[Mad Lust Envy]

If you can stretch it, try acquiring the Fidelio X1. That's as good as it gets for what you want.

That Xonar card isn't the best for direct amping but it would do for now, and would be good for gaming. You could use it until you get something like an E17 which you can feed the optical signal directly to the E17 for all your needs.

 

[Evshrug]

I'm away for two days, and look what happens! Glad they arrived Calpis. I suppose I'd better collect my notes and write my MA900 mini-review tonight so that it won't overlap with your final thoughts before you send it along after getting used to it.

They are pretty worthy, huh?

What are all those bottles in your pic, anyway? Juice? Eye drops? Arctic Silver? Stimpacks?

 

[AxelCloris]

Juice for the vaporizer in the bottom left of the photo.

 

[Mackem]

Anyone know what the PC 350 SE's are like?

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Anyone had experience with the DT770 Pros? I wasn't sure if they were uncomfortable on my jaw because they were new or what. The ear cups were absolute heaven on my ears, but I returned them because of the fact that they clamped the arms of my glasses to my head and sat a little uncomfortably on my jaw. The mids also sounded recessed to me but I have a Xonar DG sound card now (Not sure if it'll make a difference but hey). I just want a really comfortable pair of full size headphones, preferably with velour pads that I can use for EDM / Pop music and games.

 
Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS?
The headphone amplifier on the Xonar DG is ok for headphones up to 150-Ohm.
Does it matter if the headphones are open of closed?
Did you have a budget for headphones?
The Premium version of the DT770s have a slightly lighter grip then the Pro version.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Anyone know what the PC 350 SE's are like?

Might be better if you can get the Senn PC360s.

 

[Mackem]

   
Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS?
The headphone amplifier on the Xonar DG is ok for headphones up to 150-Ohm.
Does it matter if the headphones are open of closed?
Did you have a budget for headphones?
The Premium version of the DT770s have a slightly lighter grip then the Pro version.

I did disable the onboard audio yes.
I need closed headphones, budget is around £150 GBP and the headphones must be available in the UK
 

 
Might be better if you can get the Senn PC360s.

I can't get open headphones / headset unfortunately

 

[Hailin]

I know the dt990 pads also fit on the Sonys and don't sound that bad either. What it is lacking I can't remember should have written my thoughts down. There is a reason I didn't keep them on just wish I could remember.

 

[AxelCloris]

Did some light gaming tonight with my 1964-Q's running directly off my Recon3D USB. I was quite impressed with the setup. I wasn't expecting that kind of reproduction from an IEM. I didn't do any extensive testing (just playing some Borderlands 2) but they did a nice job recreating the full dynamic range of the gameplay. Before now, I've never noticed the noise floor on the Recon3D. But with the quads I most certainly did when there was no in-game audio. However, it's a non-issue once I got into playing. I should compare it to the noise floor on my wireless Mixamp for S&Gs while I still have it.

 

[Evshrug]

Juice for the vaporizer in the bottom left of the photo.

Ah. I saw that, thought it was some sort of mechanic's tool... Maybe some mechanics use them anyway? Honestly I dunno what a vaporizer is... I'd guess it's either something for asthmatics or... recreation... I've never been in either of those worlds. Let's just be amused at whichever of my guesses was wrong and move along

I was faced with the prospect of tomato soup (which bores me) with beans (which make me produce my own sort of vapors) and something spicy-for-the-sake-of-being-hot as the option for dinner (I love how my mom lately always prefaces dinner by saying "You're probably not going to like it"), SO instead I fell asleep on the couch. This is relevant because said nap ate up the time I'd meant to use to write an MA900 review.

Basically, the MA900 provides maximum sonic benefit for a gamer, while also being cost-efficient, not picky about your system, and comfortable for marathons. Paying more is a personal choice... The headband didn't agree with my head (a lot of headbands don't, my hair is thinning and has a ridge which often causes headband fatigue), and I prefer a slightly different sound signature (a little harder and with a little more treble sparkle), but honestly I can't tell you I hear details in my AKG K712 + class-A SET tube amp setup that I can't make out in the MA900 simply plugged into my music player or surround processor. For most people, the MA900 has clear advantages and pros, for which I highly recommend it.

 

[Evshrug]

Did some light gaming tonight with my 1964-Q's running directly off my Recon3D USB. I was quite impressed with the setup. I wasn't expecting that kind of reproduction from an IEM. I didn't do any extensive testing (just playing some Borderlands 2) but they did a nice job recreating the full dynamic range of the gameplay. Before now, I've never noticed the noise floor on the Recon3D. But with the quads I most certainly did when there was no in-game audio. However, it's a non-issue once I got into playing. I should compare it to the noise floor on my wireless Mixamp for S&Gs while I still have it.

Yeah, I noticed the noise floor on mine (at 90% volume) with the MA900 and external amp, just a little bit. The AKG's with their lower sensitivities dampen that down, but part of me wonders if my first Recon3D USB unit actually had a limiter or something on it's max amp output, which would explain a few other things. Btw, I just got an email from Aspyr that the Borderlands 2: GOTY edition was just released for Mac

 

[Antero]

I just got Sennheiser HD598 + Xonar STX. I come from a Razer Megalodon 7.1.  I gotta say i'm in love with these 598s but i'm kind of dissapointed at the fact that i cannot get the surround sound work in the way i like it. With the megalodon  i was able to pinpoint with 100% accuracy every single direction and even floors above me or underneath me but with the surround sound from the Xonar STX i'm having a lot of trouble replicating the same results. If something is above me it just sounds like it's actually infront me, if something is too close behind me it also sounds like it's infront of me. Anything infront of my FOV is incredibly accurate but i'm still having those problems i just said. Has anyone ever used Megalodons ? is there any way to replicate the Megalodon's surround sound?. I've played around with all the settings in the Xonar drivers and i still have issues. Would really appreciate some help.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

It's not just the STX panel. You also have to go to the generic sound devices and make sure the STX is set to 7.1.

 

[Mackem]

What headphones are the PC350 SE similar to?

 

[funkdoc]

The last days I looked for hours and hours on different sites and communities for a new headphone. Finally I found your thread and was like "ok this guy is awesome, this one is the thread I should have needed three days ago before starting my long reading sessions." Big props for your work, it's the best wrap up I could find in the whole web.
 
My final conclusion is: Philips Fidelio X1 or AKG Q 701.
I can get the Q 701 for about 225 $, the X1 will cost me about 260 $ or maybe 250 $.
 
Which one would you choose? I will use them for 50% gaming and 50% music. I'll listen to everything from rock, hiphop, house or jazz. Because I already have tinnitus, I don't need something that will explode my head because of the bass. The headphone should have a good positioning and be comfy too for the long gaming sessions.
 
So, X1 or Q 701? Sorry if this is already answered but my sister is just on holiday in New York and I can't read 1000+ sites in such a short time
 
Edit: My soundcard will be a ASUS Xonar Essence STX.