[AxelCloris]

hey guys im looking for some new headphones and id like your opinion on these headphones. [Trinity Vario]

 
As nobody here has had the chance to listen to these headphones, we will be unable to provide feedback on that particular model's affinity for gaming.

 

[Darkangelpt]

I'm going to order maybe tomorrow my schiit magni to pair with akg q701 and tell mixamp.
Think to my budget under 200 euros is the best Amp.
Hope it makes a difference...

 

[Yethal]

The cheapest x7 i can find is 400 euros.
Any downsides on the x7?
Maybe u could sell my mixamp and not buy my schiit magni 2.

It requires an external app (either PC or mobile) to utilize all it's functions, it requires additional device for PS4 chat (search for ps4 compatible USB Bluetooth adapter on eBay, or buy Creative's own BT-W2). And of course the main problem: it's 400 euro. However if You're okay with al that by all means go for it.

 

[Darkangelpt]

It requires an external app (either PC or mobile) to utilize all it's functions, it requires additional device for PS4 chat (search for ps4 compatible USB Bluetooth adapter on eBay, or buy Creative's own BT-W2). And of course the main problem: it's 400 euro. However if You're okay with al that by all means go for it.

I think with those downsides IL keep. Y mixamp.

 

[Yethal]

I think with those downsides IL keep. Y mixamp.

Or go for Creative's upcoming Sound Blaster G5.

 

[Darkangelpt]

Creative g5 looks like a x7 without some features. Shares some hardware.
I'm about to buy schiit magni.
Now I see this?that can maybe replace my mixamp and power my akg q701.
Oh life

 

[Evshrug]

I went on to private message Dreyka and he had some more feedback to offer me on the topic. I'm sure he won't mind me sharing with you all:



So I'm here trying to revive this conversation, and hopefully we can get some input from both sides - what do you all feel is more important in a competitive FPS headphone? High detail retrieval or an open soundstage.

Interesting post, and I can align with much of it.

First point on Soundstage vs Imaging...
There was a truly awesome post about the Stax SR-007 comparing soundstage and headstage. The idea was that soundstage is more the ability to make sound project out to seem like it comes from a source further away from your head (like a headphone that sounds like a speaker over there, while headstage was more like imaging, the sense of how and where instruments within the audio are spread from each other. So, headstage is pretty close to imaging. While the author said the SR-007 has pretty average soundstage, it had superb headstage/imaging, and though he wasn't "in the room" the imaging allowed him to clearly "see the room" of the music (especially with his eyes closed).

Second, my first pair of great or "audiophile" headphones were Etymotic ER•6i IEMs. Hyper HYPER detailed, and playing a binaural recording will have simply astounding imaging. They would make it easy to concentrate on any particular sound, and tell where things are positioned relative to each other... Does that sound good for gaming to you?

If you think of the advantages of headphone listening over speakers — personal/private, portable, physically smaller, high value — an IEM basically takes all those values logically further. Now, I really LIKE soundstage and the sense of "being in/part of the room," which I think some of the best fullsize headphones provide a great compromise from an amazing speaker setup, and I'd still say the full size over ear headphones are my preference overall because of that, but IEMs are the ideal portable or isolated listening solution. Getting a closed headphone or the (IMO compromised) active noise-cancelling headphones is only a half-assed solution to the goal of isolation... Good IEMs can provide more isolation, are more portable, don't need batteries, (usually) don't have resonance issues, and the Balanced Armature models are like having mini planar magnetic headphones as far as quickness and resolution goes. If you get comfortable eartips, or custom IEMs, you have none of the weight/sweat issues of closed headphones.

If I was going to LANs, I would get CIEMs with a cool design (maybe my team/clan logo), and at home switch between full-sized headphones and the CIEMs. Philosophically speaking, The only time I'd like closed headphones would be if I was somewhere where I needed privacy, but I also needed to frequently be interrupted and take the headphones off & on again.

 

[fullmoon280]

   
As nobody here has had the chance to listen to these headphones, we will be unable to provide feedback on that particular model's affinity for gaming.

Guess ill just skip it then and get something thats actually been tested since tbh i dont have alot of money to be throwing around on headphones to often if these dont turn out to be any good.

 

[MattKelly]

Interesting post, and I can align with much of it.

First point on Soundstage vs Imaging...
There was a truly awesome post about the Stax SR-007 comparing soundstage and headstage. The idea was that soundstage is more the ability to make sound project out to seem like it comes from a source further away from your head (like a headphone that sounds like a speaker over there, while headstage was more like imaging, the sense of how and where instruments within the audio are spread from each other. So, headstage is pretty close to imaging. While the author said the SR-007 has pretty average soundstage, it had superb headstage/imaging, and though he wasn't "in the room" the imaging allowed him to clearly "see the room" of the music (especially with his eyes closed).

Second, my first pair of great or "audiophile" headphones were Etymotic ER•6i IEMs. Hyper HYPER detailed, and playing a binaural recording will have simply astounding imaging. They would make it easy to concentrate on any particular sound, and tell where things are positioned relative to each other... Does that sound good for gaming to you?

If you think of the advantages of headphone listening over speakers — personal/private, portable, physically smaller, high value — an IEM basically takes all those values logically further. Now, I really LIKE soundstage and the sense of "being in/part of the room," which I think some of the best fullsize headphones provide a great compromise from an amazing speaker setup, and I'd still say the full size over ear headphones are my preference overall because of that, but IEMs are the ideal portable or isolated listening solution. Getting a closed headphone or the (IMO compromised) active noise-cancelling headphones is only a half-assed solution to the goal of isolation... Good IEMs can provide more isolation, are more portable, don't need batteries, (usually) don't have resonance issues, and the Balanced Armature models are like having mini planar magnetic headphones as far as quickness and resolution goes. If you get comfortable eartips, or custom IEMs, you have none of the weight/sweat issues of closed headphones.

If I was going to LANs, I would get CIEMs with a cool design (maybe my team/clan logo), and at home switch between full-sized headphones and the CIEMs. Philosophically speaking, The only time I'd like closed headphones would be if I was somewhere where I needed privacy, but I also needed to frequently be interrupted and take the headphones off & on again.

Gosh I just love you for this response. Was feeling like I'd never hear back from anyone on this topic. Thank you very very much. I totally agree with you, and to be honest I was about to pull the trigger on the K553, but now I really want to go the route of the Etymotic HF5. The only thing that's holding me back right now is the lack of a decent quality microphone for use with the IEM's. Since I'll be at LAN's, I need something that will do a good job of cancelling out the obnoxiously loud background noise and only pick up my voice - unfortunately that just doesn't seem plausible with in line microphones (such as the HF2/HF3). I have a ModMic just sitting here on my desk, but no headphones to use it with (and obviously can't be used with IEM's, lol). I can return the ModMic and look into clip on mics that are super hypercardioid and omnidirectional, but I'm worried that still won't cut it for noisy LAN's.

But yes, in your description, the "headstage" (or imaging) would be far superior to soundstage (for my competitive FPS needs). 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Examples of headphones with excellent imaging but not the best soundstage, planarmagnetics like the LCD2 and HE400. They excel at the depth and imaging of sound. For out of your head experiences, dynamic headphones are better, but may smear details together i.e. not as good at imaging.

 

[MattKelly]

Examples of headphones with excellent imaging but not the best soundstage, planarmagnetics like the LCD2 and HE400. They excel at the depth and imaging of sound. For out of your head experiences, dynamic headphones are better, but may smear details together i.e. not as good at imaging.

I'd be really interested in you testing out either the Etymotic HF series or ER-4 series. I know you really have no need to, but I find this topic of soundstage vs. imaging for competitive FPS very intriguing!

 

[shuto77]

I'd be really interested in you testing out either the Etymotic HF series or ER-4 series. I know you really have no need to, but I find this topic of soundstage vs. imaging for competitive FPS very intriguing!

FWIW, I thought my Hifiman Re400 did surprisingly well with imaging since they're fairly neutral and are very clear. I'd reckon the RE600s would be even better in this regard. (BTW, someone was trying to move a pair of these in the classifieds for $135, which is a great price).

I'd be surprised if those Etymotics were appreciably better than the RE600.

 

[Evshrug]

Super-hyper cardioid! Haha!
I think any mic would pick up at least some background noise, but something cardioid (one-direction of sensitivity) and overall low sensitivity (mostly just picks up sounds close to the mic) would be best for LANs.

For mounting a mic, maybe you could get a relatively stiff wire, attach it to the IEM, loop it up over your ear and stick out towards your mouth, and put a mic on the tip of it. Looping it around the ear ought to give it enough support.

FYI, Zalman Mics are pretty low sensitivity (so you've gotta be able to turn up the gain, luckily PS4 lets you do so) and Omni-directional, so just not very ideal.

Where does one find these loud noisy LANs? I've been to two in my whole life.

 

[Yethal]

Super-hyper cardioid! Haha!
I think any mic would pick up at least some background noise, but something cardioid (one-direction of sensitivity) and overall low sensitivity (mostly just picks up sounds close to the mic) would be best for LANs.

For mounting a mic, maybe you could get a relatively stiff wire, attach it to the IEM, loop it up over your ear and stick out towards your mouth, and put a mic on the tip of it. Looping it around the ear ought to give it enough support.

FYI, Zalman Mics are pretty low sensitivity (so you've gotta be able to turn up the gain, luckily PS4 lets you do so) and Omni-directional, so just not very ideal.

Where does one find these loud noisy LANs? I've been to two in my whole life.

LAN is dead. We killed it with our high-speed internet connections, always-online consoles and Steam.

 

[MattKelly]

Super-hyper cardioid! Haha!
I think any mic would pick up at least some background noise, but something cardioid (one-direction of sensitivity) and overall low sensitivity (mostly just picks up sounds close to the mic) would be best for LANs.

For mounting a mic, maybe you could get a relatively stiff wire, attach it to the IEM, loop it up over your ear and stick out towards your mouth, and put a mic on the tip of it. Looping it around the ear ought to give it enough support.

FYI, Zalman Mics are pretty low sensitivity (so you've gotta be able to turn up the gain, luckily PS4 lets you do so) and Omni-directional, so just not very ideal.

Where does one find these loud noisy LANs? I've been to two in my whole life.

Haha, that was meant to be super/hyper cardioid! Both just a more intense pick up pattern than typical cardioid). Perhaps that could be a solution, although at that point I'd probably rather just have another headset on over my IEM's to simplify everything. And LAN's like MLG mainly!