[Mad Lust Envy]

My gaming is mostly limited to consoles. I'm not a PC gamer whatsoever. I would never trade off a controller for a mouse and keyboard. No way in hell. I'm old school.

 

[Riku540]

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My gaming is mostly limited to consoles. I'm not a PC gamer whatsoever. I would never trade off a controller for a mouse and keyboard. No way in hell. I'm old school.

 
I agree, and before the flamers barge in it's a comfort thing for me. I can only play for about 20 minutes before I get uncomfortable on the PC, and I have fairly good gear. I would much rather be sitting back on a couch feet up in front of a 50-inch than hunched over a desk.
 
Also PC's are exponentially more expensive and fall behind in a year's time, and there will always be discrepancies in level of skill amongst PC gamers because there is so much variation on performance. Consoles I think are on a much more fair playing field in that aspect.

 

[misformatt]

Great writeup.  I've been searching, albeit more casually, for the perfect set of gaming cans as well.  From my experience, Dolby Headphone seems to work best with non-angled drivers.  My Ultrasone PRO 900 and Sony SA-5000 get funky results when DH is activated.  I agree that DH paired with a K70x is a fantastic solution--it was my go-to setup for quite some time.  Recently though, I have been quite impressed with the PRO 900's that have been mentioned a couple of times in this thread.   Running them straight stereo (without DH) yields the best results by far.  The sound stage isn't as broad as the K70x's (with DH), but the 900's seem to convey location and, particularly, depth exceptionally well.  The powerful bass might be an issue for some, but the 900's do an excellent job of rendering the highs on top of the lows without much sacrifice of either.  I was a bit stunned that these excelled so well in simple stereo mode, especially given the steep competition the K70x with DH provided, but they have ultimately become my gaming can of choice.  Also, FWIW,I think the SA-5000 might have a slight edge over the K70x's in clarity as well, but their sound stage isn't nearly as wide (with or without DH).   

 

[olor1n]

I've just tried the HD650 directly from the MixAmp, instead of double amping with the Audio-GD Fun. Firstly, the MixAmp (1st gen running off usb) can drive the HD650 to insane levels (not what I expected). Secondly, the reverberated and echoey quality of DH is seemingly more apparent, heightening the illusion of space. This in turn accentuates the clink of buckles, the crunch of boots in snow, the telltale rustling of a camper and the unmistakable sound of a reload. It's quite impressive. The main issue though is that these sounds are brought so far forward in the mix that it can be difficult to pinpoint depth, especially when all hell is breaking loose. When the Audio-GD Fun is in the chain the rendition of depth is natural and these sound details vary in magnitude rather than being in your direct vicinity.
 
I only played a few rounds of BlackOps but despite being very rusty and the lowest ranked by far in the lobby, I dominated with MixAmp + Fun combo and then made people quit when I employed just the Mixamp by itself. Good times.

 

[shamrock134]

I might have to try mine in stereo and compare. I usually run mine with DH enabled and channels set to 8 when playing online.
 
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I have been quite impressed with the PRO 900's that have been mentioned a couple of times in this thread.   Running them straight stereo (without DH) yields the best results by far. 

 

[VulgarDisplay]

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My gaming is mostly limited to consoles. I'm not a PC gamer whatsoever. I would never trade off a controller for a mouse and keyboard. No way in hell. I'm old school.

 
I agree, and before the flamers barge in it's a comfort thing for me. I can only play for about 20 minutes before I get uncomfortable on the PC, and I have fairly good gear. I would much rather be sitting back on a couch feet up in front of a 50-inch than hunched over a desk.
 
Also PC's are exponentially more expensive and fall behind in a year's time, and there will always be discrepancies in level of skill amongst PC gamers because there is so much variation on performance. Consoles I think are on a much more fair playing field in that aspect.

FPS games started on the PC long before they ever reached consoles, so if you're an old school fps player you were using a keyboard only for something like DOOM.  
 
You are actually quite wrong about PC's being cost prohibitive in comparison to consoles.  Add the 1500 dollars to the cost of your console for that TV.  As well console's used to cost about $500-$600 when they first came out.  A 5 year old $600-700 dollar PC can still easily play games at the same graphical quality as consoles.  You have to remember that most games on console are only in 640p and 30fps with no anti aliasing.  I build a budget PC every 2 years and I recycle old parts like DVD drive, power supply, and hard drives.  Doing this keeps my costs down every time I upgrade.  You also get added freedom in the bargain mods for games, whatever control style you want, whether it be, mouse and keyboard, controllers, steering wheels, or flight sticks.  Games are also cheaper so you save money there.  I guarantee the first time you saw 1080p with 8x AA, 16xAF, and tesselation at 60fps you would never go back to console gaming ever again.  
 
I do own a PS3 simply to play the Uncharted series which is the only game worth buying a console for.  I'm not flaming people for using consoles, I just don't think most console players ever think about how low the quality of the visuals are in comparison to even a budget gaming PC.  

 

[129207]

Awesome write-up! I use a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer with the ATH-AD700 with a bassboosting amp (Arrow 12HE) inbetween and am extremely satisfied. Would you think the Mixamp would add to my experience? Thanks!

 

[Riku540]

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You are actually quite wrong about PC's being cost prohibitive in comparison to consoles.  Add the 1500 dollars to the cost of your console for that TV.  As well console's used to cost about $500-$600 when they first came out.  A 5 year old $600-700 dollar PC can still easily play games at the same graphical quality as consoles.  You have to remember that most games on console are only in 640p and 30fps with no anti aliasing.  I build a budget PC every 2 years and I recycle old parts like DVD drive, power supply, and hard drives.  Doing this keeps my costs down every time I upgrade.  You also get added freedom in the bargain mods for games, whatever control style you want, whether it be, mouse and keyboard, controllers, steering wheels, or flight sticks.  Games are also cheaper so you save money there.  I guarantee the first time you saw 1080p with 8x AA, 16xAF, and tesselation at 60fps you would never go back to console gaming ever again.  
 
I do own a PS3 simply to play the Uncharted series which is the only game worth buying a console for.  I'm not flaming people for using consoles, I just don't think most console players ever think about how low the quality of the visuals are in comparison to even a budget gaming PC.  

Comfort > visuals for me any day. I could care less for 2k resolution if my hands, wrists, and back are hurting after 20 minutes. And I am never one to get a console day one... there's no point until a game that interests me comes out. Also the TV I have I've had for many years... so if you look at the cost annually vs. all at once its much more affordable. Ever since I haven't bought any upgrades; only a few games per year.
 
Let me by clarify by saying I do not believe consoles are better than PC's by any stretch of the means. They're a lifestyle convenience, which fits my needs perfectly. I don't play too many competitive games because gaming for me is relaxing time; and discomfort, stress, and frustration on a PC does not fit the bill for me what so ever.
 
Any money that could go toward PC upgrades I would much rather spend on headphone upgrades.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

You can just as easily sit in your chair and hook a PC up to your TV and actually get 1080p and all the eye candy too. 

 
There are wireless controllers that work for PC's.  The best part about this is that you then have a media center box hooked up to your TV as well, and a music server!  
 
I would compare the PC gaming bug to the head-fi bug.  You want the best quality regardless of price, and you will do anything to get it.  I've been hooked on PC gaming ever since my old commodore 64.  I then remember have great times playing Rainbow Six on my 600mhz pentium lol.  How far we have come.  

 

[Riku540]

Problem is I like record gameplay, and FRAPS is not very competitive gameplay friendly on low or even medium end systems. I use the HD PVR for this, so I can't have my PC and being used to game if it's being used to record. In any case I do play some PC games with a controller with friends that game exclusively on PC, nothing competitive where it matters.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

While I do love the visuals a PC gives (and I have seen some good high end computer gaming setups), I will never prefer a keyboard and mouse...ever. A video game was made to be played with a controller. A big reason why you won't see me playing Kinect or Wii, or Move or whatever else. If I wanna get up and dance, I'll go to the club. If I wanna act like I'm playing tennis, I'll play Tennis.
 
Gaming is all about relaxing with a good ol' controller in my hand. Period.

 

[tdockweiler]

I bought a pair of the Sennheiser HD-598's today to test for gaming. I absolutely hate the color of them, but maybe I can get used to it. The graph of them on headroom's website looks HORRIBLE, so I'm hoping the mids are good (maybe slightly forward sounding?). I hope it doesn't have the typical laid-back Sennheiser sound. I've read a lot of things about this headphone and it's signature sounds like something I'll like.
 
The main reason I posted this is that I called up JR.com and asked them if they had any sales on the HD-598 and they offered it to me for $169.99 I believe. They were at $179.99 but he came down (I didn't ask). I even got next day delivery for an extra $14! I think you will need to call them to get the best price. Amazon and almost everyone else has them for $250. Electronics Expo doesn't have them for $179 anymore with a code.
 
If anyone is interested, I can report back once I hear them.
 

 

[RexAeterna]

you can do all that on pc too...also the whole pc thing always falling back in time is a load of crap. yes technology is always advancing but do you always need the latest and greatest? no. it can also be as cheap or cheaper then console gaming if you build your rig and know what parts your looking for and can last well over few years. building is not hard at all. everything is color coordinated so special people can do it too.

you can play from a coach with controller of choice and most games if not all nowadays being devloped has full support for the 360 controller. i use my 360 controller on my pc or m/k it depends. people think console gaming is always cheaper but the people that say that never include there big ol' hdtv price in the equation. so yea.... 

i been gaming since the NES days and day of when the first doom hit windows 95 on the  computer so i had experience and love for both console and pc gaming. just do reaserch and ask around. that's all it takes. don't go by what ''he say she say'' thing or mainstream media especially shows like G4. they don't know crap and get paid what to say.
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My gaming is mostly limited to consoles. I'm not a PC gamer whatsoever. I would never trade off a controller for a mouse and keyboard. No way in hell. I'm old school.

 
I agree, and before the flamers barge in it's a comfort thing for me. I can only play for about 20 minutes before I get uncomfortable on the PC, and I have fairly good gear. I would much rather be sitting back on a couch feet up in front of a 50-inch than hunched over a desk.
 
Also PC's are exponentially more expensive and fall behind in a year's time, and there will always be discrepancies in level of skill amongst PC gamers because there is so much variation on performance. Consoles I think are on a much more fair playing field in that aspect.

 

[N0sferatu]

I play mostly Rock Band (I play drums IRL).  So I use my electronic kit and have it rigged into RB and jam away with either the HD595 or the D7000.  Both are phenomenal for that experience.  While the D7000 are nicer I typically use the HD595 because I don't want to work up a sweat on the pseudo-leather padding

 

[Riku540]

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you can do all that on pc too...also the whole pc thing always falling back in time is a load of crap. yes technology is always advancing but do you always need the latest and greatest? no. it can also be as cheap or cheaper then console gaming if you build your rig and know what parts your looking for and can last well over few years. building is not hard at all. everything is color coordinated so special people can do it too.

you can play from a coach with controller of choice and most games if not all nowadays being devloped has full support for the 360 controller. i use my 360 controller on my pc or m/k it depends. people think console gaming is always cheaper but the people that say that never include there big ol' hdtv price in the equation. so yea.... 

i been gaming since the NES days and day of when the first doom hit windows 95 on the  computer so i had experience and love for both console and pc gaming. just do reaserch and ask around. that's all it takes. don't go by what ''he say she say'' thing or mainstream media especially shows like G4. they don't know crap and get paid what to say.

For the price of a GPU you can buy a console. That, and as I stated before, I can't record gameplay if my PC is being used to game itself. And as I also stated, I do use a controller on some PC games.