[zer0]

Hello there folks,

I am at the moment eyeing at the Sennheiser HD 555 and ATH-AD700. I think the AD700 got the opperhand in my choice. However the problem is the ATH-AD700 is very rare here in the Netherlands, I could get it shipped from the UK but it would end up just as expensive as the HD 595.
I am just a casual gamer ( abit competitive, playing at leagues ), my main games are Call of Duty 4/6 where sounds is extemely important. I have been playing with my Sennheiser PC150 with a onboard Realtek card, and you can imagine, I cant locate my opponent with this combination. I often end up 8 out of 10 without knowning where the sounds come from and get confused or disordered and that is very frustrating.

Second thing , besides a headphone either the Senn or ATH, is a soundcard needed or would the onboard suffiece? If I do, auzentech( forte/prelude) or Xonar( D2/Essence)?
My budget isnt that big , I have been thinking about getting a Amp, but they are very hard to find here in the Netherlands aswell. And from what I have read, both the Senn and ATH are low impedance headphones that are easy to drive. Besides gaming, I would also like to connect to my second rig where there is a X-Fi Extreme music card and enjoy some music with it. I guess I am not a "audiophile" and might not have trained ears to hear worlds of difference, but I would like to try out something better then what i have right now. Cheers

I am open for any suggestions, so any other headphone you could recommend are welcome

 

[zer0]

bump

 

[LostCauze]

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[wmf]

I would say the AD700s seem to fit what your looking for. soundstage is nice, dont expect big bass though. owners of the AD700s seem to really like them for games. a dedicated soundcard would definately help.

 

[GunpowderPlot]

I think having any sort of sound card is better than using onboard. Not only should the sound quality improve ( a better SNR due to being further away from the main chipsets, which on some motherboards can cause a slight hiss in audio output), but it should free up a bit more cpu which would be useful for gaming.

If gaming is what you would mainly use the new headphones for and you're having problems locating enemies then maybe a pair of surround headphones is what you need. I don't know much about them so wouldn't be able to recommend them myself, but they may be worth looking into, although I think most people on this forum who have had experiences with them would not rate them as being particularly good for listening to music on.

 

[zer0]

Thank you all for your reply

Quote:

Originally Posted by LostCauze /img/forum/go_quote.gif What kind of music are you listening to?

I listen to all kind of music , ( pop/hiphop/ r&b/, but also some of dance/trance/techno, but not as much as the first 3 genre , also some type of rock I also listen to)

 

[zer0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmf /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would say the AD700s seem to fit what your looking for. soundstage is nice, dont expect big bass though. owners of the AD700s seem to really like them for games. a dedicated soundcard would definately help.

which soundcard would be nice?

 

[LostCauze]

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[jageur272]

I've heard a few good things about the Audiotrak Prodigy soundcard and they're supposed to be a great platform for performing mods.

 

[Lex2]

You can't go wrong with the 555. Having said, you can spend slightly more and get the somewhat superior 595 instead. I use this hooked up to my Qosmio running an onboard Realtek sound card. Your rig should be more than capable of driving these phones. I wouldn't bother with an external card or an amp. However, I mainly flight sim so if surround sound is important to you then the suggestion the other op made about getting surround headphones will probably make more sense.

 

[joomongj]

I find CMSS-3D of Forte does the job when it comes to competitive fps gaming. Used to play Crysis Wars, MW2. As far as pinpointing foes goes CMSS-3D is tough to beat, let alone a world of difference from the onboard sound. It's a budget card as well, so won't stress your wallet so much either. The norm's at ~ $140 USD though I paid slightly higher due to shipping, dollar conversion.

 

[David.M]

HT Omega Striker
Audio Technica AD700

/thread

 

[Arctia]

I've said this in another thread too. For gaming, all you need is a real X-fi card, turn on CMSS-3D and plug AD700 right in.

I don't recommend AD700 for music.

 

[zer0]

Thanks folks so far all the reply. I would like to try these AD700 + shipping would be just as much as the HD595 ( which is better out of these 2? (music/ games?)

And the Forte seems to make sense altho i have also heared good things about the Xonar essence being good.
The HD 555 / HD 595 is easier to get. Really tough choice:X

 

[ex0du5]

If you need the positional audio from CMSS3D then you'll want an X-Fi card.

Personally, I really don't like the effect it has on the sound...but it may have it's uses in competitive FPS gaming, so I'll leave that up to you.

If it's primarily for headphone music listening, then I'd assume no one would recommend anything other than the Xonar Essence.