purpleangel said:

Yamaha, my preferred brand, with Silent Cinema headphone surround sound
The RX-V657 comes with Dolby Digital and DTS
Just run S/PDIF (optical or coaxial) from your Xbox and PC to the Yamaha.
Make sure your xBox and PC are set to S/PDIF 5.1 (or 6-channel) output.
Would need to have enable DDL (Dolby Digital live) or DTS-connect, on the XBox or PC, which ever they use.

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HDMI works perfectly too, more convenient... unless you want your PC hooked up to a separate monitor. I just switch HDMI cables, lol!

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evshrug said:

HDMI works perfectly too, more convenient... unless you want your PC hooked up to a separate monitor. I just switch HDMI cables, lol!

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The Yamaha RX-V657 is pre-HDMI. but lots of S/PDIF inputs.

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mad lust envy said:

I constantly mention the Creative Aurvana Live as the cheaper, easily driven alternative to the DT770 Pro 80.

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The problem with the CAL! is that in the review, MLE said that it wouldn't be very comfortable for those who don't like to feel their ears pressing against the driver padding. I hate that to no end. I can't stand it. Which is why I'm going with the DT770 Pro 250. God, I wish I could find the Pro 80's for cheaper. 

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daanalthenoob said:

The problem with the CAL! is that in the review, MLE said that it wouldn't be very comfortable for those who don't like to feel their ears pressing against the driver padding. I hate that to no end. I can't stand it. Which is why I'm going with the DT770 Pro 250. God, I wish I could find the Pro 80's for cheaper. 

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Takstar Pro 80 (60-Ohm) headphones, $88 on eBay, Chinese knock off of the DT770s

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evshrug said:

Hey! That Yamaha receiver is plenty amp, AND it has it's own headphone surround processor. If you look in the manual, it's called Silent Cinema. You just have to enable one of the sound DSPs, I liked "action movie" best, YMMV, but it'll at least give you an idea about what virtual surround is like. Play around with the different DSPs to see which you like best. You can also boost/reduce treble and bass on the receiver

You might end up preferring a different surround processor, but Silent Cinema is definitely worth checking out and will get you most of the way there... and you already own it! That's a pretty nice receiver, IIRC.
Cheap headphone for all purposes & portability = Koss KSC75. I believe I already recommended it. It's not the most exotic looking or boutique, BUT it delivers where it counts. BY FAR better than any earbuds, even Yuin, and holds up against $60-$70 headphones. Just try that first, and if you like gaming/music with headphones, get a "reference" headphone to use at home with a good return policy, in case you don't love it. That's how Mad got started, and I could've saved money if I had done that.
Next steps, consider JVC HA-RX900 with Dynamat added inside the earcups to tighten up bass, Creative Aurvana Live!, Grado/Alessandro headphones (grados are great rock cans, Alessandro's are more balanced & respond well to MS1000 mod), Takstar, DT770, DT990/Q701 (equally good but different signature emphasis, different things to love), and up up and away!

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Sweet. My family have a habit of getting stuff they think is good without looking at reviews, so good thing they lucked out on the audio system. No Bose here.
 
Now, when I'm listening to music at home and playing Xbox, I'll just use my receiver, and then when I'm on the go, I'll get an amp that's nice, cheap and portable. I haven't listened to anything better than Skullcandy Mix Masters before, but I think I've got the bug!

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purpleangel said:

Takstar Pro 80 (60-Ohm) headphones, $88 on eBay, Chinese knock off of the DT770s

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They're probably good, but when I'm wearing it at school and someone asks "What the hell are those? Beats are better.", and I reply "Oh, they're Takstar, they're the same as nice Beyerdynamics, but they're knock-offs.", it really doesn't help my case. People already think I'm weird for not getting Beats, lol.
 
It probably sounds weird, but it's an image thing for me. I'm like that. 
 
Thanks for the recommendation, though. 
 
EDIT: Whoa, $70 for a Fiio E11? That's a fair bit. I can get that, but I'm gonna have to save for at least 6 weeks. Is there anything equally portable, and cheaper that will drive the DT770 Pro 250 Ohm? 

I haven't seen ANYTHING more portable and cheaper than the E11 with the same or more power.

Maybe the CMOY? ACtually, it seems weak vs the E11.

Hello, i do not know which one of these headphones are the best for gaming, im looking for comfy, good directionality, and ofcourse good sound, which one would YOU Choose and why?

AKG Q701 
Sennheiser HD 598 
Audio Technica ATH-AD900
akg K550

is there any other headphones i should consider?

thanks!

EDIT, right now i have onboard sound from my maximus V formula motherboard which uses supreme FX 4 more details on it here:
http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?19334-A-Guide-To-SupremeFX-IV 
i know its marketing but just wanna let you all know what i have, in the future i may consider buying a sound card anyway

i want headphones mainly for gaming, i dont really listen to music on my computer so i wont really use it for that, but if i do i listen to mostly everything, rock/hip hop/dubstep mainly, i dont really watch movies on my computer, if i am im watching it with someone else so headphones wont matter for that,

i want headphones that will give me good directionality for gaming so i can tell where my opponents are but also i want clear sound with good bass to enjoy what im playing, something thats comfy for a couple of hours is a bonus, and i do prefer detatchable cable that the k550 is missing

thank you, so far im leaning towards the Q701, any other suggestions that i didnt mention is welcomed,

I want to know if you read through the first post carefully. What questions weren't covered there?

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mad lust envy said:

I haven't seen ANYTHING more portable and cheaper than the E11 with the same or more power.
Maybe the CMOY? ACtually, it seems weak vs the E11.

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Alrighty, I'll save for that then. 

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daanalthenoob said:

They're probably good, but when I'm wearing it at school and someone asks "What the hell are those? Beats are better.", and I reply "Oh, they're Takstar, they're the same as nice Beyerdynamics, but they're knock-offs.", it really doesn't help my case. People already think I'm weird for not getting Beats, lol.
 
It probably sounds weird, but it's an image thing for me. I'm like that. 
 
Thanks for the recommendation, though. 
 
EDIT: Whoa, $70 for a Fiio E11? That's a fair bit. I can get that, but I'm gonna have to save for at least 6 weeks. Is there anything equally portable, and cheaper that will drive the DT770 Pro 250 Ohm? 

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Well... don't say they're knockoffs then. Lol, there's a whole thread (that sadly got locked down) about people calling out audiophiles for not wearing beats! You don't have to say anything, in many cases you can blow their mind by giving them a listen. However... some people are so used to the bloated, loose, overdriven bass and poor mids and highs that they won't think anything else is good. Same about a headphone/amp costing much less money. I might make fun of you if I saw you wearing giant-ass headphones to the lunch hall, lol. Not sure which headphone to recommend besides sennheisers and v-modas for street cred... senns have been well-respected for a long time, and the V-MODAs are a rising star. I'd still say get Koss KSC 75 for walkabout, or -- I like my sennheiser PX100 that fold up convenient like eyeglasses. Koss PortaPros are very similar to KSC75 with a headband, but they look retro and cost 4x as much usually. IMO, Get the KSC 75 for walking about, only use a full-sized headphone at home, with your powerful receiver.
 
I haven't heard the takstar myself, but I HAVE heard a lot of people recommending them over the past two months. I'd say they're worth a shot.
 
The FiiO E11 is one of the cheapest PORTABLE amps that can handle 250 ohms... and even then many will argue not to full potential. May be moot to you. For what it's worth, if you're in the US, last time I checked Amazon, authorized dealer Micca was selling the E11 for $51.99 plus shipping, with an extra battery and external charger included. Consider that most amps, desktop or portable, are $100 and up, and the wide variety over $300, then the E11 is quite cheap for a dedicated amp. Anything less than an E11 won't make much change from the amp built in to an iPod unless you just need external volume control. I Still say get KSC 75 or Px100 that can easily be driven by your iPod or whatever by itself

sharp-shooter said:

Hello, i do not know which one of these headphones are the best for gaming, im looking for comfy, good directionality, and ofcourse good sound, which one would YOU Choose and why?




AKG Q701 


Sennheiser HD 598 


Audio Technica ATH-AD900

akg K550

is there any other headphones i should consider?
thanks!

EDIT, right now i have onboard sound from my maximus V formula motherboard which uses supreme FX 4 more details on it here:
http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?19334-A-Guide-To-SupremeFX-IV 
i know its marketing but just wanna let you all know what i have, in the future i may consider buying a sound card anyway
i want headphones mainly for gaming, i dont really listen to music on my computer so i wont really use it for that, but if i do i listen to mostly everything, rock/hip hop/dubstep mainly, i dont really watch movies on my computer, if i am im watching it with someone else so headphones wont matter for that,
i want headphones that will give me good directionality for gaming so i can tell where my opponents are but also i want clear sound with good bass to enjoy what im playing, something thats comfy for a couple of hours is a bonus, and i do prefer detatchable cable that the k550 is missing


thank you, so far im leaning towards the Q701, any other suggestions that i didnt mention is welcomed,

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I agree with Eric C, First post should have covered both the Qs and the 598s... MLE just recently demoed the 550s, and the AD900s have been discussed at length previously in the thread... but I'll bite.
If you're not going to invest in at least a cheap amp then get either the 598s or the AD900. These will run fine on even low powered/un-amped applications. If you're going to invest in a decent amp like an O2, e9, then I suggest the Qs.

Comfort on the AD series is hit or miss, I've auditioned new, unmodified AD900 and absolutely hated them. I repurchased a modified pair, and the comfort is many times better than stock, but still not as comfortable as a traditional headband.

If your only requirement in a headphone is good directional sound on a competitive basis then go with AD700s. Much cheaper than everything else on your list and one of the best competitive headphones out there.

daanalthenoob said:

Alrighty, I'll save for that then. 

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If you're interested I've got a E11 lying around that I don't use anymore, PM me for more info.

When I think of portable amps, I think transportable, like when using a laptop away from home. I would never actually hook up a portable amp with like an ipod walking around. Too much stuff in my pocket. I would just stick to a headphone that doesnt need an amp in that situation.

Ruuku, I think it was an A900x, not the AD900.

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mad lust envy said:

When I think of portable amps, I think transportable, like when using a laptop away from home. I would never actually hook up a portable amp with like an ipod walking around. Too much stuff in my pocket. I would just stick to a headphone that doesnt need an amp in that situation.

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I'm the same way.  It's too much hassle to have carry around one of those DAP + AMP velcro brick stack things just to try and power headphones that should be used at home.  I would never buy one of those $300+ dollar high performance portable amps.  To me a "portable amp" is more like my E10 in that it runs of USB power and is tiny. 
 
IF if have to listen to music on the go, I just use some cheap-ish IEMs straight from a player like the Sansa clip+.  I actually now have a Galaxy S phone that I should probably be using (it's got some kind of Wolfson DAC in it).  I just really prefer to listen to music at home on my desktop setup when it's quiet and I can actually hear the nuances of what I'm listening too.  It's too loud and distracting "outside" to hear much.  It all gets kind of muddled together.  I actually saw a guy walking across campus wearing some HD598s the other day!  I wanted to get closer to hear the ridiculous leakage that must have been coming from him.

I've given up. I'm going to get the cheaper, easier to drive CAL!, and then slightly modify it so that my ear doesn't touch the driver padding. Getting the CAL! for 80 Aussie bucks. Then down the track I'll get an E11 to improve SQ. Job done. 
 
I'm very sorry if I wasted anybody's time, but all of your responses were extremely helpful and informative, and I'm definitely coming back here for any audio questions or advice that I have in the future.
 
Thanks for everybody's help.