per ch, or line level) With this, or a modern receiver (w/ preouts or speaker outs), one could take 7.1 LPCM from a PS3 or Bluray via HDMI and break it out into the 8 analog high bandwidth channels. However, the missing link is how to process those into something with Dolby Headphone or similar. Wonder if any of the PC solutions that support DH in software/drivers will take an analog multi-channel input for DH output?

I think the Grado PS-1 holds that title but the L3k is certainly no slouch. I'd like to hear the new Denon's but would not blind buy just because I don't care much for the Senn house sound. If they sound closer to the L3k I'd probably like them but I enjoy the intimate vocals and crisp top end from the Grado house sound (as long as they have plenty of bass too:p)
Yeah, forget about the Joseph Grado Classic..Top of the line bass.. I buy blindly all the time.. It's hard to try out hi end headphones, unless you are a regular at headphone meets.

Yes, I wonder if there is a Dolby Headphone processor (maybe a PC sound card w/ DH, like some available?) that takes 8 ch analog inputs. Or HDMI, but I know I have not seen that yet unless one of the higher end receivers can process the new audio formats and apply DH to the headphone output. So far I've struck out. One interesting product if someone found a headphone processor (DH, ideally) that takes multi-channel analog inputs is this new device from GEFEN (http://www.gefen.com/kvm/dproduct.jsp?prod_id=5277) which takes HDMI input and breaks out 8 ch. analog (20 watts per ch, or line level) With this, or a modern receiver (w/ preouts or speaker outs), one could take 7.1 LPCM from a PS3 or Bluray via HDMI and break it out into the 8 analog high bandwidth channels. However, the missing link is how to process those into something with Dolby Headphone or similar. Wonder if any of the PC solutions that support DH in software/drivers will take an analog multi-channel input for DH output?

Not sure.. I'm more then content with my SC, which has no restrictions on it's processing, unless speakers are being used at the same time as headphones..

Yeah, forget about the Joseph Grado Classic..Top of the line bass.. I buy blindly all the time.. It's hard to try out hi end headphones, unless you are a regular at headphone meets.

I bought the D5k's blind and was pretty happy with the purchase at under $500. Of course I found the bass to be a bit flabby and there was a little mud in-between notes but having them recabled really made a difference. Amp and source help too but I've gone somewhat minimalist and just use my Headamp Pico for home and portable.

IMO the D7k's would have to sound better than a recabled pair of D5k's or at least have a much different signature to justify cost difference. I think the D5k's are about the best sealed full size, reasonably priced headphone available right now.

BTW - going to meets saved me a lot of money on buying and reselling crap so if there is one in your area or a high end audio shop it really pays to hear it first... or at least order from someone with a 30 day return policy:p Synergy and taste are the rulers of all audio decisions imo.

Yes, I wonder if there is a Dolby Headphone processor (maybe a PC sound card w/ DH, like some available?) that takes 8 ch analog inputs.
The TheaterPhone HSM6240 from Lake Technologies was a DH processor that had 6 analog inputs.

The upcoming Smyth processor (better than DH, and pricier) will have 8 analog inputs.

The TheaterPhone HSM6240 from Lake Technologies was a DH processor that had 6 analog inputs.

The upcoming Smyth processor (better than DH, and pricier) will have 8 analog inputs.
But over 4 grand? & they are mating it with the Stax 303 or 404, which should tell you something..:D Electrostat for the SS win..

Amp and source help too but I've gone somewhat minimalist and just use my Headamp Pico for home and portable.Awesome!! I'm still in the queue for my Pico and Justin said he is about to start work on the next batch of 100. I'm somewhere in the middle of that batch :D and REALLY looking forward to it...

Awesome!! I'm still in the queue for my Pico and Justin said he is about to start work on the next batch of 100. I'm somewhere in the middle of that batch :D and REALLY looking forward to it...

You'll love it,,, it's had awesome synergy with my UE-11's, ES2, PS-1, and D5ks, If I had the coin I probably get a Raptor for home use but the difference just doesn't justify another piece of expensive gear. The DAC in the Pico will put your jaw on the floor... makes me wish I could throw out my iPod and just listen to all cd's from my PC... amazing sound (and no slouch in the amp area either). The only other amp on the $500 range that I would take over the Pico would probably be the Lisa III but that thing is a pig and has no DAC so I'm very happy with a single solution Pico.

You'll love it,,, it's had awesome synergy with my UE-11's, ES2, PS-1, and D5ks, If I had the coin I probably get a Raptor for home use but the difference just doesn't justify another piece of expensive gear. The DAC in the Pico will put your jaw on the floor... makes me wish I could throw out my iPod and just listen to all cd's from my PC... amazing sound (and no slouch in the amp area either). The only other amp on the $500 range that I would take over the Pico would probably be the Lisa III but that thing is a pig and has no DAC so I'm very happy with a single solution Pico.

USB dac only right?

USB dac only right?

correct

correct
Yuk. Thinking of buying the PV modded lite DAC.. has headphone amp included puls XLR outs.. Too bad I had to sell my DAC1:(

Yuk. Thinking of buying the PV modded lite DAC.. has headphone amp included puls XLR outs.. Too bad I had to sell my DAC1:(I do agree that the Pico would have been an amazing piece if it had also supported digital input via SPDIF. As it is the reviews are very positive so I'm quite certain I won't be disappointed.

What I look forward to in the future is a quality device like the Pico with USB, TOSlink and HDMI inputs for the digital audio. Add in some decent processing for the audio to support something akin to Dolby Headphone and it would be killer. Yes, this would be more of a home based device, but if done right it has the potential to convert me to using headphones almost all the time.

DT880 05 for 173.00...

http://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-DT-880-Premium-Headphones/dp/B000F2BLTM/ref=pd_bbs_8?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219541377&sr=8-8

These retail for 489.00..

good deal, take another 20 off with bill me later... and free ship.

good deal, take another 20 off with bill me later... and free ship.

They are great gaming cans. But musically I found them boring & lack luster... Probably the best movie cans I had to date.. Dialouge is palpable, upfront & clear.. If it wasn't for me being so broke, & needing audio money, I'd still have them around..

They are great gaming cans. But musically I found them boring & lack luster... Probably the best movie cans I had to date.. Dialouge is palpable, upfront & clear.. If it wasn't for me being so broke, & needing audio money, I'd still have them around..

The price is deceiving since one would need an amp to properly power them, no? And aren't the '03 cans better than the '05s?

The price is deceiving since one would need an amp to properly power them, no? And aren't the '03 cans better than the '05s?
Well, They are hard to drive for optimal performance, but many have enjoyed theirs out of their computer headphone jack.. & many regard the 05s to a improvement.. Some disagree.. Many still feel the Sen 600s are better then the 650's..

Well, They are hard to drive for optimal performance, but many have enjoyed theirs out of their computer headphone jack.. & many regard the 05s to a improvement.. Some disagree.. Many still feel the Sen 600s are better then the 650's..

I was thinking of jumping on this deal. I might pair them with the P2AV2 that's received some high marks from around Head-Fi. Can anyone find a possible pitfall with this combination?

Haven't been able to spend a huge amount of time with yet, but I can definitely say that my initial impressions are very positive.

The packaging, and this is hard to describe without experiencing it in person, is truly stellar. It's almost like you've bought something from Tiffany's...

They pack-in virtually every cable you could ever need except for the crucial digital audio cable, but no big deal there.

Set-up was a little confusing, but the manuals are well-done, and surprisingly quite funny. They did an excellent job writing those.

Build-quality seems to be high, was a little concerned on that front.

Performance wise, I'm coming from some entry-level Denon's powered by my receiver's headphone out. The Astro's are a major step up from those, especially in terms of bass.

These might not be the best headphones out there, but for me, a clear upgrade in terms of dynamic range, which is welcomed.

As for the mix-amp, I had feared the Dolby processing would be gimmicky. I was wrong. It is really very impressive, much more so with a 5.1 source than a 2.0 source, but that's to be expected.

I fired up GTA4 for some testing, and when I walked out on the sidewalk, I was overhearing a conversation taking place, but the sound was only coming from my left earphone. I actually took off my headphones to inspect them and make sure nothing was wrong.

I then looked around in the game and realized the conversation I was overhearing was on my left and the DH processing was working.

Directionality FTW!

I'll post some additional thoughts as I spend some more time with them...

I also tried the mixamp with my old cans and the DH processing did wonders with them too.

The overall performance is excellent if you can swing the cost.

Haven't been able to spend a huge amount of time with yet, but I can definitely say that my initial impressions are very positive.

The packaging, and this is hard to describe without experiencing it in person, is truly stellar. It's almost like you've bought something from Tiffany's...

They pack-in virtually every cable you could ever need except for the crucial digital audio cable, but no big deal there.

Set-up was a little confusing, but the manuals are well-done, and surprisingly quite funny. They did an excellent job writing those.

Build-quality seems to be high, was a little concerned on that front.

Performance wise, I'm coming from some entry-level Denon's powered by my receiver's headphone out. The Astro's are a major step up from those, especially in terms of bass.

These might not be the best headphones out there, but for me, a clear upgrade in terms of dynamic range, which is welcomed.

As for the mix-amp, I had feared the Dolby processing would be gimmicky. I was wrong. It is really very impressive, much more so with a 5.1 source than a 2.0 source, but that's to be expected.

I fired up GTA4 for some testing, and when I walked out on the sidewalk, I was overhearing a conversation taking place, but the sound was only coming from my left earphone. I actually took off my headphones to inspect them and make sure nothing was wrong.

I then looked around in the game and realized the conversation I was overhearing was on my left and the DH processing was working.

Directionality FTW!

I'll post some additional thoughts as I spend some more time with them...

I also tried the mixamp with my old cans and the DH processing did wonders with them too.

The overall performance is excellent if you can swing the cost.

Resistance is the best IE of localizing sounds.. I'm using SC instead of DH, & it's deadly accurate.

I was thinking of jumping on this deal. I might pair them with the P2AV2 that's received some high marks from around Head-Fi. Can anyone find a possible pitfall with this combination?

God for the price.. But the volume knob induces static.. Either way, Gary Ali is a great person.. I don't use that term lightly either..

I was thinking of jumping on this deal. I might pair them with the P2AV2 that's received some high marks from around Head-Fi. Can anyone find a possible pitfall with this combination?
If you are referring to the PA2V2 portable amp, it will not power the DT880s effectively.

So I jumped on the amazon DT880 deal the other day and they should be here tomorrow. Looking forward to comparing them with my DT990.

I'm having fun with those cans and the mic mod I made from here http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1096815 works perfect with the Beyers. I use my astro mixamp to adjust the ingame voice and just by itself the volume is decent. If I want to get a little more bass and overall better sound i'll put my minibox e+ headphone amp inline. Sometimes i'll flip the bass boost button and that is fun, especially on COD4 it makes the sound of the guns have just that much more oomph. But usually I leave it off cause it overpowers everthing else.

Still for watching movies my receiver I feel still sounds the best. Its a HK AVR335 and just feels all around richer or fuller than anything else I have right now.

I'm looking for some headphones that are also xbox live compatible. Does anyone have any recomendations or experience with these types?

I've looked a little bit at the X-series line but it seems everyone complains about this constant humming noise and them breaking after not too long.

You might want to try reading back through the past couple of pages of this thread.

Hey guys its me again after much research and reading forum after forum I have narrow it down to these options please help. Remember my main objective is for the Xbox 360 for positional audio don't care how good it sounds as long as I can tell where the enemy is :) for all I care it can sound like crap as long as I know where they are at not that my SB40 can sound like crap mind you ;)

JVC Surround Sound Headphone Adaptor
Link (http://www.amazon.com/JVC-SUDH1-Surround-Headphone-Adaptor/dp/B000ETBZ5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219874260&sr=1-1)
Total+Shipping=$101.97

Sherwood Surround Sound Receiver (RD-6500)
Link (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006ITPOS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)
Total+Shipping=$140.63

Astro Mixamp
Link (http://www.astrogaming.com/products/detail/5/A40-MixAmp/)
Total+Shipping=$142.52

Yamaha RX-V363BL 500 Watt 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Only considering because of KBI's high praise of Silent Cinema over Dolby Headphone)
Link (http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V363BL-5-1-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B0013ZGOYM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219874195&sr=1-1)
Total+Shipping=$199.95

Harman Kardon AVR 146 Home Theater Receiver
Link (http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-AVR-146-connectivity/dp/B000MWPD0I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219874646&sr=1-1)
Total+Shipping=$202.43

After so much research I really learning toward an easy setup with mixamp and say forget about everything. Done to much research like hours worth and tired of reading lol. I can take it anywhere I want and is good for lan's and local tourney's! But if the receivers are worth it I will go with it especially seeing how Sherwood is cheaper than the mixamp.

Hey guys its me again after much research and reading forum after forum I have narrow it down to these options please help. Remember my main objective is for the Xbox 360 for positional audio don't care how good it sounds as long as I can tell where the enemy is :) for all I care it can sound like crap as long as I know where they are at not that my SB40 can sound like crap mind you ;)

JVC Surround Sound Headphone Adaptor
Link (http://www.amazon.com/JVC-SUDH1-Surround-Headphone-Adaptor/dp/B000ETBZ5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219874260&sr=1-1)
Total+Shipping=$101.97

Sherwood Surround Sound Receiver (RD-6500)
Link (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006ITPOS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)
Total+Shipping=$140.63

Astro Mixamp
Link (http://www.astrogaming.com/products/detail/5/A40-MixAmp/)
Total+Shipping=$142.52

Yamaha RX-V363BL 500 Watt 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Only considering because of KBI's high praise of Silent Cinema over Dolby Headphone)
Link (http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V363BL-5-1-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B0013ZGOYM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219874195&sr=1-1)
Total+Shipping=$199.95

Harman Kardon AVR 146 Home Theater Receiver
Link (http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-AVR-146-connectivity/dp/B000MWPD0I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219874646&sr=1-1)
Total+Shipping=$202.43

After so much research I really learning toward an easy setup with mixamp and say forget about everything. Done to much research like hours worth and tired of reading lol. I can take it anywhere I want and is good for lan's and local tourney's! But if the receivers are worth it I will go with it especially seeing how Sherwood is cheaper than the mixamp.

Is convience & going to lans is a main concern, getting the Mixamp is a no brainer.. If you go the receiver route I'd get the HK 146.. I sold mine on this site for 150 earlier this month.. The only reason I'm recommending the HK 146 over the Yamaha, is that I don't know how good the headphone out is compared to my upper end Yamaha.. Cause better amplification will have an effect on SC..

Hey BigVic I'd go with the Mixamp all the way. Its a really unique device with the mixing of the voice/ game volume seperately. There is nothing really like it out there. Plus it's easy to hookup, put away or take on the road to someones house with you.

I just bought my mixamp specifically for gaming on the 360 due to its features. Look a few post up and you can see a mic mod I did for my headphones as well and it works great. So i'd say mixamp all the way again if the 360 is your specific target.

& just a simple reminder: The Ultrasone 780's should be seriously considered for gaming & movies.
"The polar-silver-colored HFI-780 is specifically designed for DVD and gaming. It projects a speaker-like sound image valued by gamers. The low frequency ranges are tuned to reach the highest possible synergies with DSP-Systems like Dolby Headphone and Yamaha's Silent Cinema."

I know foe had them but preferred his DT880's.. Maybe they would synergize better with SC..

& just a simple reminder: The Ultrasone 780's should be seriously considered for gaming & movies.
"The polar-silver-colored HFI-780 is specifically designed for DVD and gaming. It projects a speaker-like sound image valued by gamers. The low frequency ranges are tuned to reach the highest possible synergies with DSP-Systems like Dolby Headphone and Yamaha's Silent Cinema."

I know foe had them but preferred his DT880's.. Maybe they would synergize better with SC..
They had a terribly small soundstage with DH. Nothing spacious about them. I couldn't tell the location of sound depth in FPS games.

But to be fair, there was no burn-in time on them.

Yes, a reviewer slammed Ultrasone's S logic natural surround sound as a marketing gimmick & small soundstage.. But those were his only two qualms with the 780, as he really seemed to like them..

I'm still skeptical about the benefits of burn in when it comes to headphone performance..

Ok, I'm thinking about purchasing the Astros with Mixamp. Is the recharable battery pack and the 25ft optical cable worth the extra money?

Ok, I'm thinking about purchasing the Astros with Mixamp. Is the recharable battery pack and the 25ft optical cable worth the extra money?

You can get the cable cheaper from Monoprice.com in any length that you need. You don't need the battery pack since you could use regular rechargeable batteries or a USB cable connected to a powered USB port such as an XBox, Cable/Sat Box, PC, phone charger...

Or if you are sick of shopping around then you could just order it all from one place.

The X4's should be substantially better then the X3's. They redid everything. Namely added Dolby Headphone support. That is a huge difference then what they offered in their stereo X3's.

I'm looking for something with surround sound since I only play my Xbox at night when everyone's in bed and I need headphones.
I would really like to know more about the X4's as well. And since money is always an issue when you have little kids running around the prospect of being $50 cheaper than the A40s is a plus.

Has anyone listened to the X4s and the A40s? Or just the X4s? The only review that I have seen is the one on CNet.

Also, does anyone know if the A40s mixer has a pass through for the optical cable. Would hate to have to unplug that everytime I want to use the headphones.

Spherex Xbox 5.1 System.. High end? Looking towards the pass for your next gen needs.. The author says 360.. He is mistaken. This was released when the original Xbox was out & about.

Bad news for the high end. Very bad news.
Actually it’s not news because the Xbox 5.1 Surround Sound System is more than two years old. And it’s bad for the high end only because I say so; other reviewers did not have the guts, or the self-confidence, to say that it produces unmistakably high-end sound for only $180! That’s bad for business only if potential high-end customers know about it, but they don’t. Maybe they will now. (The price may have gone up a bit since I paid $180 to amazon.com for my set; the lowest price I see these days on the Web is around $210.) That unbelievable price buys you a complete system: five satellite speakers, subwoofer, amplifiers, surround-sound processor, D/A conversion, remote control, the works. Now, there’s a reason why the Xbox 5.1 isn’t widely known as a music system. It was engineered specifically as a multimedia audio platform for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming console. All promotions and all reviews have been about surround sound for video games. The fact is, however, that the technical solutions for the best possible gaming audio are the same as for the best possible music audio. The circuits and transducers don’t know whether they are transmitting video-game sounds or Beethoven. I happen to know absolutely nothing about video games; during my three decades of involvement with computers I haven’t played a single video game; but I do know something about the sound of Beethoven and other music in the concert hall, and I can confidently say that the Xbox 5.1 renders a pretty damn convincing version of it. I’ll go even further. Going from the Xbox 5.1 to the very best systems known to me (represented by the Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 5 and the Linkwitz Lab “Orion”), there are very few in-between steps of improvement. Maybe only two or at most three. It’s that close. Let the high-end police come and take me away in handcuffs.

Spherex Xbox 5.1 System.. High end? Looking towards the pass for your next gen needs.. The author says 360.. He is mistaken. This was released when the original Xbox was out & about.

Bad news for the high end. Very bad news.
Actually it’s not news because the Xbox 5.1 Surround Sound System is more than two years old. And it’s bad for the high end only because I say so; other reviewers did not have the guts, or the self-confidence, to say that it produces unmistakably high-end sound for only $180! That’s bad for business only if potential high-end customers know about it, but they don’t. Maybe they will now. (The price may have gone up a bit since I paid $180 to amazon.com for my set; the lowest price I see these days on the Web is around $210.) That unbelievable price buys you a complete system: five satellite speakers, subwoofer, amplifiers, surround-sound processor, D/A conversion, remote control, the works. Now, there’s a reason why the Xbox 5.1 isn’t widely known as a music system. It was engineered specifically as a multimedia audio platform for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming console. All promotions and all reviews have been about surround sound for video games. The fact is, however, that the technical solutions for the best possible gaming audio are the same as for the best possible music audio. The circuits and transducers don’t know whether they are transmitting video-game sounds or Beethoven. I happen to know absolutely nothing about video games; during my three decades of involvement with computers I haven’t played a single video game; but I do know something about the sound of Beethoven and other music in the concert hall, and I can confidently say that the Xbox 5.1 renders a pretty damn convincing version of it. I’ll go even further. Going from the Xbox 5.1 to the very best systems known to me (represented by the Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 5 and the Linkwitz Lab “Orion”), there are very few in-between steps of improvement. Maybe only two or at most three. It’s that close. Let the high-end police come and take me away in handcuffs.

Wow, that is hard to believe. How creditable is the guy who wrote this?

Spherex high end? I lump the spherex in with the logitech z5500s.. Nice for what they are but far from nice compared to an audio system pieced together with even budget products.

isnt the spherex just a re-branded mirage setup? mirage makes some very good satellite speakers in that size range.

Wow, that is hard to believe. How creditable is the guy who wrote this?

Yes, The website doesn't believe expensive gear is better then moderate to low priced gear.. It's 'hype' & lies. & SACD are no better then CD's..200.00 CDP is just as good as a 2,000 player type stuff.. Jitter doesn't matter. They live & die by DBT studies..When I had my DAC1 I compared it to the DAC in my Sony 1999 CD/DVD player.. The DAC1 was noticeably better.. But I did expect more considering it's 'jitter free', & cost a grand... Of course the 1999 Sony CD/DVD player was their flagship model, & also retailed for a grand. Forgot the model..S77 or something.. Was a good transport though..

Yes, The website doesn't believe expensive gear is better then moderate to low priced gear.. It's 'hype' & lies. & SACD are no better then CD's..200.00 CDP is just as good as a 2,000 player type stuff.. Jitter doesn't matter. They live & die by DBT studies..So I shouldn't go to these guys for an opinion when/if I get the guts to buy myself a Stax SR-007 setup? :D

So I shouldn't go to these guys for an opinion when/if I get the guts to buy myself a Stax SR-007 setup? :D

No.. The SB 40 will be just as good.:)

Heres a new edition to the gaming headphone ring.. Due to there unquie design & audio characteristics.. The Sony MDR-F1.. These came out in 03 I believe.. & you have never seen headphones like these.. The pads never touch your ears, so no in your head only experience like a lot of people claim with headphones.. A Very natural presentation.. By the design I would assume the soundstage would also be plentiful.. I read a review on these.. & the reviewer said it was easily the most comfortable headphones he has ever worn.. It's like you aren't even wearing headphones.. He also said they are 3 Dimensional, & preferred these headphones for movies & Bianural recording..

I am very impressed with the engineering of these headphones. A lightweight ring covered in a very soft, yet seemingly durable material, rests around the ear. The transducers are placed about a half an inch from the ear angled at them to try to use the natural design of the ear to catch the sound waves. Nothing touches your ear and since these cans are so light weight, they easily are the most comfortable headphones I have ever auditioned

Another can to consider, & the closet to ear speakers without spending 500-1,000 on Sony's 2008 flagship model or the discontinued AKG1000.

User reviews are on audiocubes.com.

Price 225.00-300.00..

Specs:


Features

New full-open -air system for wider stereo soundstage
Full-Open Design for outstanding stereo soundstage; the drive units sit back from your ears, external to your head, for a more spacious sound, greater listening comfort
Newly developed extra-large driver unit with "Acoustic Bass Lens"
Acoustic Bass Lens works with a new diaphragm structure to deliver incredibly deep bass, comparable to closed headphones
New "Ecsaine" head and ear pad material
Impedance Compensator -unlike other full-open headphones, the MDR-F1 requires no amplifier impedance matching; built-in equalization circuitry eliminates the variations in sound quality caused by amplifier impedance differences
Magnesium alloy frame and super duralumin headband
Oversized 50 MM Diameter Drive Units are larger than most headphones for noticeably deeper bass, lower distortion and wider dynamic range; frequency response extends down to an amazingly low 10 Hz
Neodymium Magnets for maximum energy and minimum size; provide increased sensitivity and ultra-high definition sound reproduction
Die-Cast Magnesium Alloy Frame and Super Duralumin Headband for the full-open design combines light weight with extreme resistance to flexing and resonance
Leatherette Head and Earpad "Ecsaine" head and earpad material are durable, yet luxurious to the touch.
Double Headband distributes weight evenly to remain comfortable, even after you've listened for hours on end
Sony UniMatch? plug with fixed mini plug for portable use and screw-up phone plug for home use
Gold-Plated Plugs resist corrosion for high conductivity, low noise

Specifications

Type:Full-open, Dynamic
Drive Unit:50mm
Diaphragm:PET
Magnet:Neodymium
Impedance:12 ohms
Sensitivity:100 dB
Power Handling Capacity:700 mW
Frequency Response:10-30,000 Hz
Headband:Double
Cord:Single-sided, 11 feet (3.5m)
Plug:Gold-plated stereo mini plug; UniMatch adapter with screw-type gold-plated stereo phone plug

Accessories

Detachable phone plug

Anyone know what this is? It's a new feature for KZ2:

With true next-gen audio the player is further immersed in the world, supporting 7.1 surround and location-specific audio with wave tracing.

Too bad the 360 just gives us 5.1 lossy..With no interest in new ways to involve audio in their games.. PS3 also supports DTS in certain games.

The Socom Confrontation beta is 7.1 surround sound as well.

Remember the Beyerdynamic headzone 5.1 headphone system I been harping about.. Well I found it on Amazon.. 2,500!!:eek:

Headzone Home with Head Tracking system offers digital 5.1 virtural surround sound via a match set of beyerdynamic headphones. Using a single digital cable, the receiver or DVD player is connected to Headzone; the lightning fast, automatic configuration to the correct audio mode promises limitless personal video enjoyment. The highlight of Headzone Home HT is the patented head tracking system. Plug and play. Using ultrasound sensors and the computing power of the digital signal processors, this ensures that, even with the turning of the head, speakers, instruments or noises in the film continue to come from the direction that the producer intended. The virtual speakers do not turn with you; Headzone Home reproduces the entire acoustic reality of speakers placement in the listening room. The highlight of Headzone¿ Home HT is the patented head tracking system. Plug and play. Using ultrasound sensors and the computing power of the digital signal processors, this ensures that, even with the turning of the head, speakers, instruments or noises in the film continue to come from the direction that the producer intended. The virtual speakers do not turn with you; Headzone Home reproduces the entire acoustic reality of speakers placement in the listening room.

Remember the Beyerdynamic headzone 5.1 headphone system I been harping about.. Well I found it on Amazon.. 2,500!!:eek:
Amazon also offers some without head tracking for $1999.

A review of the Headzone was recently posted at the Head-Fi forum.
Link: beyerdynamic Headzone -- Review (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f11/beyerdynamic-headzone-review-347815/)

Amazon also offers some without head tracking for $1999.

A review of the Headzone was recently posted at the Head-Fi forum.
Link: beyerdynamic Headzone -- Review (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f11/beyerdynamic-headzone-review-347815/)
Thank you.. Is the head tracking worth the extra 500.00?

The review was for the pro version, not the gaming version.. Still impressive.

The only exception was a single female vocalist with a piano player accompanying. There the effect gave me goose-bumps. The piano was way outside my head, deep stage right, and the vocalist (the sensational Nah Youn Sun) stayed locked dead center (so I heard her only in my left ear when I turned my head fully right, and in my right ear when I turned my head fully left). Amazing.

Imagine playing FEAR.. & Alma is 10FT away from you, & each step the distance shorts audible to the point that when you shut your eyes you can 'see' her..Plus when head tracking, it becomes even more real. Too bad they are priced so high.. For 2,000 I'd rather buy the Headroom balanced amp plus balanced DAC, with 600 left over I'd buy the Denon 7000..

Is the head tracking worth the extra 500.00?
I guess it depends on how much you turn your head. :)
The review was for the pro version, not the gaming version.. Still impressive.
The review was for the Home version, with head tracking. There are 3 versions: Pro, Home, Game.

i game in a pretty noisy dorm and it disturbs my online teammates when we play, so what are the best noise canceling or noise filtering headsets (or attachable microphone to headphones) between $30-120? do they make good ones so they only hear me and none of the background noise? i play games on pc.

i game in a pretty noisy dorm and it disturbs my online teammates when we play, so what are the best noise canceling or noise filtering headsets (or attachable microphone to headphones) between $30-120? do they make good ones so they only hear me and none of the background noise? i play games on pc.
maybe a used AKG 271/240.. Used DT150.. These are studio quality with excellent isolation.

I bought a new headphone. The Beyerdynamic DT48a. It's a revision of the DT48, the first headphone ever made.. 1937. & these headphones are very rare.. & must be pre ordered cause each one is hand made.. They retail for over 400.00.. Got mine for 275.00 shipped.. Will let you know how they sound.. An owner said it's more detailed then the SA5000's. Which made my jaw drop. If you heard the SA5000 you would know what I mean. They are nearly 100% accurate, tonally balanced, & has a totally flat response.. Meaning.. 100% true to the source.. No colorization to change the sound.. & is very rugged. One guy's 48e (theres 3 variations. 48a is 5 ohm. 48e has two models. 25 ohm & 200 ohm) was run over & only had cosmetic damage.:D

The Beyerdynamic DT 48 A.00 audiometric headphones are designed for use in aural-acoustical investigations and measurements by ear, nose and throat specialists, research laboratories, and educational facilities.

The closed-back headphones feature 12 dB of ambient noise attenuation. The matched transducer elements offer a low 5 Ohms of impedance per system, and are selected in pairs to achieve maximum accuracy, with a frequency response deviation of only +/-1 dB.

The supra-aural ear coupling headphones utilizes flat rubber ear caps that are easily identified by their color-coded, left/right-designated covers. All components conform to the currently accepted professional standards, and the cable is supplied bare-ended for application-specific termination.

A few of my friends on COD4 use the xbox turtle beach headphones and swear by them. From what I heard and little knoledge I have on gaming headphones these are the ones to get. I went on there website and they have a new model out now (the X4's) and am thinking about geting them. They are selling for 200... For the money are these the best choice for xbox live gaming? If there are any others please list them so I can check them out. Thanks

A few of my friends on COD4 use the xbox turtle beach headphones and swear by them. From what I heard and little knoledge I have on gaming headphones these are the ones to get. I went on there website and they have a new model out now (the X4's) and am thinking about geting them. They are selling for 200... For the money are these the best choice for xbox live gaming? If there are any others please list them so I can check them out. Thanks

Did you not read any of this thread?

Basically only consider the X4 if you MUST have wireless, surround sound, and integrated mic. If you are flexible on any part of that then there are much, much better options.

Did you not read any of this thread?

Basically only consider the X4 if you MUST have wireless, surround sound, and integrated mic. If you are flexible on any part of that then there are much, much better options.

Have you seen that this thread has 60+ pages? I have followed some of this from the start but its been goin gon forever and a conclusion would be nice. You speak of options but don't mention any. Are the Astros better then the X4 and no I dont need wireless... thanks

Have you seen that this thread has 60+ pages? I have followed some of this from the start but its been goin gon forever and a conclusion would be nice. You speak of options but don't mention any. Are the Astros better then the X4 and no I dont need wireless... thanks

There are much better options available for $200. In terms of an integrated mic solution, the Astro Gaming Headphones seem to be the best bet. Others have also mentioned using a Zalman clip-on mic in conjunction with a standard set of cans, such as the Audio Technica AD700/AD900, Sennheiser HD555/595, or the Beyer DT770/880, to name a few. It all depends on your price range!

They are selling for 200... For the money are these the best choice for xbox live gaming?

I’ve been messing around with the X4’s for about three weeks now. A good bit of this thread mentions that if you must have wireless then it might be a good choice. Even though I am not an audiophile in the slightest I must agree.

There are always going to be downsides to products and over the past three weeks I’ve notice that the ‘hum’ in the background of the X4’s is getting to the point where it bothers me all the time. I didn’t seem to mind at first because I was too excited about having a full sound experience (before that I was playing all sound through my Vizio 32” Plasma).

The hum actually gets louder and more pronounced when screens are mostly bright or near white. Since I’m not an audiophile I’m not one to understand why that would be an issue unless my wireless base was too close to the TV (which it isn’t). I’ve also noticed a fair amount of popping and distortion even with the sound at a fairly low level.

The sound of chat on Xbox Live is really great, or as good as it can be. People still pretty much sound like they are speaking into a tin can but I can hear them better. I like the ability to hear chat and the game at the same time. Others have made a comment that the new headset makes my voice sound deeper and fuller. That’s nice since I get mistaken for a 12 year old all the time (I’m 30).

While the X4’s are nice enough I just really can’t think they are nice enough to ask for $200 for them. I’m planning on taking them back and at least going with the Astro A40’s. I don’t have the scratch to toss more than $250 on a product and overall it seems people really like the A40’s. I’ll learn to live with the wires.

Have you seen that this thread has 60+ pages? I have followed some of this from the start but its been goin gon forever and a conclusion would be nice. You speak of options but don't mention any. Are the Astros better then the X4 and no I dont need wireless... thanks

The Astro package is a much better option than the X4 if you don't require wireless. Another option is to get just the Astro MixAmp, any stereo headphones, and a clip on mic. The MixAmp will give you the Dolby Headphone surround and integrated voice chat. Just add your choice of headphones (many options here) and a simple clip-on mic.

go with the Astros. you will not regret it.

Soon after my last post I talked to a few people who have the X4's and then some Astro oweners. Both sides though that the Astro A40s were the better choice so I went out and got the A40 system with optic cable. It's good to see I made the right choice. My next question is should I go to my dashboard and set the sound to headphone? I think it's an option

Soon after my last post I talked to a few people who have the X4's and then some Astro oweners. Both sides though that the Astro A40s were the better choice so I went out and got the A40 system with optic cable. It's good to see I made the right choice. My next question is should I go to my dashboard and set the sound to headphone? I think it's an option
No. Setup your sound to Dolby Digital 5.1. Setting it up to headphones will not send a DD 5.1 signal to your Astro MixAmp, and therefor no 5.1 surround separation.

A little introduction. First let me explain what makes SC tick. DSP has a variety of different parameters. But some parameters are exclusive to specific DSP modes. The list includes the following.

Initial delay
Presence delay
Surround delay
Surround back delay
Room size

These sound field parameters are made to give the illusion of 5.1 surround sound. I will list others that will give you a different/better gaming experience.

Presence room size
Surround room size
Surround back room size
Liveness
Surround Liveness
Surround Back liveness
Reverb time
Reverb delay
Reverb level

My Yamaha has adaptive DSP. This allows me to minipulate any sound field to my liking.

SC VS DH
Gear used
Sen 650
Sony SA5000
AKG 340/240 sextetts
HK 146 receiver for DH
Yamaha V1800 for SC

Games used
Uncharted and Resistance Fall of man

Used optical when playing with DH. The HK does not support audio over HDMI.

Test results I compared both DH and SC for an HR switching back and forth. My conclusion is, They are very similar at least with SC default setting. SC 3d imaging is noticeable better. Gun fire, voices, footsteps come to life, compared to DH, which is more 2D like. SC carries more weight to the weapons and audible images. You can sense the gun is heavy and full. DH does this well too, but not as effective. SC "front scope' is better as you can 'see' much further, and has better left and right, depending on the DSP being used. DH has a uncanny depth to it, mainly regulated to center and behind. SC falls behind in this regard. DH will give you a better out of head experience, that best SC by a slight margin. DH is better at seperation. Meaning, better at isolating the location of the sound, especially in the rear, where SC has trouble conveying. both are still similar in their surround sound 5.1 presentation, with each technology having their own strength
and weaknesses. To me SC is overall better, if you can change the sound field parameters. If you can't Id recommend DH, but user preference plays a big part.

A little introduction. First let me explain what makes SC tick. DSP has a variety of different parameters. But some parameters are exclusive to specific DSP modes. The list includes the following.

Initial delay
Presence delay
Surround delay
Surround back delay
Room size

These sound field parameters are made to give the illusion of 5.1 surround sound. I will list others that will give you a different/better gaming experience.

Presence room size
Surround room size
Surround back room size
Liveness
Surround Liveness
Surround Back liveness
Reverb time
Reverb delay
Reverb level

My Yamaha has adaptive DSP. This allows me to minipulate any sound field to my liking.

SC VS DH
Gear used
Sen 650
Sony SA5000
AKG 340/240 sextetts
HK 146 receiver for DH
Yamaha V1800 for SC

Games used
Uncharted and Resistance Fall of man

Used optical when playing with DH. The HK does not support audio over HDMI.

Test results I compared both DH and SC for an HR switching back and forth. My conclusion is, They are very similar at least with SC default setting. SC 3d imaging is noticeable better. Gun fire, voices, footsteps come to life, compared to DH, which is more 2D like. SC carries more weight to the weapons and audible images. You can sense the gun is heavy and full. DH does this well too, but not as effective. SC "front scope' is better as you can 'see' much further, and has better left and right, depending on the DSP being used. DH has a uncanny depth to it, mainly regulated to center and behind. SC falls behind in this regard. DH will give you a better out of head experience, that best SC by a slight margin. DH is better at seperation. Meaning, better at isolating the location of the sound, especially in the rear, where SC has trouble conveying. both are still similar in their surround sound 5.1 presentation, with each technology having their own strength
and weaknesses. To me SC is overall better, if you can change the sound field parameters. If you can't Id recommend DH, but user preference plays a big part.

Thanks, great comparison. I have a slightly older Yam (2300 IIRC?) without HDMI but otherwise was pretty high end a few years ago. I am currently using an H/K receiver with DH with a PS3 or 360 for source. I'd like to compare as you've done. My cans are Senn PC350 high-end headset (I believe it's a 595 driver in the cans, but in a closed setup and with added PC headset mic)

Anyway, I'd like to try it out as you've done. Seeing as most modern Yamaha's are similar in DSP choices, can you post some of your favorerd settings for all the options when using Silent Cinema? I know tweaks are needed for everyone's taste and for the particular headphones one uses, but your settings would be a good head start.

Thanks for all the info. Great thread!

Thanks, great comparison. I have a slightly older Yam (2300 IIRC?) without HDMI but otherwise was pretty high end a few years ago. I am currently using an H/K receiver with DH with a PS3 or 360 for source. I'd like to compare as you've done. My cans are Senn PC350 high-end headset (I believe it's a 595 driver in the cans, but in a closed setup and with added PC headset mic)

Anyway, I'd like to try it out as you've done. Seeing as most modern Yamaha's are similar in DSP choices, can you post some of your favorerd settings for all the options when using Silent Cinema? I know tweaks are needed for everyone's taste and for the particular headphones one uses, but your settings would be a good head start.

Thanks for all the info. Great thread!

The SQ & SC effects might vary which each receiver.. & every DSP is different. a 45 in Initial delay for Drama DSP would be different then a 45 initial delay for roleplaying DSP. I will probably add to it.. The definitions of each parameters & how much you can increase/decrease the effects by.

Just got them in today. They are heavy and bulky. Ofcourse they are based off Beyers first headphone in 1937. They are closed and weight around 3lbs. The quality is all metal and very sturdy. Theres also rubber pading. The comfort level isn't the greatest either.

Impressions
I played 3 games and numerous songs. I heard things I never heard before. And I had a very detailed set up, DAC1/balanced SA5000 combo. The SA5000 are well know for detal. Even balanced, the 48's revealed more detail with a ho hum attitude. I heard a studio gaffle when I played Ninja Gaiden. It was like clanking. Someone pounding on the studio wall where they processed the audio. I doubt any Stat could be more revealing.
The sound stage is small and regulated in your head, but the space and decay around instruments and special effects is the best I heard. The sound stage is coherent, and tonally accurate. The most balanced headphone I have heard. Audio positioning is deadly accurate. Imagine your ears having eyes. I could tell how many ninjas were after me by the multiple footsteps, with great seperation.
Midrange is the best I heard. Ultra realist, and you can make out almost anything the person is saying, even if it wasn't audible before.

So whats stopping you from picking these up? They are very rare. Only made when ordered. audio sounds like a mono recording. Bass is anemic and almost non exsistant. Flat FR. Depending on the user one might find these boring,cold,lean, and sterile. And a new pair will cost you 3-4 hundred. But can find some used onEbay for under 1 hundred.

On a side not, for being 5ohms I was very happy to report that I have yet to encounter any hiss.

I would consider these ultra high end headphones & place them with the K1000, q10, etc. They make a lot of 'high end' headphones inferior.. I might actually sell 2 of my headphones because of them.

i game in a pretty noisy dorm and it disturbs my online teammates when we play, so what are the best noise canceling or noise filtering headsets (or attachable microphone to headphones) between $30-120? do they make good ones so they only hear me and none of the background noise? i play games on pc.
Get a throat mic. Or a PTT. Or both.

Sadly, I can't make any brand suggestions for throat mics. My only experience was with non-commercial versions in an interface lab environment. The ones I used worked pretty well, and transmitted zero background noise.

I bought the beyerdynamic dt880 and a Astro MixAmp. Is this amp enough to drive the headphones? If not any suggestions on what to buy to help amplify? I use it just for computer gaming via the optical out line and portability is not an issue but size is. A full on receiver isn't really possible. Any help here?

Wow my first post after reading ALL 70 pages of this very informative thread. Just want to give thanks to everyone who has contributed wonderful information. I am now a proud owner of the Beyer DT880 and the astro Mixamp. After 2 weeks of use I am very happy with the set up. I am now in the process of making a DIY altoids cmoy to help drive my cans. This seems to be an ample solution after putting my wallet in shock. :D Ah! I'm also in the process of doing the mic mod with a possible inline mute button once I find out how to do that.:confused: I have looked into the Datel headset adapter but for personal preferences I rather have an inline mute button closer to my head.

I bought the beyerdynamic dt880 and a Astro MixAmp. Is this amp enough to drive the headphones? If not any suggestions on what to buy to help amplify? I use it just for computer gaming via the optical out line and portability is not an issue but size is. A full on receiver isn't really possible. Any help here?

What a coincidence! Congrats on the purchase. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

I would also like suggestions of how to properly drive the DT880. I may upgrade later.

well, after being completely and utterly disappointed in H/K i went ahead and pulled the trigger on the yamaha rx-v663..... silent cinema here i come!

Wow my first post after reading ALL 70 pages of this very informative thread. Just want to give thanks to everyone who has contributed wonderful information. I am now a proud owner of the Beyer DT880 and the astro Mixamp. After 2 weeks of use I am very happy with the set up. I am now in the process of making a DIY altoids cmoy to help drive my cans. This seems to be an ample solution after putting my wallet in shock. :D Ah! I'm also in the process of doing the mic mod with a possible inline mute button once I find out how to do that.:confused: I have looked into the Datel headset adapter but for personal preferences I rather have an inline mute button closer to my head.



What a coincidence! Congrats on the purchase. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

I would also like suggestions of how to properly drive the DT880. I may upgrade later.

So far I like the setup but am not sure the MixAmp is driving the dt880s well enough. I cannot tell as this is my first dip into using headphones.

well, after being completely and utterly disappointed in H/K i went ahead and pulled the trigger on the yamaha rx-v663..... silent cinema here i come!
Should have a better amp section to drive your headphones better too. SC gives you way more options, & isn't limited to 16 bit 44/48. I was playing with some DSP options.. & for P inital I put room as 0.6. But for Surround Inital I put the room size at 2.0, which is the max. You lose the dreaded echo, that some people complained about with DH.. It's like everything is upclose that is suppose to be up close, like people talking to you, while the ambience noise sounds like it's coming from outside your head. The best IE of this is the boat scene in Jaws.. Where they are around a table bragging about their wounds.. Even when I knew what to expect, & was late at night, instincts kept me look back, fooling my mind that the noise was outside in the back somewhere.

So far I like the setup but am not sure the MixAmp is driving the dt880s well enough. I cannot tell as this is my first dip into using headphones.
The amp is used for low OHM headphones, but I never heard complaints from users who have the 880/mix combo.

Brace yourselves:)

Razors Maladolon is coming!! It's Razors new 7.1 gaming headset!! I like how they are abandoning the 8 driver crap after this thread has blossomed. I take for credit for this..:cool: They are using a 'advanced' algorhm 800% times faster then other SS DSP's.. & better at more accurate at positioning. The price is 150.00 which is really too low, considering the 'state of the art' that you get.. Which tells me, shoddy production & BQ.. They had to cut many corners to have a 150.00 price tag..

I still love my DT 48a's for gaming.. Probably the most detailed closed can in production, or ever!! As these were made for hearing test & ENT specialist instead of audio reproduction.

Brace yourselves:)

Razors Maladolon is coming!! It's Razors new 7.1 gaming headset!! I like how they are abandoning the 8 driver crap after this thread has blossomed. I take for credit for this..:cool: They are using a 'advanced' algorhm 800% times faster then other SS DSP's.. & better at more accurate at positioning. The price is 150.00 which is really too low, considering the 'state of the art' that you get.. Which tells me, shoddy production & BQ.. They had to cut many corners to have a 150.00 price tag..

I still love my DT 48a's for gaming.. Probably the most detailed closed can in production, or ever!! As these were made for hearing test & ENT specialist instead of audio reproduction.

First turtle beach and now razors... oh my!

First turtle beach and now razors... oh my!
We showed them the way..

DT48 fanboy rant. I had these for almost two weeks, & make every headphone I have owned look like toys, & that would probably go for other headphones in production. If the 880's/650/701s are hi end, these would be ultra hi end. Only the 1000 K1000 has wowed me like the DT's have. You just know they are special. For the price of a new pair, 300-447, they are truly a bargain, as their nuetrality, decay, detail, midrange, & accuracy rivals that of headphones costing 3x-6x's as much.

Detail. It reveals more then my balanced SA5000/DAC1 combo, & if you know anything about the SA5000/DAC1, you will know how detailed it is.. Every game, film, DVD & Blu Ray, I played I noticed something my SA5000/DAC1 combo missed. One thing, dialogue thats hard to understand is now audible. I even noticed, different layering of detail, when watching Kill Bill.. The bride Vs Go Go.. Spinning the ball & chain, the swoosh, & chain rattling, were like two different identities, instead of being lumped together. Same applies for gaming.

Midrange is one of the best in any headphone. The DT48's was made with a heavy emphasis in the midrange.. You will know if the lead vocalist had a off day, sore throat, or hoarse when the song was recorded.

Neutral. Totally Flat FR. What comes in goes out unfiltered. No frequency is emphasized. You hear what the artist/director/game developer wanted you to hear.

Soundstage. Sorry guys, the Soundstage is about normal size, but is the most coherent & accurate I have heard. I call it as ears with X ray vision. & SC does enlarge the Soundstage with no ill effects. I'm sure DH will to.

Seperation/Decay. Every note/cord/sound effect has a life of it's own. Seperation is even better then the 880's. If you hear a stampede of enemies you will know how many of them are coming by hearing their foot steps. How many pairs.

Fidelity/Clarity. The clarity is amazing. They make the 880's sound veiled & congested in comparison. My SA5000 too.

Not all is rosy.

Sound sounds like a AM station due to the flat response. These phones only excel in 2-3 genres. If you want to get your toes tapping, these won't due, they are lifeless.. Same for gaming..If you want to experience audio bliss, with nice colorization, these are not for you.. But after listening to them almost exclusively, they are starting to make me boogie.:p & the bass has virtually no impact, very anti climatic with games that demand boom, but the bass quality is top notch.

I rate these very highly for completive play & poor for mindless/casual gaming, unless you appreciate their strengths, which are truly impressive. Many regulars that post in this thread would scoff at spending 300-400 for a headphone, but if you are a world rated pro gamer with a 6 figure income you would be a fool not to.. & some can be found used on Ebay for 75.00-200.00. I paid 275.00 & have no regrets at all..

Sorry but I don't have time to go through all these pages, this thread is so huge.

I'm wanting to get some good headphones to use for gaming on my PC or my PS3. I want them to have a mic for voice chat and everything too.

I was looking at the Astro A40's that have been mentioned a few times and many people suggest getting different headphones....

Since the only way I'm going to be able to output sound separately from the PS3 is ToSLink optical I'm going to need something that accepts that.

So pretty much my only option no matter what headphones I get, is I'm going to need the Astro MixAMP or the JVC surround sound adapter thing right? I'm I incorrect to say that?

Sorry but I don't have time to go through all these pages, this thread is so huge.

I'm wanting to get some good headphones to use for gaming on my PC or my PS3. I want them to have a mic for voice chat and everything too.

I was looking at the Astro A40's that have been mentioned a few times and many people suggest getting different headphones....

Since the only way I'm going to be able to output sound separately from the PS3 is ToSLink optical I'm going to need something that accepts that.

So pretty much my only option no matter what headphones I get, is I'm going to need the Astro MixAMP or the JVC surround sound adapter thing right? I'm I incorrect to say that?

You can plug the headphones to the TV via adapter cables.. L/R on the back of your tv.. But won't give you the 5.1 SS.

Hmm yea I just looked up the specs of my TV and it does have 1 RCA L/R output, and 1 optical output.....But if I do that I won't be able to control the volume at all will I?

EDIT:: Sorry I forgot to mention. I need to avoid any/all HT equipment as I do not have any. All I've got is my PS3 and TV and plan to keep it that way as I don't have the money for a home theatre system at the moment.

Hmm yea I just looked up the specs of my TV and it does have 1 RCA L/R output, and 1 optical output.....But if I do that I won't be able to control the volume at all will I?

EDIT:: Sorry I forgot to mention. I need to avoid any/all HT equipment as I do not have any. All I've got is my PS3 and TV and plan to keep it that way as I don't have the money for a home theatre system at the moment.
Sure you can, via the volume control on your TV.

Hmmmmmm so if I have my PS3 hooked up with HDMI (As I do now) I can just plug the headphones in to the RCA L/R output on the TV (with a 3.5 to L/R adapter of course) and it will output the audio from the PS3? Somehow I just don't think it works like that, I don't know why. But I guess you're the Czar right? :P

I'd like to get some nice headphones though so not taking advantage of Dolby Headphone seems pretty foolish. But for that I will need either an amp/receiver, astro mixamp, or the jvc 5.1 thing...leaning towards the mixamp since the jvc only runs on batteries and that would be annoying.

Either way, thanks for the info.....will just have to decide on some headphones now.

How are the Koss SB40's for gaming strictly on PS3 for FPS games? I've heard they've got a big soundstage which is good, but how is the clarity? Looking for some input; I don't want to buy a separate amp I'm just looking for some headphones that are good without amp *I know it helps* and are comfortable. Right now I've got my PS3 hooked up via HDMI to my tv and the composite cables that came with it are connected to some stereo speakers I found *sound a lot better than the tvs speakers* via RCA.

Thanks, One2The3

Hmmmmmm so if I have my PS3 hooked up with HDMI (As I do now) I can just plug the headphones in to the RCA L/R output on the TV (with a 3.5 to L/R adapter of course) and it will output the audio from the PS3? Somehow I just don't think it works like that, I don't know why. But I guess you're the Czar right? :P

I'd like to get some nice headphones though so not taking advantage of Dolby Headphone seems pretty foolish. But for that I will need either an amp/receiver, astro mixamp, or the jvc 5.1 thing...leaning towards the mixamp since the jvc only runs on batteries and that would be annoying.

Either way, thanks for the info.....will just have to decide on some headphones now.

What you need to do is hook up the Mixamp to the PS3 optical out port. When you want to listen to your headphone you need to go to the PS3 Sound Settings and switch from HDMI to Optical Bitstream. It sucks going through that trouble, but it is what I have to do with my setup since my AV receiver will not output HDMI audio via the optical out port.

How are the Koss SB40's for gaming strictly on PS3 for FPS games? I've heard they've got a big soundstage which is good, but how is the clarity? Looking for some input; I don't want to buy a separate amp I'm just looking for some headphones that are good without amp *I know it helps* and are comfortable. Right now I've got my PS3 hooked up via HDMI to my tv and the composite cables that came with it are connected to some stereo speakers I found *sound a lot better than the tvs speakers* via RCA.

Thanks, One2The3
hardforum.com has a big thread on the SB40's. I'd look there.

Brace yourselves:)

Razors Maladolon is coming!! It's Razors new 7.1 gaming headset!! I like how they are abandoning the 8 driver crap after this thread has blossomed. I take for credit for this..:cool: They are using a 'advanced' algorhm 800% times faster then other SS DSP's.. & better at more accurate at positioning. The price is 150.00 which is really too low, considering the 'state of the art' that you get.. Which tells me, shoddy production & BQ.. They had to cut many corners to have a 150.00 price tag..

I still love my DT 48a's for gaming.. Probably the most detailed closed can in production, or ever!! As these were made for hearing test & ENT specialist instead of audio reproduction.

http://www2.razerzone.com/Megalodon/

I may buy these and try them out when they hit the market

It seems that it only has a USB connector...

http://www2.razerzone.com/Megalodon/

I may buy these and try them out when they hit the market

It seems that it only has a USB connector...
They might actually be good..

http://www2.razerzone.com/Megalodon/

I may buy these and try them out when they hit the market

It seems that it only has a USB connector...

Look cool. :cool: I wonder what the chances are that they'll make an Xbox 360 and/or PS3 compatible version someday...? :confused:

Thanks KBI. I forgot to search there (also a member there too!). Its going to be my first entry into the headphone world so I'm just gathering different outlooks. Seems to be the right one but wow $30 bucks seems like such a steal!

Thanks KBI. I forgot to search there (also a member there too!). Its going to be my first entry into the headphone world so I'm just gathering different outlooks. Seems to be the right one but wow $30 bucks seems like such a steal!
Yep..

so the sound quality is really good? can you compare them to the x4 earphones by turtle beach? does it sound like surround sound?

im planning on buying earphones soon, just not sure which ones. thanks for the help

does anyone know the difference between the Astro A40 and the X4 Earphones by turtle beach? i would like to get 1 of the 2 but not sure which is better for sound quality, surround sound, talking to ppl and auto adjusting the voice and all the bells and whistles.

help is greatly appreciated.

sunny

Of the two I'd definetly buy the Astros.

KBI - what's your opinion on the Beyer DT48 vs the AKG K701?

hey KBI, when you get a minute, i'd like to know how to set custom silent cinema parameters, and your recommendation for settings for 5.1 input (360), as far as reducing the echo while maximizing the ability to pinpoint sounds and soundstage.

thanks in advance.

KBI - what's your opinion on the Beyer DT48 vs the AKG K701?

No offense, but the 48's make my other headphones sound like mere toys. I haven't used my other headphones since I got them, & am afraid to cause it would be a downgrade. They trump the 701's in detail, midrange, clarity, neutrality, accuracy, seperation & decay.. The 701's has better bass impact & much larger sound stage, but it's no where near as coherent as the 48's. You never heard a headphone like the 48's.. Very different sounding. But they are not fun headphones.. bass impact is weak, but 100% depends on the source. If a song has a lot of bass you will have more bass slam. If a song doesn't you will have less bass slam. They are analytical, sterile, & dry. These headphones aren't made for everybody.

hey KBI, when you get a minute, i'd like to know how to set custom silent cinema parameters, and your recommendation for settings for 5.1 input (360), as far as reducing the echo while maximizing the ability to pinpoint sounds and soundstage.

thanks in advance.
connect a hdmi cable to your TV to the receivers hdmi out port. This allows you to view the menu on your tv screen. You can only increase or decrease what is already in the DSP soundfield. You can't add or create your own. To lessen the echo, I'd turn down P room to .06 or below.. While raising the S & SB room parameters to 2.0.. So you will still get the spaciousness with 5.1 sound. I haven't found the perfect settings yet. I been playing around with all 22 DSP sound fields, cause each one is inherently different from the others. I would also raise the DSP DB to 3, for greater impact. You can also play with the initial/Surround/surround back delay parameters to see how you like it. SC is not as spacious as DH, and falls a bit behind in the seperation area.. But SC is good at portraying a 3D soundscape.. Like a pop up book.. The DH, while good, always seemed to falter in that area.

connect a hdmi cable to your TV to the receivers hdmi out port. This allows you to view the menu on your tv screen. You can only increase or decrease what is already in the DSP soundfield. You can't add or create your own. To lessen the echo, I'd turn down P room to .06 or below.. While raising the S & SB room parameters to 2.0.. So you will still get the spaciousness with 5.1 sound. I haven't found the perfect settings yet. I been playing around with all 22 DSP sound fields, cause each one is inherently different from the others. I would also raise the DSP DB to 3, for greater impact. You can also play with the initial/Surround/surround back delay parameters to see how you like it. SC is not as spacious as DH, and falls a bit behind in the seperation area.. But SC is good at portraying a 3D soundscape.. Like a pop up book.. The DH, while good, always seemed to falter in that area.


yea, i have hdmi connected for my oppo and hddvr, i have used the OSD, but i dont remember seeing silent cinema settings... in my osd i have 5 or so choices when i go into manual, is there a certain menu tree i'm looking for?

yea, i have hdmi connected for my oppo and hddvr, i have used the OSD, but i dont remember seeing silent cinema settings... in my osd i have 5 or so choices when i go into manual, is there a certain menu tree i'm looking for?
Yes.. Not at my house right now though. But they will still pop up on the front display. I believe you press the parameter button on the remote. You can switch them with the right & left arrow key. Pressing the select button on a particular dsp will allow you to change them. Theres also a music enhancer dsp. I find this particularly good for gaming. Sound is more upfront & dynamic. It extends the highs & lows that are lost with compressed formats like mp3s.. But still works for games & movies.. The audio seems to be 'stretched' further left & right.. It's like the audio wraps behind your ears. Interesting & worthwhile for getting a extended left & right 'view'.

thanks, i'll play around with it a little.

Kenwood just released a number of receivers including the KRF-V8300D which supports DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Headphone. How would this compare to other receivers for use with headphones?

You can find more information on the KRF-V8300D on the following page: http://www.kenwood.eu/products/home/separates/avcc/KRF-V8300D/

I just ordered the MDR F1.. Sony's ultra open headphone, which was made to deliver a wide stereo sound stage.. The drivers are angled differently, & your ears are like 4 inches away from the driver, to deliver a mini soundfield. Someone says the sound stage is bigger then the 701's & better.. It's more like mini speakers around your ears.

I'm afraid I don't know much (read: anything) about sound systems, having usually only ever used my TV and monitor's built-in speakers. However, I'm heading out to college soon, and want to get myself a pair of nice phones for quality listening in my dorm.

I'm looking at a sub-$100 price point (including needed amps), so I know that limits my options, and (here's the major issue) I would like them to work with my PC, PS3, and (if possible, this is really my lowest concern) an old MacBook I'm buying off of my brother. Also, a built-in mic would be nice, as I'd use them about evenly for games and music, and not so much for films.

I actually found this thread searching for reviews of the Tritton AX360s, which appealed to me because of the built-in mic and included 5.1 amplifier... However, it seems that people seem to be turning against the 8-driver arrays or something else I don't really understand. Surround sound isn't a major concern for me, but I'm no audiophile and if the addition of 5.1 is going to improve my experience more than an extra $100 of increased quality, soundstage, etc., then I'll jump for it.

So, if anyone has some good suggestions for cheapish but good headphones, preferably with mics and possibly 5.1-enabled, I'd love to hear them!

I'm afraid I don't know much (read: anything) about sound systems, having usually only ever used my TV and monitor's built-in speakers. However, I'm heading out to college soon, and want to get myself a pair of nice phones for quality listening in my dorm.

I'm looking at a sub-$100 price point (including needed amps), so I know that limits my options, and (here's the major issue) I would like them to work with my PC, PS3, and (if possible, this is really my lowest concern) an old MacBook I'm buying off of my brother. Also, a built-in mic would be nice, as I'd use them about evenly for games and music, and not so much for films.

I actually found this thread searching for reviews of the Tritton AX360s, which appealed to me because of the built-in mic and included 5.1 amplifier... However, it seems that people seem to be turning against the 8-driver arrays or something else I don't really understand. Surround sound isn't a major concern for me, but I'm no audiophile and if the addition of 5.1 is going to improve my experience more than an extra $100 of increased quality, soundstage, etc., then I'll jump for it.

So, if anyone has some good suggestions for cheapish but good headphones, preferably with mics and possibly 5.1-enabled, I'd love to hear them!

JVC harx900.. Comparable to the AT D900..But the JVC cost around 60 shipped.. Best bargain in hi end sound.. But no mic. Would need a clip on.

the JVC cost around 60 shipped.. Best bargain in hi end sound.. But no mic. Would need a clip on.

KBI... is it confirmed that the JVC Dolby Headphone unit for sound plus clip-on mic+adapter in the 360 controller's port work? :confused:

hey guys, been a while since I visited this thread...since then, I purchased a solid pair of AD700s, but I have a concern. When used with the headphone on my Logitech Z-2300s, there is a noticeable "popping" sound every once in a while, and is even more noticeable when I turn on and off my desk lamp, which sits about 2 feet away...suggestions???

hey guys, been a while since I visited this thread...since then, I purchased a solid pair of AD700s, but I have a concern. When used with the headphone on my Logitech Z-2300s, there is a noticeable "popping" sound every once in a while, and is even more noticeable when I turn on and off my desk lamp, which sits about 2 feet away...suggestions???
That is a problem with your logitech receiver that cannot be fixed, that i'm aware of. It is a form of power surge when you turn on and off equipment that is attached to the same outlet as your receiver.

My F1's came in today!! Woo Hoo.

JVC harx900.. Comparable to the AT D900..But the JVC cost around 60 shipped.. Best bargain in hi end sound.. But no mic. Would need a clip on.

So you'd say these are better than dedicated SS headphones? Would you recommend getting a 5.1 adapter for them as well? (How does that even work, seeing how they are stereo headphones... I assumed the ability to do SS with phones came from having multiple, angled drivers.)

Edit: I also see that the Senn 555s (which look lovely, but their open design means they'd be sure to annoy roommates) tout that their design makes them comfortable to wear with glasses... Would that be the same with the Harx900 to your knowledge?

My F1's came in today!! Woo Hoo.
Compare to the DT880s, if you would for me; soundstage, detail, bass

I have some advice for you. You see I play halo 2 very competitively and am even ranked semi pro in the MLG league if you have ever heard of it(http://www.mlgpro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132207 gamertag is Cloud). Anyways I can tell you right now that the best headphone you can get is the seinheisser 555. Nearly every professional Halo player uses these headphones and I can assure you they sound better than any 5.1 surround set. They are also extremely light and comfortable, sometimes you will forget they are even there. And I had those turtle beach phones and they are terrible, and as for the tritton dont bother because they are heavy and your ears will be hurting in a matter of minutes(they sound good though).

The only thing is they dont have a headset built in but I just use a regular headset under the headphones and it works perfectly.

That's a relief; I'm expecting my 360 in soon and have been wondering what to do for sound. I have the hd555s and they are GREAT. I was thinking about putting the headset under it but wasn't sure how well it would work.

KBI, I'm really liking the look of the JVC, as they appear to be closed and of a good quality, but it seems that, despite a few Amazon sellers selling them, JVC's own website (http://av.jvc.com/product.jsp?pathId=102) does not seem to mention the HA-RX900 at all... Is it an old model that they no longer produce or something?

Compare to the DT880s, if you would for me; soundstage, detail, bass

The F1's spacial abilities are excellent. Overall the soundstage is bigger then the 880's/701's.. This is due due to the design. Doesn't feel like headphones, more like speakers hanging on your ears. So this allows for a very holographic, 3D soundstage.. It's not artificial like the 701's.. Just feels natural. It's greatest strength is left & right extention, & depth.. Very easily to pin point locations in FPSers.. It's so good, it's like someone is physically turning you to where the sound is coming from. Feels like second nature, no brain work involved. Very intuitive. The bass is very unique.. Doesn't sound forced like a lot of headphones, where air is being pushed out.. The bass has room to breath, & able to do it's thing.. Detail is good, but more forgiving then then the 880's. Overall the 880's are Hi end, the F1's are entry level hi end, minus the strength which I would consider hi end, compared to headphones under a grand..Dynamic headphones.

KBI, I'm really liking the look of the JVC, as they appear to be closed and of a good quality, but it seems that, despite a few Amazon sellers selling them, JVC's own website (http://av.jvc.com/product.jsp?pathId=102) does not seem to mention the HA-RX900 at all... Is it an old model that they no longer produce or something?
buy.com is selling them. They are brand new.

So you'd say these are better than dedicated SS headphones? Would you recommend getting a 5.1 adapter for them as well? (How does that even work, seeing how they are stereo headphones... I assumed the ability to do SS with phones came from having multiple, angled drivers.)

Edit: I also see that the Senn 555s (which look lovely, but their open design means they'd be sure to annoy roommates) tout that their design makes them comfortable to wear with glasses... Would that be the same with the Harx900 to your knowledge?
Much better then SS interms of SQ.. 5.1 adapters are effective for stereo headphones.. They use 5.1 DSP to immulate SS.. Just plug the headphones into the device & optical to the device & gaming console.

Not sure.

The F1's spacial abilities are excellent. Overall the soundstage is bigger then the 880's/701's.. This is due due to the design. Doesn't feel like headphones, more like speakers hanging on your ears. So this allows for a very holographic, 3D soundstage.. It's not artificial like the 701's.. Just feels natural. It's greatest strength is left & right extention, & depth.. Very easily to pin point locations in FPSers.. It's so good, it's like someone is physically turning you to where the sound is coming from. Feels like second nature, no brain work involved. Very intuitive. The bass is very unique.. Doesn't sound forced like a lot of headphones, where air is being pushed out.. The bass has room to breath, & able to do it's thing.. Detail is good, but more forgiving then then the 880's. Overall the 880's are Hi end, the F1's are entry level hi end, minus the strength which I would consider hi end, compared to headphones under a grand..Dynamic headphones.
Thanks, bro.

The F1's soundstage really have me impressed. How are the F1's with DSP? How are the mids? Would you consider them better gaming headphones then the 880s?

Thanks, bro.

The F1's soundstage really have me impressed. How are the F1's with DSP? How are the mids? Would you consider them better gaming headphones then the 880s?
DSP also helps. Mids are pretty good..Maybe slightly recessed.. Better gaming cans then the 880's.Well, depends how much you favor SS.. The 880's have better detail & seperation. To me the F1's are definatly more enjoyable & fun when gaming, then the 880's.. DSP/F1's & Area 51 was a incredible experience.. Best I had out of all my other headphones.. They seem to excel at FPS. If you can find a pair for 150.00 I'd grab one.. 300 is really pushing it..

I'm waiting for more info on the AXPRO's also. There is so much debate between a 2 ch. quality headphones with a 5.1 adapter vs. 2 ch. gaming specific headset with 5.1 adapter vs. "true" 5.1 gaming specific headset... I'm so confused on what to buy...

BEST:
Astro Mixamp + $100-$200 quality headphones (Sen 595, AT 900) : $230-$330

- add separate clip on mic (cheap) - headphones can be found on ebay plus live.com coupon could make it cheaper

GREAT (for games):
Astro A40 package: $250

The older model has more positive reviews than negative :
Tritton AXPRO: $169 ($139 if somehow you can get the preorder price)

Overall, I know it depends on budget and needs. I don't mind spending $300 max, and this setup will be xbox 360 only, and wired only (for best quality). No music, movies, etc. I know people have been debating over that, but this thread should be about the best "gaming" headphones. But I think discussions also change when choosing between "headphones" vs "headsets".

The AXPRO's are supposed to be shipping out next week...

fyi... I am no expert, but I assume any of the $100+ solutions will be sufficient for most gamers. Plus, sorry if I've been repetitive to any other post in this thread.

I'm waiting for more info on the AXPRO's also. There is so much debate between a 2 ch. quality headphones with a 5.1 adapter vs. 2 ch. gaming specific headset with 5.1 adapter vs. "true" 5.1 gaming specific headset... I'm so confused on what to buy...

BEST:
Astro Mixamp + $100-$200 quality headphones (Sen 595, AT 900) : $230-$330

- add separate clip on mic (cheap) - headphones can be found on ebay plus live.com coupon could make it cheaper

GREAT (for games):
Astro A40 package: $250

The older model has more positive reviews than negative :
Tritton AXPRO: $169 ($139 if somehow you can get the preorder price)

Overall, I know it depends on budget and needs. I don't mind spending $300 max, and this setup will be xbox 360 only, and wired only (for best quality). No music, movies, etc. I know people have been debating over that, but this thread should be about the best "gaming" headphones. But I think discussions also change when choosing between "headphones" vs "headsets".

The AXPRO's are supposed to be shipping out next week...

fyi... I am no expert, but I assume any of the $100+ solutions will be sufficient for most gamers. Plus, sorry if I've been repetitive to any other post in this thread.
Theres no debate. 2 Channel headphones will always beat out 5.1 headphones with multiple drivers. 5.1 DSP's are good enough to simulate 5.1 sound.. And when 5.1 headtracking becomes less expensive, it will be a no brainer. I see multiple driver headphones going the way of the do do bird. Razor and TB now use 5.1-7.1 DSP in their latest flagship headphones. Looks like Tritton is being a bit stuborn, clinging to the supposed superiority that digital 5.1 headphones have over 2 channel stereo headphones. What a farce.

You would be doing your ears a disservice buying any 'gaming' headphone over a 'non' gaming headphone. I would recommend the following.
Sony MDR F1.. They can't be touched in width, depth, and extension of sound stage. They are speaker like, holographic and 3D with some great spatial abilities.. Only the K1000 and Sony PV1 beat then in the speaker like presentation and speaker like sound stage. 150-300 depending on vendor.
AKG 601.. Another great gaming headphone with a huge soundstage, and overall more spacious then the F1's. 180-429.
AT 700 (open version). Good audio accuracy for placing directional sound.. Has a pleasing colorization to the audio. 104-200.
DT880.. Great detail and clarity. Forward, out of head presentation.. Has 5.1 characteristics. 188-479.
Add the mix amp/JVC adapter and you will be set for 5.1. If you have a Yamaha use it's Silent Cinema. Simulates 5.1 well. Or you can use any receivers 5.1 DSP mode.. Even Pro Logic II helps to fill out the sound when using headphones.

Tritton AXPro
http://www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIGA611.htm

Can't believe they are going the cheap bastard route with the 8 driver setup, just to save money on the Dolby Headphone licensing. But that's the reason they are under $200.

Great informative thread!

If my criteria was:
1. Wireless
2. DH
3. I don't care about a mic but will play my 360 with them and watch movies
4. 2.4 vs ir if possible so I could share the headphones between my theatre and bedroom

Any suggestions?

I was looking at the pioneer's from japan but have read that the xbox controller causes interference with them.

Tritton AXPro
http://www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIGA611.htm

Can't believe they are going the cheap bastard route with the 8 driver setup, just to save money on the Dolby Headphone licensing. But that's the reason they are under $200.
Sigh.. Marketing at it's finest.. True 5.1!..All those drivers are to close to each other.. Trouble waiting to happen. Will the AXPro have fake bass again? I can't beleive people spend money on this novelty act.

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[QUOTE=shepP;14990443]Great informative thread!

If my criteria was:
1. Wireless
2. DH
3. I don't care about a mic but will play my 360 with them and watch movies
4. 2.4 vs ir if possible so I could share the headphones between my theatre and bedroom

Any suggestions?

I was looking at the pioneer's from japan but have read that the xbox controller causes interference with them.[/QUOTE
They must be wireless?

Wireless is a must as all my equipment is located outside of the theatre room in an equipment closet. Running a wire from the closet to the seating area would be a huge pain. If no wireless solution was plausible then that would be my last resort.

2.4 would be better than ir as I could then share sources with my plasma in the bedroom. IR would also force me to run a long optical cable through the wall to a spot in the room.

I tried both RF and IR wireless headphones and ended up running a coax cable (composite cable from Monoprice.com) to my sitting position which is connected to my Astro MixAmp for DH surround sound. RF had too much background noise and IR had too many drop outs.

If you guys are wondering about the JVC's, check Computer Audio under the HardForums. A whole thread about these gems was made and there's even a comparison thread between the JVC HARX700 and the HARX900.

hey guys...ive read as many pages as i can for today lol...a good read.

basically im after headphones for the 360 that will enable me to hear all the sounds around maps e.g. footsteps, glass breaking etc. i know turtle beaches are recommended however after reading some posts ive realized there is many better options for cheaper...am i right?..if so can anyone recommend me a good headphones for £50 (my max budget) that sound better than turtle beaches.

i know other headphones dont have mics etc. i dont mind about that as im willing to purchase the zalman mic and connect that with the datel adapter to allow the mute function.

hope someone can help...back to reading :)

oh...and i came across these headphones = mic.....there replicas of the discontinued Turtle Beach X2's....now speed-link produce them....for £50 i dont...what do u guys think????

TYPE THIS INTO GOOGLE

Speed-link ingame wireless gaming headset


sorry cant post links as i have less than 3 posts.

check them out guys...let me know if anyone has them or heard about them...reviews are hard to come buy...but i guess they are just X2's re branded.

hey guys...ive read as many pages as i can for today lol...a good read.

basically im after headphones for the 360 that will enable me to hear all the sounds around maps e.g. footsteps, glass breaking etc. i know turtle beaches are recommended however after reading some posts ive realized there is many better options for cheaper...am i right?..if so can anyone recommend me a good headphones for £50 (my max budget) that sound better than turtle beaches.

i know other headphones dont have mics etc. i dont mind about that as im willing to purchase the zalman mic and connect that with the datel adapter to allow the mute function.

hope someone can help...back to reading :)
Anyone who has ninja gaiden 1 for the 360 or Sigma on the ps3, use DH or SC. Chapter 12. When you fight them blue monsters. When they respawn, you can easily tell when they are in the back. It's a good demo to showcase how well a good 5.1 dsp can give you ss with 2 channel headphones.. It could be my 240 Sextetts. They seem to mate better with DH and SC then my other cans. 30 yr old headphones for the win.

hey guys...ive read as many pages as i can for today lol...a good read.

basically im after headphones for the 360 that will enable me to hear all the sounds around maps e.g. footsteps, glass breaking etc. i know turtle beaches are recommended however after reading some posts ive realized there is many better options for cheaper...am i right?..if so can anyone recommend me a good headphones for £50 (my max budget) that sound better than turtle beaches.

i know other headphones dont have mics etc. i dont mind about that as im willing to purchase the zalman mic and connect that with the datel adapter to allow the mute function.

hope someone can help...back to reading :)

What will you be connecting your headphones to? I read about plenty of gamers using the Senn HD 280 Pros, which I think you can get in your price range.

FYI the Zalman mic will not work with the Datel adapter as the Zalman has a 3.5mm mic plug whereas the Datel is made for 2.5mm headsets. Perhaps someone on here can advise as to how they use the Zalman with their 360. The other option you have is to take a cell phone headset and adapt it for your purposes.

What will you be connecting your headphones to? I read about plenty of gamers using the Senn HD 280 Pros, which I think you can get in your price range.

FYI the Zalman mic will not work with the Datel adapter as the Zalman has a 3.5mm mic plug whereas the Datel is made for 2.5mm headsets. Perhaps someone on here can advise as to how they use the Zalman with their 360. The other option you have is to take a cell phone headset and adapt it for your purposes.

i will be connecting the headphones to the RCA cables from the back of my 360 elite...is that ok?

yeh i know the zalman mic is a 3.5mm...to use it with the datel adaptor i will be using a 3.5mm to 2.5mm convertor..which can be bought cheaply :).

does that sound ok???

i will be connecting the headphones to the RCA cables from the back of my 360 elite...is that ok?

yeh i know the zalman mic is a 3.5mm...to use it with the datel adaptor i will be using a 3.5mm to 2.5mm convertor..which can be bought cheaply :).

does that sound ok???

Not really. The RCA cables coming out of your 360 are line-level and therefore un-amplified. Depending on how sensitive your headphones are, the sound will likely be hard to hear, and you won't have any volume control. Check your TV to see if you have a headphone output - at least that will be amplified. If not, you will need to find a way to amplify that signal, do you have a receiver?

A lot of us on this forum use gear that processes surround sound for headphones. The benefit to this not only will you hear every footstep clearly because you're using headphones, you will also hear what direction it came from, including in front or behind you. I have the Astro Mixamp (astrogaming.com), which is designed to work with the 360 and has a lot of great features. There are other options out there; take a look at KBI's signature for links to some other options available to you.

Not really. The RCA cables coming out of your 360 are line-level and therefore un-amplified. Depending on how sensitive your headphones are, the sound will likely be hard to hear, and you won't have any volume control. Check your TV to see if you have a headphone output - at least that will be amplified. If not, you will need to find a way to amplify that signal, do you have a receiver?

A lot of us on this forum use gear that processes surround sound for headphones. The benefit to this not only will you hear every footstep clearly because you're using headphones, you will also hear what direction it came from, including in front or behind you. I have the Astro Mixamp (astrogaming.com), which is designed to work with the 360 and has a lot of great features. There are other options out there; take a look at KBI's signature for links to some other options available to you.

ok, thanx....well my 360 is played on a 24" monitor via HDMI, but i also got this bit of equipment with my 360... http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/131322-xbox_cable1_350.jpg

that allows me to have video via hdmi and then my own sound output to any device.
also my monitor does have a headphone socket, but i thought the sound might be clearer coming straight from the 360...guess i was wrong.

ok, thanx....well my 360 is played on a 24" monitor via HDMI, but i also got this bit of equipment with my 360... http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/131322-xbox_cable1_350.jpg

that allows me to have video via hdmi and then my own sound output to any device.
also my monitor does have a headphone socket, but i thought the sound might be clearer coming straight from the 360...guess i was wrong.

well the issue is like he said, thats a line level signal, and you'll have no volume control.

you need a receiver, or even a small headphone amp with a volume control.

if it were me, i'd spend ~$20 on craigslist for a 5.1 pioneer receiver with optical input... it'll take up desk/shelf space, but you wont beat the functionality for the price.

ok, thanx....well my 360 is played on a 24" monitor via HDMI, but i also got this bit of equipment with my 360... http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/131322-xbox_cable1_350.jpg

that allows me to have video via hdmi and then my own sound output to any device.
also my monitor does have a headphone socket, but i thought the sound might be clearer coming straight from the 360...guess i was wrong.
Your monitor may pick up the audio from the HDMI cable. If it does, then you should be able to just plug your headphones into its headphone jack. If not, then you will need to use your audio output gizmo to route sound through your monitor.

yeh my monitor does allow me to hear the sound using the hdmi...so if i connect good headphones to the headphone port then i will get crisp sound, allowing me to hear all the little sounds around the map?

yeh my monitor does allow me to hear the sound using the hdmi...so if i connect good headphones to the headphone port then i will get crisp sound, allowing me to hear all the little sounds around the map?

Yes you will be able to hear the sounds well and you should also be able to distinguish left vs right (but not front vs back).

If you would, please post the adapters that you end up getting to connect your Zalman mic to your 360 controller. I had a hard time finding the right adapters when I looked into it.

Yes you will be able to hear the sounds well and you should also be able to distinguish left vs right (but not front vs back).

If you would, please post the adapters that you end up getting to connect your Zalman mic to your 360 controller. I had a hard time finding the right adapters when I looked into it.


ok thank you again.

how can i get left, right, front and back?....will that involve e.g. astro amp?

below are links to convert 3.5mm to 2.5mm...small cheap adaptors. :)

http://www.discountcell.com/cellular/images/SKN6183a.jpg

http://www.t2retail.co.uk/Block/3_5mm_To_2_5mm_Stereo_Audio_Adapter

ok thank you again.

how can i get left, right, front and back?....will that involve e.g. astro amp?

below are links to convert 3.5mm to 2.5mm...small cheap adaptors. :)

http://www.discountcell.com/cellular/images/SKN6183a.jpg

http://www.t2retail.co.uk/Block/3_5mm_To_2_5mm_Stereo_Audio_Adapter

In order to experience convincing surround sound, you'd need to have one of the 5.1 adapters. The Astro setup is great for gaming as it includes Dolby Headphone processing, and also mixes in voice/chat from Xbox Live.

the JVC unit will also give you surround simulation, it is cheaper but does not mix game voice like the astro unit.

http://www.amazon.com/JVC-SUDH1-Surround-Headphone-Adaptor/dp/B000ETBZ5G

ok thank you again.

how can i get left, right, front and back?....will that involve e.g. astro amp?

below are links to convert 3.5mm to 2.5mm...small cheap adaptors. :)

http://www.discountcell.com/cellular/images/SKN6183a.jpg

http://www.t2retail.co.uk/Block/3_5mm_To_2_5mm_Stereo_Audio_Adapter

I'm not sure those adapters will work. The first one is designed to allow someone with stereo headphones to listen to audio out of a cellphone. I don't think you can plug a microphone into it and transmit audio like you would need to for voice/chat on the 360. The second one is a stereo adapter so it only has 3 leads whereas the 2.5mm headset requires 4 leads.

FYI, I ended up getting to Astro partly out of frustration in trying to solve the problem of how to get a mic to work with the 360.

I can't see why any adapter wouldn't work. They serve no function other than "adapting" the size of connection. I even used a splitter with the Astro to allow my son to sit next to me with headphones at the same time I was using mine. Worked fine. No different than me using an adapter to change the size of the 595's I'm using. They have the huge plug (not sure of the size) and I use the adapter to make it the smaller 3.5 connection.

I can't see why any adapter wouldn't work. They serve no function other than "adapting" the size of connection. I even used a splitter with the Astro to allow my son to sit next to me with headphones at the same time I was using mine. Worked fine. No different than me using an adapter to change the size of the 595's I'm using. They have the huge plug (not sure of the size) and I use the adapter to make it the smaller 3.5 connection.

yeah im sure the little adaptor will work...i hope..ill do some research into it thought.

as i live in the UK its awkward getting hold or JVC HA-RX900 and 700's (unless anyone here knows a good UK retailer????)....so at the moment im looking at the sennheiser 555's or the goldring dr 150's.

there both similarly priced, but which headphones will be better for online gaming?

EDIT: does anyone know where i can buy the zalman mic (U.K. RETAILER PLEASE)

I can't see why any adapter wouldn't work. They serve no function other than "adapting" the size of connection. I even used a splitter with the Astro to allow my son to sit next to me with headphones at the same time I was using mine. Worked fine. No different than me using an adapter to change the size of the 595's I'm using. They have the huge plug (not sure of the size) and I use the adapter to make it the smaller 3.5 connection.

The diameter of the connection isn't the issue, it's the number of 'pins' that matter. Headphones typically have 3 leads (L,R, ground) whereas a headset has 4 (L,R, mic, ground), and a mic can have 2 or 3. Pairing up the wiring is where you can run into problems.

In this case, he is trying to pair up a microphone plug with a headset jack (on the 360 controller), and so the current needs to be correctly routed using this adapter as well. Does that make any sense?

(In your example with your headphone adapter, you are using an adapter that converts your 3.5mm stereo plug to a 1/4" stereo plug, but the 'wiring' is not affected. The tip is still + and the sleeve -.)

true, but the headset doesn't have l/r/mic/gnd, there is only one driver, so it's Snd/Mic/Gnd.

seeing that many people have had success with using an adapter for a clip on mic, i don't see why this wouldn't work

http://www.blueunplugged.com/dbimgs/2.5mm-large.jpg

mono audio will run on the left channel, and they pipe the mic through where the right channel would be.

or you could spend more money and get one of these with the ability to add headphones (just for chat, lol). it has dual 3.5mm plugs

http://www.powerdrive-computers.com/gallery/product/speed-link_products/sl-2337_2Popup.jpg

yeah im sure the little adaptor will work...i hope..ill do some research into it thought.

as i live in the UK its awkward getting hold or JVC HA-RX900 and 700's (unless anyone here knows a good UK retailer????)....so at the moment im looking at the sennheiser 555's or the goldring dr 150's.

there both similarly priced, but which headphones will be better for online gaming?

EDIT: does anyone know where i can buy the zalman mic (U.K. RETAILER PLEASE)
Goldring. They are a diamond in the rough, but virtually unheard of in the states.

or you could just solder 2 wires, m+ and m-

http://www.gamersreports.com/grimages/233/1133494381/3/1/gr.image.jpg

And I'm back, with one new, semi-unrelated question and an old classic:

-Is there any reason why the HA-RX 900 headphones seem to return no Google results outside of headphone forums and a handful of shopping sites? I understand they're new, but if they're so under-publicized, how do people know about them at all? I certainly can't find any reviews...

-Also, I believe someone on here mentioned the Zalman clip-on mic, which sounds great, but understandably uses a 3.5 mm connection. Does anyone know of a good, cheap 3.5 to USB adapter that will let me make this work with my PS3?

I could always just tear apart my old PS2 Logitech headset and use that as a USB clip-on, but its quality leaves a lot to be desired.

-Also, I believe someone on here mentioned the Zalman clip-on mic, which sounds great, but understandably uses a 3.5 mm connection. Does anyone know of a good, cheap 3.5 to USB adapter that will let me make this work with my PS3?

I could always just tear apart my old PS2 Logitech headset and use that as a USB clip-on, but its quality leaves a lot to be desired.

You could try the Music Fairy USB or Griffin's iMic (not as cheap)

Well looks like wireless isn't the way to go....

I was using a pair of sens. HD 570 until my pug ran off with them and now only one side works. So coming from this, what would you recommend.

1. DH with DTS so I can also watch movies...
2. As good or better than HD 570
3. Don't care about mic.

Well looks like wireless isn't the way to go....

I was using a pair of sens. HD 570 until my pug ran off with them and now only one side works. So coming from this, what would you recommend.

1. DH with DTS so I can also watch movies...
2. As good or better than HD 570
3. Don't care about mic.
Budget?

Under 400 if possible.... Damn stocks :P

I was looking at the music fairy on astro's website so I can use them with my PS3 but they say the Griffin IMIC is the best, does anyone have any experience with these? The Imic is atleast $20 or so more on ebay...

Under 400 if possible.... Damn stocks :P
AKG 601
DT 880
Sen 600
AD900
Denon 2000
DT990
Ultrasone 750
Ultrasone 2500

Mix amp. Athough the 600/880 might need a bit more power. Someone said his 880's are fine out of his mix amp.

So what happens if a DTS signal is sent to the mixamp? Since it doesn't support DTS will it give now sound or some sort of down mix?

So what happens if a DTS signal is sent to the mixamp? Since it doesn't support DTS will it give now sound or some sort of down mix?

If you want support for DTS, then go with the JVC SU-DH1, or one of the receiver options out there.

So what happens if a DTS signal is sent to the mixamp? Since it doesn't support DTS will it give now sound or some sort of down mix?
No 360 game supports DTS.. You mean for movies?

So what happens if a DTS signal is sent to the mixamp? Since it doesn't support DTS will it give now sound or some sort of down mix?You'll hear nothing from the MixAmp (tested this inadvertently with an HD-DVD).

Yeah I need to be able to watch movies as well... Looks like the jvc is the one I will have to go with then. Thanks for all your help guys!

Yeah I need to be able to watch movies as well... Looks like the jvc is the one I will have to go with then. Thanks for all your help guys!

If you going with the JVC unit and don't have any yet, invest in good rechargeable batteries (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1076279). Trust me. ;)

If you going with the JVC unit and don't have any yet, invest in good rechargeable batteries (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1076279). Trust me. ;)

Does the JVC convert DTS to DH?

Does the JVC convert DTS to DH?

I want to say yes. It accepts Dolby Digital (5.1), pro-logic and DTS inputs... and outputs Pro-LogicII Music/Movie/Auto modes with Dolby Headphone 1, 2 and 3.

I have tested it with DTS in gaming on the PS3 (I think it was the Ratchet and Clank game?) and it sounds good, but I can't remember if it was still in Dolby Headphone mode or not.

If no one else can confirm the JVC converts DTS to DH, I can test it tonight if you like.

If you going with the JVC unit and don't have any yet, invest in good rechargeable batteries (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1076279). Trust me. ;)
Or you could rig up an AC-to-DC power adapter to it.

Better yet, get the Japanese version (labeled Victor), which has a built-in DC power jack.

Or you could rig up an AC-to-DC power adapter to it.

Better yet, get the Japanese version (labeled Victor), which has a built-in DC power jack.

True... but the first requires building something, plus an extra wire -- and the second is harder to find plus requires locating and buying the jack.

Good to have options, but in my experience quality rechargeable batteries (which aren't too expensive...see the linked thread in the previous reply) is the best solution. YMMV.

and the second is harder to find plus requires locating and buying the jack.
Yes, the Victor is harder to find. I luckily found one on eBay last year and then picked up a power adapter and plug at Radio Shack.

I'm going to grab the Victor one from audiocubes. I can't find it in Canada anyways so I figure it's best just to order it from Japan and get the one with the power jack. Is it worth it paying 40 bucks for an adapter through them or just hit up the ratshack ?

Is it worth it paying 40 bucks for an adapter through them or just hit up the ratshack ?
I paid about $20 at RS. When you buy the power adapter, you choose the appropriate plug at no extra cost.

The 3V 700mA adapter that I bought is no longer carried (#273-1756), but they carry a similar one (#273-023) (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2549413). The plug is Adaptaplug "A" (#273-1704) (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062423).

I have the JVC which I pair with Senn 555's and enjoy them completely. I use them both for gaming and movies. Yes, I do have rechargeable batteries because I have several pieces which require AA's, including the Xbox controllers. Just a +1 for the JVC.

Erik,

Thanks for the info on the adapter. That will make it easier to pick up.

Dledmo,

Thanks for vote of confidence regarding the jvc. I will probably so with another pair of sens as they seem to sound alright.

Yeah I need to be able to watch movies as well... Looks like the jvc is the one I will have to go with then. Thanks for all your help guys!
All movies support Dolby Digital 5.1, 2.1 or Dolby Prologic. Only a few support DTS. If a movies does support DTS, it will always also support Dolby Digital 5.1. Just pick Dolby Digital 5.1 instead of DTS.

You will still be able to watch movies if the receiver doesn't support DTS. It's not like you won't be able to hear movies, just because DTS is not enabled or supported. Granted, DTS is generally viewed better then Dolby Digital for sound quality but that is another story.

Also i don't recommend the JVC's for Dolby Headphone. There has been a number of complaints in this topic with the JVC DH.

http://arstechnica.com/journals/hardware.ars/2008/11/13/tritton-offers-surround-sound-headphones-with-analog-and-digital-connectivity

Impressive :rolleyes:

http://arstechnica.com/journals/hardware.ars/2008/11/13/tritton-offers-surround-sound-headphones-with-analog-and-digital-connectivity

Impressive :rolleyes:

I just checked out the manual for the Tritton AX Pro 5.1 Headset (here (http://www.trittontechnologies.com/support/downloads/GA611/GA611_AXPro_Manual_setup%20panels.pdf)). Not only does it have a gazillion drivers to muddy up the sound, it also requires the use of not one but two power adapters; one for the decoder/box and one for the headset (even though the headset plugs into the decoder/box). That should give you some idea of the 'brains' that went into designing this thing. Good grief.

I just checked out the manual for the Tritton AX Pro 5.1 Headset (here (http://www.trittontechnologies.com/support/downloads/GA611/GA611_AXPro_Manual_setup%20panels.pdf)). Not only does it have a gazillion drivers to muddy up the sound, it also requires the use of not one but two power adapters; one for the decoder/box and one for the headset (even though the headset plugs into the decoder/box). That should give you some idea of the 'brains' that went into designing this thing. Good grief.

I love how the sheep keep towing the line.. You need 'true' 5.1 headphones for position sound? Guess he's just reading from a script..Guess I was hearing things when a creature was coming up behind me..So I turned around and blasted him..2 channel stereo is best for audio positioning..8 speakers so close to each other just dilutes this. On you tube a guy compared 3 5.1 headphones for audio position. He was blind folded..Guess which headphone did the worst in audio positioning. The 'true' 5.1 headphone..What a scam.

I have received my Tritton AXPro and haven't had much game time yet (2 nights with GOW 2).

Note: I am not an audiophile, and this is my first $20+ headset/headphone I have ever purchased.

It is solid plastic with a nice band. Fits quite snug, so it might be tighter for others, my noggin' small at about 7 1/4 hat size. It is setup with cotton? earpads, but an extra set of leather pads is included. My ears do start to get warm after use, but I assume this is normal.

The sound quality, is fine so far. It is loud already at 1/2 volume. ATB posted that the sound is muddy with so many speakers, and I will have to agree with that now that I think about it. It isn't as bad when the volume is on a lower setting... also... I have not adjusted the Front/Center/Rear levels yet, which might help. Again, I have not tested any movies or anything super surround yet (any suggestions?) because GOW 2 is okay in the quiet scenes, but most of the scenes are just havok all over.

But even though you guys really really hate these multi-driver headphones, they are "good enough" for regular people (like me). I seem to have a good experience using them so far.

My only gripes so far are (not sound quality related). There is a power button on the decoder box, but not on the headset. Also, they are powered separately with 2 power adapters. Therefore, I have to power them off separately, 2 steps, power off at decoder box AND disconnect the power plug for the headset. Why couldn't there be an auto-off feature? or Master power button at the headset, so I can just go to bed without getting up :p (lazy).

Also, the lights on the headset and headset controller ALWAYS stay on. It isn't too distracting, but it makes the controller warm to the touch, which makes me wonder if the LED bulb and controller board longevity will be shortened. I wonder if the LED's in the headset make my ear feel warmer too?

Another is that since these are special headphones, they require special plugs, therefore, you cannot plug in any standard 3.5mm headphones into the decoder. That would be cool if it excepted both, but I'm not sure if their decoder works the same as the Mixamp.

The microphone plugs in firmly and works good, but only swivels horizontal, and not vertical.

Overall, I am satisfied. If I decide later to upgrade, I can easily sell these (i paid the $140 preorder price).

I have received my Tritton AXPro and haven't had much game time yet (2 nights with GOW 2).

Note: I am not an audiophile, and this is my first $20+ headset/headphone I have ever purchased.

It is solid plastic with a nice band. Fits quite snug, so it might be tighter for others, my noggin' small at about 7 1/4 hat size. It is setup with cotton? earpads, but an extra set of leather pads is included. My ears do start to get warm after use, but I assume this is normal.

The sound quality, is fine so far. It is loud already at 1/2 volume. ATB posted that the sound is muddy with so many speakers, and I will have to agree with that now that I think about it. It isn't as bad when the volume is on a lower setting... also... I have not adjusted the Front/Center/Rear levels yet, which might help. Again, I have not tested any movies or anything super surround yet (any suggestions?) because GOW 2 is okay in the quiet scenes, but most of the scenes are just havok all over.

But even though you guys really really hate these multi-driver headphones, they are "good enough" for regular people (like me). I seem to have a good experience using them so far.

My only gripes so far are (not sound quality related). There is a power button on the decoder box, but not on the headset. Also, they are powered separately with 2 power adapters. Therefore, I have to power them off separately, 2 steps, power off at decoder box AND disconnect the power plug for the headset. Why couldn't there be an auto-off feature? or Master power button at the headset, so I can just go to bed without getting up :p (lazy).

Also, the lights on the headset and headset controller ALWAYS stay on. It isn't too distracting, but it makes the controller warm to the touch, which makes me wonder if the LED bulb and controller board longevity will be shortened. I wonder if the LED's in the headset make my ear feel warmer too?

Another is that since these are special headphones, they require special plugs, therefore, you cannot plug in any standard 3.5mm headphones into the decoder. That would be cool if it excepted both, but I'm not sure if their decoder works the same as the Mixamp.

The microphone plugs in firmly and works good, but only swivels horizontal, and not vertical.

Overall, I am satisfied. If I decide later to upgrade, I can easily sell these (i paid the $140 preorder price).
We 'hate' them cause they are misleading, and multi speakers for headphones are not very effective when it comes to audio. For 140 you could gotten the 770's, 555, AD700. Sound does matter in gaming..Alot of games have a movie like audio presentation..But if you are happy, cool.

Another is that since these are special headphones, they require special plugs, therefore, you cannot plug in any standard 3.5mm headphones into the decoder. That would be cool if it excepted both, but I'm not sure if their decoder works the same as the Mixamp.
The mixamp works with any normal set of headphones or any PC headset (that has a 2.5mm plug for headphone and 2.5mm plug for mic). I use the mixamp with a Beyer MMX 300 headset and have been very happy with the set up. From what I have read, the headset packaged with the Astro A40 system (mixamp+Astro headset) is a good option. The Astro system will run you a little more than what you spent on the Trittons, but I am sure you would notice the increased quality (i.e. you don't need to be an audiophile to notice it.)

Overall, I am satisfied. If I decide later to upgrade, I can easily sell these (i paid the $140 preorder price).
Thanks for the well written and well thought out review of the Trittons. I like that it is a wired solution, which to me is better than wireless as most wireless headsets have a noticeable hiss to contend with. I'm just disappointed that the 'true' 5.1 mindset persists despite the fact that the sound quality is so much poorer than a Dolby Headphone-like two channel solution.

The SMYTH realizer 8 is still blowing over the audiophiles who listened to it. 5.1 SS through headphones, bettering conventional 5.1 speaker set up.. According to a few headfiers, yes.. It's very complicated to describe and seems a bit of, no way, you are sh@@@ me type replies..Having the realizer gather info on the room, speaker placement, acoustics, floor type, speakers etc..You can then save that data and experience in your own home theatre..So, you can get the same experience from a 100,000 speaker set up with your Stax 404 and his technology. People have demoed this, and the experience was eeriely similar. Only 4,000. They need a dumbed down version for us broke people..Makes Beyers offering cheap at 1,700.

The SMYTH realizer 8 is still blowing over the audiophiles who listened to it. 5.1 SS through headphones, bettering conventional 5.1 speaker set up.. According to a few headfiers, yes.. It's very complicated to describe and seems a bit of, no way, you are sh@@@ me type replies..Having the realizer gather info on the room, speaker placement, acoustics, floor type, speakers etc..You can then save that data and experience in your own home theatre..So, you can get the same experience from a 100,000 speaker set up with your Stax 404 and his technology. People have demoed this, and the experience was eeriely similar. Only 4,000. They need a dumbed down version for us broke people..Makes Beyers offering cheap at 1,700.
Info from the company has been scarce. When is this product expected to launch?

Info from the company has been scarce. When is this product expected to launch?
There was more praise at a rcent headphone meet..Should be out next year..But does it really matter with the 4,000 price tag? No one here is going to get one anytime soon.. 4 grand could get me a lot of sht.

There was more praise at a rcent headphone meet..Should be out next year..But does it really matter with the 4,000 price tag? No one here is going to get one anytime soon.. 4 grand could get me a lot of sht.

True, but it would still be neat to see the Smyth product getting out there. This should be the kind of tech that comes down in price relatively quickly if there's enough demand for it.

My sense is that the delay has to do with either: a) legal issues with the IP potentially infringing on something else out there or b) acquisition / licensing discussions with one of the big players that want to control how the product is introduced. Probably a little of both...

True, but it would still be neat to see the Smyth product getting out there. This should be the kind of tech that comes down in price relatively quickly if there's enough demand for it.

My sense is that the delay has to do with either: a) legal issues with the IP potentially infringing on something else out there or b) acquisition / licensing discussions with one of the big players that want to control how the product is introduced. Probably a little of both...
Or that it is so damn expensive that it would only appeal to the niche market. And for that reason, i don't see it ever being sold in retail.

Or that it is so damn expensive that it would only appeal to the niche market. And for that reason, i don't see it ever being sold in retail.
No you won't see this in Best Buy that's for sure!

Ok so looking at KBI's list I am thinking about getting dt880's. I was wondering about the mixamp...

I mostly play on PC, is there a sound card that I could get that does the same job as the mixamp?

I also understand that if a reciever has dh1, dh2, and dh3 I also do not need the mixamp. Is that correct?

Ok so looking at KBI's list I am thinking about getting dt880's. I was wondering about the mixamp...

I mostly play on PC, is there a sound card that I could get that does the same job as the mixamp?

I also understand that if a reciever has dh1, dh2, and dh3 I also do not need the mixamp. Is that correct?

Other than DolbyHeadphone processing the MixAmp is also used to mix voice chat with game audio. You can control the volume level mix of game audio to chat, with the 360 set to chat through speakers you are stuck at their default level. If that is important to you then it could sway your decision. If not then your receiver solution might be good enough.

Other than DolbyHeadphone processing the MixAmp is also used to mix voice chat with game audio. You can control the volume level mix of game audio to chat, with the 360 set to chat through speakers you are stuck at their default level. If that is important to you then it could sway your decision. If not then your receiver solution might be good enough.

For PC gaming I don't think the Mixamp is your best option, unless you have some special requirements (like mixing music from an iPod into your headphones in order to free up PC resources having to run iTunes). There are several soundcard options out there, check out the PC forums for ideas on what people like.

Ok so looking at KBI's list I am thinking about getting dt880's. I was wondering about the mixamp...

I mostly play on PC, is there a sound card that I could get that does the same job as the mixamp?

I also understand that if a reciever has dh1, dh2, and dh3 I also do not need the mixamp. Is that correct?
True, if your receiver has DH then you don't need the mixamp..

I also understand that if a reciever has dh1, dh2, and dh3 I also do not need the mixamp. Is that correct?
Yes KBI is correct that you can use a receiver to do the Dolby Headphone magic, provided your sound card can output a Dolby Digital signal, and that your receiver is one that has Dolby Headphone (or Yamaha's Silent Cinema). The sound card would need to have support for 'Dolby Digital Live', which basically enables your PC to output a Dolby Digital signal. Your receiver would process this Dolby Digital signal and output a Dolby Headphone-processed (or Silent Cinema-processed) analog signal to the headphone jack.

Using a receiver is not a very elegant solution in my opinion as it requires having to connect your computer to a receiver only to plug headphones into the receiver. I would only recommend this setup if you were also going to use the receiver in conjunction with a 5.1 speaker setup as well. Instead of using a receiver, I would opt for a good sound card that can output to Dolby Headphone (or another good headphone surround sound DSP) directly.

Good luck!

For the PC I just wanted to know if a sound card would do the trick along with the headphone+clip on mic.

With the receiver I was more concerned about my home theater setup and my ps3/360.

What do you guys think about Astrogaming's A40 headset/mixamp combo?

I apologize if this has already been discussed.

What do you guys think about Astrogaming's A40 headset/mixamp combo?

I apologize if this has already been discussed.

its pretty widely accepted for being the best performance/convenience per dollar

For the PC I just wanted to know if a sound card would do the trick along with the headphone+clip on mic.

With the receiver I was more concerned about my home theater setup and my ps3/360.

What do you guys think about Astrogaming's A40 headset/mixamp combo?

I apologize if this has already been discussed.
Yeah.. Ignore the lemmings who push TB.. This one guy said he'd rather have his new TB then a 3,000 system.. What a shill..:rolleyes:

i am going to pull the trigger and buy the astro a40 headphone/mixamp combo, but i have some questions about the mixamp's power source(s).

does the mixamp have a dc port to connect it to the wall? do you have to buy this power cable speperately?

could i connect the mixamp via usb into my xbox360 or pc for power?

is the recharable battery pack from astro worth buying?

how is the battery life while using disposable AA batteries?

thanks for your help

I have never used headphones to game and I have a dedicated HT with no issues with "keeping it quiet". Would gaming headphones provide a better experience or give me some advantages when playing online. I don't have that much online gaming experience, so I was just wondering if headphones were important.

I have never used headphones to game and I have a dedicated HT with no issues with "keeping it quiet". Would gaming headphones provide a better experience or give me some advantages when playing online. I don't have that much online gaming experience, so I was just wondering if headphones were important.
Yes.. For competitive play headphones trump a HT IMO.. Better isolation.. Better focus.. & you will hear things that your speakers won't reveal..

i am going to pull the trigger and buy the astro a40 headphone/mixamp combo, but i have some questions about the mixamp's power source(s).

does the mixamp have a dc port to connect it to the wall? do you have to buy this power cable speperately?

could i connect the mixamp via usb into my xbox360 or pc for power?

is the recharable battery pack from astro worth buying?

how is the battery life while using disposable AA batteries?

thanks for your help

No it doesn't have a DC port nor an AC adapter, but you can connect it to USB using any of the ports available on the 360 (I use the one on the back next to the ethernet jack). I don't use batteries with mine, and I'm not sure about the rechargeable pack - the advantage it has is that it will charge while you are connected to USB as opposed to having to remove batteries for charging.

Just got the Astros! I like! Playing Gears like crazy, and it helps, because I am screaming at my teammates that I know from where the enemy is by his breathing and grunting. Must say the Astros are very nice...but expensive. Also, the ability to run another stereo line into them is cool. Podcasts!!!! with Gears!

No it doesn't have a DC port nor an AC adapter, but you can connect it to USB using any of the ports available on the 360 (I use the one on the back next to the ethernet jack). I don't use batteries with mine, and I'm not sure about the rechargeable pack - the advantage it has is that it will charge while you are connected to USB as opposed to having to remove batteries for charging.

I'd like to add that you can power the MixAmp from most any USB powered device or adapter. Even a USB phone charger might work. I use a PS3 controller charger that has two extra USB ports on the side to power my MixAmp. This allows the MixAmp to be located near my seating position, even though I had to run a coax cable to that location...

Just got the Astros! I like! Playing Gears like crazy, and it helps, because I am screaming at my teammates that I know from where the enemy is by his breathing and grunting. Must say the Astros are very nice...but expensive. Also, the ability to run another stereo line into them is cool. Podcasts!!!! with Gears!
Un fortunately, Ignorant gamers and reviewers think that 8 driver 'true' DD 5.1 headsets are better at positional audio, cause it's 'real'. Trittons marketing is doing a good job..I feel like I'm living in bazzaros world..People will pay 180.00 to get dumbed down sound, but raise their nose to a much better sounding 180.00 stereo headphone.. All we get is, I'm not a audiophile?? Neither am I. But I do enjoy hi end sound that I can afford.. Glad you like them.

Extremely helpful thread thank you so much to the contributors. I spent a lot of time reading through the thread and here is my dilemma. I have $150 to spend on a headset solution for my gaming habit (maybe some movies). I can't play the games loud in my house as it keeps my kids awake and bothers my wife. Besides my kids don't need to fall asleep to gunfire :).

I have narrowed it down to the following options:

1 - Purchase the a40 mixamp and use a zalman clip on mic with my current headphones - Senn HD212 pros.

2 - Purchase the ATH-AD700 or ATH-A700 (which is better for gaming?) with zalman clip on mic plugging directly into my Onkyo receiver (does not support DH). Can I put a Cmoy amp between the receiver and headphones or is there any need?

3 - Open to options/suggestions that anyone has.

Thanks!

Extremely helpful thread thank you so much to the contributors. I spent a lot of time reading through the thread and here is my dilemma. I have $150 to spend on a headset solution for my gaming habit (maybe some movies). I can't play the games loud in my house as it keeps my kids awake and bothers my wife. Besides my kids don't need to fall asleep to gunfire :).

I have narrowed it down to the following options:

1 - Purchase the a40 mixamp and use a zalman clip on mic with my current headphones - Senn HD212 pros.

2 - Purchase the ATH-AD700 or ATH-A700 (which is better for gaming?) with zalman clip on mic plugging directly into my Onkyo receiver (does not support DH). Can I put a Cmoy amp between the receiver and headphones or is there any need?

3 - Open to options/suggestions that anyone has.

Thanks!

The pro mixamp combo would work.. The 212's soundstage is a bit small though..But DH wil 'widen' it a bit..
What model is your Onkyo? You can always use their pro logic II mode.. Helps to fill in the 'blanks'.. The 360 had this mode & I loved it for headphones.. Really widened the sound scape.. Of course MS removed it a long time ago.. You can bypass the headphone jack of your Oknyo with the Mccoy.. But, if the Headphone out in your Onkyo is good it won't be needed, unless you buy a pricer amp..

I'm in the market now for a gaming headset. Going to have to do a lot of research. Basically I'm going to EU region (Italy) for a 1/2 year business assignment and for rainy days I want to game. I am researching some PC monitors (need to upgrade mine so this might be perfect time) and all audio will be for one of these. I have a surround setup at home (see sig) and want something good but not too expensive. Buddy has the Turtle Beach X4 and he loves them but I think I might not. Have seen good reviews on the Astro A40s and Tritton AX360/AXPros but also have heard it's more marketing hype than good product.

Looking forward to it but not all the research :p

The pro mixamp combo would work.. The 212's soundstage is a bit small though..But DH wil 'widen' it a bit..
What model is your Onkyo? You can always use their pro logic II mode.. Helps to fill in the 'blanks'.. The 360 had this mode & I loved it for headphones.. Really widened the sound scape.. Of course MS removed it a long time ago.. You can bypass the headphone jack of your Oknyo with the Mccoy.. But, if the Headphone out in your Onkyo is good it won't be needed, unless you buy a pricer amp..

The onkyo receiver is a HT-R510. Would that go well with the ATH-AD700 or ATH-A700 and purchasing the mixamp at a later date?

The onkyo receiver is a HT-R510. Would that go well with the ATH-AD700 or ATH-A700 and purchasing the mixamp at a later date?
So, the receiver is from a THIB? It should still do well considering the 700's are easy to drive.. This would be the most economical choice.

I'm in the market now for a gaming headset. Going to have to do a lot of research. Basically I'm going to EU region (Italy) for a 1/2 year business assignment and for rainy days I want to game. I am researching some PC monitors (need to upgrade mine so this might be perfect time) and all audio will be for one of these. I have a surround setup at home (see sig) and want something good but not too expensive. Buddy has the Turtle Beach X4 and he loves them but I think I might not. Have seen good reviews on the Astro A40s and Tritton AX360/AXPros but also have heard it's more marketing hype than good product.

Looking forward to it but not all the research :p
Price? They get good reviews based on 1 or 2 reasons.. 1.. They are being compared ONLY to other gaming headsets.. 2.. The reviewer has never heard a pair of 'regular' headphones at the same price point..

Price? They get good reviews based on 1 or 2 reasons.. 1.. They are being compared ONLY to other gaming headsets.. 2.. The reviewer has never heard a pair of 'regular' headphones at the same price point..

I think I'll be asking you a few questions to find the right setup for myself :p

I take it you are against the Trittons? How about the Astros?

Check KBI's links at the bottom of his posts. I think the Astro Mix amp is a pretty good item. However, you can upgrade over the Astro headphones to some nicer cans but may cost you. Right now I am happy with my Astro's and Mixamp.

Or you can go with the mixamp and perhaps the Beyerdynamic 300's which have the attached mic. I think these cans are considered pc gaming headphones, but as I understand it will work with the mixamp so you can adjust game as well as voice chat via a dial to increase and decrease in game chat. The astros work great like this. I must say I am interested to hear the 300s compared to the Astros. Not sure if they are a lot better or not. Or you could get really nice headphones and use a clipon mic. I like my current setup due to headphones with mic.

I think I'll be asking you a few questions to find the right setup for myself :p

I take it you are against the Trittons? How about the Astros?
Yes. My main gripe is their 8 speaker design..BAD.. The Astro's are good as far as gaming headsets, along with some beyer gaming headsets.. But, IMO, a quality headphone, seperate mic, & or a DH device is optimal..

Check KBI's links at the bottom of his posts. I think the Astro Mix amp is a pretty good item. However, you can upgrade over the Astro headphones to some nicer cans but may cost you. Right now I am happy with my Astro's and Mixamp.

Or you can go with the mixamp and perhaps the Beyerdynamic 300's which have the attached mic. I think these cans are considered pc gaming headphones, but as I understand it will work with the mixamp so you can adjust game as well as voice chat via a dial to increase and decrease in game chat. The astros work great like this. I must say I am interested to hear the 300s compared to the Astros. Not sure if they are a lot better or not. Or you could get really nice headphones and use a clipon mic. I like my current setup due to headphones with mic.
Yes.. I'd recommend the mixamp, especially for low OHM headphones..

How are the ATH-AD700's with eye glasses? I have read that the Senn HD555 are very comfortable with glasses and was hoping the AT's will provide the same level of comfort for multiple hour gaming sessions. Thanks!

i dont wear glasses, but i can test with some sunglasses when i get home.

I'm getting a stand alone BRP so I can bitstream the HD codecs to my receiver.. I read that the pan 550 is a noticeable improvement over the PS3 with BR audio. You think I will get the same benefit using headphones instead of speakers? And since my receiver has a optical out, I could possibly bypass the PS3 DAC with the panny or FD51 DAC which uses the Wolfson DAC instead of the standard Burr Brown DACs..Yes. I'm obsessed with getting the best sound I can muster. Even a minimal upgrade.

I'm in the market now for a gaming headset. Going to have to do a lot of research. Basically I'm going to EU region (Italy) for a 1/2 year business assignment and for rainy days I want to game. I am researching some PC monitors (need to upgrade mine so this might be perfect time) and all audio will be for one of these. I have a surround setup at home (see sig) and want something good but not too expensive. Buddy has the Turtle Beach X4 and he loves them but I think I might not. Have seen good reviews on the Astro A40s and Tritton AX360/AXPros but also have heard it's more marketing hype than good product.

Looking forward to it but not all the research :p

I have both the Astro's and Tritton AX360's and can say both have their pluses and minuses. Which one is more suited to you depends on your budget, your gaming habits and your tolerance for imperfection.

To understand me, I am a blossoming audiophile (still a newb, but getting there) with a mid level HT system that I have put together on my own. Additionally, I am a serious gamer logging about 25+ hours per week with most of that coming in online play. In the evenings, I can't play on my "main" 360 set-up on the HDTV/HT system. I have to retreat to my "mini" system which consists of a 24inch HDTV and the Astro's/Trittons. Net: online chat and hearing the direction of my enemy are KEY to my experience.

Trittons AX360
Pluses:"True 5.1" sound (meaning they do have separate speakers, reasonable price, allows chat, multi-channel volume, separate bass volume, long cord, easy set-up.
Minuses: The mic breaks.... a lot. Earcups are HOT and make me sweat like crazy. The earcups kept detaching (after 1 year of use) requiring me to repair them.
Biggest Issue: Since there is no separate volume control for Voice, I found some games hard to play on-line because I couldn't hear teammates (Notably GOW1 and Rainbow 6 Vegas 1, or while running the chain gun on the Warthog). Others gamers I know have NOT had this issue but after a poll in another forum, the group was split 50/50 on it.

Astros - Mixamp and Headset
Pluses: Mixamp allows "infinite" mixing of game sound with teammates voice. Very Good directional sound, much cooler to wear, solid construction (very little connection points to break), sturdy microphone, myriad of connection options causing a little more set-up time.
Minuses: Low bass response with no way to change it (unless using a receiver as well), pricey.
Biggest Issue:Sound can be very bright on some games.

My conclusion: if you game online a lot, price is not a big deal, and you can stand a little brightness, go with the Astros. The mixamp simply works brilliantly, I no longer have to exit the Forza 2 lobby or GOW lobby to go turn down the game sound so I can hear my teammates. I simply twist the dial to my satisfaction. Additionally, the quality microphone makes chat very easy and convenient.

If price is an object, go with the Trittons but be ready for a couple of "workarounds" to get the most out of them.

I have both the Astro's and Tritton AX360's and can say both have their pluses and minuses. Which one is more suited to you depends on your budget, your gaming habits and your tolerance for imperfection.

To understand me, I am a blossoming audiophile (still a newb, but getting there) with a mid level HT system that I have put together on my own. Additionally, I am a serious gamer logging about 25+ hours per week with most of that coming in online play. In the evenings, I can't play on my "main" 360 set-up on the HDTV/HT system. I have to retreat to my "mini" system which consists of a 24inch HDTV and the Astro's/Trittons. Net: online chat and hearing the direction of my enemy are KEY to my experience.

Trittons AX360
Pluses:"True 5.1" sound (meaning they do have separate speakers, reasonable price, allows chat, multi-channel volume, separate bass volume, long cord, easy set-up.
Minuses: The mic breaks.... a lot. Earcups are HOT and make me sweat like crazy. The earcups kept detaching (after 1 year of use) requiring me to repair them.
Biggest Issue: Since there is no separate volume control for Voice, I found some games hard to play on-line because I couldn't hear teammates (Notably GOW1 and Rainbow 6 Vegas 1, or while running the chain gun on the Warthog). Others gamers I know have NOT had this issue but after a poll in another forum, the group was split 50/50 on it.

Astros - Mixamp and Headset
Pluses: Mixamp allows "infinite" mixing of game sound with teammates voice. Very Good directional sound, much cooler to wear, solid construction (very little connection points to break), sturdy microphone, myriad of connection options causing a little more set-up time.
Minuses: Low bass response with no way to change it (unless using a receiver as well), pricey.
Biggest Issue:Sound can be very bright on some games.

My conclusion: if you game online a lot, price is not a big deal, and you can stand a little brightness, go with the Astros. The mixamp simply works brilliantly, I no longer have to exit the Forza 2 lobby or GOW lobby to go turn down the game sound so I can hear my teammates. I simply twist the dial to my satisfaction. Additionally, the quality microphone makes chat very easy and convenient.

If price is an object, go with the Trittons but be ready for a couple of "workarounds" to get the most out of them.

'True' 5.1 is not a plus. The 8 driver headphone is a flawed design.. Someone who bought the AX360's said his 40.00 Philips sounded better, & the 5.1 effects wer not all that great.. But opinions very in what good SQ is..

hearing the direction of my enemy are KEY to my experience.
Monster

If thats the case, gaming headsets will be more of a hindrance compared to a quality stereo headphone of equal cost.

I have never used headphones to game and I have a dedicated HT with no issues with "keeping it quiet". Would gaming headphones provide a better experience or give me some advantages when playing online. I don't have that much online gaming experience, so I was just wondering if headphones were important.

I use the Astro setup in my dedicated room and they are definitely better for gaming than using the HT rig. You can hear more details, the sound quality is good enough (including the bass), but most of all you can chat with your team mates. Before I got the Astro's, people used to complain about hearing my surround system though my mic, so I usually had to turn things down if I wanted to communicate with my team. Bottom line, for gaming the Astros are really nice.

'True' 5.1 is not a plus. The 8 driver headphone is a flawed design.. Someone who bought the AX360's said his 40.00 Philips sounded better, & the 5.1 effects wer not all that great.. But opinions very in what good SQ is..

Actually I agree with you, it is inherently an advantage, but I found the "true 5.1" worked OK in the Ax360. I knew where things were, notably in Halo and GOW. So I should have left it at good directional sound. BTW, the simulated "surround" sound from the Astro's is just as good. Only a few times on Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 did it ever mislead me, but that could have been a game mixing issue and not the headphone/mixamp.

I use the Astro setup in my dedicated room and they are definitely better for gaming than using the HT rig. You can hear more details, the sound quality is good enough (including the bass), but most of all you can chat with your team mates. Before I got the Astro's, people used to complain about hearing my surround system though my mic, so I usually had to turn things down if I wanted to communicate with my team. Bottom line, for gaming the Astros are really nice.

I see you are satisfied with the Bass in the astro too. It must be me. I was getting a wire replaced and mention the low bass response to the The Astro guys. they actually had me send mine back to test for flaws because they consider their bass a strength. I think I just like to run my bass a little hot in my system, so the astro's seem a little bright to me.

Agree about the HT coming through the mic... lol.

I see you are satisfied with the Bass in the astro too. It must be me. I was getting a wire replaced and mention the low bass response to the The Astro guys. they actually had me send mine back to test for flaws because they consider their bass a strength. I think I just like to run my bass a little hot in my system, so the astro's seem a little bright to me.

Agree about the HT coming through the mic... lol.

Yeah, I think the bass is pretty good. In fact when I first listened to the Astros, I thought I'd left the volume turned up on my surround system (I hadn't). For the record, my sub is a PB12plus/2. The Astro's bass isn't that good, but it's good for headphones imo.

Actually I agree with you, it is inherently an advantage, but I found the "true 5.1" worked OK in the Ax360. I knew where things were, notably in Halo and GOW. So I should have left it at good directional sound. BTW, the simulated "surround" sound from the Astro's is just as good. Only a few times on Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 did it ever mislead me, but that could have been a game mixing issue and not the headphone/mixamp. To me, all those drivers so close to each other are a bit confusing and the sound stage is less coherent and a bit of a blob so to speak..But with 8 speakers they should give decent directional sound, especially in the rear, which is usually DH's weak point..But headphones are really the deciding factor in that regard..Some are better at it then others.

I see you are satisfied with the Bass in the astro too. It must be me. I was getting a wire replaced and mention the low bass response to the The Astro guys. they actually had me send mine back to test for flaws because they consider their bass a strength. I think I just like to run my bass a little hot in my system, so the astro's seem a little bright to me.

Agree about the HT coming through the mic... lol.

There may have been something defective with your headphones, because I've never thought of mine as "bright". Detailed, but not bright, imo.

Of course I listen to Axiom speakers and don't find them bright either :)

the Astros aren't bass heavy, but at least what they have is real - some of the other headphones have a "rumble" feature to simulate bass. I'm happy with the sound - and I don't need a ton of bass when the reason I'm using them is to hear everything clearly.

I'd like to add that you can power the MixAmp from most any USB powered device or adapter. Even a USB phone charger might work. I use a PS3 controller charger that has two extra USB ports on the side to power my MixAmp. This allows the MixAmp to be located near my seating position, even though I had to run a coax cable to that location...

Definitely. This (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Travel-Charger-Phones-Packaging/dp/B0009H2M1Y) is what I use to charge my Astros.

I just plug mine into my 360 when I'm not using it and it charges up the battery pack. The only thing I've noticed is the Macbook Pro will not power it for some reason.

Definitely. http://rover.ebay.com/ar/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?mpt=1921932308&adtype=1&size=1x1&type=3&campid=5336055023&toolid=10001 This (http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMotorola-Travel-Charger-Phones-Packaging%2Fdp%2FB0009H2M1Y&tag=5336055023-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325) is what I use to charge my Astros.

This is what I use http://www.amazon.com/PS3-Charge-Station-playstation-3/dp/B000J2VYQ8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1228432394&sr=8-1

It has two powered USB ports on the side. Allows for PS3 play-n-charge as well.

I've been waiting for the Tritton AX-Wireless for almost a year, and finally gave up on them ever coming out. Started a little more research and came across this thread. Boy am I glad I didn't go for a Tritton product.

After reading through much of this thread, I'm back to sqaure one. Gave up on wireless and 5.1.

Now I'm considering the Senn 555's. I'm wondering though - the 555's have been out for a while. Are there any more recent cans that people recommend? Looking at KBI's guide, the Sony MDR-SA3000 also gets good reviews and they're in my price range.

My main purpose is gaming when my wife is sleeping on the couch next to me, so the lack of a microphone isn't really an issue. I tend to loose the headset when she's napping anyways.

I can get the 555's for $98 on Amazon, or the SA3000's for $153. Any thoughts?

Thanks for any help!

Sincerely,

Overwhelmed

Anybody else notice that since the NXE, the voice chat over speakers seems even lower and worse than before?

I was playing Halo3 last night and went to put on the cans for the first time since I updated to NXE. Usually H3 is the only game I like to use my 555's for when playing multiplayer, because going through the game channel, I can actually communicate. I've always felt that setting voice to "speakers" and having it mixed in with other game audio was really a low point for the XBOX. (Yea I need teh mixamp, but budget wise, ain't happening).

Anyway, last night, I put on my headphones, switched to voice and I could barely hear my friend. Switched back to the MS headset and he sounded just fine, plenty loud, etc. Tried in a party, private chat, and H3 game channel. In all cases, I wasn't able to hear him at an appropriate level compared to the other audio. Like I said, this is generally the case for most games, but H3 matchmaking is one place that this actually worked.

Anyone else notice this? I didn't mess with it too much, because it was late and I couldn't play long, so I just put the headset back on.

I've been waiting for the Tritton AX-Wireless for almost a year, and finally gave up on them ever coming out. Started a little more research and came across this thread. Boy am I glad I didn't go for a Tritton product.

After reading through much of this thread, I'm back to sqaure one. Gave up on wireless and 5.1.

Now I'm considering the Senn 555's. I'm wondering though - the 555's have been out for a while. Are there any more recent cans that people recommend? Looking at KBI's guide, the Sony MDR-SA3000 also gets good reviews and they're in my price range.

My main purpose is gaming when my wife is sleeping on the couch next to me, so the lack of a microphone isn't really an issue. I tend to loose the headset when she's napping anyways.

I can get the 555's for $98 on Amazon, or the SA3000's for $153. Any thoughts?

Thanks for any help!

Sincerely,

Overwhelmed
Depends on the sound you are looking for.. I have the SA5000, and the SA3000 have the same sound..Expect great detail and clarity.. Good directional positioning. And good bass extention..They are treble heavy.. a bit bright and lean.. I doubt they are more fun then the 555's, but they are a good step up over then..For 153 I'd get them over the 555's..BYMMV.

Been reading through this thread a bit (not nearly all of it, dont quite have time for that) but I am looking to purchase some headphones, mainly for gaming use, so I figured this was a good place to post.

I do all of my serious gaming on a PC, and with my consoles for single player, my crappy 5.1 HT setup is fine for me.

It seems like most of this thread has been geared towards xbox (especially since this is in the xbox forum) but I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions that may potentially be different for PC than xbox.

What I want is a set of headphones (headset if possible, but not critical) That has a good all around sound. I would like to think I can tell the difference between a crappy pair and a decent pair, but I have never listened to anything high end, so Im sure I will be satisfied with a mid range ($200 dollar ish) set.

Since a majority of my usage of these headphones will be for gaming, the most important thing to me is have some positional audio if possible. I was originally looking at the Medusa 5.1's but now I am skewing more towards a Dolby Headphone solution. I have not had much experience with dolby headphone, but it seems it should be adequate to provide me with positional audio while gaming, and will allow me to get a better set of headphones all around than going with a "true" 5.1 set.

I have narrowed it down to a few things that have been discussed here which all seem to be decent solutions.

Astro A40 system. I like this because it is all in one, headphones seem to be good and the mixamp is nice (even though the Game/Voice setting apparently will do nothing for PC use, making part of the appeal of the mixamp gone)

Sennheiser 555 or 595 and a Dolby Headphone processor. The JVC SU-DH1 seems to be somewhat hard to find or on backorder or special order, or well over $100 dollars, making it about the same price as the mixamp. However, battery powered only is a negative in my book (yes i know they can be modded, but ide rather not).

My budget is around the $250 mark, the A40 system fits right in, but beyond that, I am unsure as to what would be the best combo to get me good sound and the capability to use dolby headphone to get positional audio effects as well.

One last thing, I am using onboard sound from one of those Realtek HD chips at the moment. The reason I am keeping it is because it has Dolby Digital Live, which seems like something I will need for either the Mixamp or the JVC. So, would it be worth it for me to get a better sound card? as it seems to only worthwhile card that still retains dolby digital live is the Auzen Prelude which is close to $200 by itself which would kill most of my budget.... Are there any soundcards out there that can do Dolby Headphone? if so, I could skip a DH processor and just go straight to the headphones.

hey guys are headphones better for first shooters like cod4 than a surround system?

Been reading through this thread a bit (not nearly all of it, dont quite have time for that) but I am looking to purchase some headphones, mainly for gaming use, so I figured this was a good place to post.

I do all of my serious gaming on a PC, and with my consoles for single player, my crappy 5.1 HT setup is fine for me.

It seems like most of this thread has been geared towards xbox (especially since this is in the xbox forum) but I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions that may potentially be different for PC than xbox.

What I want is a set of headphones (headset if possible, but not critical) That has a good all around sound. I would like to think I can tell the difference between a crappy pair and a decent pair, but I have never listened to anything high end, so Im sure I will be satisfied with a mid range ($200 dollar ish) set.

Since a majority of my usage of these headphones will be for gaming, the most important thing to me is have some positional audio if possible. I was originally looking at the Medusa 5.1's but now I am skewing more towards a Dolby Headphone solution. I have not had much experience with dolby headphone, but it seems it should be adequate to provide me with positional audio while gaming, and will allow me to get a better set of headphones all around than going with a "true" 5.1 set.

I have narrowed it down to a few things that have been discussed here which all seem to be decent solutions.

Astro A40 system. I like this because it is all in one, headphones seem to be good and the mixamp is nice (even though the Game/Voice setting apparently will do nothing for PC use, making part of the appeal of the mixamp gone)

Sennheiser 555 or 595 and a Dolby Headphone processor. The JVC SU-DH1 seems to be somewhat hard to find or on backorder or special order, or well over $100 dollars, making it about the same price as the mixamp. However, battery powered only is a negative in my book (yes i know they can be modded, but ide rather not).

My budget is around the $250 mark, the A40 system fits right in, but beyond that, I am unsure as to what would be the best combo to get me good sound and the capability to use dolby headphone to get positional audio effects as well.

One last thing, I am using onboard sound from one of those Realtek HD chips at the moment. The reason I am keeping it is because it has Dolby Digital Live, which seems like something I will need for either the Mixamp or the JVC. So, would it be worth it for me to get a better sound card? as it seems to only worthwhile card that still retains dolby digital live is the Auzen Prelude which is close to $200 by itself which would kill most of my budget.... Are there any soundcards out there that can do Dolby Headphone? if so, I could skip a DH processor and just go straight to the headphones.

I'm not familiar with the universe of PC sound cards, but there are cards out there that do Dolby Headphone, and some with Dolby Headphone-like processing. The Auzen Prelude has something called EAX (no idea if it stands for anything) that is similar to Dolby Headphone. Interestingly, the discontinued Auzen X-Meridian supported Dolby Headphone, but the current Prelude does not (due to 'overlapping technologies' according to the product description - my guess is that it's due to licensing fees).

With a larger budget, I would opt for soundcard that does Dolby Headphone and a good set of headphones/headset. It would be all built into the card with no wires to keep up with. However, given the budget you mentioned, I think I would opt for the A40 system. You already have sound that will feed the mixamp the Dolby Digital signal it needs. You also mentioned that you sometimes game on consoles using your 5.1 speaker setup. The good thing about the A40 system is that you could use it for console gaming as well if the need ever arose. Your preference as to whether you go for the A40 system (mixamp + headset) or just the mixamp and then purchase a set of headphones. You would have to get some other people to weigh in on the sound quality of the A40 headset (I haven't used it, I use a Beyer MMX 300 headset), but I understand it is quite good, comparable to Senn 555 headphones.

Good luck!

I'm not familiar with the universe of PC sound cards, but there are cards out there that do Dolby Headphone, and some with Dolby Headphone-like processing. The Auzen Prelude has something called EAX (no idea if it stands for anything) that is similar to Dolby Headphone. Interestingly, the discontinued Auzen X-Meridian supported Dolby Headphone, but the current Prelude does not (due to 'overlapping technologies' according to the product description - my guess is that it's due to licensing fees).

With a larger budget, I would opt for soundcard that does Dolby Headphone and a good set of headphones/headset. It would be all built into the card with no wires to keep up with. However, given the budget you mentioned, I think I would opt for the A40 system. You already have sound that will feed the mixamp the Dolby Digital signal it needs. You also mentioned that you sometimes game on consoles using your 5.1 speaker setup. The good thing about the A40 system is that you could use it for console gaming as well if the need ever arose. Your preference as to whether you go for the A40 system (mixamp + headset) or just the mixamp and then purchase a set of headphones. You would have to get some other people to weigh in on the sound quality of the A40 headset (I haven't used it, I use a Beyer MMX 300 headset), but I understand it is quite good, comparable to Senn 555 headphones.

Good luck!

Thanks for the response, I actually did find myself a soundcard that does dolby headphone. And since I was looking originally for the sennheisers, i decided to go with the sound card and the HD 555's. I realize that I probably could have done a bit better going for a higher priced set, but since I havent heard anything bad about the 555's I figure for my needs they will be quite good, not to mention that I came in under budget by a decent margin.

Personally, I'd go with the Ultrasone 780's for 180, or the 05 770's for 126 on amazon..Both are better and closed..And offer a better bang for the buck, since these headphones retail for nearlly 300.

hey guys are headphones better for first shooters like cod4 than a surround system?
Only your ears can determine that. Some say yes. Some say no.

Personally, I'd go with the Ultrasone 780's for 180, or the 05 770's for 126 on amazon..Both are better and closed..And offer a better bang for the buck, since these headphones retail for nearlly 300.

I'm very happy with my Beyer Dynamic DT770 that KBI recommended, and still use them about every day. The positioning with Dolby Headphone might not be as great as the others (according to him), but it does very good. It's the bass that I really love. :D

I was just playing the new Tomb Raider and all the ambient sounds really put me in the jungle. And the thunderclaps had me ducking to get out of the rain!

I'm only seeing the 250-ohm model on Amazon, which should probably be avoided unless there's a lot of juice feeding them. And they are going close to $200... I'm not seeing for the prices KBI mentioned. :confused:

I'm very happy with my Beyer Dynamic DT770 that KBI recommended, and still use them about every day. The positioning with Dolby Headphone might not be as great as the others (according to him), but it does very good. It's the bass that I really love. :D

I was just playing the new Tomb Raider and all the ambient sounds really put me in the jungle. And the thunderclaps had me ducking to get out of the rain!

I'm only seeing the 250-ohm model on Amazon, which should probably be avoided unless there's a lot of juice feeding them. And they are going close to $200... I'm not seeing for the prices KBI mentioned. :confused:
Maybe it was just a specially deal then. The 05 versions are better then the 03 pro models, but the bass was toned down a bit..More quality. Less quanity..They retail for 289.00, so even 200 is a good price for then.

Personally, I'd go with the Ultrasone 780's for 180, or the 05 770's for 126 on amazon..Both are better and closed..And offer a better bang for the buck, since these headphones retail for nearlly 300.
I personally would not recommend the utrasone 780's. They made my outer ears sore after an hrs use, and their soundstage is very small. They did not go well with Dolby Headphone. I did like their bass, tough. Very tight, and with a lot of impact.

The AKG K601s or the Beyer DT880s sound the best with Dolby Headphone, that i've tried.

I'm by no means a audiophile, however I just picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD 555's from Amazon for 99 bucks. They retail for 180 or something like that. They sound fantastic to me at least. Well made too, very comfortable. I can game in them for hours.

Anyone know if there is an alternative microphone to the zalman one recommended here? I am looking for one with a mute function.

I personally would not recommend the utrasone 780's. They made my outer ears sore after an hrs use, and their soundstage is very small. They did not go well with Dolby Headphone. I did like their bass, tough. Very tight, and with a lot of impact.

The AKG K601s or the Beyer DT880s sound the best with Dolby Headphone, that i've tried.
My DT48's have a very small SS, but the seperation and accuracy is amazing.

Just ordered the AD700s on amazon last night. Will arrive tomorrow. I can't wait!!!

I attached my Astro A40 mic to the side of my AD700's using some wire tie stuff I got at radioshack. It's not pretty, but it works great. The astro boom mic is high quality and sounds better than every other mic I've tried with xbox, including the zalman mic. You can buy it separately from astro for $20 I believe.

Nice! Is it that much better than the zalman?

The zalman mic is good, but it doesn't pick up my voice loud enough when I just clip it on my wire or something. For me the astro mic is clearer, and the noise canceling works well on it. I've tried it with other things like skype and A/B compared it to the zalman and the astro boom sounds better.

Guys,

Maybe a stupid question but here it is: I bought a "Jasper" Xbox 360 Arcade yesterday. I also bought a 60GB hard drive. Bought a HDMI cable to go from 360 into my HDMI reciever. Now I'm looking to buy a legit gaming headset. From checking websites, I'm torn between Astros A40 & Tritton Ax Pro. However, I'm concerned about the connections to the Arcard Xbox.
My question is:

If my HDMI cable is connected from the 360 to the receiver, how does the headset mixamps (whether its from the Tritton or Astros) connect to the 360? According to the Tritton's support page, I need a dongle. Is that true? Do I need an additional cable???

Sorry for the newb question.

you can use the optical out from any xboxhd cable (component, vga, etc) some connectors are too big (if you buy official cables) so you have to pop the connector off.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1326/1473305444_e9a000bf7e_o.gif
http://www.chadledford.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/xbox-001.jpg
http://xboxmagic.com/xbox-360-premium-hdmi-cable-digital-optical-adapter-hack/&usg=__z3MYxSlvWa1JE2yz0JGz1cysdzA=/

or you can waste $50 on the hdmi/optical dongle

and do yourself a favor, dont even consider the trittons, get the astro setup.

you can use the optical out from any xboxhd cable (component, vga, etc) some connectors are too big (if you buy official cables) so you have to pop the connector off.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1326/1473305444_e9a000bf7e_o.gif
http://www.chadledford.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/xbox-001.jpg
http://xboxmagic.com/xbox-360-premium-hdmi-cable-digital-optical-adapter-hack/&usg=__z3MYxSlvWa1JE2yz0JGz1cysdzA=/

or you can waste $50 on the hdmi/optical dongle

and do yourself a favor, dont even consider the trittons, get the astro setup.

Formulanerd,

Too funny for after I posted my question, I googled dongle and found that site in which you posted the pics and gif. I think I might try this technique. The main reason for the Ax Pro is simply it's $100 cheaper than the Astros and I really wonder if I would "notice the difference" between the two.

By the way, I'm a fellow Coloradoan (sp?)

nice, the biggest selling point is the mixamp, it'll allow you to accurately control the volume of other players in your game, most other headsets cant do this well and you end up not being able to hear your teammates.

in my setup for instance, i turn my game volume down to 15 or 20 percent, then i turn my stereo way up so that the game voice is much louder (4 to 5 times as loud) than it was with the game volume at 100%... this setup sucks because some game sounds or tones (including xbox theme sounds) come in at 100% and sometimes can be extremely loud.

i went with a good set of headphones and a clip on mic, which is a better quality setup, but i'd still like to add the mixamp for the voice control.... but then i'd almost wish i just bought the whole a40 setup (hindsight is 20/20 i know).

in the past i had the turtle beach x2's and the original trittons, and was severly disappointed with both of them.

just IMO, and im up in loveland btw. :)

nice, the biggest selling point is the mixamp, it'll allow you to accurately control the volume of other players in your game, most other headsets cant do this well and you end up not being able to hear your teammates.

in my setup for instance, i turn my game volume down to 15 or 20 percent, then i turn my stereo way up so that the game voice is much louder (4 to 5 times as loud) than it was with the game volume at 100%... this setup sucks because some game sounds or tones (including xbox theme sounds) come in at 100% and sometimes can be extremely loud.

i went with a good set of headphones and a clip on mic, which is a better quality setup, but i'd still like to add the mixamp for the voice control.... but then i'd almost wish i just bought the whole a40 setup (hindsight is 20/20 i know).

in the past i had the turtle beach x2's and the original trittons, and was severly disappointed with both of them.

just IMO, and im up in loveland btw. :)

Thanks for the advice and info on the settings. I think I just might order them on Monday and hopefully get them by end of week or in time to play some online games before I head "home" for Christmas.

The reason I went with the Arcade is that i couldn't find a Jasper PRO or Elite in Denver. I took someone's advice and bought the arcade and a cheap game at BB to get their $50 gift card. I then used the gift card to buy a 60GB hard drive. So I ended up with a 'modified' Jasper PRO. However, I didn't realize what would be needed for a high-end headset. In the past, I've always used the supplied, cheap, Xbox headset. As of late, I'm really getting to online gaming.

BTW, I'm downtown...near the Pepsi Center.