[ruuku]

The E9k IS the desktop amp, so i guess your in luck! The E17 will also work as a DAC with the E9k so should you want a DAC/portable amp its a great combination.

 

[kellte2]

Quote:

The E9k IS the desktop amp, so i guess your in luck! The E17 will also work as a DAC with the E9k so should you want a DAC/portable amp its a great combination.

Oh, I know that part.  I am just in disbelief because of everything that I've read about the E9 / E9k not being a good match for the 32 ohm 990s.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

HAH! I just tested the Mixamp 5.8 (in stereo mode) with the 32ohm and 600ohm with music. The 600ohm needs the Mixamp maxed out in volume to get to an appreciable volume level. Zero hiss whatsoever. NOW, the 32ohm at around the same exact music volume level... ALSO has no hiss! The 32ohm needs to only be at around 12-1 on the Mixamp to reach a similar volume level as the 600ohm maxed out. It doesn't start hissing with the 32ohm until just slightly past that.

So I did another test. I connected the Mixamp to the E9K. Guess what? The 600ohm DOES hiss off the Mixamp+E9K. I basically recreated the extra volume that the 32ohm has with the Mixamp that has hiss. The 600ohm has the same exact hiss. It just needed the extra push from the E9K to get the Mixamp's hiss to show.

Keep in mind, this is with the Mixamp. The E9K is absolutely dead silent otherwise. Even maxed out.

I'm mainly testing the difference between the 32ohm and 600ohm because they really are like twins off the E9K, volume level aside. I'm well acquainted with the 250ohm now, and I feel it's the most different. In the end for ME, it's gonna come down to the 250ohm and 600ohm. Ironically, the 32ohm falls right in between them in terms of bass and mids, but I decided on returning it days ago. However, the 32ohm is just amazing. It just needed the right amp. The only thing being that the E9K shouldn't technically be good for the 32ohm compared to the 250/600ohm, yet subjectively being just as good as those two with it anyways...

Again , keep the 600ohm knowing I will get a beefy amp later? Or keep what I have, knowing the 250ohm isn't as well balanced as the other two, but having a more satisfying lower end at the expense of just a hint of the mids? That is the question.

What I have to decide and DO is play with the 600ohm for a few days, and seeing if what it has satisfies me enough to not miss the 250ohm. If I enjoy them as is, I will return the 250ohm. It is technically the best, and I can definitely hear that too. However, technicality isn't always suited to our preference.

 

[Rebel975]

Quote:

What Rebel, that is exactly what I did to my pre-2010 Mixamp! Lol. Hot glue. XD

 
 
I used super glue, I think, but yeah... It broke off like 2 days after I got the thing. I was slightly butthurt, but it still worked, so I just accepted it.
 
 
 
 
Quote:

Check your pm.  i'm definitely interested depending on damage.  It would be an upgrade over the DSS2, from everything that I've read.

 
 
I am going to see if anyone else who doesn't already have a processing unit wants it. Sorry.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

What are you gonna use now that you're giving away the Mixamp?

And yeah, the hot glue made absolutely certain that the optical cable stay in place, no matter what I did.

 

[kellte2]

Quote:

 
 
I used super glue, I think, but yeah... It broke off like 2 days after I got the thing. I was slightly butthurt, but it still worked, so I just accepted it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
I am going to see if anyone else who doesn't already have a processing unit wants it. Sorry.

I understand.  While I'm sure there will be, let me know if there are no takers.  I'd gladly donate my DSS2 to science (or to another user).
 
Thanks.

 

[ronswanson]

rebel, does your old mixamp do PS3 voice chat like the current ones can?

 

[JONvincible]

Quote:

Yeah, I mentioned, the E7 has basically the same amp as the E5, meaning very little actual power. This is why I tell people to go for at least the E11 if they want more power than the Mixamp provides. The E9 WILL be a huge boost in power however.
What people need to realize, is that (please correct me if you know the math), but to get just a few decibels more, you'd need DOUBLE the power. It's crazy how amping works. Because the E5/E6/E7 is basically the same power as the internal amp on the Mixamp (e5/e6/e7 = 75mw@32ohm, Mixamp is 70mw@32ohm), this is why you're not going to get more volume. The E11 has 200mw@32ohm, which is almost 3x the power of the Mixamp. That should raise volume enough.
You all have to realize that two amps amping a signal doesn't = 2x the power. The second amp's analog input only takes a certain amount of voltage, so you can pretty much have a super amp first and a weak amp next, and you'll only gain the vast majority of the SECOND amp's power, not the first. This is why you need a lot more power than what the Mixamp provides in order to gain a noticeable bump in volume.
For example: FWIR, the E7 at volume 55 (out of 60) is considered line level when amping to another amp (in typical cases, the E9). That means that you get 5 extra volume if you max out the E7 and feed it to another amp. That's almost nothing. I know this isn't what you did, but it gives you a general idea as to what first amps in an audio chain do to a source signal if they have similar power to the E7 (which the Mixamp does). Long story short, don't rely on the first amp to add anything in terms of volume. The 2nd amp is 95% of the amping. Because of that, the E7 in your case, seemed to do nothing to the volume. The only reason we double amp on this thread, is because the first amp has the virtual surround and can't power moderately amp reliant headphones.

 
Very informative, thank you. I suspected as much yesterday when I hooked everything up, but it's great to see the numbers. I'll definitely pay more attention to the power of the amps before making another purchase, though hopefully the E9K will be all I need. I actually went with this combo based off a few searches I did on google, because people had stated the E7 + Mixamp combo worked well for them. I'm looking to upgrade the Astro Mixamp in the future, but I think at this point I'll wait until the newest 2013 revision are up for sale separate from the A40 combo.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I can answer that. No. PS3 chat began with the 2011 model.

 

[kellte2]

Quote:

HAH! I just tested the Mixamp 5.8 (in stereo mode) with the 32ohm and 600ohm with music. The 600ohm needs the Mixamp maxed out in volume to get to an appreciable volume level. Zero hiss whatsoever. NOW, the 32ohm at around the same exact music volume level... ALSO has no hiss! The 32ohm needs to only be at around 12-1 on the Mixamp to reach a similar volume level as the 600ohm maxed out. It doesn't start hissing with the 32ohm until just slightly past that.
So I did another test. I connected the Mixamp to the E9K. Guess what? The 600ohm DOES hiss off the Mixamp+E9K. I basically recreated the extra volume that the 32ohm has with the Mixamp that has hiss. The 600ohm has the same exact hiss. It just needed the extra push from the E9K to get the Mixamp's hiss to show.
Keep in mind, this is with the Mixamp. The E9K is absolutely dead silent otherwise. Even maxed out.
I'm mainly testing the difference between the 32ohm and 600ohm because they really are like twins off the E9K, volume level aside. I'm well acquainted with the 250ohm now, and I feel it's the most different. In the end for ME, it's gonna come down to the 250ohm and 600ohm. Ironically, the 32ohm falls right in between them in terms of bass and mids, but I decided on returning it days ago. However, the 32ohm is just amazing. It just needed the right amp. The only thing being that the E9K shouldn't technically be good for the 32ohm compared to the 250/600ohm, yet subjectively being just as good as those two with it anyways...
Again , keep the 600ohm knowing I will get a beefy amp later? Or keep what I have, knowing the 250ohm isn't as well balanced as the other two, but having a more satisfying lower end at the expense of just a hint of the mids? That is the question.
What I have to decide and DO is play with the 600ohm for a few days, and seeing if what it has satisfies me enough to not miss the 250ohm. If I enjoy them as is, I will return the 250ohm. It is technically the best, and I can definitely hear that too. However, technicality isn't always suited to our preference.

 
I'm not even going to wait until you get to any more testing.  I'm in for the e9k.  It is a powerful enough amp to grow into later if I decide to get some harder to drive cans at a later date, but since it works well with the 32 ohm that I currently own, it is a no brainer.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I'll be very surprised if it disappoints you. I am going to give you my personal guarantee that you will love the 990/32 off the E9K. May not mean much, but that's how much I believe in the pairing off the past few hours I have heard.

Just remember, this has all been for MUSIC. E17+E9K. I haven't gone to testing the E9K with the Mixamp and gaming yet. Not sure what DAC/source you have to pair with the E9K when you're not gaming.

 

[kellte2]

Quote:

I'll be very surprised if it disappoints you. I am going to give you my personal guarantee that you will love the 990/32 off the E9K. May not mean much, but that's how much I believe in the pairing off the past few hours I have heard.
Just remember, this has all been for MUSIC. E17+E9K. I haven't gone to testing the E9K with the Mixamp and gaming yet.

 
Well, the worst case scenario would be that it is a terrible match for gaming and I return it to Amazon.  I'm guessing/hoping that it will be just fine.

 

[Rebel975]

Quote:

What are you gonna use now that you're giving away the Mixamp?
And yeah, the hot glue made absolutely certain that the optical cable stay in place, no matter what I did.

 
I sent my HE-500's in for a replacement, and it took a full month to get them back. During that time I had to use speakers, and I came to realize that I'm just not a headphone kind of guy.
 
So anyway, I've sold off my headphone rig (Schiit Lyr + HE-500's) and turned to speakers instead. I recently bought an Emotiva UPA-500 + UMC-1, and built a subwoofer using a TC Sounds Epic 12" driver and a NU3000DSP amp. I've also been preparing some cabinets to build a pair of Eton S7's. In fact, I just ordered the drivers/accessories yesterday. (Note that it defaults to upgraded crossover components - I didn't get those). I'll move up to 5.1/7.1 when I have the money, space, etc.
 
Even though I've moved away from headphones I think I'll stick around here, as the discussions are good, and I've been here so long already.

 
 
 
Quote:

rebel, does your old mixamp do PS3 voice chat like the current ones can?

 
Quote:

I can answer that. No. PS3 chat began with the 2011 model.

 
 
I don't have a PS3, so IDK. I'll take MLE's word for it though.
 
 
Also, someone named burritoboy9984 messaged me. Looks like I'll be sending the Mixamp to him.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Crazy, rebel. But I understand. If I had the ability to play a speaker setup loudly, I'd probably move to that too. In fact, I tended to use my Pioneer HTS-GS1 (HTiB) before the Mixamp+Ad700 back in the day when I was able to use speakers. I had to resort to using headphones because I was getting noise complaints, and I wanted less cable management. I changed from that HTiB to my Vizio soundbar, though I can't game competitively with it. And I went and put the soundbar and sub away yesterday, as I barely used it anyways (too loud for the apartment), as I tend to almost always use headphones.

 

[Rebel975]

Quote:

Crazy, rebel. But I understand. If I had the ability to play a speaker setup loudly, I'd probably move to that too. In fact, I tended to use my Pioneer HTS-GS1 (HTiB) before the Mixamp+Ad700 back in the day when I was able to use speakers. I had to resort to using headphones because I was getting noise complaints, and I wanted less cable management. I changed from that HTiB to my Vizio soundbar, though I can't game competitively with it. And I went and put the soundbar and sub away yesterday, as I barely used it anyways (too loud for the apartment), as I tend to almost always use headphones.

 
I live in a condo, so volume is a concern of mine as well. I've been keeping the subwoofer turned down as much as I can. I have yet to get a complaint.
 
I can somewhat pick people out with just the stereo setup I have right now. Of course, left and right placement is very easy, but front to back is challenging. I hope that that will be remedied with a pair of rear speakers.
 
As far as cables go- I had 3 hanging off of my head when I used the headphone rig, and a fourth if you count the chat cable. With speakers I don't have any. I did some serious modifications to a basic Xbox wireless mic, so now it's super comfortable and stable on my head. The standard mounting system is crap. I can post a picture if anyone is curious.
 
I may pick up a pair of AD700's at some point and try to paint them at least, but for now I'm totally broke. lol