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mrkingdomhearts said:

Ordered the mixamp 2013 edition last night and am now waiting for them to arrive.
One thing I want to know, has anyone tried out the HD558's or 598's with them? The 2013 edition seems to add more bass from what I hear and I could use that since the 558's while awesome never had much impact to them.
Also any clip on mic recommendations? I'm thinking of a zalman mic but I'm open for anything else.

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Used the zalman mic myself. There is no shielding.. meaning if the wire rubs against anything it creates muffled random noises from the rubbing. I used it myself and preferred the logitech desktop mic. It gets the job done without having any extra wires attached to me I hear ppl recommend the antlion mic. Its a simple mod you attach to your headphones.

seb uk said:

Sorry if this is a dumb question. I've got DT990's and a DSS2 which are great but now I'm looking at amping. How does an amp like an E9 actually fit into this setup? Does it sit between the DSS2 and the DT990? I'm guessing it somehow doesn't affect the converted 5.1 signal as it passes through.

Second question - is the E9 the best amp to use for the DT990? It seems like it is but just wanted to make sure. 

Sorry if these have already been asked but I wasn't able to find answers.

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Yeah, the Mixamp basically bakes the DH magic into the 3.5mm headphone output, whether you plug your headphones in or you plug in a headphone amp (like e9k). An dedicated amp doesn't process the sound... It just provides more current and voltage, just supplying enough "juice" for headphone drivers to meet their potential.

From what little I've read on the E9(k) and Magni, my 2nd hand opinion would be the E9k would be very similar but perhaps more pleasing with the somewhat bright DT990. I chose a tube amp so I could color the sound a bit and sweeten the highs and sense of space, it's been working well for me.

P.S. not a dumb question just plug in a cable between the DSS output and the amp's input, DSS volume at like 80%

Great guide really helping me out; I just have a question or two.  My current gaming set up is a turtle beach dss connected to an xbox 360.  I have a pretty old pair of hd 595's that ive been using for gaming and they've been great.  However what brought me back to your guide is that I don't feel a real sense of immersion that I so desperately crave.  My 595's are great for competitive gaming, but I feel like I'm missing out when it comes to the low end.  The kind of base I want for gaming is the mood setting base; like the kind that rumbles.  As you stated somewhere in your guide, I want a "fantastic bass impact", not boomy but more like your in a movie theater.  Since I will be using these headphones only for gaming in the dolby digital mode (or dolby headphone, not sure if their the same thing) on my turtle beach dss, I don't really mind a reduced treble.
 
At first I was looking into getting the Q701, since it seems that everyone thinks they're fantastic.  But you stated that while the bass is satisfying at times, it isn't great.  So right now I have my heart set on a pair of Beyerdynamic  DT990 pro's (250 ohm) as they pretty much have everything I just described that I wanted.  I just wanted to know if there were any other headphones that would also be worth looking into (under $300) or if I should reconsider the Q701's maybe.  And while immersion is most important to me I do also want a great soundstage and directional accuracy for competitive use.  
 
If the DT990's are what you think is best for my needs then I understand they need amping and I already have a fiio e11 which I use for music.  Would the fiio e11 connected to the turtle beach dss work well with the DT990 pro 250 ohm?
 
Thank's for reading  

I kinda need a clip on mic because I don't have a desktop setup at the moment.
The antlion mic look's great. Gonna see wether or not they have it in stock.

I just got the xonar U3. I'm not sure what settings ppl play for the best positional cues. Let me know what to tryout or what's best for you on dolby headphone. I have audio channel set to 8 (recommended by Asus for 3D games), gaming mode set (this enables dolby headphone and DH-2; there is also option DH-1 and DH-3). 
 
Again the settings I'm using are audio channel 8, gaming mode preset, and "headphone" in game. I'm currently playing left 4 dead 2. As of now I'm still liking the CMSS-3D more. I just wish someone would tell me how they set up their sound for dolby headphone.

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element72 said:

I just got the xonar U3. I'm not sure what settings ppl play for the best positional cues. Let me know what to tryout or what's best for you on dolby headphone. I have audio channel set to 8 (recommended by Asus for 3D games), gaming mode set (this enables dolby headphone and DH-2; there is also option DH-1 and DH-3). 
 
Again the settings I'm using are audio channel 8, gaming mode preset, and "headphone" in game. I'm currently playing left 4 dead 2. As of now I'm still liking the CMSS-3D more. I just wish someone would tell me how they set up their sound for dolby headphone.

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You may want to ask this question on the Nameless Guide to PC gaming:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/593050/the-nameless-guide-to-pc-gaming-audio-with-binaural-headphone-surround-sound/1155
 
Remember most on this thread are console gamers. The people on the Nameless guide tend to have more experience with sound cards.

MLE, you should probably stick this picture in the first post somewhere (probably near the external amp section) to show the newbs how to hook up external amp/headphones/third party mics. 
 
 
 

Chico,
I like the diagram, but the bends in the "flow" lines make it look more complicated than it really is. Did you make it? Could you perhaps draw the lines in a U shape and take out some of the zigzaggies?

element72 said:

I just got the xonar U3. I'm not sure what settings ppl play for the best positional cues. Let me know what to tryout or what's best for you on dolby headphone. I have audio channel set to 8 (recommended by Asus for 3D games), gaming mode set (this enables dolby headphone and DH-2; there is also option DH-1 and DH-3). 

Again the settings I'm using are audio channel 8, gaming mode preset, and "headphone" in game. I'm currently playing left 4 dead 2. As of now I'm still liking the CMSS-3D more. I just wish someone would tell me how they set up their sound for dolby headphone.

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Element72,
DH-2 is what the Mixamp uses. The U3 will convert the sound fed to it into headphone, so you ought to set L4D2's preferences to 7.1 or surround.

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evshrug said:

Chico,
I like the diagram, but the bends in the "flow" lines make it look more complicated than it really is. Did you make it? Could you perhaps draw the lines in a U shape and take out some of the zigzaggies?
 

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I didn't make that one.  :\

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chicolom said:

MLE, you should probably stick this picture in the first post somewhere (probably near the external amp section) to show the newbs how to hook up external amp/headphones/third party mics. 

 
 
 

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Not bad.

chicolom said:

I didn't make that one.  :\

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Who did? I know I've seen this diagram before. It's very complete and useful for setup, but at first glance might scare off anyone who just wants a simple setup. I admit, I wish I could just plug my headphones straight into the Xbox and get glorious sound, but I also know how many corners were cut in the Xboxx 360 build, and would find an 3.5 mm out on a console very dubious, and probably sound very cheap.

I'd make a new diagram right now, but I ought to be sleeping, and job hunting again tomorrow :/

I just received my Sennheiser PC360, and when used with the Astro Mixamp, these definitely have the BEST positioning I have ever heard from a gaming headset. I own the Astro A30/40 and the Turtle Beach X41s, and these are a DEFINITE step up from the Astro headsets. The mic is crystal clear, people were surprised by how clear my voice was compared to the Astro mic that I had previously been using. I play on both Xbox 360 and PC.
 
Build quality is stellar, the headset feels solid (moreso than the A30 and A40). The headset is very comfortable, more than the A30 and A40 due to the material for the padding being softer thicker. Being an open backed headset, these do not isolate amazingly, but as I play in a quiet environment, it is not an issue for me. 
 
If you are looking for a new headset and already have a mixamp or soundcard, GET THE PC360. You won't regret it.

Quote:

evshrug said:

Who did? I know I've seen this diagram before. It's very complete and useful for setup, but at first glance might scare off anyone who just wants a simple setup.

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Not sure.  I've seen it before too, and I've posted it before in the thread.  All the info is correct on it and it's helpful to see how to hook stuff up.

The image is added. I should have done this ages ago. Better late than never, lol.

Once the K702/65 comes back down in price... I might bite.

Chico, you ever sell those Japanese A-Ts?

Man, I kinda really wanna hear the HD800 now, lol. Something about a large soundstage that is just so...necessary. And hell no, I'd never spend that much. $600 is the most I'd ever pay.

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mad lust envy said:

Chico, you ever sell those Japanese A-Ts?

Man, I kinda really wanna hear the HD800 now, lol. Something about a large soundstage that is just so...necessary. And hell no, I'd never spend that much. $600 is the most I'd ever pay.

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The TAD500?  Ya.  Katun almost bought them from me, but somebody else wanted them more.
 
Someone should try and capture the essence of the HD800 soundstage and bring it to the $300 bracket.  Sennheiser's ridiculous MSRPs are just offensive.  I'm more interested in the soundstage/imaging than the whatever else is amazing about it.
 
Maybe we'll get a Superlux HD800 clone.