[Impulse]

Finally got around to writing the comparison/review of the Modmic V2 and the Labtec LVA 7330:
...

Very nice comparison, is that a v1 Modmic or a v2? I don't even remember what changed between those (maybe just their capsule supplier?), I just remember reading their blog post about the newly available v2 and upcoming NC v3...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

At about 14 seconds, a helicopter sound effect moves around.  At one point, I heard the helicopter moving up and over my head.  I was surprised to hear this, as the way I understood it, standard dolby headphone only did positional audio in a single plane and that true 3D surround (including sounds above and below you) was only achievable from PC soundcards playing content designed with 3D surround playback in mind.

Anyway, listening to this got me wondering about something.  Mad (or anyone, really), when you put headphones and headsets through the paces, do you have a standard set of content you try out to see how they perform in specific areas?

Not sure how to view that vid. Is virtual surround mixed into the vid, or do you have to listen to it and add DH to it?

As for testing, unfortunately, I don't have specific content to test virtual surround with. I will mostly play a lot of rounds of Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer (which to me, has the best positional cues on any game I have ever played), and then random other games like Mass Etfect 3, CoD4, Black Ops, etc.

I do tend to play Avatar on Blu-Ray and go to the scene where the jackals surround the group in the forest. Some pretty good positional cues there, though sporadic.

I am currently playing Asura's Wrath, and dear god, that game has one of the worst audio mixing I've heard to date. Almost zero positional cues, the sound quality is horrible, and volume spikes up during certain scenes, as well as voices being too quiet half the time. Whomever did the audio for that game should be fired.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Just took a look at the Skullcandy Plyr 2. It has no 3.5 mm output jack. That's absurd!!! The Slyr has a 3.5mm jack, why not Skullcandy's other models?  I want to get my brother the Plyr 1 when it comes out in March, but this would make it almost useless with his computer and phone.. Fix this **** Skullcandy!!! For goodness sake, the A50s have a regular 3.5 mm headphone out, why not the Plyr 1 and 2?

Are you sure? People on AVS are using the Plyr 2 with the Mixamp (Mixamp to the base station) so I think you're missing something...

Edit: Can't you just use a cable and attach it to the base's RCA input? All you need is an RCA to 3.5mm cable. That would allow ot to be used with stuff like phones, though I'd probably get a really long run, if the phone/pc is far from the Plyr's base.

The A50's don't have a direct 3.5mm input to the headset, FWIR. I think the 3.5mm input was for mp3 use and was on the transmitter, not the headset itself.

 

[Vader2k]

Quote:

Not sure how to view that vid. Is virtual surround mixed into the vid, or do you have to listen to it and add DH to it?

 
Oh, good question; not sure if virtual surround is mixed in or not.  I was using DH off the mixamp, but perhaps it works without?  Not sure (and my laptop speakers aren't too great to compare with 

).

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I'm not home, and because I'm currently using the KSC 75 at work, not entirely sure the vid is working properly through my phone. It sounds like the surround is mixed in to the vid, but not entirely sure.

 

[Hailin]

Quote:

I'm not home, and because I'm currently using the KSC 75 at work, not entirely sure the vid is working properly through my phone. It sounds like the surround is mixed in to the vid, but not entirely sure.

It is mixed in or the CAL has 10.2 built right into it. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Lol, ok. I thought so, but the KSC75's sound presentation is so different from full sized, I didn't wanna assume.

 

[Hailin]

Quote:

Lol, ok. I thought so, but the KSC75's sound presentation is so different from full sized, I didn't wanna assume.

Could be I just think in dolby headphone at all times now. 

 
 
For reasons I can't explain but am a sucker, I snagged a pair of DT990 600s off amazon for 268 I know it isn't the cheapest price but it smokes Canadian pricing on them if you can even find them.. Going to be sending the HE400 back in the next couple of days. I am going to miss that sound though. /sigh.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Why are you sending it back? First the Annie, now the HE400. What gives? Lol. You're beginning to sound like me. DT990 TO HE400 TO DT990 TO HE400 TO ANNIE. Gah!

Though you're going the other direction, lol.

 

[Hailin]

I know. But it all comes down to comfort in the end with good sound. And though I think both are technically wonderful I find them both very painful to wear. The Annie's with the jaw issue, and the weight of the HE400. Right in the center of my head it just starts to ache and then my neck starts to get incredibly sore if I try to use it in a normal length gaming session.
If the Annie pads had been smaller and it had just a tad more fun I would have been sold on them. If I had my way though I don't think they would have been as popular either.
I just need to find a closed full size I can use when the house is unruly till I can save up and afford the T1 or LCD(if I can handle the weight of it. Which somehow I doubt.)

 

[pric0]

im a competitive fps gamer, and i already ordered Samson SR850, i didn't try them out yet
but i think i need more then that, for my needs (CS 1.6/CSGO/QL).
anyways i narrowed my options to PC350, PC360 and AD700.
i want AD700 but they look like and people say they are - not comfortable.
on the other hand, PC360 has a little worse soundstage (tough better bass), and are more comfortable (tough they cost quite more).
and the last one is the PC350, which i save as an option cause ever since i know my self i used closed headphones.
 
i want to remind you that SR850 are partially opened.
some help about it, and consider that fps gaming is my top priority (almost the only priority).
 
btw: i plan to buy Creative X-Fi Titanium 7.1, will it go well with any of the headphones i mentioned for higher in-game detailing? thanks

 

[apav]

Quote:

There wasn't anything dead or outdated about CMSS-3D, you might be thinking of EAX? (which pretty much died a few years ago and was only kept around for older games thru Alchemy) I don't know if SBX is merely CMSS-3D under a different name or if they've actually decided to overhaul their virtualized surround scheme for some reason, haven't seen anyone compare them yet.

Yes it was EAX I'm pretty sure. So the Soundblaster Z is the only card for $100 that can drive my Beyer DT 990's and provide good surround sound for gaming? Right now I've only seen that and a used STX for like $150. Only thing I heard is the Z is not that great for music, and the STX is a good all rounder.

 

[Evshrug]

There wasn't anything dead or outdated about CMSS-3D, you might be thinking of EAX? (which pretty much died a few years ago and was only kept around for older games thru Alchemy) I don't know if SBX is merely CMSS-3D under a different name or if they've actually decided to overhaul their virtualized surround scheme for some reason, haven't seen anyone compare them yet.

Creative's THX TruStudio Pro sounds significantly different from CMSS-3D to me. THX was used between CMSS-3D and SBX, it's suspected that SBX is just a hasty rename of THX to avoid brand fees, but I haven't heard anyone say yet if they actually sound different. Older doesn't matter much, Dlby Headphone is older than Creative's processing.


Vader2k,
10.2 is basically what they use in commercial theaters. Not all theaters, but many. If you look at the picture, the 10.2 setup calls for two speakers to be positioned above the seating area, so you have one more plane for sound to come from. There's no above-front or above-rear (though blending/panning between the surround "ring" and the height speakers, plus speakers with really good "out of the cabinet" imaging, helps to midi gate this), and of course there are no speakers below either. 7.1 surround can be set up with the "extra" two speakers above the L/R fronts, but the processing is designed for them to still be forward from you, and console games don't take advantage of the height at all (@ least on Xbox, highly unlikely on the PS3). Can Dolby Headphone do height 7.1 with movies? I don't know. Since PC games can "position" sounds above and below from any angle, they still have an advantage.

My standard surround tests, when I had access to two processing methods, was the first cutscene in Halo:Reach where helicopters (hornets) and warthogs woosh past from behind-to-front followed by a scene with different machines and people talking, as well as the first prerendered cutscene in StarCraft II where Emperor Mensk [sic] is "freeing" Tychus Findlay by sealing him inside armor, with lots of machines and whirring and hissing from all angles while Mensk narrates underneath it all. I played a bunch of SWAT mode in Reach to test in-game surround. I'm REALLY looking forward to setting up Borderlands 2 for PC with OpenAL, I think that will be a great test of 3D surround (and PhysX).

 

[burritoboy9984]

Quote:

Just took a look at the Skullcandy Plyr 2. It has no 3.5 mm output jack. That's absurd!!! The Slyr has a 3.5mm jack, why not Skullcandy's other models?  I want to get my brother the Plyr 1 when it comes out in March, but this would make it almost useless with his computer and phone.. Fix this **** Skullcandy!!! For goodness sake, the A50s have a regular 3.5 mm headphone out, why not the Plyr 1 and 2?

 
 
I assume you mean 3.5mm input to play music, etc? Afaik the A50's don't have a 3.5mm input jack except on the base either. Attaching a wire to headphones that are supposed to be wireless doesn't make much sense to me. But it would have been a nice addition no doubt.
 
-Erik
 
Edit: Just saw MLE already addressed this.

 

[Evshrug]

im a competitive fps gamer, and i already ordered Samson SR850, i didn't try them out yet
but i think i need more then that, for my needs (CS 1.6/CSGO/QL).
anyways i narrowed my options to PC350, PC360 and AD700.
i want AD700 but they look like and people say they are - not comfortable.
on the other hand, PC360 has a little worse soundstage (tough better bass), and are more comfortable (tough they cost quite more).
and the last one is the PC350, which i save as an option cause ever since i know my self i used closed headphones.

i want to remind you that SR850 are partially opened.
some help about it, and consider that fps gaming is my top priority (almost the only priority).

btw: i plan to buy Creative X-Fi Titanium 7.1, will it go well with any of the headphones i mentioned for higher in-game detailing? thanks

If you can find the Titanium 7.1 PCI-e card anymore, it should do a fine job. All the headphones you mentioned are pretty easy to drive. Try the Samson's out first before buying more. I have the AD700, which I find very comfortable, even for long gaming sessions, after I bent the headband a bit to angle the earcups more flat against my head. I haven't heard the Sennheiser headsets myself, but after buying "better" headphones (Q701) I remain convinced that the competitive advantage cannot be improved from the AD700 with a good soundcard and surround processing. I do prefer the Q701 for music and it's awesome for gaming too, but I haven't been able to let go of the AD700 because it's nice without amping, the soundstage is so even and wide, and the headphone is really lightweight with no headband "bumps" or discomfort.