[casenote22]

Well I for sure want something that does well at FPS shooters(highly competitive, COD/CS GO). But I am a huge audiophile as well. That's why I was looking at the Sennheiser 600 line as I do not have any audiophile level headphone, lots of IEM's but no headphones. I also just purchased a BTR5 and have been interested in the balanced 2.5mm jack as it used both DAC chips in the balanced jack. Thanks in advance my friend

 

[Radio81]

If you want a headset, there's not many open back options. Still, the ATH-ADG1X seems overpriced. That is just IMO. I think I would go with the Sennheiser PC37X over that for much cheaper if you want a headset.

I'm also not a fan of in-line volume controls on cables. Much rather have it at the amp or headset itself. Again, that's a personal preference.

I play MW (2019) quite a bit on PS4 alternating between SHP9500 and X2HR headphones with a modmic. I've replaced the pads on the SHP9500 with Shure 1840 velour pads. I usually reach for those for gaming, and the X2HR for movies.

 

[casenote22]

If you want a headset, there's not many open back options. Still, the ATH-ADG1X seems overpriced. That is just IMO. I think I would go with the Sennheiser PC37X over that for much cheaper if you want a headset.

I'm also not a fan of in-line volume controls on cables. Much rather have it at the amp or headset itself. Again, that's a personal preference.

I play MW (2019) quite a bit on PS4 alternating between SHP9500 and X2HR headphones with a modmic. I've replaced the pads on the SHP9500 with Shure 1840 velour pads. I usually reach for those for gaming, and the X2HR for movies.

I see the SHP5000 on Amazon is that the original or the "S" model? I also was looking at the ADG1X, isn't that a rebranded 900x?

 

[Radio81]

9500 and 9500S are essentially the same. I believe the only things different between them are the 3.5mm cable it comes with and the packaging.

I don't know enough about the ADG1X to know if it's a rebranded 900x.

 

[SierraMadre]

I see the SHP5000 on Amazon is that the original or the "S" model? I also was looking at the ADG1X, isn't that a rebranded 900x?

Drivers are based on the AD900X but appear to be tuned for more bass (either that or they have achieved the same effect by other means). It's still not bass heavy by any means but just not as bass shy as the 900X. It's excellent but I wouldn't pay more than say 130 for it purely because it is fixed cable and the wire and its sleeving seem cheap and lacking durability so if you break it, you have to fix it yourself as AT won't be replacing it for you.

 

[casenote22]

700x, 900x o

If you want a headset, there's not many open back options. Still, the ATH-ADG1X seems overpriced. That is just IMO. I think I would go with the Sennheiser PC37X over that for much cheaper if you want a headset.

I'm also not a fan of in-line volume controls on cables. Much rather have it at the amp or headset itself. Again, that's a personal preference.

I play MW (2019) quite a bit on PS4 alternating between SHP9500 and X2HR headphones with a modmic. I've replaced the pads on the SHP9500 with Shure 1840 velour pads. I usually reach for those for gaming, and the X2HR for movies.

So the SHP5000 that are on Amazon should suffice for COD/FPS games in reference to footsteps and directional imaging? I'm tempted to get the 700x as well and see which is better. Both are lauded highly for FPS

 

[PurpleAngel]

700x, 900x o
So the SHP5000 that are on Amazon should suffice for COD/FPS games in reference to footsteps and directional imaging? I'm tempted to get the 700x as well and see which is better. Both are lauded highly for FPS

The Audio Technica ATH-AD700X headphones are very bass light.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

You can always get something with a 3.5mm input and get an inline mic like the Vmoda BoomPro. IIRC the SHP9500 has a 3.5mm input so you can easily make it a headset.

I haven't heard the 9500 so, I dunno how effective it will be, but I've heard nothing but good things about it.

 

[532498]

DELETED

 

[illram]

The reason you should wait is we don't know what sort of onboard surround audio the PS5 will ship with or whether it will be compatible with more hardware solutions beyond bitstreaming over optical. If it comes with a decent surround solution out of the box you might be able to skip the DAC/amp, or if it has USB surround functionality you have more dual-compatible PC/console options.

So, maybe make your headphone purchase now as the criteria for that won't change.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Complete newbie to decent audio equipment here, so forgive me for asking stupid questions...
I'm planning on getting a decent audio setup for when the Playstation 5 releases. Aside from the PS5 it also needs to work on my PC. The main purpose would be for gaming/movies, and music to a lesser extent.
Now thanks to this thread I already have a couple of headphone candidates in mind (with the AKG K712 as the top option). However I'm still unsure about a lot of things.
1. I know the full PS5 specs haven't been revealed yet, but am I correct to assume that IF the PS5 comes with a Digital Out (Optical) port (like the PS4), that any DAC that uses this connection should be compatible? Am I also correct in assuming that USB DACs on the other hand could be a hit or miss?
2. Would the Creative Sound Blaster X7 (standard ed.) be a good DAC/AMP combo for the AKG K712? (Alternatively I could either upgrade to the Creative Sound Blaster X7 limited edition or downgrade to something like the AKG K612.)
3. Is there any chance the Creative Sound Blaster X7 will get a successor in the near future as far as anyone knows?

Creative Labs X7 comes with more features then you need.

 

[532498]

DELETED

 

[Evshrug]

@BRicardo In summary, some things look promising, but we just don’t know enough yet and history shows that we’re not going to get enough information from companies about the audio possibilities and workarounds until enthusiasts like us get our hands on the consoles.

Some things to keep in mind...
Optical Out can only send two channels (stereo) out in uncompressed PCM; for surround, your next device would need to be able to decode a Dolby Digital Live bitstream, and be able to process a binaural headphone surround mix from that bitstream (So, it would need to have a DSP function, DAC function, and either a built-in or separate amp).

When Xbox and PlayStation released their slim consoles, they both dropped the optical port. Xbox also never supported generic stereo USB Audio support, so users of that console were even worse off than PlayStation (which does support USB Stereo). The Pro/X models still had Optical, but hopefully the console makers don’t see the connection as a dying standard. If they cut the optical port, current DSP devices that rely on optical could continue to be used if you have a breakout box that takes HDMI-in and has HDMI-out and Optical-out, or if you have a TV that has an optical output built-in (My Panasonic has this, also supporting Dolby bitstream passthrough, love it).

However, both consoles (and particularly Sony) have included discussion of 3D Audio and headphones/headsets, so maybe they will have better support in the next generation. However, this is not a guarantee, as the PS4/XBO generation also touted TrueAudio 3D and Sphere audio respectively, and virtually no titles took advantage of it (Thief is the only one I know used TrueAudio 3D on PC computers with the same graphics card used in the PS4, and while the game supported headphone surround I don’t know if it used a lesser 3D processing codec, and at any rate I got bored of the game and never finished it). There were a few games that had their own binaural headphone surround built-in (and these worked great with gener, notably the Battlefield series and The Last Of Us, but it wasn’t widespread. The Bluetooth-streamed inexpensive audio from the controllers in the current generation held back the potential sound quality significantly, so hopefully the consoles will support binaural processing internally and then allow third party devices to connect via USB or optical. As a mainstream device, a game console isn’t going to have specialized components and design that enthusiasts are willing to spend in the aftermarket (like a DAC/Amp that costs as much as the whole console, or more!), so supporting third-party devices would be a nice compromise.

HDMI Headphone Surround processors currently are reeeeeeeeeaally rare and require a substantial investment, but if optical is dropped we might finally see some gaming accessories companies support this niche. There is a bit of a “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” question with 3D Audio: is there enough demand for the feature? Will 3D audio catch on if it’s actually widely available?

I have a Sony PSVR, and it has pretty fantastic full-3D audio (including above and below, not restricted to a number of speaker “channels”). VR is probably the best way right now to experience full, live, immersive 3D audio, but at least on the PSVR you have to use the (much better than the controller) DAC/amp built in-line with the VR headset cable. Something with the impedance of the HD 58X but the sensitivity and angled drivers of the HD 599/PC37X would be ideal in this situation.

We will just have to see what the future holds ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[John_M]

@BRicardo

HDMI Headphone Surround processors currently are reeeeeeeeeaally rare and require a substantial investment, but if optical is dropped we might finally see some gaming accessories companies support this niche. There is a bit of a “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” question with 3D Audio: is there enough demand for the feature? Will 3D audio catch on if it’s actually widely available?

Just get a receiver that supports Dolby Headphone. These can be obtained cheaply and easily on eBay. E.g.:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/97513263

Although I think later Marantz models don't support Dolby Headphone (maybe they didn't want to pay the licensing).

This will take 7.1 LPCM and virtualise it. It will do a much better job than any of the gaming products using optical.

I used to have an NR1601 before I bought a Realiser (which uses HDMI as well but is, of course, a lot pricier...) Much better than Turtle Beach, Astro etc. The only downside is use of desk space.

 

[Yethal]

@Mad Lust Envy You wanted a Jotunheim with optical input
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sch...bable-start-up.701900/page-3991#post-15651815