Headphone Thread.

[arplod]

I liked CMSS. Until I used Dolby Headphone on the G35.

[NamelessPFG]

I'm not going to say which is better until I have the chance to give Dolby Headphone a chance in games, and I don't have the money for an Astro Mixamp right now. (My cards have Dolby Digital Live, so I don't have to worry about properly feeding it with S/PDIF.) The comparable Turtle Beach Ear Force DSS is said to be more prone to hiss, and the JVC/Victor SU-DH1 isn't a common find these days (plus the JVC version is only battery-powered). I don't know of any other external DSPs that offer Dolby Headphone processing on an AC-3/Dolby Digital-encoded S/PDIF signal.

On top of that, I don't have much incentive to buy one other than review purposes and use with my old Xboxes. I'm quite content with my audio setup for gaming as it is; the main "upgrade" I'm thinking of would really be more of a consolidation of that receiver and transformer box into a dedicated amp so as to free up desk space.

If only I knew someone with a Mixamp that I could borrow for a short while...that would help a lot. As it stands, though, I generally don't get the chance to review anything without buying it first.

[arplod]

There is I guess also the element of headphone matching. When the codec is built into the phone, you (as the manufacturer) know - literally - what you're getting into.

[NamelessPFG]

So they can tune the G35's sound characteristics to Dolby Headphone (or, perhaps, the other way around)? Makes sense.

Still, something just unnerves me about USB headsets like that. I'd rather have the DAC/DSP and the actual headphone/headset separated. On the other hand, others might like that plug-and-play convenience (unless the G35 needs drivers for full functionality).

[arplod]

So they can tune the G35's sound characteristics to Dolby Headphone (or, perhaps, the other way around)? Makes sense.

Still, something just unnerves me about USB headsets like that. I'd rather have the DAC/DSP and the actual headphone/headset separated. On the other hand, others might like that plug-and-play convenience (unless the G35 needs drivers for full functionality).

It's not like it has to be your only headphone or that you can't plug in another audio interface at the same time, is it?

(and yes, it needs drivers of course)

[NamelessPFG]

It's not like it has to be your only headphone or that you can't plug in another audio interface at the same time, is it?

(and yes, it needs drivers of course)

I'm not that absolutist, but in all likeliness, I'd only use it on my notebook, which isn't that much of a gaming computer to begin with (damn Intel GMA graphics that are practically the only option for convertibles).

Why not the desktop? I bought those X-Fi cards for a reason. CMSS-3D Headphone and general audio quality improvements aside, there's also the matter of EAX 3/4/5 support, and I still play my fair share of older games that use them. Not having it on wouldn't be as the game developer intended for it to sound. (But now that games over the past few years have taken the software audio engine route, it's less important to a lot of people. I just wish the software audio engines in question had some binaural options to go along with the typical stereo and surround loudspeaker configurations.)

Then there's the matter of enjoying my Stax setup too much, even for gaming. I'll be highly surprised if anything can top the Lambda in terms of comfort.

I mentioned the subject of drivers because some USB headsets are touted as being driver-free, which could be a selling point to those who use their headset amongst many different computers, I suppose. It wouldn't be a deal-breaker if the G35 needed drivers to function properly, though.

[arplod]

It really depends on what your usage mode is. In your case - i.e. where you're seemingly at right now, in intermediate audio enthusiast and player of older games mode - it probably makes more sense to be where you're at.

It's just what when I game, I just like to get into it straight away without a lot of fuss. Also I've used the gamut of configurations (e.g. combining X-Fis with pro soundcards so that the gaming audio is routed through the pro card, and music audio comes direct from the pro card so I can use output switching on the pro card to route how and where the audio goes) and I know what works for me and what doesn't.

For gaming, I want a single thing that's ready to go the moment I put them on. I put on the G35, swing the mic down (turning it on), slide Dolby switch up or down depending on whether the particular game works better in stereo or surround, adjust the audio (and I can do this all from the left earcup) and start playing. Audio quality is absolutely gaming-suitable, and also perfectly acceptable for all-round listening though it's not at e.g. DT770 levels of capability (but then you can't really expect that in a <$100 headphone, let alone a headset).

If I want to 'actually listen' then the rest of the gear comes out and I switch outputs - but if I'm just surfing around Zune Pass for example after a gaming session, I'll probably keep the 35's on, just turn surround off.

[tsangan]

Anyone have experience with AIAIAI TMA-1? Looking for a new pair of headphones and these caught my eye, read a bunch of reviews and they all gave it a pretty good review overall, anyone on here ever try on a pair?

[Striketh]

I have a pair of Denon D7000's, a custom built amp, and I'm running it through a Creative Titanium X-FI soundcard. I spent about $1,200 on everything and love it.

[laffindude]

tsangan:
depends on what you want to use it for. My 30 minute impression is... I'll keep my HD25-1 as portable. Less punch, muddier mids, recessed treble. IMO it is just another FotM can at headfi.
Your head don't go bopping like you would on a HD25. IMO if the can can't do that, rest would be moot, no matter the sound quality.

[TheProfosist]

I have a pair of Denon D7000's, a custom built amp, and I'm running it through a Creative Titanium X-FI soundcard. I spent about $1,200 on everything and love it.

Why did you oend up going with the 7000's? Ive read that the internals are the same at the 2000's.

[funkymeeba]

I have a pair of Ultrasone HFI-450 headphones. They're far from the finest, but are certainly quite nice for what I need them for. I'm one of the seemingly few who find them comfortable for long periods.

[eugenius]

Currently I have a balanced Grado HF2, a Beyerdynamic MMX300 Manufaktur headset, a CEC HD53N balanced amplifier, a DACport portable dac/amp, a Headroom Desktop Balanced DAC/AMP and a custom modded multibit Assemblage DAC. Everything except the Assemblage and the DACport is for sale.

[TheProfosist]

I was wondering if anyone had any info on these http://tinyurl.com/7amddgv .

[godly_music]

It says DT770 Pro with added microphone. So it's a closed headphone with good sound and powerful bass. The microphone is apparently studio quality, but I've never used one of these.

[TheProfosist]

Well i know what it says didnt know if anyone had anymore info with at least the brand.

[laffindude]

I love the general sound signature of Beyers. The DT770/880/990 (they have the same driver) trio do tend to have a treble peak at ~8.5khz. If you listen to bad recordings with hot treble, they tend to get a bit annoying. There are several versions of DT770, and some are bassier than the others. 250ohm one is middle of the road. Though, i prefer HD25-1 for closed cans over DT770.

You didn't say what you want the headphones for, so no recommendations. Also, the condenser microphone uses mini-XLR and phantom power. It is not really something for gamers.

[teraflame]

I just bought UM3x removable cable for 25% off (final price about $300). Very excited to get it, I tried a couple years ago and loved it. Using regular earbuds has become torturous now.

[TheProfosist]

I love the general sound signature of Beyers. The DT770/880/990 (they have the same driver) trio do tend to have a treble peak at ~8.5khz. If you listen to bad recordings with hot treble, they tend to get a bit annoying. There are several versions of DT770, and some are bassier than the others. 250ohm one is middle of the road. Though, i prefer HD25-1 for closed cans over DT770.

You didn't say what you want the headphones for, so no recommendations. Also, the condenser microphone uses mini-XLR and phantom power. It is not really something for gamers.

Lol yea it going to be plugged into my Roland Edirol FA-66

[slueth]

Not really a headphone but I got a Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 Noise Isolating Earphone.  Does anyone have it?  It is coming in the mail.
Wow these sound awesome, I like them a lot more then my AKG 702s

[RickyJ]

I got my Fiio E10 DAC/amp on Monday, I pre-ordered it from the 2nd build batch.  I'm using my crappy Corsair headset until Christmas and this little E10 really woke them up, I can actually hear bass notes now.  Music sounds like music now too, even in Skyrim!  When I max the volume I get zero hiss through my 32 ohm Corsairs, which is something I'm really not used to.

[Zamorph]

Can anyone point out a few good sets of earbuds and headphones.
Heard good things about um3x, Sennheiser HD595, akg k 701, grado sr325

[slueth]

AKG 702 is awesome for headphones and I will now recommend Ultimate ears triple fi 10 earphones.  Both are amazing.  AKG needs some oomph with a DAC/amp though or it will sound not as good.

[davkol]

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[phillyosophy]

ATH M50 for indoor use, Fisher Audio Eterna for outdoor/on-the-go use. Fiio E7 for just that little extra kick in sound

Currently going through alot of headsets, to find a good and comfortable one Had so far, various razer's' (luckily borrowed from friends, none good, stay clear), the steelseries siberia v2 (comfy and all right, lovely colours too), trying out in-ears headsets; not for the iphone/mobile kind, the ones that actually come with a splitter for mic and speaker i/o.

I wear glasses, thick framed ones too. The biggest problem I have is after awhile, the back of my ears hurt from the headset pressing down on to my ears, on to my glasses frame.

Next to try: Steel Series in ears. I have a Tte one at the moment, not bad but the mic can be improved.

[elogical]

Can anyone point out a few good sets of earbuds and headphones.
Heard good things about um3x, Sennheiser HD595, akg k 701, grado sr325

The only ones that I have of those are the sr325 and they are great, very happy with them, I don't think you'd go wrong with any you listed though. Keep in mind what you want them for though. With open headphones like those they are great for at a desk or at home but they do let some sound out so don't expect to use them at a quiet office setting or out and about. The grado 325 especially are really not made to be portable.

I personally like to have in-ear phones for on the go and open design for at home, not sure if you were suggesting that approach as well or just debating which style you want.

Also many of those are gonna need a headphone amp to take full advantage of them. At least something like the Fiio e7 or similar, doesn't have to be super spendy

[mcsnails]

Does anybody have any advice on sleeving headphone cable with braided sleeve? I just purchased some JVC HA RX700's and was interested in doing this mod.  Particularly, what size sleeving do you think would be necessary?

[digitalleftovers]

Can anyone point out a few good sets of earbuds and headphones.
Heard good things about um3x, Sennheiser HD595, akg k 701, grado sr325

I have the Q701 and a pair of SR80's.  While its not really fair to compare those, my impression of their philosophies is that grado colors the sound more.  If you want a warmer sound, go with with grado, and if you want a flatter, more 'real'(I take that term from head-fi) sound, go with the 701/2, or consider one of the lower AKG models that are not geared toward the reference market.

[NamelessPFG]

...Wait a minute. Grado "warm"? I thought their frequency graphs suggested otherwise, with a lot of treble emphasis, whereas my understanding of the term "warm" is that it skews a bit more toward emphasized bass and recessed treble. Maybe I have to brush up on all this audiophile jargon some more.

In other headphone-related news, I should have a Stax SR-202 and SRM-212 by the end of the month. Found a deal on those that was too good to resist...

[slueth]

a pair of stax, what a boss!

[digitalleftovers]

...Wait a minute. Grado "warm"? I thought their frequency graphs suggested otherwise, with a lot of treble emphasis, whereas my understanding of the term "warm" is that it skews a bit more toward emphasized bass and recessed treble. Maybe I have to brush up on all this audiophile jargon some more.

That was the case initially, but once I amped my SR80i's their bass REALLY increased.  Now they are definitly what I would call 'warm'.  In a good way though.

[laffindude]

I think you're using your Q701 as reference, that is why the midrange on the SR80i sounds warmer. Grados' house sound is a huge mid bass hump for lots of punch (no balls on the real bass side), which colors the mid-range. Though, I refuse to call smiliefaced freq response cans warm.

[kidchunks]

hd555 (finally 595 modded), ath-m50s and DT770 pro (250) with a cmoybb. Also looking at getting the denon ahd2000 but can't find them anywhere. :tsk:

[turbocharged]

hd555 (finally modded), ath-m50s and DT770 pro (250) with a cmoybb. Also looking at getting the denon ahd2000 but can't find them anywhere. :tsk:

I also have the DT-770 Pro 250's, but with a biosciencegeek cmoy....absolutely love the setup.

I also have a pair of ATH-AD700's and AKG K430's.

[flaming_june]

...Wait a minute. Grado "warm"? I thought their frequency graphs suggested otherwise, with a lot of treble emphasis, whereas my understanding of the term "warm" is that it skews a bit more toward emphasized bass and recessed treble. Maybe I have to brush up on all this audiophile jargon some more.

In other headphone-related news, I should have a Stax SR-202 and SRM-212 by the end of the month. Found a deal on those that was too good to resist...

Compared with

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=353

[NamelessPFG]

*image snipped*

That image helps immensely, thanks. (Though I would think that the low bass would go all the way down to 20-30 Hz, given that's what I'd expect the bassheads to be seeking.)

In other news, some Chinese firm named Edifier actually bought out Stax yesterday. It's stirred up quite a bit of discussion over at Head-Fi. I just hope this doesn't drive up prices of existing equipment too much if it all ends up being the last great electrostatic headphone gear because the new management didn't know what they were doing.

On the flip side, maybe they'll have some decent distribution channels for once.

[NimbleRabit]

Low bass is muddy?

Read it like a frequency response graph, the "muddy" is high up over the lowest bass on the frequency range.  It means there is a lot of low bass.

I've never "felt" the bass of Headphones like you can with a real sound system.

I've never really understood the obsession with feeling bass.  I have a great sound system in the living room where I can "feel" the bass, but I honestly think I still prefer my headphones.

[digitalleftovers]

Whats better than speakers or headphones??? Listening to them AT THE SAME TIME!

K, well, it was more of an accident since I had them both on when I turned up the volume the other day.  I did think it was strange that I could feel the bass against my legs from my headphones.  But it sounded great!

[cbf123]

I've actually heard of guys that listen to headphones but with an amp/subwoofer to give the bass oomph.

[NamelessPFG]

I've never really understood the obsession with feeling bass.

Neither do I. It's always "bass this, bass that", even on Head-Fi, like people just want a couple of vibrators on their heads or something. That, or they stuff their cars so full of subwoofers that you can hear it in your house as they drive by the street several feet away.

I can understand wanting good bass reproduction, but bass alone isn't music to me. (It could be that most of my preferred music is unquestionably non-bassy, even if there are low notes.) I want the whole spectrum, as much of it can be captured (bass and treble extension isn't a bad thing), and I want it all done well, within financial reason. I want it done clearly and effortlessly. And most of all...I want to hear where every gunshot, footstep, and explosion is coming from so I can plan accordingly.

As for the headphone + subwoofer idea? I've considered it, but that will have to wait. Even then, it's rather low on my priorities, especially when it could mean irritating everyone else in the house.

[Benji]

Portapro. Yes. Best bang 4 buck

[davkol]

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[laffindude]

I used to listen to headphones with a sub, then I took an arrow to the knee...
Sub's bass is unintegrated with the sound from the headphone. It also sounds a bit slow and delayed. It is fine for movies and games I guess, but music sounds better without the sub. If i want maximum impact, I'd just use my monitors + sub. Even the bass don't integrate so well here, but better than headphones.

[flaming_june]

What exactly is happening in skyrim that's making people make all these arrow to the knees joke.

[kidchunks]

What exactly is happening in skyrim that's making people make all these arrow to the knees joke.

i-took-an-arrow-in-the-knee

[NamelessPFG]

Finally got that SR-202 + SRM-212. Pretty much what I expected from the seller's description. Now I don't have to keep this huge receiver on my desk, though I haven't taken it off yet.

The only thing is, I haven't received a replacement headband part yet and probably won't until tomorrow. Worse, it's not obvious how to remove the existing headband part (the fork/"case holder" that holds the earcup in place) without breaking the whole thing. In the meantime, I swapped the baffles and drivers with the SR-Lambda's earcups. (Why didn't I swap headbands instead? They changed the headband design from the Nova series onward...including how they mate to the earcups. The pin sizes and distances are different.)

EDIT: So there's these hollow pins that hold the "case holder" forks in place...and they are a TOTAL PAIN IN THE ASS to try and push out. Everything I've attempted hasn't made the damn thing budge at all. I don't even know if I can displace it without breaking it and escalating the repair cost from a $35 fork to a $150 headband. I was thinking that the newer headbands would hold them in via screws like the vintage ones.

...That is, until I tried one of my screwdrivers with a Torx T6 bit for the hell of it. Worked like a charm. Now I just have to wait for the replacement fork to show up tomorrow, and I can have a complete, functional SR-202 headband...which will make selling the old Stax gear a lot easier.

[flaming_june]

i-took-an-arrow-in-the-knee

Kind of reminds me of Fallout New Vegas: quantity over quality.

[NamelessPFG]

There, got the headband all fixed up today a replacement part. Now it's complete.

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 34995[/ATTACH]

And, yes, that's the set I was using in the background, sans the receiver that fed the SRD-7/SB. I'm glad to have all that desk space free now.

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 34996[/ATTACH]

[Creizai]

There, got the headband all fixed up today a replacement part. Now it's complete.

(Attachment Link) 34995[/ATTACH]

And, yes, that's the set I was using in the background, sans the receiver that fed the SRD-7/SB. I'm glad to have all that desk space free now.

(Attachment Link) 34996[/ATTACH]

crazy I was just doing searches on head-fi and saw your one set for sale.

I'm seriously thinking about picking up that exact setup.. so please tell me how it is.

[inaneframe]

Kind of reminds me of Fallout New Vegas: quantity over quality.

Not sure what "quantity" vs. "quality" issue you are talking about with FNV.  Could you elaborate?