[Eric_C]

Looks like DT880 and MixAmp. MixAmp's strong enough for the 880 according to MLE, and it can handle virtual surround which will give you the immersiveness you seek. Also allows you to connect a mic for chatting, which the DSS won't.

 

[dcm1602]

Now the biggest question of all, where can I get a good deal on a nice set of DT880s ?
 
(and is it safe to presume that the DT 880 blow away the new MMX 300s which look very similar to it, albeit have a 5 year warranty) 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Well, the DT880/600 would beg for more than just the Mixamp, but it will sound good just by itself for GAMING. Gotta mention that the bass clips on the DT990/600 when really intense explosions occured when I used with just the Mixamp, but not the DT770/600. I'm sure the Mixamp wouldn't have a problem with the 250ohm and bassy scenes. The DT880 I owned was the 32ohm, which didn't have any issues, though it needed as much on the volume knob as the 600ohm.

I will let you guys know soon, since the DT990 Pros I'm getting are 250ohm. I will put them to the test with just the Mixamp.

 

[Eric_C]

@dcm1602: Err MMX 300 is said to be a rebadged DT 770, which is completely different from a 880.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Now the biggest question of all, where can I get a good deal on a nice set of DT880s ?
 
(and is it safe to presume that the DT 880 blow away the new MMX 300s which look very similar to it, albeit have a 5 year warranty) 

The MMX300 is a closed headphone that is basically just a DT770 32ohm with a mic. The DT880s are the best in the premium Beyers in term of overall quality and balance.

I honestly think the DT880 Pro looks better than the Premium ones. I like the black, the headband on the Pros are comfier, and they share the same grill design. I wish the DT990 Pro looked that good. The DT880 Pro is cheaper than the Premiums, and share the same drivers as the 250ohm premium DT880.

 

[Eric_C]

Quote:

The MMX300 is a closed headphone that is basically just a DT770 32ohm with a mic. The DT880s are the best in the premium Beyers in term of overall quality and balance.
I honestly think the DT880 Pro looks better than the Premium ones. I like the black, the headband on the Pros are comfier, and they share the same grill design. I wish the DT990 Pro looked that good. The DT880 Pro is cheaper than the Premiums, and share the same drivers as the 250ohm premium DT880.

DT 880 Pro = http://www.amazon.com/BEYER-DYNAMIC-DT880-Pro-Headphones-Ohms/dp/B001B1QENY ?
Agree 100% on the headband. I've had my Premium 880 for 2 years now, and in my country's tropical humidity I've replaced the headband twice. First with another Premium headband, and then with a Pro headband. 

 

[FreedomG]

So can anyone recommend a Sound Card or AMP to go with my Q701's for gaming? PC gaming ofcourse

 

[Dillweed]

Okay, lots of questions incoming.
 
Eric and MLE, I know you both mentioned to look into those two Beyerdynamic models, and MLE's getting a pair of DT 990s. From the little searching I did to try to find out more about them, it sounds like the DT 880 might be a better choice than the DT 770 in general for my tastes, and the DT 990 has a little more bass punch to it compared to the DT 880. Is that right? What are the differences between them? What makes better use of the DT 880 compared to the DT 990 and vice versa? Also, what difference do the various types (Premium, Pro) and impedance levels of each model make?
 
As far as the headphone amp and replacement sound card situation goes, would the Beyers not benefit from replacing the onboard sound with a dedicated card? And, are there any specific amps I should be looking at to drive these kinds of headphones? I see you mention the Mixamp and FiiO E9 a decent amount, but it seems like the Mixamp is the lowest option you should go with. If you combined the FiiO with something like the X-Fi Titanium HD, would that cut off the ability to use the virtual surround features? Well, I guess I should ask, does the Dolby Headphone of the Xonar or CMSS-3D from the X-Fi work well with singleplayer/MMO gaming and movies, or is that generally meant for competitive gaming only?
 
Sorry, guys. Like I said, completely ignorant here.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Need some help here. I play Counter-Strike 1.6 and CSS and I need some really good cans that can track footsteps clearly with great direction around 65 dollars and under. I'm not much of an audiophile, but if I'm reading clearly I'll need to have a good open sound stage to be able to achieve this.

Semi-open headphones.
Panasonic RP-HTF600-S, with beyerdynamic EDT 200 Velour ear pads.
Samson SR850 (made by Superlux).
 
 
 

 

[googleli]

Has anyone compared the Smyth Realiser with Dolby headphones such as Pioneer or Sony ones? I am planning to get a Smyth Realiser for my SR009 setup and am wondering whether the Realiser is worth its price especially for gaming.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

Okay, lots of questions incoming.
 
Eric and MLE, I know you both mentioned to look into those two Beyerdynamic models, and MLE's getting a pair of DT 990s. From the little searching I did to try to find out more about them, it sounds like the DT 880 might be a better choice than the DT 770 in general for my tastes, and the DT 990 has a little more bass punch to it compared to the DT 880. Is that right? What are the differences between them? What makes better use of the DT 880 compared to the DT 990 and vice versa? Also, what difference do the various types (Premium, Pro) and impedance levels of each model make?
 
As far as the headphone amp and replacement sound card situation goes, would the Beyers not benefit from replacing the onboard sound with a dedicated card? And, are there any specific amps I should be looking at to drive these kinds of headphones? I see you mention the Mixamp and FiiO E9 a decent amount, but it seems like the Mixamp is the lowest option you should go with. If you combined the FiiO with something like the X-Fi Titanium HD, would that cut off the ability to use the virtual surround features? Well, I guess I should ask, does the Dolby Headphone of the Xonar or CMSS-3D from the X-Fi work well with singleplayer/MMO gaming and movies, or is that generally meant for competitive gaming only?
 
Sorry, guys. Like I said, completely ignorant here.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/513393/guide-sonic-differences-between-dt770-dt990-models-more
 
I would stick with the low ohm models such as the 32 ohms (definitely don't go over 250 ohms) and maybe you can save yourself from having to double amp - which in general is bad.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

Has anyone compared the Smyth Realiser with Dolby headphones such as Pioneer or Sony ones? I am planning to get a Smyth Realiser for my SR009 setup and am wondering whether the Realiser is worth its price especially for gaming.

LOL, SR009 for gaming?!  I seriously doubt anyone on this thread has heard it...

 

[Rebel975]

SR009 with a Smyth Realiser for gaming? I can only dream.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

That's too rich for my blood.

Dillweed, I'm not a PC gamer, so I honestly don't know how soundcards with virtual surround work with external amping. My logical assumption as to how Dolby Headphone works, is that it is tied in directly to the amp on the device. Meaning that you can't get Dolby Headphone alone, and so you'd have to essentially double amp to have Dolby Headphone + more power from another amp. In the case of console games, that means you'd have to attach an amp to the headphone out on the Mixamp/DSS/AX720.

In short, the virtual surround seems to be directly tied to the amp in the device.

If this is the absolute case, whatever virtual surround has the cleanest amp portion would be ideal, since in terms of dolby headphone, they use the same DH2 virtualization, so will sound the same.

I don't know exactly how you would get Dolby Headphone from say an Essence STX soundcard, and if an amp could be connected to it outside of the headphone/speaker outs.

Double amping isn't bad in the sense that absolutely perfect audio fidelity isn't essential for gaming. I have used the HE4 with the Mixamp + Lyr to great effect. Ifyou absolutely need extra power, double amping is not the end of the world.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Hey, guys. Yet another new person at Head-Fi. Hi.
So, like a lot of people, I'm trying to figure out the next audio upgrade for my (PC only) gaming setup and I'd like your feedback and/or suggestions. I'm coming from a pair of 4-year-old modded HD 555s and onboard sound on an ASUS P8P67 Pro. Basically, I'm looking for something that's a noticeable upgrade from the HD 555. If that means I have to get a sound card, a headphone amp, whatever, that's fine with me as long as it's not overly expensive to the point of ridiculousness. I'm willing to spend the money on something that will last me a long time, but I'm probably looking at "mid-grade" headphones, not the $1000+ area. I'm pretty much ignorant of anything outside of my current setup. In case it matters for selection or prices, I'm in Canada. We seem to get kind of shafted on prices for a decent number of headphones, so I figured I should mention it.
Wants? My computer use is basically 90% gaming and movies/TV, with music generally being left for my MP3 player. I'm playing mostly single player and RPG/MMO games, so I'd like whatever creates the best "immersion" in the games, I guess. If the headphones are good with movies and TV, too, that would be a plus. I don't really care about competitive gaming (like multiplayer FPS) anymore, and I don't do any console gaming anymore. I think my main issues with the sound from the HD 555s is that they're kind of muffled/muddied in the lower and mid frequencies, but some of the higher high frequencies can also occasionally cause my ears pain. I guess from that description, I'm looking for overall better clarity and a slight reduction in the "harshness" of the higher frequencies?
I was initially looking at headsets, but found out that there's apparently nothing in the headset market that sounds significantly better than my current HD 555s, so I gave up on that idea. I do need a microphone with decent noise-cancelling as well, but I figured I could probably just pick up a Logitech USB desktop mic or maybe an AntLion ModMic. If there are better options, please just let me know.
Also, I don't know which sound card is better if my main priority is gaming and movies/TV. From what I've read, it seems like most people suggest the X-Fi Titanium HD, but there were a few mentions of the Xonar Essence STX for certain specific headphones.
I'd appreciate any help here. Thanks.

A decent headphone amplifier might improve the sound of the HD-555 over the motherboard's built in sound.
 
Or get a Senn HD-558, great price at Electronics-Expo, use the coupon code BOUNTII.
 
Creative Labs just came out with a new sound card, the Recon3D (SB1350) PCI-Express,
comes with a headphone amplifier rated up to 600-Ohm, price is around $100.
 
Asus Xonar DG, PCI, headphone amplifier rated up to 150-Ohm,
Comes with Dolby Digital (Dolby Headphone), $30.
 
The Titanium HD does not come with a dedicated headphone amplifier, but is rated up to 330-Ohms.
 
I really like my Asus Xonar Essence STX, it's $175 and $15-$25 to upgrade the 3 op-amps (operational amplifiers).
Comes with a headphone amplifier rated up to 600-Ohms.