[Olimoronio]

I need a good phone with mic. Anyone heard these things?









Just for clarification I'm not referring to this thing which shares the "510" model number...

But these...

If so what did you think? I can get these for dirt cheap... Any impressions?

 

[ben4345]

I am interested in the floating headset too!

 

[gbacic]

My experience with USB audio has been disappointing.
HOWEVER: if you can get them dirt cheap you have the chance of getting a decent headset.

Go for it

 

[TheSoviet]

A RX900 paired up with a Zalman clip on Mic will beat those in any day.

 

[Olimoronio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSoviet /img/forum/go_quote.gif A RX900 paired up with a Zalman clip on Mic will beat those in any day.

So you've heard them then? Can you please give your impressions of the sound?

And I'm not overly crazy about my RX700's - they sound like $30 to me, nothing more - so I think I'll pass on the 9's.

 

[nullstring]

If you're willing to spend a few more buck, you should really look into ATH-AD700's

They are very good. But you'll need a clip-on mic for them.

I recommended my friend the Zalman mic, and he's had nothing but trouble with it.., so you may wanna go in a different direction.


If you don't want to spend the extra money, go for the KSC75's with a clip-on mic.

 

[hybir]

I felt compelled to sign up just to dissuade you from buying that headset.

A while back I bought the non-USB version of it and disliked it the instant I put it on my head. The most glaring factor is that they hurt, hurt, HURT. The cushions are the prime opposite of soft, rest your head on your desk sideways and then try to look upward at a 45 degree angle and you have a similar amount of pain on your ears.
Sound is obviously only designed for VOIP in mind. Music and games sound tinny on this headset.

Since I was a student back then and didn't have money, I had to put up with it for a gruelling 6 months which probably deformed my ears. If you believe in softening the cushion after a while of use, it doesn't happen here. After a few months the material cracks, peels and bends, leaving you with a set of cheese graters on your ears that you never want to adjust for fear of unprecedented pain.

In short - please don't buy them. A good pair of headphones+strapped on mic is a much better option. If you really need a headset, I had the Plantronics Gamecom and they are a decent option for their price bracket.

 

[Olimoronio]

Thanks for the warning, hybir but could you please share with us the model number of the phones you are talking about? I think either you are mistaken and they are not the same phones that I now have in my possession or they simply put more effort in the build quality and ergonomics of the USB version.

A. The pads are nice and soft and they even have little holes in them for ventilation.

B. And this is actually one of my only gripes with these phones - they don't clamp tightly enough.

Yes, the pads are odd shaped and take a minute or two of getting used to but they are not nearly as bad as what you are describing.

The sound...

These have a forward presentation. As a matter of fact, when I first put them on out of the box this was the one and only impression of these cans that I can remember. I was disappointed.

After several hours of burn in they have relaxed a bit and the soundstage has started to open up like on any good open headphone. No, the stage is not cavernous but instead it's intimate when it should be and open when it should be. In other words, you're not going to have one constant giant stage at all times but these do react very well to spatial cues.

These phones also have remarkably clear and detailed midrange and highs. Seriously, listening to Depeche Mode: Exciter was a bit of a revelation on these. I hate to use the old cliché but I DID hear things that I've never heard before on several of the recordings. This coming from someone whose main two-channel/stereo speaker rig rings in at well over 10K.

The bass is more than adequate IMO. These are not bass-head phones by any means but the bass is there when called upon.

I like these phones quite a bit. Again, you're going to want to be the type of person who enjoys a forward presentation to enjoy these and the more you crank them the brighter and more forward they get. However at low to moderate volumes these are crystal clear, nicely detailed and musical phones. I guess I'm a little blessed in this regard as I can take different presentations and like them all for different reasons. As always YMMV.

 

[hybir]

What I had bought about 4-5 years back was the Plantronics Audio .350, which seemed to have the same illustration except ending in analog inputs.

Either the build quality has improved considerably since then or they just did not fit me at all. I was the once happy owner of a Plantronics Audio .90 until they died, and since they were out of production at the time, I chose to get the Audio .350 as it was the replacement model. It was a pit of hell until I saved up and bought a new headset in frustration. You're right about the forward presentation, I'm more of a classical listener who wants a larger soundstage with their music so it didn't click with me.

If you have used them and believe they fit your needs well, then maybe something has changed in the build quality from last 4-5 years or they just fit you particularly well. As for me, I'm just detailing my terrible experience with them.