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What gaming headphones to buy? - Page 52

post #1531 of 10626
6/2/08 at 6:24pm
Kind of a dumb question but how do I connect my 360 to my headphones? Its a 3.5 Jack.
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post #1532 of 10626
6/2/08 at 6:54pm
you mean your controller? and with what headphones?
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post #1533 of 10626
6/2/08 at 6:59pm
Yeah controller, there some Koss ones using only standard 3.5 jack. there normal headphones no features or anything
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post #1534 of 10626
6/2/08 at 8:37pm
you can't. you'll need a receiver or TV with a headphone out. then you'll need to also have a headset underneath them, or a clip on mic with a 2.5 cable out.
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post #1535 of 10626
6/2/08 at 8:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by book View Post

Yeah controller, there some Koss ones using only standard 3.5 jack. there normal headphones no features or anything

connect the red and white from the 360 to (2) of these



connect the other end to this



and plug your headphones on the jack on that cable.


OR

use a tv with headphone out

OR

get a used stereo receiver from a yard sale for like 5 or 10 bucks.







KBI, i suggest for mixamp "Pro's" you add the ability to mix voice comms, as thats the biggest PRO of the system. otherwise it looks like a solid guide.
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post #1536 of 10626
6/2/08 at 9:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by formulanerd View Post

KBI, i suggest for mixamp "Pro's" you add the ability to mix voice comms, as thats the biggest PRO of the system. otherwise it looks like a solid guide.

I second that.
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post #1537 of 10626
6/3/08 at 6:29am
3rd'd
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post #1538 of 10626
6/3/08 at 8:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KBI View Post

Anyone listen to 2.0 uncompressed PCM on the PS3.. Gaming & BR? I heard great things about it.. & 2.0 uncompressed works fine with a optical connection. I would love to hear how a quality headphone sounds with uncompressed audio. I just sold my 360 to help cover the cost.. Not a big gamer anymore, but I wanted a BR player for HD & HD sound.

I was thinking about this. The 2.0 LPCM on Blu-Ray shouldn't be any different/better than the 2.0 LPCM on CD or DVD... should it? Granted you may be asking about the PS3's internal DAC instead... but you'd need to be using an analog output cable (not optical) for that.

Otherwise, you are sending an uncompressed 2.0 bit stream to your receiver's DAC... which is nothing unique to Blu.

No?
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post #1539 of 10626
6/3/08 at 8:45am
I'm thinking about getting the logitech Z-5500, will I be better off with some new headphones?
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post #1540 of 10626
6/3/08 at 9:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by formulanerd View Post

connect the red and white from the 360 to (2) of these

sorry you're right, i didn't even think of that - but he'd have to plug/unplug the r/w from his TV each time. which would be a pain. you can get femaled r/w > 3.5" cables though, so he wouldn't have to get an adapter. or i guess he could get "Y" adapter jacks so he could have both plugged in at the same time.
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post #1541 of 10626
6/3/08 at 10:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by formulanerd View Post

connect the red and white from the 360 to (2) of these



connect the other end to this



and plug your headphones on the jack on that cable.


OR

use a tv with headphone out

OR

get a used stereo receiver from a yard sale for like 5 or 10 bucks.







KBI, i suggest for mixamp "Pro's" you add the ability to mix voice comms, as thats the biggest PRO of the system. otherwise it looks like a solid guide.

Will do..
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post #1542 of 10626
6/3/08 at 11:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by A.C View Post

I was thinking about this. The 2.0 LPCM on Blu-Ray shouldn't be any different/better than the 2.0 LPCM on CD or DVD... should it? Granted you may be asking about the PS3's internal DAC instead... but you'd need to be using an analog output cable (not optical) for that.

Otherwise, you are sending an uncompressed 2.0 bit stream to your receiver's DAC... which is nothing unique to Blu.

No?

Sure it's better.. It's like multi channel uncompressed PCM, but just through two channels. DVD 5.1 is still lossey any way you cut it.. Uncompressed PCM is lossless.. 2.0 HD audio is the same as 5.1 HD audio minus the multi channel playback..
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post #1543 of 10626
6/3/08 at 1:49pm
KBI, i'm sure you are right - but could you follow up?


Blu-Ray:

Quote:


While the Blu-ray format is capable of utilizing PCM audio up to 24-bit resolution, studios may choose to encode at 16-bit resolution instead, depending on the bit depth of the original source or concerns about conserving bandwidth (downsampling a 24-bit master to 16 bits is technically not the same thing as compression).


DVD Specification:

Quote:


The total bit rate for audio and video cannot exceed 9.8 Mbps, the maximum transfer rate defined by the DVD-V specification. Video bit rates are generally much higher than those for audio.

Stereo PCM at 16-bit/48 kHz 1.535 Mbps
Stereo PCM at 24-bit/96 kHz 4.608 Mbps
Dolby Stereo AC-3 228 Kbps (typical)
Dolby Stereo 5.1 448 Kbps (typical)
DTS 5.1 754 Kbps or 1.509 Mbps


CD-DA specification:

Quote:


CD-DA audio uses a sample rate of 44.1 kHz. Each sample is 16 bits in size, and the sampling is done in stereo.



If you completely throw out 5.1/7.1 multichannel audio and lossless compression codecs (Dolby TrueHD & DTS HD-Master)... and look exclusively at uncompressed stereo LPCM tracks... where is the BD benefit?
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post #1544 of 10626
6/3/08 at 5:31pm
LPCM is uncompressed audio, regardless of format... that is at least the way i understood it.
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post #1545 of 10626
6/3/08 at 6:24pm
switching subjects.

to TOSLINK switching so i can use the optical out on the xbox for both my reciever AND my JVC Dolby Headphone adapter.

I need a US equivalent of this.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...C=SO&U=strat15

I can't find any alternatives to cheaper manual switches. an optical switch would be prefered.
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post #1546 of 10626
6/3/08 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by A.C View Post

KBI, i'm sure you are right - but could you follow up?


Blu-Ray:




DVD Specification:




CD-DA specification:





If you completely throw out 5.1/7.1 multichannel audio and lossless compression codecs (Dolby TrueHD & DTS HD-Master)... and look exclusively at uncompressed stereo LPCM tracks... where is the BD benefit?

I'm going by what owners have told me.. & the mod & bluray.com. All say the uncompressed BR tracks 2.0 are a improvement over compressed DD & DTS.. I read a lot on it, but don't remember enough to defend my argument well.. I will see when I get my PS3.. I know you are a engineer & skeptical on many fronts in terms of what makes audio better & what not..
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post #1547 of 10626
6/3/08 at 7:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foe-hammer View Post

LPCM is uncompressed audio, regardless of format... that is at least the way i understood it.

DD plus/DTS HD/DTS master.. all are lossless..
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post #1548 of 10626
6/3/08 at 7:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KBI View Post

5.1 adapter/systems for stereo headphones guide.
By: Kool Bubba Ice
03:33 PM PDT
Views: 0

What do I need?
Headphones & a 5.1 adapter. See below for some recommendations.

1. JVC SUDH1
Pros: Can be had below retail. Portable & small. Nice build quality. Supports DTS.

Cons: Eats batteries like crazy.
Not made for hard to drive headphones.

audiocubes.com jvc.com

I just ordered an Xbox 360. While I wait for its arrival, I'm looking for decent 5.1 headphone quality. I'm currently using the Audio Technica ATH-A900 for PC gaming. Now, it's going to be my Xbox headphones. Your 5.1 adapter guide is perfect timing, so thanks! Very helpful to steer me in the right direction.

A comment for your guide: Why don't you put a link to the Dolby Labs headphone site? It's got the complete FAQ, as well as some good demos you can run. http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/headphone.html

To run the demos on a PC, you should disable all audio effects of your sound card to get an accurate reproduction. For example, configure a Creative sound card for audio editing mode to give minimal processing "enhancements" by the PC. The key is to shoot for the "straight-wire with gain" concept.

It looks like Amazon has some deals for the JVC SU-DH1 adaptor. http://www.amazon.com/JVC-SUDH1-Surr...2544904&sr=8-1, which is much less than your AudioCubes.com reference.

One thing that I picked up from comments on both AudioCubes.com and Amazon.com is that you will need a TOSlink to optical mini adapter. You can bundle it with the adapter purchase from Amazon.com. In any case, I think you need to mention this in your guide.

Another comment is that AudioCubes.com offers an AC adapter for $40 more, while it's not offered in Amazon.com. I guess you just have to find one that works. One concern with using AC adapters is the amount of AC hum that's usually present on the audio output. That's why most designers use batteries.

I was thinking of home-brewing a 3 V AC adapter from spares I have. I'll connect to the battery terminals in a way that wouldn't damage anything so I can still use batteries and not void the warranty.

Does anyone have any comments / problems using an AC adapter with the JVC? Can it drive the ATH-A900 OK?
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post #1549 of 10626
6/3/08 at 8:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeekGirl View Post

It looks like Amazon has some deals for the JVC SU-DH1 adaptor. http://www.amazon.com/JVC-SUDH1-Surr...2544904&sr=8-1, which is much less than your AudioCubes.com reference.

Welcome to the thread GeekGirl. I just bought that JVC off Amazon a couple days ago but it wasn't available through "Prime" then, so I paid an extra $5 plus $8 shipping through the 3rd party that I wouldn't have to pay now.

FYI, AVS doesn't allow "ref" links like the one in your post, so your link should be like this: http://www.amazon.com/JVC-SUDH1-Surr...dp/B000ETBZ5G/
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post #1550 of 10626
6/3/08 at 8:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaverJ View Post

Welcome to the thread GeekGirl. I just bought that JVC off Amazon a couple days ago but it wasn't available through "Prime" then, so I paid an extra $5 plus $8 shipping through the 3rd party that I wouldn't have to pay now.

FYI, AVS doesn't allow "ref" links like the one in your post, so your link should be like this: http://www.amazon.com/JVC-SUDH1-Surr...dp/B000ETBZ5G/

i purchased it from amazon direct as a prime member, May 28th last Wednesday, and they did have it directly from amazon for 96.94. i sent them an email yesterday to see if they can refund the difference for the price it is now( 89.99 )
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post #1551 of 10626
6/3/08 at 8:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by almach1 View Post

i purchased it from amazon direct as a prime member, May 28th last Wednesday, and they did have it directly from amazon for 96.94. i sent them an email yesterday to see if they can refund the difference for the price it is now( 89.99 )

Mine was $94.95, but it was through an Amazon 3rd party (Adorama Camera) on May 27th so not available as "Prime".

Was your order directly through Amazon and available as Prime for free shipping?

I've asked for price difference from Amazon in the past and it's no problem - you should get it. I don't know if they honor it if it was from a 3rd party and is now directly from Amazon though.

EDIT: they don't... "Applies only to items sold by Amazon.com, and not to items (or prices) offered by other sellers on our site."
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post #1552 of 10626
6/3/08 at 10:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KBI View Post

DD plus/DTS HD/DTS master.. all are lossless..

No argument there.

What i was referring to as format, was the type of disc not the codec - whether it be BR, HD-DVD or DVD. If it is LPCM, that means it is lossless regardless if it is BR or DVD or whatever, at least that is how i understood it. But what do i know?

But i agree, there is no question about it, that anything lossless audio (whatever the disc format) will be better then compressed audio. As long as all other things are equal.
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post #1553 of 10626
6/4/08 at 4:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaverJ View Post

Thanks Dale and KBI!

I sent back my DT770 - 80ohm because one of the cans didn't sound right (not sure what it was -- probably phase or frequency range issue on the right side) and I'm waiting for the replacement to come.

KBI steered me in the right direction with these Beyer-Dynamics because I could tell even though they aren't for "audio purists" as he put it, the working side sounded like it was exactly what I like.

So if KBI and the rest of you say that the JVC DH thingy creates an impressive surround field, it's sold for me.

So whats your take now that you have everything, have you tried removing the JVC component to see how much of a difference it makes?

I've spent time over the last two or so days reading this thread looking for something for my PS3 and I'm still not sure what to get. Right now I'm leaning toward the Pioneer SE-DIR800C Surround Sound Headphones or going this route with a pair of steins and the JVC thing or maybe waiting for the new Triton AXPro's (have not found a release date on these yet though).

Basicly I'm still lost. I don't mind spending around $300 but I'm still not sure what the balance is between high end and pretty darn good.
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post #1554 of 10626
6/4/08 at 5:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by d.a.v.e View Post

So whats your take now that you have everything, have you tried removing the JVC component to see how much of a difference it makes?

I still love my DT770s now that I got a proper set.

The JVC Dolby Headphone box is nice addition but not crucial. It's not a cheap gimmick -- I've only had a few hours of playtime with it, and I'll probably keep using it. With that said, my ears don't really perceive a full, convincing front to back soundfield. I guess the surround effect is more subtitle than I expected? I use the "DH2" setting with digital optical in.

BUT, I like it better on than off. I haven't watched a movie with it yet on my PS3 and I'm thinking DH was designed with movies in mind. I'm glad it supports DTS because the that format seems to pop up on the PS3 games every so often, like Super Star Dust and Uncharted.
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post #1555 of 10626
6/4/08 at 6:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KBI View Post

DD plus/DTS HD/DTS master.. all are lossless..

Actually DD Plus in not lossless, but it is a higher bitrate and quality than DD. Maybe what you meant was Dolby TrueHD which is lossless.

Also, according to wikipedia DTS-HD Master Audio is the same as DTS-HD.
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post #1556 of 10626
6/4/08 at 7:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bryansj View Post

Actually DD Plus in not lossless, but it is a higher bitrate and quality than DD. Maybe what you meant was Dolby TrueHD which is lossless.

Also, according to wikipedia DTS-HD Master Audio is the same as DTS-HD.


Actually, there is no official DTS-HD designation. It either has to be DTS-HD HR (lossy) or DTS-HD MA (lossless).

You're correct that DD+ is lossy compression. Only TrueHD and DTS-HD MA are lossless compression.
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post #1557 of 10626
6/4/08 at 9:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaverJ View Post

I still love my DT770s now that I got a proper set.

The JVC Dolby Headphone box is nice addition but not crucial. It's not a cheap gimmick -- I've only had a few hours of playtime with it, and I'll probably keep using it. With that said, my ears don't really perceive a full, convincing front to back soundfield. I guess the surround effect is more subtitle than I expected? I use the "DH2" setting with digital optical in.

BUT, I like it better on than off. I haven't watched a movie with it yet on my PS3 and I'm thinking DH was designed with movies in mind. I'm glad it supports DTS because the that format seems to pop up on the PS3 games every so often, like Super Star Dust and Uncharted.

Thanks thats what I was looking for... Guess I'll start with a good pair of headphones and build from there. Did you get an A/C adaptor for the JVC unit or are you powering from batt?

Just to be clear if I want to take the next step I can order the JVC unit & a optical to 1/8 adaptor and I'm good or do I need to consider a headphone amp for regular headphones?
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post #1558 of 10626
6/4/08 at 10:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeekGirl View Post

I just ordered an Xbox 360. While I wait for its arrival, I'm looking for decent 5.1 headphone quality. I'm currently using the Audio Technica ATH-A900 for PC gaming. Now, it's going to be my Xbox headphones. Your 5.1 adapter guide is perfect timing, so thanks! Very helpful to steer me in the right direction.

A comment for your guide: Why don't you put a link to the Dolby Labs headphone site? It's got the complete FAQ, as well as some good demos you can run. http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/headphone.html

To run the demos on a PC, you should disable all audio effects of your sound card to get an accurate reproduction. For example, configure a Creative sound card for audio editing mode to give minimal processing "enhancements" by the PC. The key is to shoot for the "straight-wire with gain" concept.

It looks like Amazon has some deals for the JVC SU-DH1 adaptor. http://www.amazon.com/JVC-SUDH1-Surr...2544904&sr=8-1, which is much less than your AudioCubes.com reference.

One thing that I picked up from comments on both AudioCubes.com and Amazon.com is that you will need a TOSlink to optical mini adapter. You can bundle it with the adapter purchase from Amazon.com. In any case, I think you need to mention this in your guide.

Another comment is that AudioCubes.com offers an AC adapter for $40 more, while it's not offered in Amazon.com. I guess you just have to find one that works. One concern with using AC adapters is the amount of AC hum that's usually present on the audio output. That's why most designers use batteries.

I was thinking of home-brewing a 3 V AC adapter from spares I have. I'll connect to the battery terminals in a way that wouldn't damage anything so I can still use batteries and not void the warranty.

Does anyone have any comments / problems using an AC adapter with the JVC? Can it drive the ATH-A900 OK?

Will do.. & yes, the JVC should drive the 900's fine..
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post #1559 of 10626
6/4/08 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaverJ View Post

Welcome to the thread GeekGirl...FYI, AVS doesn't allow "ref" links like the one in your post, so your link should be like this: http://www.amazon.com/JVC-SUDH1-Surr...dp/B000ETBZ5G/

Sorry, I had no idea that my original URL was a "ref" link. I got there from Amazon.com's own internal search engine. I tried it again and sure enough, it generates a "/ r e f =" (Now I know why I see "****" in the other posts). Thanks for showing me how to do it correctly.
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post #1560 of 10626
6/4/08 at 2:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by d.a.v.e View Post

Thanks thats what I was looking for... Guess I'll start with a good pair of headphones and build from there. Did you get an A/C adaptor for the JVC unit or are you powering from batt?

Just to be clear if I want to take the next step I can order the JVC unit & a optical to 1/8 adaptor and I'm good or do I need to consider a headphone amp for regular headphones?

I'm also wondering about AC or battery power.

Just purchased the JVC from Amazon.com, but the TOSlink adapter from monoprice.com: http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2. Shipping was way less than Amazon. The adapter is officially called a "Toslink Female to Toslink Mini Male Adapter". IOW, it's a Toslink "Mini" adapter. You could also get an optical cable that has TOSlink on 1 side and the Mini-connector on the other. Up to you.

As for the AC adapter, the AudioCubes.com and Amazon.com reviews say there's AC adapter jack, but gave no details. I'm going to wait until I get the unit and then see what will work (after checking polarity, connector type, etc.).

The JVC SU-DH1 product page: http://av.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelI...athId=2&page=2
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