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Need help - $800 budget

post #1 of 38
12/25/11 at 12:13pm
Thread Starter 

Hello everyone. I currently have an Essence STX and the Denon D2000 headphones. I mostly play FPS and RPG games, listen to music, and watch videos with this setup. Portability is not a concern. Being able to accurately hear my surroundings is vital. Having explosions sound powerful is also important. Comfort is also vital. I plan on keeping my Essence for the Dolby headphones feature in gaming. I have 800 dollars to spend. Should I buy an amp, get new headphones, upgrade my existing headphones? What is the ideal way to spend these $800?

 

Thanks for the help!!


Edited by Stealthbr - 12/25/11 at 12:15pm
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post #2 of 38
12/25/11 at 12:20pm

Or maybe a good DAC.

 

 

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post #3 of 38
12/25/11 at 12:23pm
Thread Starter 

Well unless theres a badass DAC for gaming then I will use the essence stx. Gaming is my number 1 priority. 

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post #4 of 38
12/25/11 at 12:42pm

Honestly, your DAC and amp should be fine for pretty much any non-super power hungry Hifiman headphone. I would upgrade the headphone to a higher end open headphone. I suggest the Hifiman HE-500 -- it's a little heavy, but the soundstaging should be great for gaming and it has great detailing as a high end orthodynamic. 

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post #5 of 38
12/25/11 at 12:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SanjiWatsuki View Post

Honestly, your DAC and amp should be fine for pretty much any non-super power hungry Hifiman headphone. I would upgrade the headphone to a higher end open headphone. I suggest the Hifiman HE-500 -- it's a little heavy, but the soundstaging should be great for gaming and it has great detailing as a high end orthodynamic. 


Problem is that all orthos have issues with imaging which is also needed for games.  Orthos I would not recommend as much as I think the HE-500 is a great headphone.  HE-500 isn't really that heavy when you wear it as it distributes weight really well.  I don't find my HE-6 heavy at all and I can wear it all day.  Unless you swing your head, you should be fine.  I'd go for something like a T1 for games instead.  If you can get a used T1 in good condition, that would be your best option...although the soundcard wouldn't drive the T1 well.  Nor do the think the DAC section does it justice.  Isn't there a way to still use the soundcard's SPDIF to a DAC so it will have both the Dolby headphone and use a nice DAC?  Highly doubt these gaming soundcards come close to decent DACs.

 


Edited by ohhgourami - 12/25/11 at 12:56pm
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post #6 of 38
12/25/11 at 1:01pm

 

From a pure hardware perspective, the Essence STX has a very capable DAC with the PCM1792A -- it's a DAC that is implemented into thousand dollar+ DACs (like the Bel Canto DAC3) as well as the Essense STX. The thing is that I just don't know how well implemented it is in the Essence STX, but the hardware aspect of it is perfectly fine and arguably above the call of duty for a soundcard of that price. 

Quote:
Originally Posted by ohhgourami View Post


Problem is that all orthos have issues with imaging which is also needed for games.  Orthos I would not recommend as much as I think the HE-500 is a great headphone.  HE-500 isn't really that heavy when you wear it as it distributes weight really well.  I don't find my HE-6 heavy at all and I can wear it all day.  Unless you swing your head, you should be fine.  I'd go for something like a T1 for games instead.  If you can get a used T1 in good condition, that would be your best option...although the soundcard wouldn't drive the T1 well.  Nor do the think the DAC section does it justice.  Isn't there a way to still use the soundcard's SPDIF to a DAC so it will have both the Dolby headphone and use a nice DAC?  Highly doubt these gaming soundcards come close to decent DACs.

 



 

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post #7 of 38
12/25/11 at 1:06pm

 

 Ditto the Essence STX is very excellent for the money, few sub $300-ish external DAC's can blow it away.

 

 Where is your Denon D2000 lacking for gaming? Spatial referencing? Low end grumble for explosions?

 General size of the sound stage?

 

 You might just be better off with a AT-AD900 to complement the D2000.

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post #8 of 38
12/25/11 at 1:25pm
Thread Starter 

What about the Dt990/600Ohms and little dot mkIV with my essence STX as a DAC? Is the dt990 superior to the D2000?

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post #9 of 38
12/25/11 at 1:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stealthbr View Post

What about the Dt990/600Ohms and little dot mkIV with my essence STX as a DAC? Is the dt990 superior to the D2000?



 I certainly love mine smile.gif

 

 They're a love it or hate it headphone though, spatial referencing is quite good and they're quite open ~ so compared to the D2000

 the DT990-600 gets ahead. For middle frequencies though, I do recall the D2000 being a little bit more present, the DT990 has

 these unique distant sounding mids, they're never muddy and the bass never overpowers them but they do sound a like it's

 coming from the 8th row or something.

 

 Lastly bass, both are excellent headphones in that respect but the DT990 does dig very deep when properly amped. I spent

 quite a bit of time auditioning mine back and forth with an LCD-2 rev2 and it was quite a close call, the LCD-2 had a little

 more detailed bass but did not seem quite as tight and taut as the DT990 in the lower region. Big praise indeed for the DT990.

 

 Have not heard the Little Dot MkIV but I can tell you that the Woo Audio 6 on high gain (switch at the back) with the DT990

 is a very fun listen. Everything comes forward a bit bringing immediacy to the mids ~ it's a much better match than my

 V200 solid state for example.


Edited by Gwarmi - 12/25/11 at 1:46pm
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post #10 of 38
12/25/11 at 2:26pm

How about upgrading the op-amps (operational amplifiers), I installed three LME49860NAs, two for the I/V slot and one for the buffer.

Someone recommended using the OPA2107AP for the buffer (mine is on order).

 

Install the third party Xonar drivers "Unified Xonar Drivers".

 

I believe when you hook up an external headphone amplifier up to the STX's RCAs, you lose surround sound for headphones that are hooked up to the external amplifier.

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post #11 of 38
12/25/11 at 3:21pm
Thread Starter 

There's an HE-500 going for $700 in amazon. Would that be a good pair with the essence stx for gaming?

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post #12 of 38
12/26/11 at 7:54am
Thread Starter 

Nevermind, I keep seeing people say the HE-500 is uncomfortable. The problem with my D2000's is that they are becoming uncomfortable after a while. One year ago this was not the case but now the pads feel rather hard. Also, the headphones aren't perfect for surround gaming because they are not entirely accurate and their abolity to hear enemy footsteps from far away could be better any suggestions?

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post #13 of 38
12/26/11 at 8:13am

Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250-Ohm.

If you had spent $500 of more on a headphone amplifier, the 600-Ohm might be more worth it.

Save the left over cash.

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post #14 of 38
12/27/11 at 8:10am
Thread Starter 

Alright, I have narrowed it down to either the Beyerdynamic DT 990 or the DT 880. Which is better for online FPS gaming? Thanks. 


Edited by Stealthbr - 12/27/11 at 8:13am
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post #15 of 38
12/27/11 at 8:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stealthbr View Post

Alright, I have narrowed it down to either the Beyerdynamic DT 990 or the DT 880. Which is better for online FPS gaming? Thanks. 


The DT990 has more bass and treble, and a larger sound stage, so it is probably better for immersion. The DT880 is more neutral with relatively more mids, so you will hear footsteps better, but the sound stage is smaller (it still positions the sounds accurately, though).

 

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