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post #8806 of 13819
11/1/12 at 9:49am
Thread Starter 
Got my 'cheaper DT990/600 today (returning the one I got a few weeks ago, since it was $70 more). The only thing... the older one sounds cleaner. Oh lawl. The new one has a slightly warmer sound, but the vocals aren't as exact forward as the old one. The plus is that the new one DEFINITELY has more bass, so I guess it's a good tradeoff. It's pretty noticeable there. The old one sounded leaner, though more balanced. Almost like this one is like the 250ohm. I regretted not sticking to the 250ohm, but now, it seems I get the best of both worlds.

The difference is minute overall, but I'm able to A/B them due to my SA-31 having two 1/4" inputs. Perhaps it's 'burn in' too? Not that I believe in it, but maybe if the new one has as much time as I put on the old one, it will sound closer to it. tongue.gif

In any case, it's still solid. Just a very minor difference, except the bass being definitely stronger. That $70 back in my pocket outweighs the difference in sound, and I do want the bass on the new one.

It could also be a slight ohm variation, making the old one a little louder than the new one at the same volume setting on my amp. Slightly louder would make one perceive more clarity, so it's possible. The new one is more fun, without a doubt.



BTW, my HD650 finally shipped. E-E must be back on it's feet after Hurricane Sandy. NJ got hit hard, so I wasn't expecting them to be shipped anytime soon.
Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 11/1/12 at 10:34am
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post #8807 of 13819
11/1/12 at 12:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy View Post

Hmm, actually, I'm not sure the E17 docked to the E9K will be able to use the E17's bass and treble controls for a device plugged into the RCA input, as you have to manually switch the E9K's switch from dock to AUX IN, meaning it no longer takes in the E17's current signal.
If it's the bass/treble control is important for Mixamp gaming, you COULD just plug in from your Mixamp to the E17's Aux in, and then from the E17's headphone jack to the E9K's aux in. This sounds like it's triple amped, and it is. HOWEVER, the E17/E9K uses both amps ANYWAYS when you try to use the E17's bass/treble controls (by switching from the E17's bypass button to go to pre-amp mode). Even if it was docked, you'd still be using both the E17 and E9K's amping... not to mention the Mixamp's. The only difference here is that the E17 can't be docked when you're using the Mixamp. Dock it when you're NOT gaming.
So for you...
Mixamp - E17 - 3.5mm to RCA cable - E9K's Aux In
IF you don't need the bass/treble control when gaming, you can just leave the E17 docked, as you won't be using it at all.

Thank you.

 

So what is it that you would recommend? Getting the E9K or the E17, or both?

I would use it mainly for TV and gaming (Blu Ray, Xbox 360, televion, Astro Mixamp wired) and of course for music as well (iPod, MacBook) although music does clearly play a lesser role.

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post #8808 of 13819
11/1/12 at 4:40pm

Is the Astro A40 a decent enough headset for gaming only? I might upgrade to a headphone later (UE6000, MDR-1R or Tiesto K267). How good of a headset is it in sound and voice quality when comparing just headset functions?

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post #8809 of 13819
11/1/12 at 5:20pm

Finally got my (working) pair of Q701's. Quick question for you guys - do you recommend hooking it up to a really old, kinda cruddy receiver? I'm not rocking a sound card atm on my computer, and the receiver can pump up the volume slightly higher than the computer can do by itself, but I'm afraid of damaging the actual headphones.

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post #8810 of 13819
11/1/12 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lubczyk View Post

Is the Astro A40 a decent enough headset for gaming only? I might upgrade to a headphone later (UE6000, MDR-1R or Tiesto K267). How good of a headset is it in sound and voice quality when comparing just headset functions?
Short answer: in reference to any regular user of this forum, no. Positional accuracy is ok, sq is lacking. You'll find a better headset in Tritton's AX720s than in the A40s. If your needing a regular headset (in the most traditional sense) the PC360 delivers much better results for slightly more $.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunchies View Post

Finally got my (working) pair of Q701's. Quick question for you guys - do you recommend hooking it up to a really old, kinda cruddy receiver? I'm not rocking a sound card atm on my computer, and the receiver can pump up the volume slightly higher than the computer can do by itself, but I'm afraid of damaging the actual headphones.

Keeping in mind the difference between power and volume, your receiver should be able to drive the headphones more capably then an onboard soundcard, though I would turn it down at any signs of prolonged distortion/clipping. The Q's are labeled as difficult to drive not in terms of volume, but actual power requirements, but this doesn't mean that they won't get loud without a proper source amp.
Edited by ruuku - 11/1/12 at 6:23pm
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post #8811 of 13819
11/1/12 at 8:21pm
So I just bought the DT 990 Premium / 600 ohm -- most money I ever spent on headphones. I hope it will be worth it.

Mad do you still have the E9? If so, could you compare the 990 600 ohm with it versus your new amp. Like, would the E9 be enough to drive the 990s?

And I'm assuming I should use the high gain switch, right?
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post #8812 of 13819
11/1/12 at 8:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chroniX View Post

And I'm assuming I should use the high gain switch, right?

 

If you run out of volume knob, then yeah. wink.gif

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post #8813 of 13819
11/1/12 at 9:10pm
Thread Starter 
In the case of the E9, you wanna use whatever gets you between 9-12 on the volume knob. For me, both low and high gain do that, so I use whichever got me between 10-11.

I recently compared the E9K and SA-31. There were differences, as in the SA31 being more natural and fuller bodied, but it wasnt a drastic one. The 990/600 off the E9 will be dry and slightly harsh, but it drives them well, IMHO. The 990s benefit more from warmth and a smooth amp than more power than the E9 provides. The E9 is pretty neutral and dry to begin with. So its a great amp for higher than 80ohm headphones if you want neutrality. I preferred my E9 over the NFB5 for my warmer headphones, like the D7000 which technically shouldnt be a good pairing due to the D7000's low impedance.

I thought the 990s sounded damn good off the E9 and E9K if you dont have anything else. Later on, you can invest on a warmer amp, probably a tube amp, which will make the 990 even better.

I'd like another E9k as my secondary amp.
Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 11/1/12 at 9:15pm
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post #8814 of 13819
11/2/12 at 2:39am

Hey all! Largely based on your extensive thread Mad Envy, I've gone ahead and bought myself a pair of HD598's. Thanks for the effort you put into this! I'm new to this whole audiophile thing but have done some serious reading the last few days. I'm not really an audiophile myself (although this 1 song I listened to yesterday sounded amazing with the HD598 on), and the main reason I bought a good pair of headphones is for gaming. I mostly play FPS games (Modern Warfare 3, soon Black Ops 2 and the comptetitive sandbox MMO Darkfall Unholy Wars which is coming out this month as well). The reason why I went for the HD 598 is because it should offer pinpoint accuracy as to where enemies around me are located based on sound cues of the game.

 

Currently I've attached the HD598 to my on-board sound card, but today my Asus Xonar DG will come with the mail and I want to jump into a game as quick as I can and test the new setup out. Once I install the Xonar DG onto my computer and plug the HD598 into it, is there anything else I need to do (like configuring the sound card or equalizer) in order to achieve the pinpoint accuracy many have been praising the HD598 for?

 

Thanks again for the wealth of information that can be found in this thread!

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post #8815 of 13819
11/2/12 at 2:53am

Just make sure that in your xonar settings that the source/input is set to 5.1/7.1 and then set output to headphone/dolby headphone. I used this on my xonar u1 but it should be the same for the DG.


Edited by calpis - 11/2/12 at 2:54am
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post #8816 of 13819
11/2/12 at 8:01am
Looking for some very cheap closed headphones and I guess it comes down to DT770 80 Ohms? Any other alternative? I would like to try the MDR-1R but not much known about it and I don't like misusing Amazon for testing. What do you think? tongue.gif
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post #8817 of 13819
11/2/12 at 9:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fegefeuer View Post

Looking for some very cheap closed headphones and I guess it comes down to DT770 80 Ohms? Any other alternative? I would like to try the MDR-1R but not much known about it and I don't like misusing Amazon for testing. What do you think? tongue.gif

How cheao?

 

Takstar Pro 80, $88 on eBay.

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post #8818 of 13819
11/2/12 at 8:25pm
Hey again guys - quick query that's slightly OT but I'm sure someone here will have an answer for.

Using the mixamp and loving it on my PC for gaming smily_headphones1.gif

My query is with watching movies (dvd's mainly)

What settings should I be making in my video player to get the best surround audio?

I use Potplayer (preferably), but can also use MPC or VLC.

Is the default settings correct or should I make some changes?

I seem to get it close to correct (but not quite) and then mess it up trying to get it 100%
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post #8819 of 13819
11/2/12 at 9:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fegefeuer View Post

Looking for some very cheap closed headphones and I guess it comes down to DT770 80 Ohms? Any other alternative? I would like to try the MDR-1R but not much known about it and I don't like misusing Amazon for testing. What do you think? tongue.gif

 

I think there's the Samson brand of phones that go for rather cheap. From what I've seen, the 600 and 850 are popular among them.

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post #8820 of 13819
11/3/12 at 12:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suopermanni View Post

I think there's the Samson brand of phones that go for rather cheap. From what I've seen, the 600 and 850 are popular among them.

Samson's are open...
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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › Video Games Discussion › Mad Lust Envy's Headphone Gaming Guide: (Updated: 5/23/2013. MrSpeakers Mad Dog v.3.2 Reviewed)