[Boxer757]

Quote:

I don't agree I was playing Fallout New Vegas yesterday too on my XB500 and the strong bass is part of the charm, I use lots of different mods and distant sound effects fix and "realistic gunshot sounds" etc. and when a mine goes off somewhere in the distance (thx to the mod probably) it sounds so realistic and nice (I've reloaded save games only to wanna hear it again!). I have no problem about the spatial recognition on XB500 at least but I believe it's more down to the soundcard & software than anything else, a good software implementation can make any headphone sound spacious. It was kX Audio drivers that really opened up my eyes exactly how important the software part, the pseudo surround sound is just amazing, you can clearly locate all the directions very clearly like you had a 5.1 set hanging on your head.
 
In fact I need the bass to get enjoyment for explosives and alike, without it it would feel much more sterile and be much more boring for me but yes the more I boost the bass the more details I lose in the sound, so that's where I try to find the balance, bass vs detail. I've also played a lot of UT3 multiplayer and I've had no problems with the big bass, in fact I've been accused for cheating(wallhacking) cuz people get angry when I kill some1 just as they jump around a corner when I just located them by the sound.
 
IMO good software implementation of the audio > headphone with spacious sound. You get a lot bigger difference changing soundcard / drivers than headphone itself when we're talking about spatial sound/surround/width etc. Dolby headphone for example is a big aid, CMSS for X-Fi etc but I think kX Audio driver's implementation of stereo sound -> surround works really great too, it doesn't overdo it in any way or change the overall sound, it just makes you hear the directions the sounds come from, it's a bit like listening to those "binaural audio" recordings on youtube.

Well I can't speak to that because I was playing it on Xbox360 and therefore couldn't go messing with the audio a whole lot. Probably should have specified that... my bad. Also, perhaps the XB500 is different, though I am betting it was mainly the modifications you made with the drivers and whatnot. Trust me, D1100 in FONV on Xbox360 with standard audio settings is pretty horrendous - laughable spatial recognition and the emphasized bass made most of the sound effects sound terribly unrealistic.
 
Two thumbs up for music though 

 

[melomaniac]

I agree that really good headphones help with (the soundstage of) games where it is often important to distinguish directions and distances well, which is why I use my xbox360 audio output via a DAC and amp into headphones. but on the other hand, I quickly tire of the soundtrack of a lot of games and often turn it down as much as possible. so usually all the "messing with audio" I need is in the settings of the game itself - ambient info up, trite earcandy down.
 
Quote:

Well I can't speak to that because I was playing it on Xbox360 and therefore couldn't go messing with the audio a whole lot. Probably should have specified that... my bad. Also, perhaps the XB500 is different, though I am betting it was mainly the modifications you made with the drivers and whatnot. Trust me, D1100 in FONV on Xbox360 with standard audio settings is pretty horrendous - laughable spatial recognition and the emphasized bass made most of the sound effects sound terribly unrealistic.

 

[Boxer757]

Quick question for ya'll. I'm a little disappointed that the price for the D1100 dropped $50 a couple weeks after I bought them. Given that I am in my 30-day return period, would I be allowed to return them and buy at the new price? Should I just contact customer service and see if I can get a credit? Or is it just luck of the draw and I am SOL? I don't want to screw anyone, but if I can save $50 then I would like to do so.

 

[Boxer757]

I agree that some headphones are excellent for gaming. Just saying that IMO the D1100s are not one of those phones.
 
Quote:

I agree that really good headphones help with (the soundstage of) games where it is often important to distinguish directions and distances well, which is why I use my xbox360 audio output via a DAC and amp into headphones. but on the other hand, I quickly tire of the soundtrack of a lot of games and often turn it down as much as possible. so usually all the "messing with audio" I need is in the settings of the game itself - ambient info up, trite earcandy down.
 
Quote:

Well I can't speak to that because I was playing it on Xbox360 and therefore couldn't go messing with the audio a whole lot. Probably should have specified that... my bad. Also, perhaps the XB500 is different, though I am betting it was mainly the modifications you made with the drivers and whatnot. Trust me, D1100 in FONV on Xbox360 with standard audio settings is pretty horrendous - laughable spatial recognition and the emphasized bass made most of the sound effects sound terribly unrealistic.

 

[WhiteCrow]

Quote:

That's why I always say, the majority of closed headphones just do not work well with gaming, especially the ones leaning heavily towards the low end. Slow, boomy bass muddles up game audio a bit too much.
 
You'll want an open headphone for some true gaming bliss.

except for grados....that are crap for games, I use the HFI-580 for games and they sound great, the Senn HD448 are also wonderful for gaming.

 

[shorty920]

Quote:

Quick question for ya'll. I'm a little disappointed that the price for the D1100 dropped $50 a couple weeks after I bought them. Given that I am in my 30-day return period, would I be allowed to return them and buy at the new price? Should I just contact customer service and see if I can get a credit? Or is it just luck of the draw and I am SOL? I don't want to screw anyone, but if I can save $50 then I would like to do so.

Are you talking about Amazon? If so then I would definitely try it. Amazon's customer service will usually honor it if you call. You won't get the cash back though, but rather store credit to use on their site.

 

[Boxer757]

Quote:

Quote:

Quick question for ya'll. I'm a little disappointed that the price for the D1100 dropped $50 a couple weeks after I bought them. Given that I am in my 30-day return period, would I be allowed to return them and buy at the new price? Should I just contact customer service and see if I can get a credit? Or is it just luck of the draw and I am SOL? I don't want to screw anyone, but if I can save $50 then I would like to do so.

Are you talking about Amazon? If so then I would definitely try it. Amazon's customer service will usually honor it if you call. You won't get the cash back though, but rather store credit to use on their site.

 
I shot an email to their customer service reps. I'll let ya'll know if they accommodate me.

 

[emdyeks]

Are there any headphones with more bass impact/output than Sony XB-500?  Perhaps the Allen & Heath XD-53?  Has anyone here heard both and can offer some input as to which is better?

 

[Boxer757]

Customer service rep got back to me promptly, basically saying they understood my disappointment at seeing the product for a lower price shortly after buying it and linked me to their returns page. So I ordered another pair of D1100s at the price of $142 and some change (down to $139 as I write this) and went through the online process of returning a product through Amazon which is pretty painless.
 
At $139 I would jump on these if you want a bassy yet clear pair of headphones, it's a steal of a price.
 
 
 
Also, I was hoping to ya'll could answer a question for me... I have received the new D1100s, still fresh in the box. Could I simply return these as they are the exact same product. It would save me from repackaging my 1st pair and breaking in the new pair. I'm sure they would know it was the second pair given the unopened box and the UPC is probably linked to the order # for inventory. However, seems to me Amazon wouldn't mind receiving a brand-new in-box product over one that has been used. I don't want to cause any problems in getting my refund though.  

 

[BlutoSlice]

Just pulled the trigger on the V-MODA crossfade LP, I'll give comparisons against my XB700s and HFI-780s in due course.
 

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Earthquake alert!!! 

 Nah it's good that some1 around here got the guts to try them out but personally I don't have much faith in the sound quality but you'll probably find them a lot bassier than your other headphones at least. Probably only XB500 can give these headphones a battle in bass quantity.

 

[wind016]

I tried the V modas at the Apple store. Treble resolution was almost non-existent.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Quote:

I tried the V modas at the Apple store. Treble resolution was almost non-existent.

Yep, pretty much every review I checked treble was commented as being very veiled and then those reviews were written by people who aren't exactly audiophiles in any extent and tests generic stuff like Beats. I mean if those people are finding the treble lacking, what wouldn't people around here think about them? But perhaps some drastic EQing can still change the results a bit...

 

[RaZrReD]

Yea I was wondering about the V-Moda Crossfades also. Would like to see how they stack up against the xb500.

So besides the Shure 750DJ, is their any other DJ type headphones that can produce good BOOMING bass like the Sony Xb500?

 

[wind016]

I tried several EQ changes and it seemed a hopeless effort. Any boost in treble would result in unbareable distortion. There was distortion in treble range even when flat. Boosting low end seemed the only way to make it sound half decent, but then that would just b a muddy mess to me. The Bowers were only a tad better. I thought the Beats were actually the most tolerable of the bunch in the apple store (other than the avail for demo senn and klipsh offerings), even over the Bose QC 15s.