[Mad Lust Envy]

Then no wonder the AD700s have so much soundstage... angled drivers AND angled pads. XD

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Then no wonder the AD700s have so much soundstage... angled drivers AND angled pads. XD

 
My latest T50RP mod is going in that direction.  I'm going to have to compare them to well know soundstage monsters an the next meet I'm at.  Ray Samuels is bringing his HD800....

 

[Heretic817]

I currently have the Astro Mixamp for my PS3 probably going to stick with that for Dolby Headphone.
 
Also, have Creative X-fi extreme Gamer sound card for PC that does the whole CMSS er whatever it's called.
 
I tried the ATH-AD900's and they sounded good maybe a bit harsh in the highs and hella uncomfortable. Now I am going to try out the
Senn HD 558's and hope that goes a little better.
 
My question is this....I really want the simulated surround sound technology I think it adds a lot to my games. However, it seems like a lot of people are of the opinion that both the Mixamp and most internal sound cards make for a poor source. Is there anything out there that can give you the perfect combination? Excellent Source, Amp for higher Impedance headphones, voice mix, EQ, Dolby headphone.
 
Can you get all that in a single package?
 
(I know that the AD900's and HD 558's are not demanding in the amp department that is why they made my short list)

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I currently have the Astro Mixamp for my PS3 probably going to stick with that for Dolby Headphone.
Also, have Creative X-fi extreme Gamer sound card for PC that does the whole CMSS er whatever it's called.
I tried the ATH-AD900's and they sounded good maybe a bit harsh in the highs and hella uncomfortable. Now I am going to try out the
Senn HD 558's and hope that goes a little better.
My question is this....I really want the simulated surround sound technology I think it adds a lot to my games. However, it seems like a lot of people are of the opinion that both the Mix-amp and most internal sound cards make for a poor source. Is there anything out there that can give you the perfect combination? Excellent Source, Amp for higher Impedance headphones, voice mix, EQ, Dolby headphone.
Can you get all that in a single package?
(I know that the AD900's and HD 558's are not demanding in the amp department that is why they made my short list)

There are only three surround sound technologies that I'm personally aware of, Dolby Virtual Headphones, Creative Labs and Yamaha's Silent Cinema.
I would "guess" PS3 might have some support for Dolby Virtual Headphone, if the PS3 even has support for any particular surround sound tech.
It might be that the Mix-Amp and sound cards that support Dolby Virtual Headphone might be that best you can do for PS3.
If there is a Creative Labs sound device that has a digital input and a headphone output, you can try to see if that makes a difference.
The Audio Technica ATH-AD900 (40-Ohm) and the Senn HD558 (50-Ohm) are easy headphones to drive.
Some amps for "high impedance headphones" like 150 to 600-Ohm range are not always the best choice for low impedance (25 to 65-Ohm) headphones.
The Astro Mix-amp might be as good as it gets with surround sound for the PS3.
If someone knows something better hopefully they will inform us.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Harman Kardon sells receivers that have built in Dolby Headphone, but they can be a bit pricey. I also think it's only on OLDER models, as new ones seem to have something else...

This one goes for around $300 used and has DH.

http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-HK-3490-Receiver/dp/B00198F89A/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1335908727&sr=8-5

Should be a step up fidelity-wise over the Mixamp or any small virtual surround device.

Obviously, this is part of a full system, and a bit overkill if you're just using it for your headphones.

That being said, I don't know how high the output impedance of the headphone jack is, so it might distort lower ohm headphones.

I'll stick to hooking up a real headphone amp to my Mixamp and taking the slight Mixamp noise.

 

[Heretic817]

Well OK. In that case I am thinking....I go ahead and get the HD 558 for my current setup.
 
Let's say down the road I get the itch and decide that I want to go for a more high end headphone with a higher Impedance to pair with the Mixamp.
 
To be clear I do not want a setup that busts through the $2000 mark as if money is no object so please do not recommend such a thing.
 
What say you Hi-Fi peoples to the idea of pairing the FiiO E17 with the Mixamp?
 
Does that get me there?
 
1. Enough Amp to drive say 300 ohm or 600 ohm can with voice chat.
 
2. Ability to EQ
 
3. (Optical to Analog DAC) Dolby Headphone
 
4. Respectable sound quality at the price point while achieving all of the above.
 
Has anyone on the forum done this or just have an opinion?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

You do realize that as long as you're not adding voice chat, the Mixamp can at least drive 600ohm headphones loudly, right?

Instead of the E17, I'd get the E9 or something similar, as it definitely has enough juice. Objective O2 as the slightly pricier alternative that is technically better.

The E17 would be fine for 250ohm headphones though.

 

[Heretic817]

Envy.
 
I know that chaining amps is generally undesirable in terms of maintaining signal fidelity. It is true everywhere in electronics. In the end it is a question of total signal to noise ratio. So, if someone says they have done it and signal degradation is minimal I will just take your word for it.
 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Well then, adding an amp to my Mixamp, I don't get ANY extra noise from the amps I've used. I just get the noise from the Mixamp itself. With low sensitivity headphones like the Q701, the noise is almost inaudible either way, so it's an absolute non-issue.

 

[Noisecr]

Hello everyone, new comer here in head-fi, seeking for some advise, I've read quite a lot, but never posted.  It has taken me a while, but I've read most of this great thread.
 
MLE, thanks for the great write up, it has helped me a lot!
 
I'm searching for gaming headphones to use with my PS3 and PC, I play mostly FPS. I'm not really worried about the PC part for now, probably later on will get a sound card for Dolby HP.
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by moppelh /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I want a versatile headphone, one that's great for gaming and good for other uses.  Im not a bass guy, but i want enough bass for the music and movies to have power.
 
So, after reading a lot on it, i decided on getting the Q701.  They seem to be good-sounding, balanced, detailed, a bass-heavy enough for my taste.  With the HD598 being a VERY close second place.
I'm on the right track, right?
 
 
 
How's the durability on them?  I live on Brazil, and I'm importing the phones, if they break, well, I'm screwed.
 
How's the comfort level between these two?  My hat size is 8.

 
I'm pretty much on the same boat as you moppelh. I live in Costa Rica, so I'm shipping everything here. Here's what I've decided:
 
Definitely getting a mixamp, although not sure which one to get, I think I'm going for the Pro, I kind of like that it has more inputs (TOSlink, coax, L/R) than just optical as the wireless.
 
Now, on the headphones...
 
It's pretty much a tie between Q701s and HD598s.  Although it's stretching my budget: AKG Q701 are $250 right now on amazon.  To use them I'd need an amp, like the E9, which is $120.  So that's around $370.
And Sennheiser HD598, which are $240 right now.
 
Do you think the extra money to get the Q701s and the amp over just the 598s would be worth it?
 
Thanks a lot for you help.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Well, if you're not using a mic, then you DON'T need an extra amp after the Mixamp. For some people, they don't need an extra amp even with a mic, though I'm still not sure about that.

And dear god, yes. The Q701 is great for many uses, whereas the HD598 isn't exactly full of wow factor other than for straight FPS gaming. I'd prefer the better rounded headphone.

I love the Q701. I really liked the HD598 just for FPS. Money is better spent on the Q701 for me.

 

[maverickronin]

Anyone here ever try the Audio Technica ATHDWL5000?
 

 


 
Wireless headphones with Dolby and DTS decoding plus Dolby Headphone.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

I currently have the Astro Mixamp for my PS3 probably going to stick with that for Dolby Headphone.
 
Also, have Creative X-fi extreme Gamer sound card for PC that does the whole CMSS er whatever it's called.
 
I tried the ATH-AD900's and they sounded good maybe a bit harsh in the highs and hella uncomfortable. Now I am going to try out the
Senn HD 558's and hope that goes a little better.
 
My question is this....I really want the simulated surround sound technology I think it adds a lot to my games. However, it seems like a lot of people are of the opinion that both the Mixamp and most internal sound cards make for a poor source. Is there anything out there that can give you the perfect combination? Excellent Source, Amp for higher Impedance headphones, voice mix, EQ, Dolby headphone.
 
Can you get all that in a single package?
 
(I know that the AD900's and HD 558's are not demanding in the amp department that is why they made my short list)

 
On the PC, if you can find one of those Flexijack S/PDIF adapters for your X-Fi XtremeGamer, then you could output a CMSS-3D Headphone-processed stereo PCM stream to the DAC of your choice. Just buying an X-Fi Titanium for around $40 or so (whenever Newegg has refurbs that cheap) to get the S/PDIF-out would be much easier, though.
 
On the PS3, it's a great deal more difficult because most DACs don't have the Dolby Headphone DSP features of the Astro Mixamp and similar devices, and this isn't even getting started on the voice mixing. The ideal DAC/DSP is probably the Smyth Realiser A8...sorry about your wallet.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Well OK. In that case I am thinking....I go ahead and get the HD 558 for my current setup.
Let's say down the road I get the itch and decide that I want to go for a more high end headphone with a higher Impedance to pair with the Mixamp.
To be clear I do not want a setup that busts through the $2000 mark as if money is no object so please do not recommend such a thing.
What say you Hi-Fi peoples to the idea of pairing the FiiO E17 with the Mix-amp?
Does that get me there?
1. Enough Amp to drive say 300 ohm or 600 ohm can with voice chat.
2. Ability to EQ
3. (Optical to Analog DAC) Dolby Headphone
4. Respectable sound quality at the price point while achieving all of the above.
Has anyone on the forum done this or just have an opinion?

If you connected the Mix-amp with the Fiio E17 you would only be using the amp part of the E17, but not the DAC.

 

[Heretic817]

Yes and noted.
I was thinking.... That the DAC section is provided by the mixamp (optical to Dolby Headphone stereo output) as well as the voice chat function but the E17 would add the ability to EQ as well as any additional power that could be needed for amplification.
 
However, Envy said: "the Mixamp can at least drive 600ohm headphones loudly"
 
This is not what I thought to be true based on some claims that the output of the Mixamp in some cases takes a dive when trying to use power hungry cans with voice chat. I did not however see any specs. on the mixamp. So I had only surmised from anecdotal claims that the Mixamp might not provide enough power in some cases.