It will come. Gonna be very hard to give my Annie up for so long, but you'll get it in the future. I find you'll be more impressed by it's balance, vocals, and smoother presentation. As well as air. The HE-400's soundstage has a physical wall up in comparison.

I'm waiting on the X1. Supposed to be sold this month, but nothing yet. Once it does, I'll order it, compare to the HE-400 and then put one up for sale. The HE-400 still has it's place as I do enjoy it more for my preferred genres of music than the Annie, but for everything else (gaming, movies, tv shows, other genres of music), the Annie is king.

So it looks like I'm getting the 2011 Mixamp Pro (the auction ends in 2 hours), for $107 total (My Max bid was $120).

I'll be comparing it soon enough to the Marantz. I sure hope the hiss was as inaudible as the first gen Mixamp.

mad lust envy said:

I'm waiting on the X1. Supposed to be sold this month, but nothing yet. Once it does, I'll order it, compare to the HE-400 and then put one up for sale. The HE-400 still has it's place as I do enjoy it more for my preferred genres of music than the Annie, but for everything else (gaming, movies, tv shows, other genres of music), the Annie is king.

Click to expand...

I've probably said it before but I'm also looking forward to them being available as well as your comparison, I wanna get something to complement/contrast my DT 880... Not sure how well my STX would drive them but I've got other options available.

Curious how pricing will hold up too, most of Philips new lineup from last year has come down a fair bit in the months since release (some of the lower end Citiscape models are even 50% off now as "past season" sales in non-electronics stores).

evshrug said:

Goes to show Mad's knowledge is focused on headphones, amps, and games
I wonder if the Xonar Essence One (an external DAC/Amp soundcard thingie) offers Dolby Headphone and a gaming suite, or if it's just stereo audio?

Edit: nope, no gaming features on that One, just a lot of hi-Fi stereo options.
On another note, I guess I can close the tab with the manual for Mad's receiver now, huh?

Click to expand...

It'd be quite the rarity, but I can see why there's no such thing out there... DH processing and the gaming market in general is sort of at the opposite end of the spectrum than high fi gear like that. The STX is about as high end as it gets for an all-in-one solution for DH + a DAC or DAC/amp.

I think there's definitely a market out there for something like that...

Sort of like a high end Mixamp. SC/Astro could tackle it, they just have to make it versatile enough that it'd be worth the jacked up price (they wouldn't wanna cannibalize their own market). I mean if the STX can sell for as little as $150, how much more can an external console-compatible solution run?

It'd compete directly against potentially cheaper AVRs but DH is becoming increasingly rarer amongst those (not to mention decent headphone amping), and not everyone has the space for one or the need for the extra features that come with one.

Nameless,
I agree, you are a good compliment. Rikuu's done a nice job of adding concise descriptions. Chico helped me love my current fav headphone, and makes me laugh a lot I've been around long enough, I want to find a good niche too... I think what I'm starting has been done before, around the net and in different publications, but I'm trying to compliment both of your purchasing guides (and your computer set-up tips) by offering answers to commonly asked questions. I hope that someone can come and read about headphones (and a few amps & surround units) here, and if they ask about sound cards we refer to you, and if they ask about a topic I've covered, you guys could just link to one of the topics on my thread instead of repeating yourselves often. Paradox of selfish want for attention and the desire to help others, lol.

roger de ceiba said:

Evs,that is why I stated that it is probably not cost effective. It's the old law of diminishing returns. Most (if any) games won't benefit from a wider soundstage once you pass a certain point. Ditto for the audio fidelity.

Click to expand...

Roger, so long as you know I wasn't saying you were wrong!
Some people say that the soundstage on even the AD700 is unrealistically big, and they like a more intimate soundstage. I don't find that to be the case for me, but I could understand that "too big" could happen.

Quote:

namelesspfg said:

Usually, I'd recommend the X-Fi Titanium HD, but if you don't intend on getting an external amp, the Xonar Essence STX has what amounts to a FiiO E9 built-in. That could help with the DT990.

Click to expand...

I would go for external amp but getting STX only instead of Titanium HD and FiiO 09 combo is like 80€ cheaper. Effect would be quite the similar as far as i understood. Especially if won't be moving them around and use them on other sources.

Depends on the sales you catch I imagine... The STX bounces a lot between $150 and $200. The Ti HD's price has fluctuated even more since it's essentially discontinued or soon to be, I've seen it under $70 during Best Buy clearance sales (of all places). I'm sure you can score deals on the E9 too now that there's an updated version. The STX is a very good value IMO tho, very happy with mine.

I may go out on a limb and get the MMX 300 gel ear pads just to see if they would sound better/ be more comfotrable. But they are sold out on the Beyer site, and I can't find them anywhere else. Has anyone ever tried these gel pads, as I am not sure if the effort/ price is worth it? (52 shipped from tbe beyer site) -_-
 
Are they really this rare? lol Anyone know where else I can look?

Gel? Sounds like they'd be heavier, possibly warmer. What kinda pads do the MMX 300 come with? Don't the standard DT 770/880/990 pads fit them?

Quote:

impulse said:

Gel? Sounds like they'd be heavier, possibly warmer. What kinda pads do the MMX 300 come with? Don't the standard DT 770/880/990 pads fit them?

Click to expand...

They come with Velour pads, which aren't uncomfortable per say, but they aren't as soft and don't have as much "give" as I would like to last 4-5 hour gaming sessions.
 
And that's what I was going to ask, if anyone knows if the pads are all interchangeable, because 52 bucks is pretty steep. Especially if I won't even be sure if they will fit. haha

Tmaxx,
I would actually hypothesize that a gel earpad would feel harder. Have you ever laid in a water bed? It was too weird for me to get used to... Sure, the shape easily conforms to your body, but pneumatically the water always takes up the same amount of volume (space-filling physical volume, that is) so once the liquid takes up all the slack in the sack it just feels like a hard surface. Foam varies how stiff it resists you based on how much pressure you apply, so maybe a gel earpad is better when you have an odd, hard point (was going to say protrusion) on your ear and you want the pressure evenly distributed, but a more typical ear/head might just have lighter pressure (the "normal" force, if you take physics) overall with velour-covered foam cushioning.

So the Mixamp is definitely on it's way.

Quote:

evshrug said:

Tmaxx,
I would actually hypothesize that a gel earpad would feel harder. Have you ever laid in a water bed? It was too weird for me to get used to... Sure, the shape easily conforms to your body, but pneumatically the water always takes up the same amount of volume (space-filling physical volume, that is) so once the liquid takes up all the slack in the sack it just feels like a hard surface. Foam varies how stiff it resists you based on how much pressure you apply, so maybe a gel earpad is better when you have an odd, hard point (was going to say protrusion) on your ear and you want the pressure evenly distributed, but a more typical ear/head might just have lighter pressure (the "normal" force, if you take physics) overall with velour-covered foam cushioning.

Click to expand...

 
Interesting thoughts, thank you!
 
The gel pads seem wider from a side by side comparison of the velour. From the pictures, it seems like they would come in contact with more surface area, and as you hinted at, distribute force from the clamp of the headset. My mmx's aren't uncomfortable but I find myself adjusting them periodically, and it gets bothersome sometimes. But this is all just hypothetical.
 
Would love to see if anyone has any first hand experience with the gel and can share their thoughts. Was about to just buy the gel ones for 37 bucks, but then beyer tacks on a minimum 15 dollar shipping!!! Maybe because it ships from germany?? Crazy.

I wonder if a hybrid earpad, foam topped and gel foundation, would ameliorate some people's complaints about the AD700 pressing uncomfortably against their jaw, yet barely touching the top of their ear. The gel would allow the foam part of the earpad to angle in any direction to sit flush with the ear/head shape.

Ameliorate? I must be more tired than I thought! Goodnight people, sorry again johnsonJr about not getting on Xbox, I'm in a morning-person rut (bleh!).

The gel would be hotter than pleathers. Hell no.

What if it was breathable foam layer on top of a gel layer, all wrapped in velour?