Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Headphone suggestions and advice
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Headphone suggestions and advice

post #1 of 11
2/6/12 at 5:24pm
Thread Starter 
I hesitated to post on these forums as I am not an audiophile by any means but I also wanted advice from those who really know their stuff.

I am in the market for a new pair of headphones and I just don't know what's right for me. I watch a lot of movies and shows. And I'm a big PC gamer. Naturally a pair with true surround sound has my interest.

I'm willing to spend around $150 and that's really more than I have to begin with.

Is surround sound really going to improve my media experience over a pair of higher quality stereo headphones? The ATH-A700's caught my eye.

I also want to note that I am limited to amazons selection and pricing because I have $50 on my account that I plan on using with this purchase.

And lastly, if I were to get these headphones, would my integrated sound on my motherboard just kill the sound and make it not worth the purchase of the headphones? The last thing I want to do is buy a nice entry level headset to find out my sound card is ruining their clarity.

Thank you all very much in advance, your input is greatly appreciated.
Reply
post #2 of 11
2/6/12 at 6:38pm

Depending on your computer, the sound card may be great or crap. I have a simple HP netbook and my onboard sound card has a noise floor of zero, but some top-of-the-line computers have worse soundcards than my little netbook.

 

In terms of headphones, the A700 is very well-known as a great gaming headphone, but if you plan on listening to music with them they're quite bass-light.

Reply
post #3 of 11
2/6/12 at 7:22pm
Thread Starter 

This is my motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631

And this is the audio: Realtek ALC892

 

If it's not up to par the with headphones, I don't see why I would get them as they'd be wasted potential. In which case, I'd just grab the Logitech G930's and have the convenience of wireless and the bonus of a mic. I'm really only thinking of a nice pair of headphones for the added quality and it's not worth it if my hardware isn't up to par.

 

But I'm not sold on those headphones yet either. If my hardware is good enough, then I'm all ears to suggestions. 

Reply
post #4 of 11
2/6/12 at 8:25pm

Samson SR850 headphones (made by Superlux) $50

Asus Xonar DG sound card (PCI), comes with a half-way decent headphone amplifier and Dolby Virtual Headphone (surround sound). $30

So for $80 you will have a decent setup.

Reply
post #5 of 11
2/6/12 at 9:30pm
Thread Starter 

The ATH-A700's are $122 on amazon, so I could still realistically fit those and the card into my budget, but I won't do that if the card you suggested is only suitable for those other headphones. 

 

Thank you again.

Reply
post #6 of 11
2/6/12 at 10:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FMA5880 View Post
The ATH-A700's are $122 on amazon, so I could still realistically fit those and the card into my budget, but I won't do that if the card you suggested is only suitable for those other headphones. 

Thank you again.


The Asus Xonar DG's headphone amplifier should be able to work with headphones up to 150-Ohm (give or take).

The ATH-A700 and SR850 will easily work with the Xonar DG.

 

 

Reply
post #7 of 11
2/7/12 at 11:08am
Thread Starter 

Alright, thanks a lot. I think you've helped me figure this all out. 

 

The A700's dropped to $116 on amazon as well, so I'm thinking they're a good choice. I see some other headphones that fit my budget, but with my limitation to amazon these seems to be the best in my budget and needs. 

 

That sound card is $40 with shipping on amazon, but I'll have spent the money on my amazon account so I can get it elsewhere. One more question quick question, would stepping up the sound card for these headphones do much or are they well enough suited? 

 

 

Reply
post #8 of 11
2/7/12 at 2:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FMA5880 View Post

The A700's dropped to $116 on amazon as well, so I'm thinking they're a good choice. I see some other headphones that fit my budget, but with my limitation to amazon these seems to be the best in my budget and needs. 

That sound card is $40 with shipping on amazon, but I'll have spent the money on my amazon account so I can get it elsewhere. One more question quick question, would stepping up the sound card for these headphones do much or are they well enough suited? 

You mean buying a sound card better then the Xonar DG for improving the sound of the ATH-A700?

The ATH-A700 do not really improve that much with a "better" headphone amplifier.

So it's not really worth the money for the small improvement.

 

A better gaming card is the Creative Labs Titanium HD, but that's $130.

Reply
post #9 of 11
2/7/12 at 2:46pm

to be honest why not just buying a usb dac? fiio e10 is highly recommended for 76 dollars

Reply
post #10 of 11
2/7/12 at 5:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by weipim View Post
To be honest why not just buying a usb dac? fiio e10 is highly recommended for 76 dollars


The guy is a gamer and movie watch, which is better in surround sound.

Fiio E10 is stereo (good stereo).

 

 

Reply
post #11 of 11
2/7/12 at 10:12pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you so much. You've really cleared a lot of things that have been running through my head.

I have already purchased the headphones but was still looking at my options as far as the amp goes.

The cost of the xonar DG was appealing because it upgraded my soundcard a little and had an amp for cheap, however it doesn't do anything for use of the headphones away from the computer.

I looked into the fiio exx series of DAC amps and considered them but I'm just not sure enough about how these things work. The DAC would replace the duties of the sound card then?

Either way, I honestly won't use the headphones very often away from the computer so it isn't that important, I just figured another $20 might be worth having a DAC/AMP on the go.

And I did overlook the possibility of losing surround sound. I need that.

Anyway thanks for being so informative, this is extremely helpful.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphones (full-size)
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Headphone suggestions and advice