ordokon said:

... And in addition I want to buy some AKGs in the future. I read on MLE guide about Fiio E09k and Fiio E12 and want to know, which of these will be working better with MA900 and with potential AKG in the future. Or if you think that there will be better choice, tell me about it please.
Thank you for any advices.

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Technically, the E12 has lower output impedance (doesn't matter with the MA900, not really with the open AKG's either) and lower Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) than the E09k, and the E12 has that subtle bass-boost switch, but really your choice ought to be based on "do I want a desktop amp or a battery-powered portable?"
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Orion,
In short, devices like the Mixamp translate a 5.1 surround signal to a stereo headphone mix, with a headphone jack for ANY headphone to plug into.
The Xonar soundcard on the way to you can also process surround from your PC games into a Dolby headphone mix.

The Logitech headsets you mentioned earlier have poor audio quality for the price, and yes you often can have your budget benefit you more by buying a good stereo headphone and separately a cheap lapel mic (the kind that clip onto a shirt collar). Pretty much any headphone mentioned in Mad's guide would be a good choice; pick one that fits your budget.
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Avro Arrow,
I said "may" be a better value. The bumps don't bother everybody, and replacing the headband with AKG's flat one is hardly the only option. The pads themselves aren't much different for comfort, just some people might prefer the looser bass, so for someone on a budget new pads are optional. Also, sales come and go, you can't state the lowest sale price you've seen as the average street price, the Annie's are likely to go up.

So there are reasons to spring for the K712 (or Annie's), but for many people, being able to easily snag a pair of Q701 for $220-$250 + $5 seatbelt wrap (or just cutting off the bumps with a razor) is an entirely viable option that will give them great value.

When I actually write a K712 review, I'll be sure to mention what you gain over the Q701, and leave it up to the reader to decide if they value the differences enough to pay the price difference.

orion1991 said:

  First I thank you for the explanation I still have a couple of questions left if you'd like to help me or anyone else ofc.
 
1)In general open headphones are better for gaming and music and I do believe they are more comfy, but how bad is the sound leakage exactly ? my brother in another room (around 3-5 meters away) with both doors closed can hear my iphone ear pods if I blast the volume, I really don't want that to happen with my new headphones so still confused about that closed/open matter.
 
2)What do you Advice here, Headset or headphones, I mainly use it for Gaming-Music-movies.

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1)  Hey may or may not be able to hear it.  It's hard to say as I don't know how loud you listen, but if he can already hear your ibuds an full sized headphone will probably be louder.  You can try calling a best buy and see if they have a pair of HD558sor 598s in stock (both leak a lot) and see for yourself. 
 
2)  I would go with headphones.  Better sound quality and comfort.  Headsets are mainly for the convenience of having a boom mic already attached.  You can still attach a mic to regular headphones though. 

Again thanks this is a bit confusing for me, I'll stick to a closed headphone in that case, here is some headphones I looked up, if anyone has any other recommendations or any comments to help me decide that would be great. using them for gaming/music/movies and being comfy for long hours is a must for me, also my budget is around 100$, some options :
 
-Sennhiser HD449  or HD 439
-Creative Aurvana Live!
-Philips SHL5905BK CitiScape Uptown

avroarrow said:

   
As mentioned before, as long as the new consoles have a SPDIF port, it will work with the current DH devices for audio output (speaker/headphone) ONLY, but no CHAT capability.  I remember reading that Microsoft has not shared specs of the new chat protocol with 3rd parties like Turtle Beach, Razer, etc, so upon release, there will be no 3rd party headsets because there won't be chat support.  It may not matter to you, but it matters to millions of Call of Duty and Battlefield players around the world, so you won't be seeing a 3rd party DH device for the XBone upon release.  I'm not sure about the PS4 except that even their own 1st party PS3 Bluetooth headset won't work with the PS4 upon release.  I believe the CEO said that it will eventually work with the PS4 after a software update that will be released sometime after console is out, so I wouldn't expect to see a full DH+chat 3rd party device for the PS4 either upon console release.
 

Click to expand...

 
Xbox has a deal with Turtle Beach to release headsets early 2014.
 
Microsoft has also confirmed they will be releasing adapters so that you can use your regular 2.5mm mic with their new proprietary connector. However, this adapter won't be out until early 2014 as well.
 
So you will probably have to run your headphones through SPDIF and have the included Xbox chat headset around your neck or something for voice chat until they release the adapter. Or you can use the included Kinect for voice chat as well... although most people don't really like that option as Kinect mics suck.

pervysage said:

Microsoft has also confirmed they will be releasing adapters so that you can use your regular 2.5mm mic with their new proprietary connector. However, this adapter won't be out until early 2014 as well.

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Adapters are nice, but proprietary connectors of any kind SUCK. Why did Microsoft bother?
 
Then again, they're the ones who favored a proprietary wireless protocol over Bluetooth, along with licensing chips inside all X360 controllers, proprietary hard drive enclosures on the old-model X360s, etc...

namelesspfg said:

   
Adapters are nice, but proprietary connectors of any kind SUCK. Why did Microsoft bother?
 
Then again, they're the ones who favored a proprietary wireless protocol over Bluetooth, along with licensing chips inside all X360 controllers, proprietary hard drive enclosures on the old-model X360s, etc...

Click to expand...

 
They'll do anything to make sure all the money spent for Xbox accessories goes to them...

orion1991 said:

  Again thanks this is a bit confusing for me, I'll stick to a closed headphone in that case, here is some headphones I looked up, if anyone has any other recommendations or any comments to help me decide that would be great. using them for gaming/music/movies and being comfy for long hours is a must for me, also my budget is around 100$, some options :
 
-Sennhiser HD449  or HD 439
-Creative Aurvana Live!
-Philips SHL5905BK CitiScape Uptown

Click to expand...

 
 
Closed and under $100 your options are fairly limited.  The only ones I've tried off that list are the CALs, which are solid.
 
If it were me I would still go for a ~$150 open headphone like the HD558 or a used MA900.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-MDR-MA900-Stereo-Headphones-Full-Open-Type-/231079740402?pt=US_Headphones&hash=item35cd6d03f2

I cant believe the lack of headphone support. That makes no sense at all. I wish some of my friends would convert to pc gamers. 

@Chicolom:
 
Your iCANS are intriguing... what are they like for gaming however - do they go way overboard in the soundstage, or mess up positional cues using DH etc? Also.. can't seem find the headphone output impedance rating on them!
 
Thanks

Hi Mad lust envy and all
 
How would you rate ATH-A700x competitive-wise ? AD700 gets a 10, I suppose A700 gets a 9.5 ? correct me if i am wrong....

salx said:

  @Chicolom:
 
Your iCANS are intriguing... what are they like for gaming however - do they go way overboard in the soundstage, or mess up positional cues using DH etc? Also.. can't seem find the headphone output impedance rating on them!
 
Thanks

Click to expand...

 
The iCans 3D settings don't really do much for gaming. 
 
While it is a small improvement over plain stereo, it's not the same thing as actual virtual surround coming from a 5.1 source.  It can improve sound separation and change the soundstage characteristics, but it doesn't create accurate positioning from a 2 channel source or anything. 
 
As for stacking it on top of Dolby Headphone, it sounds interesting at times and can make things sound even more out-of-head, but it also clashes with it a bit.  It can sometimes screw with the positional accuracy, so I would just leave it off for that.  When I get around to recording demos of the iCan I can try and include a Dolby Headphone vs Dolby Headphone + iCan 3D effect demo.
 
 
If your talking about the iCan's headphone jacks output impedance, it's <0.5 Ω ohms - so extremely low (a good thing). 

TY for reply Chico - I wonder if any future Tech / DACs and Amps could do the same for gaming soundstaging in the future? Who knows! Fascinating design ethos with the iCAN - looks very engaging.

sam21 said:

Hi Mad lust envy and all

How would you rate ATH-A700x competitive-wise ? AD700 gets a 10, I suppose A700 gets a 9.5 ? correct me if i am wrong....

Click to expand...

Well, I tested the A700 before I got into virtual surround gaming, but I would say it isn't in the same class of detail as the AD700 or ability to create an "outside the head" soundstage that is near critical to get good virtual surround with gaming. The A700 is nicer than the average street headphone, but it's nothing special. Like around a 6.5 or 7 IMO.

The AD700 is a 10 competitively because, although (and partially because) it has over-controlled weak bass, it does have special presentation of soundstage and imaging, and a fair treble "sparkle" coloration that some people really like in some genres. The sound signature and detail make it strip down the sound to important tactical cues and positional direction.

Astro mixamp question...
Am I better off getting a previous year's Mixamp pro due to lower noise?
Something like http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Free-shipping-NEW-Astro-A40-Gaming-MixAmp-Pro-Only-without-cables-and-headset-/111067806226?pt=AU_Video_Game_Accessories&hash=item19dc283a12&_uhb=1 "new" but without cables $100 inc post
 
Or just get the 2013 version? For an extra $35 or more with post http://www.gamestate.co/au/astro-mixamp-usb
 
I don't particularly care about the new EQ mode features etc ( read MLE's rundown on page1). Better SQ is more important. And I like that older models have proper TOSlink input so no need for adapter. And RCA etc.
 
Also is it possible to input a 3.5mm cable from an mp3 player (thinking my Fiio X3) or laptop and mix music in with game/headphone audio too? Or is that only possible with Ear Force DSS? (but then no mic possible unless using TB headset...)
 
Sorry if this has been covered earlier like 100pages ago but its a long thread

Basically, the closer you get to a 2011 Mixamp, the better from that line FWIR.

I'm curious how the surround processor bundled with turtle beach's newer five seven headset (or whatever it's called) performs. The DSS has less hiss, which is actually independent of volume so if you turn it up really loud and plug into another amp with low THD (like FiiO's E12) and set THAT volume to listening levels, you don't hear hiss at all. And, Creative's Recon3D USB processor has even less hiss (though it uses THX processing instead of the Dolby of the other two, which is better processing is down to personal preference). I think there was also something available by Monoprice, but I know next to nothing about it (is BurritoBoy here?)