Well the BoomPro definitely works with the Q40s. I forgot to order a foam windshield thing though. I tried one from my brothers Turtle Beach headset and it was far too large and kept slipping off. Any ideas where I can buy one or a pack in the UK that will fit more snug?
 
The BoomPro seems like a good quality mix but found that the amount of background noise picked up varies fromprogram to program. 

imperatore said:

Well I got the Astro Mixamp Pro yesterday, I think it's great value for money but I think Dolby Headphone is awful.  The difference in sound quality between stereo and that was huge when playing Tomb Raider.  I can certainly see an advantage in FPS games (which I don't play) but overall, give me stereo any day.   Got to decide now if I send it back or keep it, it does have the advantage of allowing me to use a mic in future although this is unlikely, and after looking around I don't see many alternatives for the same price or less (£116).  Most DAC/AMP combos I see don't have optical in or are some dodgy make nobody has ever heard of.

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It may just take you time to get used to it.
I think it's just so different sounding.
I have had my mix amp for 5 years.
Stereo sounds better I guess.... But the sound stage with DD on is like night and day.
You know what it might be? The loudness. If don't change the input level, the DD turned off will sound louder than with the DD turned on.
Humans will choose he the louder of two choices as the better one even though it isn't (this is why we have the loudness wars in Msuic today)

stillhart said:

  $179 on Amazon right now vs $199 for the Q701.  How do the two compare?

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It's been almost a year since I heard the stock Q701, so I can't really compare. Here is, however, a great comparison I found with the K702... and it helped me make my decision on the K612...
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/685483/akg-k702-the-classic-vs-k612-pro-the-upstart-review-and-comparison
 
And the K612 is $165 at razordogaudio using coupon K612PRO
 

axelcloris said:

   
I'd love to pick up a pair, but with both the T1s and Alpha Dogs coming I doubt I'll be doing so any time soon. Maybe sometime down the road.

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Oooooooh... pictures when they arrive, please! What color did you decide on the AD?!? 
 
And, of course, IMPRESSIONS!!!  

imperatore said:

I felt less immersed using the DS on Tomb Raider.  Suddenly, those thundering gunshots being fired at me had lost all punch and weight, then there was the intricate sound of water that had now become faint and shallow.  Yet I could just as easily tell the direction with the DS turned off.  I'm personally going down the route now of thinking that there is no substitute for having 5 physical speakers placed around you and stereo is simply the way forward for headphones.  I need to try some different games I think but certainly on that one I wasn't feeling it.  Will spend a good few hours with it on tonight and see if I can learn to appreciate it more.
I thought the Mixamp contained a DAC anyway?  I'm going to look into this Headzone thing and see if I can tell the difference ifI order it.
This Head Zone seems very old and hard to find.  Direct is like £700, not sure I'm willing to part with that tbh.

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I think you are out of your mind or something is wrong in your set up or your mix amp isn't working right.
I play a ton of games. I have 250 hours into I bf4 alone (ps4-optical out straight to mix amp- then my cans)
I used the a40s for 200 hours of that 250. I have the dial just over half way. The directions of the sound were spot on. The guns shots and explosions sharp as could be. Then I got my m100s. OMG. I had no idea games could sound this good. I can't even begin to listen to to bf4 at the same volume with my m100s the explosions and gunshots are so loud and so sharp they physically hurt my ears.
I just ordered my x1s yesterday and have not gotten them yet, but half the reason I got them is because so many people say how great they are for gaming and a couple wrote how surprised they paired with astro mix amp.

I
Maybe Tomb raiders sound isn't good. More than possible. I beat that game a while ago and don't really remember either way. When I got into good audio, and started to pay attention to game audio, you relieaze some games just sound like ****. Cod games are some of the worst sounding games in the market. Explosions lack bass and gunshot are flat and not sharp at all. (But cod did have good directional mixing)

I think it funny you think 5 separate speakers is better.
When most kids where excited about getting drivers licenses I was saving up and built a a very expensive Klispch surround system. It was like 4,000$ after I finally got the full set and amp/receiver. Once I bought my astro amp and a40s for what 300$ I couldn't believe how much better it was in terms of its surround sound ability. I was so impressed that I thought a40s were AMAZING. It took me years to realize that the a40s are great compared to tv speakers, but hardly "great"
After upgrading to m100s. Being even more impressed I will NEVER drop the cash needed for a full 5.1 or 7.1 speaker system (which btw is 40 year old technology used in theaters as early as the 70's).
If I have 4k to ever drop on a 5.1 speaker system I am going to put it toward more cans, motorcycle, or next car.

(Ands I know you you don't need 4k. Plenty of people like Logitech do make amazing 5.1 and 7.1 systems for 500 to 1000)
Also I live in an apt with paper thin walls so if I want to listen to anything remotely loud speakers are out of the question. However I can turn my m100s up to physical pain level and my wife and neighbors can't hear it.

Edit: I don't mean to come off negative or hostile. I'm just surprised you don't like the mix amp. Say what you want about Astros headphones, but the Mixamp usually gets glowing reviews.

Greetings, everyone. I've been a lurker for past year or so now, reading everyone's findings and insights, also entertained from gaining new knowledge. A question did arise during my searching for a pair of headphone that's suitable for both music and gaming. I've had my eyes on for a pair of MA900 for some time now, but never got around in getting one until this month. Price is well... no longer below $200. So the question is... is it worth the $240 price tag with all the positive aspects about it? I owned few pairs of Sony headphones in the past and loved them and now, a pair of M50. It definitely loses comfort after wearing for more than 30min and wearing my glasses also contribute to the problem. From what I've read and heard MA900 not only sound great, but it's comfort is fantastic. But is it really worth the current $240 price tag? This is making me lean towards the alternative choice which was the Q701. I'd have no problem with the Q701, if my sound card didn't die on me last month.
 
Types of music I listen to are somewhat mixed. I listen to rock, alternative, some metal, electronic/techno, occasional R&B and pop, but mostly instrumental music.
Same goes for game preference, being pretty much everything, but want to have an edge in fps titles in terms of positioning.
 
Looking at this MA900 sounds like a winner for me, but I do have a budget of $200. Any recommendations? Thank you.

gobhal said:

Ok so I am guessing the amp on the 2011 mixamp is different than the 2013 right? The reason I ask is on my X1's I am having to pump up the volume quite a lot higher than I did with the 2013s. 

Can the 2011 run the same types of cans as the 2013 and just as well? Kind of surprised how high I have to crank the volume...

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That's interesting. I have had my mix amp I think a little over 4 years. Using my a40s most of the time. When it got my m100 I had to turn my average volume level down. It will be a week until I get my x1s so I can't talk about them yet. but they are what? 30 ohms? 32? So I would imagine it shouldn't be too much different form the a40s or m100s.
I have heard they have made some different versions of mix amps. Maybe they lowered the output. That's too bad, when I mix in an MP3 player with my game audio and a few drinks I have turned my amp up to 100%.

ephnen said:

Greetings, everyone. I've been a lurker for past year or so now, reading everyone's findings and insights, also entertained from gaining new knowledge. A question did arise during my searching for a pair of headphone that's suitable for both music and gaming. I've had my eyes on for a pair of MA900 for some time now, but never got around in getting one until this month. Price is well... no longer below $200. So the question is... is it worth the $240 price tag with all the positive aspects about it? I owned few pairs of Sony headphones in the past and loved them and now, a pair of M50. It definitely loses comfort after wearing for more than 30min and wearing my glasses also contribute to the problem. From what I've read and heard MA900 not only sound great, but it's comfort is fantastic. But is it really worth the current $240 price tag? This is making me lean towards the alternative choice which was the Q701. I'd have no problem with the Q701, if my sound card didn't die on me last month.

Types of music I listen to are somewhat mixed. I listen to rock, alternative, some metal, electronic/techno, occasional R&B and pop, but mostly instrumental music.
Same goes for game preference, being pretty much everything, but want to have an edge in fps titles in terms of positioning.
 
Looking at this MA900 sounds like a winner for me, but I do have a budget of $200. Any recommendations? Thank you.

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I just created a thread (and poll) based on Mad Lust's list, my tastes, and budget. Check out for yourself. The Fidelio X1 won hands down!
I bought them. They will probably be the last open back cans I buy until I get 500$ cash for some hifiman he-5.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/708251/akg-q701-vs-hd598-vs-fidelio-x1-vs-dt-990-pro

Edit: I really wanted the dt-990 but the more I looked into them everyone says they have a treble spike. That turns me off big time. Everyone says in the x1 reviews smooth the curve is. Few if any frequency spike. And massive bass for open back cans, one of the many reasons they make great gaming cans.
(I really want some Beyer cans at one point. I might get the dt-770 closed back for work)

Edit 2: the ma-900 seem to be discontinued in the use, but they seem to be cheaper and still in production in japan. Some for as low as 16,500 yen. About 165$. But 3 of the other cans that I put in poll are 150 to 180$ http://www.amazon.co.jp/ソニー-MDR-MA900-SONY-ステレオヘッドホン-MA900/dp/B007R99S14/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394072863&sr=8-1&keywords=Ma-900

Originally Posted by Change is Good /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Oooooooh... pictures when they arrive, please! What color did you decide on the AD?!? 

 
And, of course, IMPRESSIONS!!! 

 

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I'm going with the red Alpha dogs. The black looked nice but the matte finish may show scratches more easily and the red just looks so damned sexy. I was tempted to get the black but when I thought about it the red was the clear winner for me. I will indeed have photos and impressions sometime down the road. But it'll probably have to wait a bit. The headphones haven't shipped yet (either pair) and on top of that I'm moving houses and April is a completely packed month.

Just made my first headphone purchase! This guide was very helpful. I got the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250. Can't wait until I get them from Amazon. After thinking long and hard these headphones look just right for me and I can't wait to hear what I've been missing. I hope they are worth every penny. 

Just like I stated many times before, when you're using the Mixamp or other DH device, you need tk use it EXCLUSIVELY for a few days to a week. THEN go back to stereo.

If you're just using it for a few hours, and basing your impressions off that, well, no wonder you're gonna hate on it. Your brain needs time.

As I stated on the first post, I hated DH at first too.

This is for Imperatore.

Oh yes, I've owned Tomb Raider on 3 systems. IT IS A BAD GAME TO TEST DH AUDIO.

A40? I dunno what the picture is implying.

Wrong thread?

I mean it LOOKS like an A40 (dat headband padding), but the pads aren't standard A40 pads.

So are you done buying headphones for a while? I know you miss your ma900... and realize you have no open headphone now...

*hint hint*