[Ni6htWalker]

The A40 for $50 is a great deal.

yeah man was i great deal!!!

 

[Change is Good]

Anyone here intrigued by what No Man's Sky has shown, so far? Im curious as to what some of your thoughts and expectations are.

 

[Impulse]

'Sup? It's been a while since I've frequented HF regularly, maybe 2yrs? I think I disappeared a bit before the Fidelio X2 went on sale, I still see familiar faces on this thread tho...

Anyway, I've had the the Beyer DT-880 for long time and around a year ago I also got the Fidelio X2; I find I prefer the latter not only for gaming but also some (yet definitely not all) of my music. I'm thinking of keeping the X2 for gaming (perfect ergos/sound sig for that IMO) and trying something different for music, since the Beyers can be hit or miss there too. The $250 Amazon deal on the HD600 (after spending a gift card) makes them awful tempting since they're so praised and their strength with vocals is appealing.

My main reservation is whether I'm doing too much side grading or buying too similar gear. On the one hand I like comparing gear and having three pairs (2 open & 1 closed specifically) actually works well for me logistically (I keep the closed NAD HP50 in the living room, one open in my home office, and one pair floating between), but I do wonder if I should be looking upwards and consolidating instead.

I liked the DT-880 as affordable all arounders (paid $215) but wouldn't mind splitting duties logically. The build, price, and proprietary dual entry cable along with the more intimate sound stage are some of the things that kept me from the HD600 in the past; but the stage/cable isn't an issue if I keep the Fidelio for gaming and the price is attractive right now, I could get over the plasticky build and somewhat meh looks.

I trust and respect the opinions of several of the familiar faces I see here, hence why I'm asking for you input despite being somewhat OT. Should I be looking at the HE-400S or something else? Should I just save my money for my other hobbies instead? (camera lenses, PC hardware, etc) I'd appreciate any input, PM welcome if too OT. TIA

 

[Impulse]

TL;DR HD600 for $250 to complement my Fidelio X2 & possibly replace the DT-880 for music, does it make sense or am I getting into too much of a same-y side-grade? I want something distinct enough that would warrant keeping both, even if mostly for different duties, and I'm not investing in amps beyond the price point of Asgard 2 / Vali 2.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

HD600 is very much a side grade to the X2, in fact Tyll at Innerfidelity basically replaced HD600 with the X2 as the better of the two. Perhaps you should start thinking of going with planars as something new. 400S or 400i maybe. Planars have an organic trait on them not found in standard dynamic headphones that can be addictive.

 

[rudyae86]

Anyone here intrigued by what No Man's Sky has shown, so far? Im curious as to what some of your thoughts and expectations are.

I just hope its not all hype......

 

[Change is Good]

I just hope its not all hype......

What hype, though? Only hype i see is coming from gamesites, threads, and chatter. The developers seem to be somewhat close lipped from what I see (with exception of a couple gameplay demos). Destiny and Division got (are getting) more hype than this, but I guess its publishers and being mmo/rpgs and will do that. No man's Sky is... I dont know what to even call it lol

 

[Impulse]

HD600 is very much a side grade to the X2, in fact Tyll at Innerfidelity basically replaced HD600 with the X2 as the better of the two. Perhaps you should start thinking of going with planars as something new. 400S or 400i maybe. Planars have an organic trait on them not found in standard dynamic headphones that can be addictive.

Thanks for the input MLE, I've read and reread Tyll's reviews probably half a dozen times. In general I really really appreciate his judgement and his writing, but I think in recent reviews (specially when dealing w/mid-fi gear) he seems to be writing to the a broader and less enthusiast focused base...

Either that or he's a lot more price conscious and WoF positioning ends up reflecting that, he also hyped up the HE-400S over either of those cans yet it seemed highly predicate on the fact that they're some $50-100 cheaper. For some that might be make or break, but obviously street prices and sales can end up making it all a wash anyway.

Still, I get what you're saying, the combo with my Beyers is probably more distinct than what I'd end up with the Senn. I think it's noteworthy he kept all three on the WoF (HD600, X2, and HE-400S). I'm curious about the HE-400s but I've seen it described as one of the less planar sounding planars of the bunch (weaker bass impact etc).

Even Tyll's review makes it sound closer to the rest of those dynamics (in sound sig, not some arbitrary better/best scale) than what I've read of other planars in the past. That and their somewhat loose looking stance on the head scared me off, but I guess I should read up some more on them, and/or circle back to HE-400i.

HFMs would certainly be easier eeaier to drive optimally w/my gear, good food for thought. Thanks a again...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I'd always recommend the HE400 with some Shure 1540 pads, which would definitely be a bold change compared to the X2. But that means finding a good pair of used HE400 for a good price, and paying for the $40 pads. Audeze vegan pads would cost $80 and make the HE400 as warm as Ive ever heard them with some pretty full bass, and not as bad a treble peak, but it's not as defined as Focus Pads. I forgot how the 1540 pads sounded with the HE400, though I liked it, and I assume sounds closer to Focus Pads.

 

[Change is Good]

1540 pads are actually bassier, less detailed, and more congested than the focus pads.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, sounds like what the vegan does compared to the focus pads. The Focus pads are definitely the most detailed of the bunch I've heard (outside of the velour), but not as warm.

I take the tradeoff of warm/bass over the overall clarity due to wanting this as a fun, comfy headphone. Vegans/1540 pads are the comfiest to me.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Yesterday night I had a few rounds with the Philips DHP device. What a kickass oldschool machine. 
 
It supports AC3, DTS, Dolby Headphone 1,2,3. It signalizes everything you want or need to see, be it AC3/DTS, Night Mode, Dolby PLII, the room setting. In stock form it's better than the Mixamp and has plenty of volume headroom. Better as in sound quality, noise level, hiss. Sound quality is quite a good step up just like the Xonar cards vs. Mixamp proved to me when I had one for two years. STX vs. Mixamp back then was worlds apart. Dolby Headphone is quite good when the base level is good as well, though most of us know that the Mixamp is a DHP device that is easiest to get.
 
My lack of time can be so annoying. Will play around a bit more and sometime in the next few months get it upgraded with a new PSU and new HPA, even though it's a bit costly.
You know, if creative released a device as simple as that. Instead they gimped the G5. Not with the lack of AC3 input which supposedly is incoming but with gimped SBX. 
 
Future HPA will do:
 
600 Ω 2x 260mW
300 Ω 2x 500 mW
200 Ω 2x 730 mW
150 Ω 2x 1000 mW
100 Ω 2x 1300 mW
70 Ω 2x 1650 mW
47 Ω 2x 1500 mW
33 Ω 2x 1450 mW 
22 Ω 2x 1200 mW 
 
 
Dynamic, volume fully clockwise: 139 dB at 300 Ω, 138 dB at 68 Ω, measured with A-weighting filter typ. > 140 dB !! Distortion + Noise (THD + N) : 20 Hz...22 kHz < 0,0005 % at 2x 500 mW, 33 Ω THD-Distortion 1 kHz (k2..k9): < -115 dB at half power, typ < -120 dB Intermodulation 250/8kHz : typ. 0,0001 % at 2x 500 mW, 100 Ω load Frequency response : 0 Hz...22 kHz less than ± 0,01 dB, 0 Hz..100 kHz <± 0,2 dB at 100 Ω Large signal bandwith: 0 Hz...> 180 kHz at 100 Ω Slew Rate : typ. 20 V/µsec Crosstalk L < > R: 110 dB at 1 kHz 100 dB at 10 kHz Max. power at THD (k2-k9) < 0,1% : 
        

 

[Yethal]

Driverless-ness is a major advantage of Mixamp over Creative devices. Plug and play just like the consoles it is usually used with.

 

[rudyae86]

What hype, though? Only hype i see is coming from gamesites, threads, and chatter. The developers seem to be somewhat close lipped from what I see (with exception of a couple gameplay demos). Destiny and Division got (are getting) more hype than this, but I guess its publishers and being mmo/rpgs and will do that. No man's Sky is... I dont know what to even call it lol

Well yeah, youtubers and such have hyped it up of course. Yeah, Desticrap and The Divicrap have been over hyped that I'm not even considering buying The Division at this point after trying the first Beta.

I do however like what the developers of No Man's Sky is doing, the whole concept of it and its gameplay mechanics have me intrigued. But I'm honestly just keeping my expectations very low, something of which as of late with most crappy games that have been released.
 
Even the new WW2 game Battalion 1944 got me hyped up until their initial goal of $100,000 has been increased in order to put in "more content"
 
I mean, I am looking foward to Battalion 1944 but not as much anymore just for the simple fact that they are now trying to get as much money as they can right now.

So let's hope No Man's Sky does deliver.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

No Man's Sky looks boring. :/

That and randomly generated worlds = no true direction and repeated assets.

So yeah, I have a feeling people are expecting waaaaay too much from this game that isn't even AAA IIRC.

I'm not the right guy to judge this type of game, as I personally don't like any open world games. Give me a linear, narrative driven game with set pieces to play with for 15-20 hours, then I'll move on to something else. I don't like a game that is huge and open but you're essentially doing the same stuff from hour 1 to hour 900. Padding playtime with mundane tasks isn't my idea of fun.