[benbenkr]

 
Heyas Chicolom.
 
Thanks much for your input.  I had the chance earlier today to demo some headphones at my local magnolia/bestbuy and agree with you completely based on what I was able to demo. 
 
I don't want to derail this thread with a full assessment of the different headphones that I tried out, as this is a gaming headphone thread and I was just doing general listening with them, not gaming.

But I will say that I did rule out the "on ear" style of headphone.  I was able to try a few B&W on ear style as well as both the Sennheiser Momentum on ear and over the ear styles.  I just didn't like the fit of the on ear models even with their low weight.
 
I was able to listen to these models: Sennheiser 558, Sennheiser Momentum (over ear and on ear), AKG K550, Denon AH-D600, a few B&W on ear models, and some noise cancelling full size that I can't remember the name of as I've never heard of the brand before.
 
The end result was that I now see the night and day difference between headphones whose tuning makes them perfect for gaming, the PC360, 558, and the K550.  And the headphones whose tuning makes them pretty good for gaming but more fun for general listening, like the Momentum and the Denon D600.  From what I've read, I'd put the X1's in the latter category.  Although I am aware that many people think that the X1's are very unique for an open full size headphone.
 
If I had the money, I'd probably get the PC360 just for gaming, as it's slightly more than the 558, slightly less than the Q701 plus mic, and is a complete and competent headset ready to go.  Then I'd get the X1's for listening to my collection of Digital Audio Tapes and general listening.  I may do just that in the future when my tax return comes in, but for now I need to focus on just one, so I'm leaning toward the X1's as they can server both purposes very well with a mic and are at a very nice price point. 

Thanks again.

 
Well, I happen to own both the X1 and HD558 currently. 
 
I can tell you that after a month of using the X1 and HD558 previously, switching back and forth... I have the HD558 back in my box and stashed safely in my cupboard. Why? Because I don't seem to feel or hear the fact that the X1 has any less of a soundstage than the HD558. They are in fact comparable and in some cases, the X1 is airier with better depth. Not to mention the fact that I don't have to deal with almost no-bass on the HD558 anymore, it's a bliss to have the X1.
 
Now, I do own the HD558 for more than 8 months prior to owning the X1 and it has been my main headphones most of the time. So to switch to the X1 and get all of what the HD558 had to offer and more, that's saying something. Perhaps the only advantage the HD558 has is the more forward mids and peakier highs, both of which would be a better fit for metal or fast music. It isn't by much by the way.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

DT990 kills both ma900 and x1 easily.

990 is a higher end headphone, with the glaring weakness of having an incredibly overstated treble. This alone will turn off the vast majority of people. I like the 990 (I've owned what, 6 of them?), but to be honest, is hard to recommend over the X1 due to its very, very unnatural treble prominence. Beyer is just odd. You'd thi k they've heard all the complaints, and made a 990 with a considerable treble reduction.

The spike is almost entirely at 10khz, so it should be easy to re-tune down to good levels.

The X1 makes the 990 obsolete. Really.

 

[kman1211]

990 is a higher end headphone, with the glaring weakness of having an incredibly overstated treble. This alone will turn off the vast majority of people. I like the 990 (I've owned what, 6 of them?), but to be honest, is hard to recommend over the X1 due to its very, very unnatural treble prominence. Beyer is just odd. You'd thi k they've heard all the complaints, and made a 990 with a considerable treble reduction.

The spike is almost entirely at 10khz, so it should be easy to re-tune down to good levels.

The X1 makes the 990 obsolete. Really.

True the DT 990 does have a big treble spike, would be nice if they got rid of it. But eq does easily get rid of it.
 
Have you heard the DT 990 on a tube amp? It really transforms in it's sound on tubes.

 

[benbenkr]

Yes, except not everyone has a hardware EQ which would work for the DT990 when being played on a platform that doesn't have a built-in software EQ — consoles.

 

[gr34td3str0y3r]

Is it confirmed the vmoda boom mice is compatible with all the headsets that the OP posted. I asked on amazons a few weeks ago when I was shopping for the m100s and they said the Custom pro had a proprietary plug, and the boom mic for those would not fit other models either.

 

[Viceroy]

Using: Asus Xonar DGX
-dolby headphone on
-max amp setting
 
Would going from a Sennheiser PC360 to the Fidelio X1 be a downgrade for positional audio?

 

[Murder Mike]

  Using: Asus Xonar DGX
-dolby headphone on
-max amp setting
 
Would going from a Sennheiser PC360 to the Fidelio X1 be a downgrade for positional audio?

Read the posts from prankies in the last few pages. 

 

[Viceroy]

  Read the posts from prankies in the last few pages. 

 
found them. thanks!
 
 
2nd question.
To keep things simple, I would prefer just using just a sound card and avoid external dac/amp
Main use is FPS games, secondary is music
 
What would pair up nicely with the X1's? Preferably under $200

 

[TiTaN]

  Using: Asus Xonar DGX
-dolby headphone on
-max amp setting
 
Would going from a Sennheiser PC360 to the Fidelio X1 be a downgrade for positional audio?

 
Not at all. I have the AD700 and X1's currently and just tested the MA900, Q701 and PC360 and the PC360 were easily the worst of the bunch in terms of quality and positioning...I was actually shocked at how much better the X1's were.
 
I originally owned the AD700 and then used Amazon's awesomely easy returns to try out the others and ultimately decided on the X1's. The MA900 were absolutely fantastic but I just couldn't find a good fit and overpaid quite a bit on Amazon for them. When I get some extra cash I'll buy another pair for $150-175. The X1's have the most bass I've personally ever heard in an open headphone and not in a bad way. Some explosions have a lot more punch to them than I'm used to with the AD700, obviously, but the comfort, ease of use with a Vmoda Boom mic and positioning won me over. I love them for EDM and gaming is just stellar.
 
The Q701 were great as well, but not as fun and honestly I would have needed to spend another $100 easily on an amp to get anything out of them in conjunction with my Astro mixamp on my 360. Plugged into my Asus DG was better but I'm mostly a 360 gamer with my buddies so they weren't worth it for me. The X1's are versatile, comfortable and superb in almost every way and easily worth $250 or less.
 
You'll be absolutely shocked how much better they are than the PC360. I had the MA900 and Q701 for weeks while trying to figure out which of those and the X1's to keep. The PC360 lasted a single night before they were promptly boxed back up and shipped back to Amazon.
 
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
 

   
found them. thanks!
 
 
2nd question.
To keep things simple, I would prefer just using just a sound card and avoid external dac/amp
Main use is FPS games, secondary is music
 
What would pair up nicely with the X1's? Preferably under $200
 

 
Just noticed your new post so I thought I'd address these directly. My main use is exactly that of yours, FPS games first, music second. These are perfect for that order. You will not need a standalone amp to get great sound out of these, as the are surprisingly easier to drive than the PC360s were (I have a pocket amp, and when swapping those back and forth I would need to turn the knob quite a bit to get the PC360s to the same volume).
 
I have almost the same setup as you, (DG is just the PCI version of the DGX) so no worries in comfortably powering them with no standalone amp/dac.
 
Also, you might list your music preferences so I can comment on what I've listened to with them so far and what I think. They are great with dance/electronic type music as the bass is sublime for an open can, though my personal favorite genre, metal/hard rock, sounds better on some different brands (Grados are my favorite for that).

 

[Gobhal]

Hey guys,
 
So I bought a mixamp 2013 recently but a friend of mine tossed me his old 2011. So question is should I even keep the 2013 or return it? I noticed MLE recommends the 2011 version but in the review he seems to like the 2013 a lot.
 
For me I do notice the hiss at times but it is not that bad and mostly goes unnoticed on the 2013.

 

[TiTaN]

   
 
Yes, I've owned the MA900s.  The strengths of the MA900 are it's nice midrange, balanced sound, and unique soundstage and fit.
 
They are a nice pair of headphones, but it's a bit hard to recommend them given their current upward price trend.  I got my pair for ~$170, and they compete well against the other sub $200 headphones.  Once you get into the >$225 price bracket though, you start to run into a lot of the big mid-fi cans which are technically a tier up and present some stiff competition for the MA900. 
 
At the same price I would opt for the X1 over the MA900.  It's technically a better headphone, and is more detailed and has a "higher-fi" sound.  It's still possible to subjectively prefer the MA900 to the X1, but for ME I prefer the X1 subjectively as well.

 
Just got done comparing the X1's and MA900's myself. I had them concurrently for a couple weeks and as I said above, I'd consider purchasing another pair of MA900's for $150-$170 but I wanted to buy one pair now, and the X1's were too good to return. Pop in the Vmoda BoomPro and not have to deal with the antlion modmic and its own cable like I would have to with the MA900s, Perfect.
 
If only there was a way to slightly dial down the bass a notch when being super competitive in FPS games and I wouldn't even consider buying another headphone until I could afford my beloved RS1+ tube amp or some HD800's and amp. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Change is Good]

  Hey guys,
 
So I bought a mixamp 2013 recently but a friend of mine tossed me his old 2011. So question is should I even keep the 2013 or return it? I noticed MLE recommends the 2011 version but in the review he seems to like the 2013 a lot.
 
For me I do notice the hiss at times but it is not that bad and mostly goes unnoticed on the 2013.

 
Hmmm... a free 2011 mixamp or a $130 brand new 2013 mixamp?
 
Is it really that hard to choose?!?

 

[Viceroy]

   
Not at all. I have the AD700 and X1's currently and just tested the MA900, Q701 and PC360 and the PC360 were easily the worst of the bunch in terms of quality and positioning...I was actually shocked at how much better the X1's were.
 
I originally owned the AD700 and then used Amazon's awesomely easy returns to try out the others and ultimately decided on the X1's. The MA900 were absolutely fantastic but I just couldn't find a good fit and overpaid quite a bit on Amazon for them. When I get some extra cash I'll buy another pair for $150-175. The X1's have the most bass I've personally ever heard in an open headphone and not in a bad way. Some explosions have a lot more punch to them than I'm used to with the AD700, obviously, but the comfort, ease of use with a Vmoda Boom mic and positioning won me over. I love them for EDM and gaming is just stellar.
 
The Q701 were great as well, but not as fun and honestly I would have needed to spend another $100 easily on an amp to get anything out of them in conjunction with my Astro mixamp on my 360. Plugged into my Asus DG was better but I'm mostly a 360 gamer with my buddies so they weren't worth it for me. The X1's are versatile, comfortable and superb in almost every way and easily worth $250 or less.
 
You'll be absolutely shocked how much better they are than the PC360. I had the MA900 and Q701 for weeks while trying to figure out which of those and the X1's to keep. The PC360 lasted a single night before they were promptly boxed back up and shipped back to Amazon.
 
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
 
 
Just noticed your new post so I thought I'd address these directly. My main use is exactly that of yours, FPS games first, music second. These are perfect for that order. You will not need a standalone amp to get great sound out of these, as the are surprisingly easier to drive than the PC360s were (I have a pocket amp, and when swapping those back and forth I would need to turn the knob quite a bit to get the PC360s to the same volume).
 
I have almost the same setup as you, (DG is just the PCI version of the DGX) so no worries in comfortably powering them with no standalone amp/dac.
 
Also, you might list your music preferences so I can comment on what I've listened to with them so far and what I think. They are great with dance/electronic type music as the bass is sublime for an open can, though my personal favorite genre, metal/hard rock, sounds better on some different brands (Grados are my favorite for that).

 
Thank you for your response, very helpful and much appreciated. You stated that they're great with dance/electronic music so I'm pretty much set. thanks again!

 

[TiTaN]

   
Thank you for your response, very helpful and much appreciated. You stated that they're great with dance/electronic music so I'm pretty much set. thanks again!

Please tell me how you feel about them if you end up with a pair. I'm excited to see what you think.

 

[Gobhal]

   
Hmmm... a free 2011 mixamp or a $130 brand new 2013 mixamp?
 
Is it really that hard to choose?!?

Well, I could always sell the 2011, and it's main headset port has seen better days. Still seems to work well enough as far as I can tell. Plus the 2013 has the EQ settings but honestly I found myself using core mostly and if I read it right on the astro site that means it is untouched.
 
But yeah sort of thinking to grab a magni/modi instead with the money
 
Not to mention they may make a 2014 model with my luck