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BigBadWulf · Mar 22, 2015 at 6:30 AM

sanctuary said:
Thanks. I'm honestly not sure what to take away from this though when considering I'd essentially be paying $999 for a slight alteration. Sub bass makes action movies much more immersive, but midbass is way better for music (IMO). How is the TH-900 sound stage; do they sound as "open" as the ADs? If not, then I'd probably not even consider them and would look more towards the HD800 (although if the 6khz spike is really that bad, maybe not. I couldn't stand the Ultrasone 900s that did something similar). Plus, having "heard" the horrid mids of the Ultrasones, I'll never go back to a V shaped sound again if I can help it. Good mids are very important for vocals or dialogue.

Yesterday I started to play with the HD800, later I switched to the Beyerdynamic DT 990. Well, I will start to make these changes everytime I play, because it really shows the difference. One Point was, that I can`t find a Beyerpeak. The 800 is more aggressive. I get used to the sharpness of the HD800 and that still can be extreme, when you hear very loud music. When you game it is an advantage and absolutely not annoying (except damaging volumes).
If you hear a lot of loud music, the HD800 can be exhausting, but when you game and especially competitive games, it will be the maximum you can get.
I can imagine, that the TH900 Bass will make a game to a great movie, but the 800 will be better in competitive gaming.
Switching to the DT 990 felt like hearing the 800 through a pillow, but the midbass increased a lot and I still could do my job the same way, but with less comfort and much less quality.

Tested with COD BO2 HC SnD with IFI IDSD connected with USB 3.0 without any surround simulation on.
Btw. the HD800 needed less power to reach the same volumes, than the 990 Pro 250 ohms.

Well, the next test will be vs. the Sony MDR MA900 (with T-90 pads). I love that lightweight.

paulguru · Mar 22, 2015 at 6:41 AM

Excuse me guys ............. between specific headphones Audio Technica ADx00 or AKG K7xx famous for soundstage and the other open air audiophile models like Sennheiser HD6xx or Fidelio X series there is a big noticeable difference during FPS games to perceive footsteps position ?

Sanctuary · Mar 22, 2015 at 6:45 AM

bigbadwulf said:
Yesterday I started to play with the HD800, later I switched to the Beyerdynamic DT 990. Well, I will start to make these changes everytime I play, because it really shows the difference. One Point was, that I can`t find a Beyerpeak. The 800 is more aggressive. I get used to the sharpness of the HD800 and that still can be extreme, when you hear very loud music. When you game it is an advantage and absolutely not annoying (except damaging volumes).
If you hear a lot of loud music, the HD800 can be exhausting, but when you game and especially competitive games, it will be the maximum you can get.
I can imagine, that the TH900 Bass will make a game to a great movie, but the 800 will be better in competitive gaming.
Switching to the DT 990 felt like hearing the 800 through a pillow, but the midbass increased a lot and I still could do my job the same way, but with less comfort and much less quality.

Tested with COD BO2 HC SnD with IFI IDSD connected with USB 3.0 without any surround simulation on.
Btw. the HD800 needed less power to reach the same volumes, than the 990 Pro 250 ohms.

Well, the next test will be vs. the Sony MDR MA900 (with T-90 pads). I love that lightweight.

Thanks, I guess, but it was the Fostex TH-900, not Beyer 990s that I mentioned. I own the Beyer 880s and am fine with those for "put them on and forget" gaming headphones. Similarly with music and dialogue heavy shows, but they just don't compete with the Alpha Dogs in any area aside comfort.

There's also what looks like a pretty easy and pretty much passive mod you can do to the HD800s (no real alterations to the actual headphones) that is supposed to tame the metallic sheen or high spikes they seem to be known for.

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/diy-modification-sennheiser-hd-800-anaxilus-mod-page-2

BigBadWulf · Mar 22, 2015 at 6:52 AM

Yes, I know, that you mean the TH900. I just wanted to tell you something about the HD800 and their sharp side. I can not compare them to the TH900, so I chose the 990 with the "Beyerpeak" and the advantage and disadvantage of the HD 800 sharpness.

Fegefeuer can give you the best advice for you, but he needs to know, if you want to game or hear music, watch movies etc.

BigBadWulf · Mar 22, 2015 at 7:05 AM

paulguru said:
Excuse me guys ............. between specific headphones Audio Technica ADx00 or AKG K7xx famous for soundstage and the other open air audiophile models like Sennheiser HD6xx or Fidelio X series there is a big noticeable difference during FPS games to perceive footsteps position ?

This is difficult to say.
With the HD800 I had the effect, that it is a crystal clear sound, than with the Q701 and so on, but I don`t feel, that I could hear them earlier with them.

At this point I have to tell you about a test in the past, that a clanmember with a "cheap Turtlebeach PX 21(?!? no USB) heard footsteps earlier than me with my ASUS Phoebus and all my headphones I had (598, 990, 900 and Q701), so it seems to be something with the soundcard, that the cheap onboard device gave him an advantage. Tested in Black Ops 2 at Raid map without awarness(? Wachsamkeit in german, I usually don`t use it). That is still annoying. I could not hear it earlier, even when I put the volume to a damaging level, the sound was not there and the headphones could not show, what is not there.
And he still sometimes say, there, you hear it and I "What no!?!"

.

Fegefeuer · Mar 22, 2015 at 7:09 AM

ADs vs TH-900? Get out

Sanctuary · Mar 22, 2015 at 8:23 AM

fegefeuer said:
ADs vs TH-900? Get out

I can't tell if you're just trying to be snarky, but if you read his review about the ADs, it read very similar to what he has been saying about the TH-900s. He even tried to clarify the differences, and they do not look to be drastically better or worse than each other on paper. One does some things better than the other and vice versa.

This is especially important when you factor in the $999 cost.

paulguru · Mar 22, 2015 at 8:26 AM

bigbadwulf said:
This is difficult to say.
With the HD800 I had the effect, that it is a crystal clear sound, than with the Q701 and so on, but I don`t feel, that I could hear them earlier with them.

At this point I have to tell you about a test in the past, that a clanmember with a "cheap Turtlebeach PX 21(?!? no USB) heard footsteps earlier than me with my ASUS Phoebus and all my headphones I had (598, 990, 900 and Q701), so it seems to be something with the soundcard, that the cheap onboard device gave him an advantage. Tested in Black Ops 2 at Raid map without awarness(? Wachsamkeit in german, I usually don`t use it). That is still annoying. I could not hear it earlier, even when I put the volume to a damaging level, the sound was not there and the headphones could not show, what is not there.
And he still sometimes say, there, you hear it and I "What no!?!" .

So the positionality depends much more to sound card and software than headphone ?

BigBadWulf · Mar 22, 2015 at 8:36 AM

Usually I would say, that a better soundcard and better headphones will bring you an advantage, but in this case it isn`t. I can`t tell you why. I tried volume leveler and so on, but the Sound was not there while he could hear it. (He doesn`t cheat or tweaked anything.) But I can say, that I can hear with my ZXR and any midclass headphones usually better than guys with gaming Headphones and I usually don`t use the awarness perk. I shot Turtlebeach Sierras at ebay for 30€ because of a broken wire, I repaired it, but the Headphone part was terrible compared to the mid-fis.

Yethal · Mar 22, 2015 at 9:08 AM

paulguru said:
bigbadwulf said:

This is difficult to say.
With the HD800 I had the effect, that it is a crystal clear sound, than with the Q701 and so on, but I don`t feel, that I could hear them earlier with them.

At this point I have to tell you about a test in the past, that a clanmember with a "cheap Turtlebeach PX 21(?!? no USB) heard footsteps earlier than me with my ASUS Phoebus and all my headphones I had (598, 990, 900 and Q701), so it seems to be something with the soundcard, that the cheap onboard device gave him an advantage. Tested in Black Ops 2 at Raid map without awarness(? Wachsamkeit in german, I usually don`t use it). That is still annoying. I could not hear it earlier, even when I put the volume to a damaging level, the sound was not there and the headphones could not show, what is not there.
And he still sometimes say, there, you hear it and I "What no!?!" .

Click to expand...

So the positionality depends much more to sound card and software than headphone ?

Of course it does. Plugging even the most expensive headphones into the regular stereo will give You worse results than plugging cheap headset into an amazing soundcard. Virtual surround can make bad headphones sound mediocre and mediocre headphones sound good.

Hansotek · Mar 22, 2015 at 12:36 PM

bigbadwulf said:
Yesterday I started to play with the HD800, later I switched to the Beyerdynamic DT 990. Well, I will start to make these changes everytime I play, because it really shows the difference. One Point was, that I can`t find a Beyerpeak. The 800 is more aggressive. I get used to the sharpness of the HD800 and that still can be extreme, when you hear very loud music. When you game it is an advantage and absolutely not annoying (except damaging volumes).
If you hear a lot of loud music, the HD800 can be exhausting, but when you game and especially competitive games, it will be the maximum you can get.
I can imagine, that the TH900 Bass will make a game to a great movie, but the 800 will be better in competitive gaming.
Switching to the DT 990 felt like hearing the 800 through a pillow, but the midbass increased a lot and I still could do my job the same way, but with less comfort and much less quality.

Tested with COD BO2 HC SnD with IFI IDSD connected with USB 3.0 without any surround simulation on.
Btw. the HD800 needed less power to reach the same volumes, than the 990 Pro 250 ohms.

Well, the next test will be vs. the Sony MDR MA900 (with T-90 pads). I love that lightweight.

I would love a true "flagship" model with essentially the same sound sig as the DT990... Just improved in every way.

DagsJT · Mar 22, 2015 at 5:38 PM

Any recommendations on a cheap amp for the Fidelio X1's? I've got the X1's and a Mixamp (for Xbox One gaming) coming next week but I think I might need an amp for music/movies on my PC. Not looking to spend too much, maybe £50?

Sunrider6 · Mar 22, 2015 at 5:50 PM

yethal said:
It's probably the best mic ever made. Ease of use and convenience trumps the competition. Go and buy it ( If You have a pair of cans that support it)

Thank you for your response.
I just bought it, now I'm waiting for delivery. :wink:

Fidelio X2 + Boom pro, seem to be a nice combo !
I wanted a volume controller so bad, i hope it's good.

For anyone who want it, it's $22.9 on ebay, from a 99.9% seller.
Come from China, so it may take while to come here in Europe.

Hansotek · Mar 22, 2015 at 6:13 PM

dagsjt said:
Any recommendations on a cheap amp for the Fidelio X1's? I've got the X1's and a Mixamp (for Xbox One gaming) coming next week but I think I might need an amp for music/movies on my PC. Not looking to spend too much, maybe £50?

It stretches your budget a little, but the Objective 2 is really killer with the Fidelio X1.

RRod · Mar 22, 2015 at 6:28 PM

dagsjt said:
Any recommendations on a cheap amp for the Fidelio X1's? I've got the X1's and a Mixamp (for Xbox One gaming) coming next week but I think I might need an amp for music/movies on my PC. Not looking to spend too much, maybe £50?

You can try it without, first. The X1 is a pretty easy can to drive, so it's worth seeing if you like the sound from your on-board stuff first.

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