[chicolom]

   
I have the iCan on loan from Chico and while I want to get it back to him quickly I also want to try it out with gaming so I'll try to get some game time in while I have it. I'd hate to keep it from him for too long. I will say that I am digging that 3D switch for music and so far it's done an excellent job pushing the 650s.

 
No rush on getting it back.  Really. 
 
I won't be doing any heavy headphone listening for a while, plus I've got my M-stage anyways.  So keep it as long as you like.
 
Make sure to play around with the 3D switch and sub-bass boost.  They should work well on the HD650s.

 

[Fegefeuer]

  Must resist.

 
doh 

 

[AxelCloris]

  So keep it as long as you like.

 

 

[chicolom]

So keep it as long as you like...

             ...as long as you like.
           ...as long as you like.
       ...as long as you like.

 
 

 

 

[kenshinhimura]

^  haha

 

 

[pietcux]

  Anyone know what in ear monitors are good for gaming?

I was on a business trip last week. Did some COD Ghosts on my Laptop with the Sony XBA-H3. The surround effect was very good and the bass is prominent, but not over powering. They also have a very good retrieval of the smallest sound details.

 

[Evshrug]

If that's the case, then your initial choice of words suggested exactly the opposite, that music's playing entirely in your head and not beyond, pretty much the hallmark of a small soundstage.

What you might be trying to say, going by this latest post, is that the music sounds vast and all-encompassing enough beyond your head, yet is focused front and center despite that vastness, if I had to guess...

Haha, funny.
But seriously, in context of his first post where he said it was really forced into your head, if I put that context into my own words it would be like he's trying to say "this headphone really engages your attention." The Q701 is certainly not a small soundstage headphone, yet I find it more engaging than my AD700 did (and K712 vs MA900).

So the reason to get the mixamp is for chat convenience.

Fair enough.
However, my adapter is just a little half-moon-shaped solid thing that doesn't get in the way at all, I actually feel like I have more freedom of movement flexibility with my controller because it's not tied to a mixamp box, and really you just balance the game and chat audio once using the in-game settings and you don't have to mess with it again. I don't buy chat-promoting games often enough (maybe once or twice a year) that the convenience is worth $100... to me. That's like a week's food, with dinner out!

 

[DoctaCosmos]

in my first post i never mentioned anything about soundstage.  while that is a part of imaging it is only part of it.  i was talking about the engaging focus of the sound. which i made more clear in my second post.  I then mentioned soundstage because you brought it up.  Maybe because i said the music is forced in your head instead of brain.  Maybe.

 

[DoctaCosmos]

@Evshrug what is that on your controller
link please?

 

[Fegefeuer]

....double post

 

[Fegefeuer]

 
What can I say after the first two hours if it had to be short? It's a (contrary to my fears, albeit exaggerated) fantastic headphone that comes closest in fullfilling the role of an allrounder (balance between fun/neutral, soundstage) of all headphones I heard.  The aspired neutrality with a better low end reproduction and a more engaging/emotional sound. That's the AKG K812 Pro, not the HD 800. The AKG to me is definitely more euphonic but I can only say this due to my familiarity of my tracks that I use all over the years for evaluation and not in a direct comparison so take this with a grain of salt.
 
Bass body is very nice, very well-textured with deep extension and better slam. Better than the Sennheiser in fullness and impact. Listening to John Digweed - Live in Argentina is a joy, though the TH-900 is stealing the show a bit but it's a u shaped headphone after all that is also technically gifted - something that works very well with EDM.  
 
Soundstage is a bit smaller than the HD 800 but bigger than the TH-900, somehow inbetween (towards the HD 800) but with an open character. The first thing I hoped to not be there was the infamous weak phantom center channel that plagues the lower tiers. This problem is totally absent. Center imaging is spot on with no imbalance. Damn, the imaging really is at least on par with the TH-900 in terms of separation, layering (listening  to the head-fi test-cd) but going beyond that due to its open nature. The Fostex itself is already among the very best.
 
What struck me from the beginning and where I focussed at first was the technical abilities, for instance in giving everything a corpus when building the image. In German we'd say "plastizität", something along 3D vs 2D as in not being flat or giving instruments no body. It instantly reminded me of the HD 800 but weightier with more presence.
 
Anyway, I have a wide range of tracks that I know very well over the years and Gianna Nannini's IO is one of those tracks that need the right balance to work for me as in delivering her emotion. 
 
The HE-500 still is my reference headphone (for this track) so far thanks to its beautiful balance (healthy amount of sparkle, beautiful mids, tactile bass albeit a bit undetailed but having its own charme nonetheless) but is not alone anymore now as the new contender delivers beautiful mids as well while only lacking in the upper department with its more pronounced highs. It's no HE-400 level though (the one I had certainly killed my joy very fast) and of course not something along the lines of a DT990 or Ultrasone Pro but it's definitely there.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

On the Mixamp, it isnt the chat knob that screws up, its the master volume. And even then it just distirts when adjusting volume, not when you have it set. My current Mixamp Pro cant be maxed out. I leave it at around 70%.

Why would I choose the Mixamp over the DSS? First, game/chat. Second, almost no hiss on the 2011. 3rd, extra spdif input (just buy a converter and you have an extra inut for optical).

As for the D600... I don't like it. Sounds like some Beats. Too much bottom, too much sizzle, not enough mids. It sounds hollow and resonant. I prefer the CAL over it, by a mile. Headphones with recessed mids have a sort of pseudo soundstage, because the vocals sound further away. I dont consider that to be a good thing.

I miss the Fostex Denons.

Btw guys, Tyll at Innerfidelity states the CAL2 isn't as good as the first CAL. Doesn't surprise me.

 

[chicolom]

It's a (contrary to my fears, albeit exaggerated) fantastic headphone that comes closest in fullfilling the role of an allrounder (balance between fun/neutral, soundstage) of all headphones I heard.  The aspired neutrality with a better low end reproduction and a more engaging/emotional sound.

 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

That sounds like the Alpha Dog to me.

 

[Evshrug]

@Evshrug what is that on your controller
link please?

Tis my 2.5 mm to 3.5mm converter. I had two but misplaced one...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005543MAG/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1387677592&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70



Fegefeuer,
I was almost as blown away by your description as you must've felt hearing the headphone! I could feel your enthusiasm the entire time, as I read more my surprise mounted. I really hope it's worth the price, because here's the thing... save up enough, be dedicated enough, it's not that impossible to save up for.
One question I have: how's the wearing comfort? Many people applaud the HD800 comfort...