[SoundFox]

Hi guys, I'm new to the forums and looking through all the articles here it seems the rabbit hole is much deeper than I ever thought. I'm still fuzzy on what an amp does. I thought it makes the music louder, but that is not always the case. Then there is the source of music, is that only from musical equipment and vinyl records? Is it common to connect a computer or ipod to an amp? I have searched these questions, and I just keep getting more questions as I learn more about all this stuff. Anyone know a book i can buy, like sound for dummies or something? lol
 
Now on to my real issue. I want to invest in some headphone for games and my ipod, so my main concern is cosmetics and be-able to make good sound plugged directly into the sound card or my ipod. I do understand that an amp will make the sound that much better, but I'm not willing to spend money into one at this point in time. The head phones I am looking at are the presonus HD7 http://www.presonus.com/products/Detail.aspx?ProductId=61 which I found for sell at $59 dollars on amazon. Will these be a good choice for what i want to do, or are there better options in the same price bracket? I also noticed they are 32 ohms, is that too high to be used without an amp? I have searched and I'm still searching, but I'm not getting anywhere close to finding solid answers.
 
Also, what is this surround sound stuff that the headphones aimed at the gaming community keep talking about. Why don't any of the higher end ($400+) headphones mention this feature? Is this a marketing term, would one headphone mimic surround sound just as well as the next?
 
Thanks for reading

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
For your price range take a look at the Sony MDR V6 ($62 new) or JVC HARX900 ($58 new). If you're all about the bass, check out the MDR-XB500 ($50 new).
 
Amps do more than just get loud. But instead of explaining, just hit search and look for information on amplification. For me, it increases the tightness of sound, impact, fullness, richness of sound. I find there's better separation with sounds with an amplifier. I definitely notice there's less of a rich powerful bass on my basshead cans when not on an amp--so I generally amplify all my headphones (but all my headphones require a bit of amping to begin with). A lot of it has to do with the sensitivity of the headphone, ie, how much power it takes for a headphone to produce a certain volume. Even low impedance headphones need amps sometimes because of sensitivity.
 
"Surround sound" does not exist in a headphone. There's not several drivers, each pumping a different direction. It's a marketing ploy to sell headphones to gamers. Any pair of headphones attached to a soundcard that is capable of 3D (which is everything greater than 10 years old at this point) will be able to perform positional sound.
 
Very best,

 

[crinacle]

Yeah, surround sound is basically a marketing gimmick. Any headphone can work in '3D' (the 'headphones' option in most games just switches audio into binaural, search up that term if you want to know more), but what really separates the good gaming headphones from the gimmicks is the positioning ability.
 
Ultrasone might be a different case though; their S-Logic technology does make the music feel like it's projected a few inches away from your ears rather than being played almost on your ears.
 
Now, if you provide your budget and music preferences, you can recommend you some other choices. Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry 'bout your wallet!

 

[joelpearce]

With amps, think of it like the headphones requesting a certain amount of power: sort of like a car.  They need power to keep them moving, then if you need an extra boost, like passing on the highway, they need the engine to deliver some additional juice.
 
A headphone amp is basically like the engine you use to "drive" the headphones.  If you have a light, small car, you don't need a strong engine to give you the power you need.  A larger, heavier vehicle has much larger engine requirements to get the same performance.
 
Most portable headphones are driven just fine by either a sound card or a portable music player.  It's only when you start heading into headphones designed for serious home listening that you need a dedicated amp.\
 
That said, some sound cards sound a lot better than others.

 

[SoundFox]

Thanks for the help guys. I found a place that sells them so I could try the out on my iPod and try other head phones too. I tried the Sony MDR V6 among those. Honestly they sound very similar, but the HD7's have a like stage or outside sound where the Sony MDR V6 sound like the music is inside my head. The only set back is the HD7's don't block out sound as much as the sony's did. Not that the blocked out sound well ether. I have only had shooter muffs and ear buds bloc sound out very well before.
 
One thing I did notice is that some of my songs sounded distorted, while others I would hear sounds and mixes in them I never heard before or only heard on my speakers. I like them a lot, but they do bring out the shoddy music out just as much as the great music lol. Even so I think I will grab them.
 
Other thing I am wondering. Can external speakers sound as good, and where do I learn about speakers. I think it is time to replace my wal-mart speakers as well.