What gaming headphones to buy? - Page 201

Originally Posted by WayTooCrazy

I had the Razer's before returning them and finding out the HPXs were available. I thought the Razer's were really bright (too much so), and the Bass was really faked. The headset did get better after some time... I used it for about 40-50hrs I believe. My take on the Razer's can be found earlier in this thread. I went from Hating them>to kinda liking them> to returning them. The final straw was the Mic... it just didn't work well with the MixAmp. I did like how they felt though, as they're probably the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn.

Originally Posted by Daekwan

What begins with an A and ends with an O?

Originally Posted by j0dy77

HAHA this is exactly what happened to me. I've been lurking around this thread for the past couple of weeks. I started around page 80 and read all the way to the end before signing up and deciding to post.

Here is where I am currently:

- I've been using an older $50 pair of Sennheiser wireless headphones connected to my Pioneer VSX-1017TXV and it has worked admirably. The static bugs me and I did notice an improvement in my online play due to the improved sound quality. Which lead to the recent obsession with finding a new setup.

- I picked up the Razer Carcharias last week while continuing to read this thread for comparison sake. I figured BB owes me 30 days and they'll probably suck and I can return them once I get a permanent setup. The sound on the Razer set seems to have improved since my first couple of play attempts with them but overall I am unhappy. The sounds is very distant and it really feels like the headphones are struggling to produce any kind of decent sound. I end up having to turn the volume up and the bass starts to give me a headache. Not to mention they feel like they are going to snap at any moment. Some of this may have to do with running through my pioneer receiver but my current 6yr old wireless Sennheisers sound better when I did the side by side test.

- So basically I came to the same conclusion that hypermobious posted above. I ordered my AD700s yesterday from Amazon. I paid a little more to buy direct from Amazon just in case I am unsatisfied. After reading the thread they seem like the clear winner for people's favorite gaming headphones w/o spending $200+. My decision came down to the AD700 and the HD555. The only thing I am conncerned about is how the weird headstrap will sit on my head, I really don't want to use a rubber band on new headphones.

I am hoping to hear a large improvement with the AD700 over the Carcharias in my current setup. The pioneer receiver doesn't have dolby headphones but does have "phones surround" from Pioneer. Does anyone have much experience comparing this feature to dolby headphone? Will I see a very drastic improvement with the Astro Mixamp? Hopefully the headphones will be here by the weekend, I'll try my current setup and see if I am satisfied with just the AD700. If I am still wanting more I will take the plunge on the mixamp (although I'd love to avoid the rats nest).

Last is the mic. I don't care about a mic that often. I only talk to a few friends that I play with online once in a while. Most people have knocked the Zalman pretty hard on this thread and the Mad Catz throat mic is too goofy for me. I haven't seen many other options mentioned, can anyone make a recommendation w/o having to mod or velcro to the headphones?

Thanks in advance and thank you for a great site. Like most have said prior, I don't know whether to love or hate this thread!

Originally Posted by tkntz

Have you guys seen the new Sennheiser PC360? It looks like an open version of the PC350 with velvet ear pads. Sounds like Sennheiser was listening! They run @ 50 ohms versus the PC350s that run @ 150 ohms, so they are definitely not just a tweek on the PC350s. Can't wait to read the reviews on this one.

Originally Posted by tkntz

Have you guys seen the new Sennheiser PC360? It looks like an open version of the PC350 with velvet ear pads. Sounds like Sennheiser was listening! They run @ 50 ohms versus the PC350s that run @ 150 ohms, so they are definitely not just a tweek on the PC350s. Can't wait to read the reviews on this one.

Originally Posted by tkntz

Have you guys seen the new Sennheiser PC360? It looks like an open version of the PC350 with velvet ear pads. Sounds like Sennheiser was listening! They run @ 50 ohms versus the PC350s that run @ 150 ohms, so they are definitely not just a tweek on the PC350s. Can't wait to read the reviews on this one.

Originally Posted by j0dy77

- So basically I came to the same conclusion that hypermobious posted above. I ordered my AD700s yesterday from Amazon. I paid a little more to buy direct from Amazon just in case I am unsatisfied. After reading the thread they seem like the clear winner for people's favorite gaming headphones w/o spending $200+. My decision came down to the AD700 and the HD555. The only thing I am conncerned about is how the weird headstrap will sit on my head, I really don't want to use a rubber band on new headphones.

Originally Posted by PJ_Rage

Regarding the rubberband on the headstrap... IMHO, it's a must. No way around it unless you don't mind trying to balance the headphones on your head, which is essentially what you'd be doing without it. Instead of a normal tan rubber band which would have been a little ugly, I used one of my wife's black hair thingies (basically a rubber band covered in black nylon sleeving/cloth). You'd never know it's not stock if you were to look at it. Looks clean and works great.

Originally Posted by WayTooCrazy

Lol, I'm actually pulling parts together to make a new one (longer), but this time... instead of using a single StarQuad... I'm going to go with 5x26AWG (or larger) cabling and braid them. then cover with TechFlex which should make the whole construction go faster and smoother (as my current rig... I had to use the metal EMI braiding for the negative return on the Mic, which works... but is a pain at the same time).

Edit: AND, I'm gonna use ATB's parts list... as it was less expensive than the parts that I used (my Mini-XLR alone cost $7.50).

Originally Posted by formulanerd

IMO you'll love the SQ of the AD700's, but it sounds like dealing with a mic solution is going to be a pain for you (someone who just doesn't want to deal with it), so as much as i love my AD700's, i'd probably recommend the HPX for you.




i guess it depends on your brain size, i'm a borderline genius () and they fit me fine.... i tried the hair tie trick after reading about it a year or two back and it just felt weird/bad on my head, i couldnt stand it.



how much shipped to 80634 for a new style? which 3.5mm ends are you going to use? will they match? neutrik mini?

i've been considering selling off my whole astro combo and getting the ax720 just for the amp, but i dont know if any mini DIY 3.5mm end will fit side by side on the ax720 amp cable....

Originally Posted by formulanerd

IMO you'll love the SQ of the AD700's, but it sounds like dealing with a mic solution is going to be a pain for you (someone who just doesn't want to deal with it), so as much as i love my AD700's, i'd probably recommend the HPX for you.




i guess it depends on your brain size, i'm a borderline genius () and they fit me fine.... i tried the hair tie trick after reading about it a year or two back and it just felt weird/bad on my head, i couldnt stand it.



how much shipped to 80634 for a new style? which 3.5mm ends are you going to use? will they match? neutrik mini?

i've been considering selling off my whole astro combo and getting the ax720 just for the amp, but i dont know if any mini DIY 3.5mm end will fit side by side on the ax720 amp cable....

Originally Posted by tkntz

Have you guys seen the new Sennheiser PC360? It looks like an open version of the PC350 with velvet ear pads. Sounds like Sennheiser was listening! They run @ 50 ohms versus the PC350s that run @ 150 ohms, so they are definitely not just a tweek on the PC350s. Can't wait to read the reviews on this one.

Originally Posted by WayTooCrazy

The ends will match, they'll definitely be Neutrik (they look trick). Dual Netutriks will fit fine, as I ran my stock AKG cable (with the 3.5mm end is same as neutrik size), and a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter from RadioCrap (I had to remove the rubber covering and shrink tube), and the RS adapter is thicker (by about 1/16th to an 1/8th on either side) than the neutrik. Those fit snugly, but worked fine. Pricing, I dunno... I have to pull the parts lists together and I haven't done that yet. It will most likely be 5x26AWG braided. Length can be anything. I can also supply the Mic (which is in the area of $8 or so for the GTMax which works good) if needed. Cost should be cheap, as it'll basically be to cover the parts and maybe a couple of dollars for assembly since I like doing this stuff anyway. Keeps me from getting Antsy and making more "Anti" A40 and "Pro" HPX pictures or vinyls for Forza3.

Edit: KEEP THE MIXAMP! Sell off the A40 headset or better yet, let your dog have them as a chew toy.

Originally Posted by PJ_Rage

VERY interesting. I'd love to try a set, but I cna't find them anywhere. At all. Can't even find much mention of them really anywhere but the main sennheiser site. It's the worst name ever to google too because you wind up finding stuff for PC and 360, meaning PC gaming and the xbox 360. www.sennheiserusa.com doesn't even show them lol. How did you find out about them?

Originally Posted by tkntz

Someone over at the Head-Fi forum mentioned them. I think they just announced them. When I first saw them this morning, not everything worked on the PC-360 portion of the web site. In fact, it wasn't even included in the headset portion of the web site. Now it is. So I don't think they're available yet. But I agree, googleing those things is a nightmare! I've been trying to find an MSRP but I can't. Until then, I can only dream. They look to solve everything I don't like about my PC350s.

Originally Posted by PJ_Rage

My guess is $300 or less. Hopefully we can find them for ~$250 or less. They really look like just the next model of the PC350, so I can't see them costing much more.

Originally Posted by WayTooCrazy

The ends will match, they'll definitely be Neutrik (they look trick). Dual Netutriks will fit fine, as I ran my stock AKG cable (with the 3.5mm end is same as neutrik size), and a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter from RadioCrap (I had to remove the rubber covering and shrink tube), and the RS adapter is thicker (by about 1/16th to an 1/8th on either side) than the neutrik. Those fit snugly, but worked fine. Pricing, I dunno... I have to pull the parts lists together and I haven't done that yet. It will most likely be 5x26AWG braided. Length can be anything. I can also supply the Mic (which is in the area of $8 or so for the GTMax which works good) if needed. Cost should be cheap, as it'll basically be to cover the parts and maybe a couple of dollars for assembly since I like doing this stuff anyway. Keeps me from getting Antsy and making more "Anti" A40 and "Pro" HPX pictures or vinyls for Forza3.

Edit: KEEP THE MIXAMP! Sell off the A40 headset or better yet, let your dog have them as a chew toy.

Originally Posted by PJ_Rage

But you didn't really give us any thoughts concerning the two and how they compare?

Which one was "better" ? It sounded like you liked the mixamp better but since you sold it and kept the JVC I'm confused? Which one had a cleaner sound? Which one could drive headphones louder? Did you ever feel the need to use any Dolby headphone processing setting on the JVC besides "2"? For gaming, that is.

Originally Posted by PJ_Rage

I didn't mean to suggest that they weren't any different than the PC350, in fact each improvement they made is what makes me interested in them. I was only trying to say that they were the next logical step, and are basically in the same class as the PC350. Therefore, I would think they would be in the same general price range. Your estimate of $259 vs $229 isn't unreasonable at all. What would really surprise me is if they retail at anything over $299, because based on the price of the PC350, and the features they added, I can't see any reason for it. Nothing they added seems to warrant any price increase at all, really.

Originally Posted by Dale_S

I did like the mixamp better, but specifically for its voice chat handling. The main reason I sold the mixamp is I rarely play online anymore so voice chat isn't necessary. As far as Dolby Headphone, I've tried all 3 DH settings on the JVC and depending on the game/movie/music, I'll switch it around. Both the JVC and the mixamp sounded equally as clean in output, at least to my aging ears.

At different times I've liked DH1, other times DH2 and still others DH3. I would say that it stays on DH2 and DH3 most of the time now. If I didn't have the choice, I would probably leave it on DH2 if I always used my DT770s or DH3 if I always used my IEMs. There are other times where I've even gone with a PLII mix.

As for driving the headphones, both of them were perfectly fine with my IEMs - no external headphone amp was required. I use my Pico headphone amp inline when I use the DT770s as they are more demanding. I occasionally use it with the IEMs as well, but I set the gain on the Pico to low.

While I do use the JVC for occasional late night gaming, I may eventually pick up another mixamp. It all depends if I get re-interested in playing online and require a decent voice chat mix with the game sound. Where the JVC really shines is with movies and music. This is especially true when it comes to movies with DTS soundtracks, but also works very well in Dolby PLII mode with tv shows and other stereo sources. I rarely tried the Astro mixamp with movies and music, so I can't say how they compare on that front.

What I did state before was that each of us hears differently. What sounds great to me may sound like crap to you. The choice of which headphone, which surround adapter, which headphone amp, etc is all a very personal decision driven both by your perception, your personal likes and your wallet.

Hope that helps clarify it for you. Regardless, don't spend too much time worrying if you made the right choice - either way you won't be disappointed on the gaming front.

Originally Posted by Dale_S

Like ATB, I too have played with both the JVC and the Astro mixamp. I owned both for a while, but eventually realized I was too old for online gaming so I didn't need voice chat anymore. I picked up the JVC in June '08 and posted my thoughts on it while I was also experimenting with headphones.

I picked up the mixamp a few months later after trying one a friend had. The mixamp was used exclusively for gaming at home with my 360. The JVC became part of my travel bag and I use it with my MacBook Pro for both music and movies. It's a nice little unit for what it does, but it does have it's limitation when it comes to gaming. One was power source since I didn't buy the Japanese version, but I solved that with a little ingenuity:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...1#post14016091

In any case, I sold my mixamp about 2 months ago, but I do regret it now. I still like playing immersive single player games and the mixamp was great for that too. I may end up buying another one when I get some other expenses out of the way. For now I pull out the JVC when I need to use headphones for gaming, i.e. late at night.

My setup is now the following:

Digital Source ----> JVC SU-DH1 ----> Pico headphone amp ----> DT770 Pro 250 ohm cans or Shure SE530 IEMs.

One of the factors that people often overlook in the choice of headphones, amps, etc is that each of us hears things differently. Everyones ear canals, eardrums and brain are different and are often affected by the environment we're in. An example is my preference for my IEMs sometimes, while other times the DT770s are the only option. Yes, there is a larger percentage of the population that share common views, but you definitely aren't wrong saying 'I like product A more than product B'.

That said, like others, I'll never recommend the multi-driver headphone solutions over a good Dolby Headphone setup.

Originally Posted by coyote_5

Saw the pics of your modded cable last night when I got home. Very nice job!

Originally Posted by PJ_Rage

I'm not really wondering if I made the right choice or anything as I absolutely require the ability to mix the voice and game chat.

Originally Posted by formulanerd

ugh, only 1 word to describe braiding 24awg cable.... TEDIOUS.

turned out pretty nice and the flexibility is nice... and you dont need a wire covering if you dont want one, i like it..... also, there was a 12% loss in length while braiding, so if you're looking for an exact length, thats something to take into consideration.

Originally Posted by WayTooCrazy

Why? So you can laugh at us RnG peeps?

Originally Posted by WayTooCrazy

Thx! I'm looking into making something better for the Mini-XLR and Mic to sit in. They're basically held together with 3 plys of Shrink-tubing. It's sturdy, but I'd like something looking better.

Originally Posted by ATB

Let me know if you come up with anything on this. I was thinking something like this could be tweaked to work for this purpose.