[Toxos]

Has anyone tried the pc363d's yet from Sennheiser? How about the astro a40's but the 2013 model? I cannot find a comparison anywhere between these two.

 

[skidatel]

Hello. Will sound blaster z onboard amp power DT 990 pro 250 ohms? sound blaster says it has a 600 ohms headphone amp in it but I am sure it's not that good. I listen to games/music/movies at 30-40% volume in windows and what ever app/player I am using has max volume.
 
btw , HI everyone  

 

[Makiah S]

...i still can't order my 990s gatta c how much car repairs r gonna b

 

[Evshrug]

Has anyone tried the pc363d's yet from Sennheiser? How about the astro a40's but the 2013 model? I cannot find a comparison anywhere between these two.

I don't think I've read reviews on the new Sennheiser, but Mad reviewed the new 2013 Astro A40 on the first page for it's own merits. The Sennheiser will obviously be the better quality headphone, however if you're considering the A40s for the Mixamp bundle vs just using the Senns in stereo, then advantage A40 bundle.

Hello. Will sound blaster z onboard amp power DT 990 pro 250 ohms? sound blaster says it has a 600 ohms headphone amp in it but I am sure it's not that good. I listen to games/music/movies at 30-40% volume in windows and what ever app/player I am using has max volume.

btw , HI everyone  

Sound blaster says 600 ohms but I read specs saying the power output isn't as high as some desktop amps made for high impedance headphones. The 250 ohm Beyer headphone will sound good because it'll have great dampening and require less current, but the Sound Blaster Z may not be able to make the music play very loud. The Beyers will require the volume turned up higher to sound as loud, but it's highly likely it will reach loud enough levels.

 

[EdwardB4]

Quote:

Hey EdwardB4 are you running HDMI output out of your consoles to your  tv set ?? I'm not sure how eveyone else would do it but before i purchased my HP A717A crt monitor i use to go hdmi output from my xbox360 console into  my  samsung sync master p2370HD and had no problems doing 5.1 virtual surround into the mixamp from the optical out on the tv/monitor.. Same goes for my other samsung LN46A750 it also works last time i checked although it was long ago..

 
Yeah, that's how I was doing it. Xbox HDMI to to, OPTICAL out on tv to mixamp. That way I could use all my devices with the mixamp. My TV however, a 55 inch Sammy, it seems was not able to output 5.1.
Quote:

Well, hopefully EdwardB4 checked if it really was getting a surround feed. The way I "do it" is just connect my Recon3D directly to my devices, since I only have 1 each PC & Xbox (that sit next to eachother). I suggested a receiver for the reasons I mentioned before, plus HDMI switches I'd seen cost a fair amount anyway. If his testing DOES reveal the Dolby signal to being forwarded to the Mixamp, yay, but I just suggested doing that & considering his whole system before upgrading his headphones again, especially since better components would benefit higher-tier headphones anyway.

Chris J pointed out his co-authored article on headphone impedance, which I thought was very handy (though the implications of my fading math skills alarm me): http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-impedance

Turns out I was NOT getting a surround feed. I plugged in the optical cord straight from the 360 to the mix amp and fired up Far Cry 3. The difference was night and day. I can really feel the footsteps, gunshots and explosions.
 
Haha, here I was sitting there with the optical from the TV in the mixamp. Gunshot. Reload. Grenade. Unhook the optical and plug in the 360 optical. Gunshot. Reload. Grenade.
 
So yeah, thanks for the advice guys. What little I've been able to play since doing this (only played FC3, and for not very long), the results have been incredible. I hopefully should not have any other issues with the 598's.
 
 
On a different but related topic, I will be upgrading my surround sound system this week. Going from an old Samsung home theater in a box to an Onkyo NR515, BIC F12 sub, and Energy take classics 5.0.
 
My question, will the amp on the NR515 better drive these cans or should I continue to use the mixamp?

 

[Toxos]

Quote:

I don't think I've read reviews on the new Sennheiser, but Mad reviewed the new 2013 Astro A40 on the first page for it's own merits. The Sennheiser will obviously be the better quality headphone, however if you're considering the A40s for the Mixamp bundle vs just using the Senns in stereo, then advantage A40 bundle.

Oh I guess I did not know those were the 2013's but that is very good to know! The new senn's come with a new soundcard with them but idk why there are no reviews! I would love to take a pair if I had the money but I only have money for one :/ and the new senn's are more expensive too... I think around 300 USD.

 

[AxelCloris]

My Mad Dogs just came in the mail today, and this may be new toy syndrome, but I am soooooooo happy I purchased these. Now I haven't heard any other closed headphones in this price range, but I seriously think that these are THE closed headphones for me. A bit warm in the color, but incredibly precise in the presentation. I've only been listening to them for about 20 minutes, so take everything I'm hearing currently as such. No gaming done on them as such yet, but the music... my God the music... I've heard people compare these loosely to the D5k with J$ pads. Having never heard them, I have no idea. Isolation is superb, can't hear the fiancee talking while she sits directly next to me and the only thing I have currently playing is very light Japanese koto music. The alpha pads are so comfortable to me, I never thought I'd say this about a leather pad again, but they're definitely wowing me so far. They are incredibly soft, and I have to say I LOVE the new leather smell. So nice. Wish I had a better amp to truly drive these properly, rather than just my E9. I'll get a photo of them up soon, as well as a shot of the "modded" E9 since MLE asked to see it before.
 
tl;dr
Mad Dogs: so far, the bite is worthy of the bark.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I was close to spending the money on those... I might just do that.

 

[AxelCloris]

I was close to spending the money on those... I might just do that.

Once my 15 day return window has passed I'm willing to send them your way for a demo/review. And maybe even drop 'em off to Chico next time I'm a bit north. Just want to spend enough time with them now to make sure that it's not just the new toy syndrome. Also need to debate selling a couple things to fund a new amp. I have my ZO on the FS section now to apply towards a new amp, probably will pass along the E9 soonish as well if I do, maybe do the magni/modi stack, or even step into the realm of budget-friendly Audio GD or Matrix.

 

[chicolom]

Here's the Fostex TH-600, little brother to the TH-900 (which is an absolutely gorgeous headphone).
 
At around $800, the TH-600 is still way to expensive though...
 
(TH-600 is the black one on the right)
 

 

[calpis]

Too bad Fostex won't make a high end ortho
 
I still really love the look of the TH-900 and the TH-600 is quite the looker too.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

Too bad Fostex won't make a high end ortho
 
I still really love the look of the TH-900 and the TH-600 is quite the looker too.

 
Yes.
 
The TH-900 is incredibly hawt.  I want to lick them. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I've had my eye on the TH-600 since hearing of them, and I actually hope it is a rebadged D7000 or something very much like it. That would be my last headphone. If the D7000 was still around for $600, I would have rebought it (as well as Lawton leather pads for better comfort) and end this.

 

[Makiah S]

... Man i was gonna drop 300 on a, new but i might get the mad dogs instead... How do they compare to dt 770 pro 250 n 600 ohm

 

[Evshrug]

Augh! AAUGH!
So, the HE-400 is too thick for my tastes. Switching from the E12 after it's battery died to straight out from the iPod's thinner-sounding headphone jack actually seemed to improve the sound a bit, or at least make it less THHHHICK-ah. The bass IS the best part and it does bass very well, but i miss the mids and treble impacts (like cymbals and high-hats) hurt. And now, I'm walking around the house with my ears feeling overly sensitive, picking up annoying buzzes from the dimmer lights and the whine under my ceiling fan. The HE-400 hits the valley of disbelief for me, the color pushes me back from feeling immersed in the music. Gaming was fine last night, in fact I've been having a lot of fun in Reach and doing quite well, but the embodiment of a soundscape is missing, even if I technically hear a sound coming from 2 O'clock or 5 O'clock.

I really wanted to hear the ODAC, I've been tempted to buy my own a few times, but I can't get it working. I'm going to work on it some more today, but I don't think I'll have the chance to do all the testing I'd hoped even if I do get it working.

Emo panda...