[SteelRain]

I am an FPS console veteran, and was disappointed with pretty much everything in the bf3 beta for Xbox 360 bar the sound. I honestly can't see any improvement from the frostbite to frostbite 2 engine, bad company 2 beats it in nearly every way. We can only hope for a significant improvement come the game release. I also hate how on console it's all about rush, and Dice seem to have lost the ability to make decent conquest maps. Battlefield Modern Combat 2 definitely had the best maps of any console battlefield game. On the up side there will be Skyrim .
 
By the way Mad Lust Envy, I'm not sure if anyone has asked you this, but do you think you could do a review at some point on the Superlux 668b? It has been called a giant killer by some, I currently own these cans and they destroy my x41's in every way and would like to see how they stack up against others like the dt990, 598, ath ad700 etc.
 
Regards,
 
SteelRain
 

 

[thrillhaus]

Quote:

 
Could I get the details on these EQ settings? (It might also help to know what headphones you're using, in case their sound signature turns out to be drastically different from my Stax Lambdas and AD700s.)

 

I switch between HD555s and D2000s. The HD555s would probably be most similar to your AD700s. Back when I was using the HD555s exclusively, I would just boost the bass frequencies (the one step bass boost works too) to make up for the altered sound signature of CMSS-3D. I wasn't trying to EQ in a precise way so that there was no difference between CMSS-3D on and off since I don't think that's possible. I was just aiming to restore some of the bass impact that is lost for non-competitive gaming. However, since acquiring the D2000s, I've found this step unnecessary as I get adequate rumble for cinematic type experiences (although DH is better in this regard). If you're using the AD700s for competitive gaming, you might be better off leaving things as it is, but if the lack of bass is a problem you can just try dialing it in, starting from the very bottom of the spectrum.

 
Quote:

It would be a fatal flaw for a lot of people considering this is a thread made on an enthusiast headphone forum. You're also understating how much worse it makes the audio in games. Yes game audio is compressed but they still sound fine.  
 

Honestly, if the game I'm playing is worth playing, I'll be too focused on what's going on to nitpick on details. The immersion factor of having an accurate 360 degree HRTF soundfield outweighs the change in sound signature.

 

[thrillhaus]

Quote:

I don't know if the SQ hit is necessary per se, especially given the hype that the Smyth SVS Realiser gets in terms of replicating home theater speaker systems several times more expensive; perhaps it's an artifact of having to use a generic HRTF, or Creative hasn't refined their HRTF tech enough (tech that's likely derived from Aureal and Sensaura's approaches, I might add).

I have to add that I think Creative is a truly crappy and underhanded company who deserve to go out of business like how they pushed Aureal out of business with their silly expensive lawsuit that they lost anyway. If those other companies had been around to unseat Creative from its monopoly, the state of 3d sound wouldn't be the mess it currently is. Unfortunately, CMSS-3D (which is just Aureal's tech that Creative bought after bankrupting the competition) is the best we have, however sloppily implemented. The software solutions do look promising but myEARS requires a subscription (no thank you) and Rapture3D is comparable in cost to a sound card without having any of the hardware benefits. Also, the fate of OpenAL, which Rapture3D relies upon, isn't even clear at this moment, as it seems many games are opting for their own software solutions.
 

 

[applepancakes]

on 668b:
someone had already gave their insights into it earlier in the thread: it had excess treble and bass. i concur. i dont remember being overly impressed for positional sounds either.

 

[leng jai]

I stick to using cans with a good soundstage in stereo mode - best of both worlds to me. DH/CMSS aren't necessary.
 
Quote:

 
I switch between HD555s and D2000s. The HD555s would probably be most similar to your AD700s. Back when I was using the HD555s exclusively, I would just boost the bass frequencies (the one step bass boost works too) to make up for the altered sound signature of CMSS-3D. I wasn't trying to EQ in a precise way so that there was no difference between CMSS-3D on and off since I don't think that's possible. I was just aiming to restore some of the bass impact that is lost for non-competitive gaming. However, since acquiring the D2000s, I've found this step unnecessary as I get adequate rumble for cinematic type experiences (although DH is better in this regard). If you're using the AD700s for competitive gaming, you might be better off leaving things as it is, but if the lack of bass is a problem you can just try dialing it in, starting from the very bottom of the spectrum.
 
Honestly, if the game I'm playing is worth playing, I'll be too focused on what's going on to nitpick on details. The immersion factor of having an accurate 360 degree HRTF soundfield outweighs the change in sound signature.

 

 

[Rebel975]

Quote:

I stick to using cans with a good soundstage in stereo mode - best of both worlds to me. DH/CMSS aren't necessary. 
 

Oh look- it's that comment again.
 
It's a cool story and all bro, but unfortunately this is a thread for gaming WITH surround sound processing.

 

[IMAWolf]

Tried any razor stuff?




Cheers,
IMAWolf

 

[leng jai]

I wasn't aware of that actually bro, seems like I thought it was a thread for gaming with headphones...
 
Quote:

Oh look- it's that comment again.
 
It's a cool story and all bro, but unfortunately this is a thread for gaming WITH surround sound processing.

 

 

[Rebel975]

I mean, the discussion may not really be all that related to the original post anymore (150 pages in and all), but he specifically states "This is for Dolby Headphone, NOT stereo." It's also in the title of the thread. It's like going into a LCD-2 thread and saying that LCD-2's are unnecessary.

 

[NamelessPFG]

 
Quote:

I switch between HD555s and D2000s. The HD555s would probably be most similar to your AD700s. Back when I was using the HD555s exclusively, I would just boost the bass frequencies (the one step bass boost works too) to make up for the altered sound signature of CMSS-3D. I wasn't trying to EQ in a precise way so that there was no difference between CMSS-3D on and off since I don't think that's possible. I was just aiming to restore some of the bass impact that is lost for non-competitive gaming. However, since acquiring the D2000s, I've found this step unnecessary as I get adequate rumble for cinematic type experiences (although DH is better in this regard). If you're using the AD700s for competitive gaming, you might be better off leaving things as it is, but if the lack of bass is a problem you can just try dialing it in, starting from the very bottom of the spectrum.
 
Honestly, if the game I'm playing is worth playing, I'll be too focused on what's going on to nitpick on details. The immersion factor of having an accurate 360 degree HRTF soundfield outweighs the change in sound signature.

That latter paragraph is the exact reason I cannot do without CMSS-3D Headphone in games. Immersion and practically an aural wallhack.
 
So your EQ is mostly bringing up the bass for more impact? Sounds easy enough. I thought you were aiming more for transparency in frequency response while retaining the imaging advantages. As things stand, I'm fine with the Lambda's bass output, though some people aren't satisfied with the relative lack of bass impact of electrostatics in general. However, I can't do without the clarity and presentation that these bring, no matter what they're playing...it's quite immersive.
 
As for the AD700s...I might just be selling those, since they're not getting nearly as much use for obvious reasons.
 
Quote:

I have to add that I think Creative is a truly crappy and underhanded company who deserve to go out of business like how they pushed Aureal out of business with their silly expensive lawsuit that they lost anyway. If those other companies had been around to unseat Creative from its monopoly, the state of 3d sound wouldn't be the mess it currently is. Unfortunately, CMSS-3D (which is just Aureal's tech that Creative bought after bankrupting the competition) is the best we have, however sloppily implemented. The software solutions do look promising but myEARS requires a subscription (no thank you) and Rapture3D is comparable in cost to a sound card without having any of the hardware benefits. Also, the fate of OpenAL, which Rapture3D relies upon, isn't even clear at this moment, as it seems many games are opting for their own software solutions.

I'm also pretty pissed at how Creative managed to just eat up the competition so they could stay complacent, and look where we are now...inferior software-processed sound that presumes that everyone has 7.1 speakers and doesn't care about preserving an actual 3D sound field, simply because the industry didn't want to deal with Creative. Ugh.
 
MyEars requiring a subscription is an absolute no-go, that's for sure. Rapture3D Advanced edition costs far, far too much (not even internal sound card money, it's external audiophile DAC money), yet it's the only one that has the features I would expect. The fact that the price is in GBP makes it much worse given how stacked it is against the USD.

 

[Armaegis]

You guys here ever look at the phase response curves of your headphones and wonder how that affects your positional accuracy?

 

[thrillhaus]

Quote:

So your EQ is mostly bringing up the bass for more impact? Sounds easy enough. I thought you were aiming more for transparency in frequency response while retaining the imaging advantages. As things stand, I'm fine with the Lambda's bass output, though some people aren't satisfied with the relative lack of bass impact of electrostatics in general. However, I can't do without the clarity and presentation that these bring, no matter what they're playing...it's quite immersive.

Yeah transparency isn't really a big deal for me in games. I figure I don't know what a plasma cannon is supposed to sound like in real life, so why should I care if there's too much treble? Most sound effects are not meant to be super realistic anyway.
 

 

[Rebel975]

My new setup. Audio Technica PRO 8Hex microphone, Art Tube MP preamp, and adapters, being fed into the mixamp or my computer. Awesome.
 
 

 

[rayuma]

Anyone thinking about getting the Tritton Warhead? 

 

[thrillhaus]

Quote:

Anyone thinking about getting the Tritton Warhead? 

I'd stay way from Tritton if I were you. I once found a used pair on my local Kijiji at an extremely low price, so I thought I'd try them out since they were the ones that had the multiple speakers in each earpiece. The photos on the internet are very misleading about the build quality. They're very cheap feeling and sounding. I ended up reselling them for no loss since I got them for extremely cheap, but at retail price they're definitely a huge ripoff.