FiiO E5 Headphone Amplifier with the ASTRO mixamp - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ypoknons 

Not likely. A lot of distortions are not obvious (in the sense they don't sound like buzz or static or anything like that) but change FR nevertheless - like caps in the signal path of some amps, a lot of people actually like that distortion (aka warm frequency response). 

It's close enough for gaming.  He's not trying to master the Audiophile Album of the Century or the Mixamp + Fiio combo or anything.  The important part is that now other people will know they can do this without everything sounding like crap.

Of course I know that, and I'm glad he got the job done. But at the same time I don't want him or any other members misunderstanding distortion. 

Hey sorry if I should have just started a new thread but this is so similar to my question it seems like a good place to ask.

I'm planning on buying some new headphones soon and have narrowed my search down to the ATH-A700 or the ATH-AD700. I still have questions about them but I probably shouldn't ask in this section. My current and only headset is the Plantronics GameCom 367. I've had it for almost 2 years now and it's been great for the $30 I payed. It sounds incredible compared to what it replaced, however I have a feeling the headphones I mentioned above would blow me away since I've never listened to a high quality pair.

Anyway the reason I'm posting this is because I'm worried about not having my beloved in-line volume control that my headset has. I don't want to upgrade and have the new headphones be too quiet compared to my current ones. Plus being able to easily adjust volume with a dial is so nice compared to using keyboard buttons. I'll only be using these at my pc and the primary reason for buying them will be for games (although I do everything on my pc... movies, music, tv et cetera). My sound card is the auzentech x-fi forte.

I've been looking for some kind of amplifier or in-line volume control similar to what my headset has and found the astro mixamp. It seems pretty expensive for what it is and the only thing I really want is a way to control the volume. Is there anything similar to it for cheaper? Also if I did end up with the mixamp would it degrade or lower the sound quality at all instead of just plugging directly into my sound card? One last thing I was wondering was if it can simply be used as an amp / volume control? I don't want it messing with positional audio or anything else it might do.

Thanks and sorry for the wall of text.

The mixamp is definitely not meant to be a volume control.  It is a positional audio device.  Since your sound card can already do everything the mixamp can and you're said you're just looking for a hardware volume control, the fiio e5 mentioned in this thread will probably be the cheapest option.  It will technically degrade the sound because it will be run through two amplifiers, but the difference should be quite minimal.  It may not be noticable at all without a better quality source then most games provide and/or even better headphones than what you're planning to buy.  I'd bet that if you paid enough attention to the exact quality of the sound to notice the difference you'd get fragged right away, in whatever you're playing.

I don't know a whole lot about either the ATH-A700 or the ATH-AD700, but I've heard good things everywhere.  As your entry in to proper hifi they'll probably blow your mind.  Everyone has that kind of experience.

Hey thanks for the reply. So it looks like I should just forget the overpriced astro mixamp. I'll check out that fiio e5, $20 is a lot more reasonable. However, I'm willing to spend more if there are other cheap headphone amps that would be noticeably better sounding for the extra money. Any suggestions? Or should I just try out the fiio e5? Thanks again.

The mixamp isn't really overpriced, you just already have something that does the same thing.  It's about the cheapest way to go if you want positional audio over headphones on a console.  You don't need that though.

As for other amps, how much do you have to spend?  I don't know if there are any better amps for much cheaper than the mixamp, which you thought was too expensive.  AFIK fiio has the ultra-low-price market pretty much wrapped up.  The only amp in the sub $100 price range you could say I have any experience with is the Headroom Airhead.  I don't actually own it but I do have the Bithead, which is the same thing plus a usb DAC.  You wouldn't need the usb part unless you also wanted to use it for music listening on your laptop or something.  It will power anything from low impedance IEMs to 600 ohm monsters.

If not that, then a CMoy.  Depending on who you buy it from and the quality of the parts they use, it may be quite a bit better than the Airhead.  I don't know who's selling the best ones these days, or exactly what they go for.  I'd bet you could get a quality one for cheaper than the Airhead, but you'd have to ask about it in the portable amp forum, since everything I mentioned besides the mixamp is pretty small.  There's also probably some other things I'm not mentioning because I don't know about it, so don't this as authoritative.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Hi i was just curious i have turtle beach hpx's with the astro mixamp.  the turtle beach HPA2 comes with a Surround Sound Amplifier
which you can use to control certain channels like front center rear surround i wanted to know if you guys could take a look and tell me if i could get taht to work on my xbox360 with my mixamp i would really appreciate it thanks.

Hi guys,,,

I also have a question..

Im planning on getting a pair of MS-1i's, purely for music, mainly CD's, and have only an XBOX 360 to run them thru, will i need a small amp of some sort, or even a DAC/AMP?

Also using Logitech x 230, 2.1 speakers, they have a headphone jack on the speaker, should I just use that?

Thanks

TANJ

The headphone jack on your speakers may be ok, or it may not be.  Assuming its a clean signal it should have enough power, since the MS1is are low impedance and efficient as well.  Your best bet is to just get the 'phones first and see how they work with what you already have.  They certainly won't be useless without a dedicated amp.  If you're not happy with the performance out of the built in amps you have, you can always get something cheap like an E5 or cmoy later.  A cmoy should be plenty of amp for the MS1s.

Hi,every one ,Iam new to this forum but i have always uses it for my audio related purchases ,i know it can sound stupid but i need help really the case is as follows

I am getting Beyer Dynamic DT 990 Premium 250 OHM Headphones along with astro mixmap amp but i want to use the headphone for online game chatting during multiplayer matches with Ps3 (only) , consedring the fact that thes headphone dont come with mic can some one please please tell me how do I add mic on these headphone while playing on ps3 and a mix map amp .

Also wanted to know can i use the 5.1 amplifier which is powering my home theater its jamo , canbe use  to power my new Beyer Dynamic DT 990 Premium 250 OHM Headphones ,OR this extra amplifier can In any way help me to get the most out of these headphones as  my console (ps3) is  already connectedto these amplifier .