[Change is Good]

 
It is a picky headphone, it's more revealing than most headphones in it's price range. Lets just say if I had only the Magni as an amp when I got the K612, I may of preferred the MA900 to the K612. The K612 actually isn't that demanding of power, it just needs enough(basically a desktop amp), what it really needs is synergy. Proper amping in the case of the K612 is all about synergy. With the right synergy, it's more musical, engaging, realistic, and natural sounding than the MA900. It sounds it's absolute best on aggressive and dynamic amps imho and it seems to prefer tube or hyrbid amps to ss amps.

 
^This

 

[kman1211]

   
I'm sure Xonar Phoebus is far more capable power source than E12 or any of the similar desktop amps, which uses separate pci-e power connecter to power the soundcard which can drive 600ohm cans. it is a beast.

Actually that's not true, it won't compare to a proper desktop amp, it's more about quality than power, desktop amps offer better quality sound. It may be a powerful soundcard, but I haven't heard a soundcard properly drive a demanding headphone such as the K612, K702, HD 600, DT 880, etc. In my experience soundcards are best used as dacs.

 

[appsmarsterx]

yes. that's what I was trying to say. it was not about power, its about synergy. 
 
anyway I d rather get something far more capable of most of the sources (like ma900) than something like 612pro, which is extremely picky with the sources. ma900 is right out of the box fantastically balanced with either directly with your iphone (any portable device) or E17 or even onboard realtek, no hassle with the sources. anyway I don't hate 612pro, this is just my personal opinion.

 

[jumper]

Any opinion on which Mixamp I should go with between the 2011 and 2013 - I've read about the differences in this thread but I also came across low mic volume issues on the 2013 while reading online, not to mention the extra hiss. I also read the 2011 can't update firmware like the 2013 can. I'm playing on PS4 and will be using K712. How should I choose which Mixamp?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

If the hiss is bothering you that much, then go for 2011. If you can live with the hiss, the 2013 has all the bells and whistles. I personally prefer the least amount of hiss, so I choose the 2011. As for low mic volume... you will need an external amp to remedy this.

 

[NiteWalker]

  I got a chance to use the new Gold Playstation 4 headset for about 5 hours. My sister went out and purchased them at Best Buy late last night so I decided to cancel my pre-order from Amazon and give these a whirl before I made my decision. 
 
Comfort wise, they feel pretty good. Very light and comfy. They are made out of plastic but are sturdy and I doubt they will have the same durability issues the Pulse Elite had. They fit my size 8 head well. Not too tight and not too loose. I haven't had to adjust them much after hours of usage. The ear pads seem to be made out of the same material as Sony's PS3 headsets which is a plus since they feel nice and soft against my dome.
 
For $99.99 I wasn't expecting the sound to blow me away and I was right. They sound good but not great. They have a kind of thin sound signature. There's a decent amount of bass but it's not deep and won't blow your ear drums. I like that they sound loud and don't really distort too much at max volume. On second thought, I'm not sure if it's slight distortion I hear with explosions or the nature of the thin sound signature. I had no issues locating enemies and other objects in games such as BF4 and COD: Ghost so that was a pleasant surprise.
 
Last of all, I had no issues with voice chat in games. I could hear everyone without issue even with explosions all around me. Although I must mention that I was in a party chat and a couple of buddies commented that they could hear me well but compared to my Astro 5.8 mixamp and a30 headset, it sounded a little "tinny". 
 
As a gaming headset, I'd recommend the Gold PS4 headset. It does well with voice chatting, sounds good for a headset, surprisingly does a nice job with positioning and last of all, it is amazingly easy to hook up with no wires in sight.

I echo your comments.
I grabbed the gold headset earlier today from best buy and feel it's $100 well spent.
Good, but not great sound, but then again I paid good, but not great money for them.
 
For the convenience they offer they're well worth the $100.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Half tempted on contacting Sony to see if they'll send me the Gold and the Pulse for review... I should ask Mike who to contact. That, and to also ask them if they have a successor to the MA900 due out in the near future.

 

[jumper]

If the hiss is bothering you that much, then go for 2011. If you can live with the hiss, the 2013 has all the bells and whistles. I personally prefer the least amount of hiss, so I choose the 2011. As for low mic volume... you will need an external amp to remedy this.

 
Thanks Mad.  Will the low efficiency of the K712 mitigate the hiss any appreciable amount?  This will be my first Mixamp so I can't say whether the hiss will be an issue.  Is the implementation of Dolby headphone the same between the 2011 and 2013?  That would be the most important to me, say for example if the 2013 had a new version of DH or that it would be updated via firmware.  On the other hand I saw I can still get the A30/2011 Mixamp combo for $80 at Microsoft (I would sell the A30).  I'm not sure if I care about the EQ presets on the 2013, Pro mode might be worth it.  I guess I'm on the fence looking for a reason to push me one way or another, I don't want to go through switching after picking one.  

 

[DADDYDC650]

NiteWalker, how is the battery life? I only got to use the Gold PS4 headset for 5 hours or so but from what I can tell, they seem like they will last the full 8 hours as advertised. I'm thinking about purchasing a pair for myself but I already have the 5.8 mixamp and I'm sure Sony is going to release a Platinum PS4 headset. I just don't see them selling only one headset.
 
MLE, I hope Sony sends you a pair. I would like to know what you think of them since you have pretty much listened to who knows how many headphones and headsets and can give a better comparison than anyone I know.

BTW, did you send your Astro a30's back in for repair yet?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Dolby Headphone is the same (console devices all use Dolby Headphone 2), so there is no differences there.

The K712, I haven't heard it, but I don't find the hiss to be problematic at all with my Mixamp 5.8. The 5.8 has a comparable level of hiss as the 2013 Mixamp, so I wouldn't worry too much if you go that route, unless you have a super sensitive headphone.

Daddy, no. I'll probably send them in this week, since my visitors leave today.

 

[NiteWalker]

  NiteWalker, how is the battery life? I only got to use the Gold PS4 headset for 5 hours or so but from what I can tell, they seem like they will last the full 8 hours as advertised. I'm thinking about purchasing a pair for myself but I already have the 5.8 mixamp and I'm sure Sony is going to release a Platinum PS4 headset. I just don't see them selling only one headset.

Very good so far. I just finished using them for about 3 hours a little while ago and the battery indicator on screen still showed full bars.
 I think the battery life will be fine with the gold headset. The biggest battery killer on the elites was the bass impact, which isn't needed on the gold.
 
They sound good, but not as good as wired. But in buying the gold headset, you're paying for the convenience of plug and play with good sound.
Very comfy.
Worth the $100 IMHO.
 
I agree with sony releasing a platinum headset. I think it'll have a simple design than the elites and not have the cracking defect the elites have.
It'll be interesting to see what sony comes up with.

 

[Nokami]

Hey,
 
i need some advice for a mates Headset.
 
he has an A40 and would know how much better the PC360 is only for footsteps (not on SQ).
He could sell the 40s for the 360 but he dont know if it is a worth upgrade..
 
Thanks

 

[benbenkr]

Just have to keep in mind that the Gold, Pulse and even the first-gen wireless headset from Sony all uses subpar pleather earpads. Of everyone I know that has own it (which is to say, many), their earpads tore after just 6 months. Sony doesn't sell those replacement earpads directly either.

 

[DADDYDC650]

  Just have to keep in mind that the Gold, Pulse and even the first-gen wireless headset from Sony all uses subpar pleather earpads. Of everyone I know that has own it (which is to say, many), their earpads tore after just 6 months. Sony doesn't sell those replacement earpads directly either.

Did your buddies take care of the ear pads? I quick Google search landed me a picture of some ear pad replacements. Shure HPAEC940 ear pads from Amazon fit nicely it seems. I'm not sure if they will fit the Gold headset but if they have the same drivers I wouldn't see why they not.
 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Swapping to velours is undoubtedly going to alter the sound quality...