[CyberAthlete]

What do you think?
I own ATH-M50s and Senn HD555. How does this compare to these two? Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Punisher]

I am returning my A40s. I bought them with the intent to play console games, pc games and watch blu-ray movies off my pc. Here are my pros and cons:

-Headset Pros-
1. Confortable open air design that you can use for hours
2. Mic is detachable and crystal clear
3. Good Mid and Highs

-Headset Cons-
1. No base at all. Games and movies have no life.
2. Overpriced.
3. Not good at audio positioning. It could not distinguish directional audio cues any better than $30 no name headphones.
4. No microphone volume control.

-MixAmp Pros-
1. You can connect to anything (Xbox 360, MP3 Player, PC, PS3, etc.) and it brings all the cables except for digital output
2. Portable

-MixAmp Cons-
1. Does not support newer audio formats. Example.DTS (Blu-ray movies use DTS as the main audio and in some titles, like Transformers 2, the only English audio track is in DTS)


In summary I was expecting home theater quality sound for games and movies and was very disappointed. They are way overpriced and I am sending them back tomorrow. Some people say that you need to train your ears to distinguish audio positioning with this headset but I say that if I pay $270 for headphones I should not have to adjust my hearing for a poor design. I hope this helps. I apologize for the poor audio descriptions but I am very new to this and I am also doing some research for a better option than the Astros. I am open to any suggestions.

Punisher

 

[CyberAthlete]

That helps a lot! Thanks. i was afraid that given the features they're packing and the price they're asking, it's too good to be true. I just got my ATH-M50s. Waaay better bass than my Sennheiser HD555. I'll comment on them in a few days once I've taken them for a test drive with various games, movies and music.

 

[Big Daddy Cool]

hey punisher,
thanks for the review, you have saved me bunch of money!

 

[darkmess]

I have to admit that I don't believe that this is true. I own the Astro a40 Headset, and it's a Godsend for directional audio.
 
When I play 360 games with friends, I always use these headphones. The Dolby Headphone is crazy accurate when playing Modern Warfare 2. I have been saved by these headphones many times, especially when people sneak up on me. I almost always get that accolade that says I never get snuck up from behind, haha.
 
I'm not a basshead, and the closest thing to bass I have are the JVC Marshmallows (which I did the Kramer-mod), which I use only when I have to. I enjoy the bass that comes from these headphones. They don't over power, but powerful enough to make a AC3 concert or action scene on DVD sound like a blast. I have powerful bass in my home theatre speakers and my friend's even better theatre speaker setup, and I'm only annoyed by it.
 
HEADPHONES PROS/CONS
 
PROS: I'll take some from Punisher
1. Confortable open air design that you can use for hours
2. Mic is detachable and crystal clear
3. Good Mid and Highs
4. Manageable Lows
*Here's a fix for mic volume: move it to or from your face for optimal volume!
5. Very nice looking.
 
CONS:
1. Very pricey
2. All the cords can be a little annoying
3. Messes up my hair when I wear it for a while
4. Obviously not the quality of headphones over $300. Not really a con. You paid ~$200.
 
MIXAMP PROS/CONS
 
PROS:
1. Dolby Headphone, large sounding space, and doesn't give me a headache after listening for a long time.
2. So many connections, and the Pro Logic means that I can get Dolby Headphone from  stereo sources (except 3.5mm)
3. Portable and very good design.
4. Because of connections, compatible with almost everything.
 
CONS:
1. Cords again. Lots.
2. While portable in a house, it's certainly not something to walk around with or sit on a bus.
3. No DTS decoding, yes, but these are mainly for games and sometimes music and that only uses AC3 files mostly.
 
In my summary, I don't think they're the greatest audiophile headphones, but the sound is still great and comparable to nice headphones in the same cost range. And since it is a headset, it has the added bonus of a great sounding mic, an Amp that is full of awesome features, and a really pretty box. In the end, I think I got what I paid for.