[AvroArrow]

AvroArrow,
If the Vali is anything like my tube amp, you may find the Annie's taking the lead in musicality. Then again, the Sennheiser sound may be just more your preference, and that's totally fine too.

...

If you get the Vali, you'll probably like the effect with the HD598, but despite the cost you may find it hard to resist the Annies on the same setup with the amp. AKGs really seem to reveal differences in amps, the sennheisers I've heard tend to gloss over the differences and impart their sound signature.

 
I've never heard proper mid-fi Sennheisers before (I had the RS116 wireless headphones before, which I passed along to my sister and they definitely did not sound anything like the HD598) and I'm liking them so far, especially for the price I paid.  Apparently they're supposed to sound even better after burn in... and I've only listened to them for less than 10 hours since I got them.  I'm hoping the Vali will make my Annies even more musical and enjoyable because while the HD598 are quite comfortable for my big head, the Annies are still better comfort wise.  Might be a while before I get the Vali though... I went a little bit crazy with BF shopping and the Vali while for sale, isn't on sale.  

 

[davisman]

   
That's good to hear, literally.  I've been holding off getting a $100-150 dedicated amp because I was waiting for the Vali's release.  I also have the HD598 (from an awesome $140 BF deal last week) and K702 Annies currently driven by Audioengine D1 and sometimes Fiio E17.  I really wanted to try the tube sound, but all the sub-$100 tube amps available (before the Vali) were not very appealing.
 
 
What are you driving your headphones with?  I just got the HD598 a couple days ago and to me they actually sound more... fun and musical than my Annies driven by the D1.  I find the bass more enjoyable with the HD598 vs Annies when I listen to music (mostly female vocals, pop, rock).  Mids, treble, and detail is better with the Annies.  I haven't really done any critical listening nor gaming with them yet, but for pure fun music enjoyment, I actually prefer the HD598 right now.  Maybe I'm not driving my Annies properly with only the D1 or E17?  Considering my Annies cost 2.6x more, I think the HD598 are pretty good bang for buck.  Build wise, I think the Annies and AD700 feel more solid than the HD598.  

I guess everybody hears things different, but I feel like the annie does everything the hd598s do but better. Especially with the bass, and the larger soundstage, and detail. Its not that the HD598s are bad, they are a screaming deal at $140. 
 
I use a Schiit bifrost/asgard 2. 
 
 

If you get the Vali, you'll probably like the effect with the HD598, but despite the cost you may find it hard to resist the Annies on the same setup with the amp. AKGs really seem to reveal differences in amps, the sennheisers I've heard tend to gloss over the differences and impart their sound signature.

Truth. Probably the reason I have been going amp crazy lately, its nice to hear the differences. 
 
I am really intrigued by tube amps now, the Vali is a pretty cool piece of kit. 

 

[Evshrug]

Read the Vali thread (seems these days I rarely venture out from my favourite threads >_<). In short:

Hnnnnnggggg!

The positive traits described of the included Raytheon tube match my description of what I liked/loved about my Sylvania JAN 6DJ8. Seriously, I recommend people read the first two or three pages of that thread. You can't change the tube, which is kind of a bummer, but the Sylvania was (is?) my favourite even though I do like my Voskhod.

My only caution would be the microphonics... I eventually swapped away from my Bugle Boy tube just because it was pretty easy to get that metallic "ting," which I found annoying and eventually (after months of usage) seemed like sometimes the ring never settled. This is a different tube and circumstance though, and a little more R&D went into this Vali I think. Mention of dampening rubber grommets made me take notice, might be a worthwhile mod.

Anyway, I guess now I'm woken up a bit (crashed after work, I'm in retail so I'm sure you guys understand), I may as well pop in my new disc and play the first level of CoD: Ghosts.

 

[AxelCloris]

Chico, if you ever want to hear the Vali mine will be in tomorrow. So once the wife and I get our new place you'd be welcome to come listen to it for a bit.

 

[Evshrug]

Maybe the guide could use a "F.A.Q" section, and you could just say "check the FAQ" everytime someone asks one of the same questions that gets asked every day.

Some of us could help you write some of the answers.  I know I've answered the same questions many times, and it'd be nice to say "check the FAQ" instead.

Great suggestion, I know I have asked my fair share of questions on the forum (never pm'd anyone though) and have been given very helpful answers, suggestions and advice. We got to remember though, as a community, this thread is now 1200+ pages. A lot of our questions have been answered somewhere before, but it will take a long time finding them so I don't blame anyone for not sifting through all the comments. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! God bless you and your families.

Believe you me, in the mere near 2 years I've been following this thread (which has been going on longer), I know the post count climbs. Honestly sometimes, I think that if the regular contributors just STOPPED posting today, people asking the repeat questions would look back 2-3 pages to see a response to basically the same question. And maybe, if the regulars kept posting while ignoring help requests, the requesters may read the guide and apply critical thinking to gauge if a review fits the kind of sound they're looking for. I mean seriously, if a headphone is not in the guide, it is either an inferior choice for gaming OR simply fails to have an attractive sound to get Mad (or one one else experienced) to review it. That said, ALL THAT SAID, even though I feel like I could almost cut/paste (and have a few times), I still reply from time to time because it feels good to help people.

So the Audio Technica  are good for both gaming and music/other things? I mean I don't listen to music a lot, but when I do I'd like it to sound good. Can you link me to this competitive AD700? I only see regular AD700. Also most of them so far I've seen are far over budget, although ones I can look for if they get discounted on cyber Monday. The Corsair looks nice and its the second version which is why I guess it doesn't have as many reviews. Although someone right below you just said they were bad so now idk.I was looking at a Zal mic it was pretty cheap and highly rated would that work? Would I need a creative sound card? Like I said I have a USB 7.1 audio box (guess this is considered an external soundcard?) is that not good enough?

Evshrug: the regular AD700 is competitive advantage for gamers. It's okay for music, especially if you are ok with using EQ to tailor sound to a genre, but the native, natural sound of an AD700 is not neutral and better suited for games. It has tight but subdued bass that rolls off early, mostly neutral mids, colored/elevated treble, and a lot of airflow to the big drivers which helps them provide a very broad soundstage which often makes sound seem to come from the room around you. This is all beneficial to competitive gaming, because the soundstage works very very well with surround DSPs, and the frequency response focuses you on the tactical sounds you need to hear and makes distractions, like bass rumble, less likely to overshadow and distract you from your focus. However, the treble "sparkle" and sometimes the spacious soundstage are the only above-average parts for music, and for several genres of music the AD700 will seem too laid-back and light-sounding. Like I said, the AD700 responds well to EQ, but changing EQ more eventually degrades sound



Most until the end looked kinda meh. The steel series looks nice only because it seems the main band has metal to it although the side of it is plastic which is where both of mine have broken so far. Those pleather ear covers though need replacements if they have them. The steel series hits my max budget which I'm not happy with, but if they are worth it and will last I don't mind. The top 10's number ones look pretty nice and aren't a bad price either. Anyone got any experience with these?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZS5ATM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006ZS5ATM&linkCode=as2&tag=euroclubhits-20

 

[kman1211]

AvroArrow,
If the Vali is anything like my tube amp, you may find the Annie's taking the lead in musicality. Then again, the Sennheiser sound may be just more your preference, and that's totally fine too.

...

If you get the Vali, you'll probably like the effect with the HD598, but despite the cost you may find it hard to resist the Annies on the same setup with the amp. AKGs really seem to reveal differences in amps, the sennheisers I've heard tend to gloss over the differences and impart their sound signature.

I have noticed AKGs to be very revealing of a system, give them a good system they like and they really sing, I personally think they sound best on tubes despite what many people say, but then again everything sounds better on tubes to me, I have yet to hear a headphone I like better on a SS amp. I do find AKGs a bit more revealing than Senns but I do like the Senn sound just not las much as the AKG sound. I've personally always found tube amps to be a lot more immersive and musical than SS amps, SS amps sound dull and flat in comparison to me and I don't hear more detail, or anything out of the SS amps I've heard compared to equally priced tube amps.

 

[davisman]

Man this vali is really growing on me. At first I thought the asgard2 was the clear winner, and it still is on multiple levels, but man the vali sounds good. The vali does have that tube sound, although its not thick or muddy like some tube amps can be. I think its the bass that I like the most. It doesn't seem the color the music at all, and the bass is probably the same, but I notice it more. 
 
It was pretty fun last night playing ghosts with my friends. the Hd598s are pretty godlike for sound-whoring, but they are not a 'fun' can for me. The Vali helps a tad with the bass. 

 

[Bakuryu]

The regular AD700 is competitive advantage for gamers. It's okay for music, especially if you are ok with using EQ to tailor sound to a genre, but the native, natural sound of an AD700 is not neutral and better suited for games. It has tight but subdued bass that rolls off early, mostly neutral mids, colored/elevated treble, and a lot of airflow to the big drivers which helps them provide a very broad soundstage which often makes sound seem to come from the room around you. This is all beneficial to competitive gaming, because the soundstage works very very well with surround DSPs, and the frequency response focuses you on the tactical sounds you need to hear and makes distractions, like bass rumble, less likely to overshadow and distract you from your focus. However, the treble "sparkle" and sometimes the spacious soundstage are the only above-average parts for music, and for several genres of music the AD700 will seem too laid-back and light-sounding. Like I said, the AD700 responds well to EQ, but changing EQ more eventually degrades sound
 

 
Although the AD700 sound (heh no pun intended) like what I am looking for the price is not, is there nothing a step below the AD700 that are in my price range? I'm looking at the Sennheiser HD 558 Headphones used right now, based on some reading with a little modding they can be great. The only thing I am also no worried about is do I need an amp for these headphones as well? Because that hasn't really been fit into my budget -_-.

 

[HiFiGamer1995]

Although the AD700 sound (heh no pun intended) like what I am looking for the price is not, is there nothing a step below the AD700 that are in my price range? I'm looking at the Sennheiser HD 558 Headphones used right now, based on some reading with a little modding they can be great. The only thing I am also no worried about is do I need an amp for these headphones as well? Because that hasn't really been fit into my budget -_-.

The Samson SR850 (Superlux HD668B) have the same sound signature of the AD700, but with a smaller soundstage and more bass, with way better extension. They also sell for $50 retail.

 

[Bakuryu]

The Samson SR850 (Superlux HD668B) have the same sound signature of the AD700, but with a smaller soundstage and more bass, with way better extension. They also sell for $50 retail.

 
Can anyone else confirm this, because this would be amazing.

 

[Gun21]

I'm about to get hold of the Philips X1 (for free - lucky person) and will hopefully buy an AKG 702 Anniversary/K712 pro in the new year. I did a search and saw that MLE would spring for the Audio-GD 11.32 in a heartbeat; thing is I'm wondering if the slightly warmer, more musical Audio-GD 15.32 would fit the bill given the choice of headphones above. I've read that the 11.32 is a bit cold sounding even though it's great for detail. I'll be gaming in DH (via a cheapo Xonar - HT Purpleangel) and listening to uncompressed music too.
 
I'd seriously love any advice on this as it'd be a very long term investment:

 

 

[HiFiGamer1995]

Can anyone else confirm this, because this would be amazing.

Here's a graph comparing their frequently responses:http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/build-a-graph.php?graphID%5B0%5D=3301&graphID%5B1%5D=2661&graphID%5B2%5D=&graphID%5B3%5D=&scale=30&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Update+Graph

 

[HiFiGamer1995]

Can anyone else confirm this, because this would be amazing.

I wouldn't get the AD700 unless you plan to use them only for competitive gaming because they are pretty bass-light. I would also get the AntLion ModMic instead of the Zalman clip-on mic because it's right next to your mouth and will pick up your voice much easier. You can get velour ear pads from this vendor on eBay if you don't like the stock pleather ones: http://m.ebay.com/itm/251375506165?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1

 

[Kursah]

So I want something bassier than my HARX700's, my D2000's are down and out for the time being....and I have less than $200 to play with. I was thinking the nuforce 800's... I am a basshead. I can EQ bass down when needed for gaming, not worried about that. Any suggestions for my limited budget? Something with some comfort that's decent for gaming, closed, bassy, and works for rock, hard rock, metal and classical?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Here's a graph comparing their frequently responses:http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/build-a-graph.php?graphID%5B0%5D=3301&graphID%5B1%5D=2661&graphID%5B2%5D=&graphID%5B3%5D=&scale=30&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Update+Graph

The bass hump on the Superlux is MASSIVE compared to the AD700, which would alter our perception of it's sound signature quite heavily. The upper mid and lower treble regions have between a 5db to 10db difference, which is also night and day and give a completely different upper range presentation.

I highly doubt they sound anything alike. The Superlux looks v-shaped, while the AD700 is mid and treble oriented.

I haven't heard the Superlux. Just going off those graphs, I have a good idea as to what to expect from it especially when comparing it to something I do have good experience with.

http://www.headphone.com/buildAGraph.php?graphID[0]=3301&graphID[1]=413&graphID[2]=&graphID[3]=&scale=30&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Update+Graph

In fact, the superlux as almost an identical graph as the Portapro/sportapro all the way up to the upper mid hump. Both of those are pretty bassy. The complete opposite of the AD700s. You can't analyze sounds as well with headphones with that much bass emphasis.