[Stillhart]

Random question:  My AVR has 3 DH settings (1, 2, 3) with 1 being the narrowest and 3 being the widest.  Do people just default to 3 for gaming for the wider soundstage or is it a preference thing?
 
Right now I have my Xbone optical out going into my AVR.  From there I have my Recon3D hooked up and I also have DH through the AVR's headphone jack (it's an older HK).  I like the THX surround but I do plan on testing both to see which is best for me and I want to make sure I'm using the best settings.
 
I have a set of X1's on the way and I have a set of Q701's that I scored at a local pawn shop for $150 (practically new, still in box, etc).  I will be testing both of those as well and selling off the one I like least.
 
So far, the Q701 is great for gaming but kind of **** for movies and the music I like (Djent, metal, prog rock/metal, psybient, etc).  I assume this is because of the relative dearth of bass.  The high and mids are fantastic but a bit much for my music and the lack of bass sucks for movies.
 
I also find them to be pretty comfortable but the bumps tend to start hurting after an hour or two.  Evshrug suggested using one of those baby seat belt pads, which I happen to have sitting around since I have two car seats and I'm about to buy a third (sigh).  I'll try that if I decide to keep the Q's, but from what I've read, I suspect the X1's will be more to my liking.

 

[Fegefeuer]

DH2 is the best compromise of echeoy and soundstage. Most devices use DH-2 by default (mixamp for instance)

 

[NamelessPFG]

Oh yes, most of the time, high framerates are a must for games. That being said, some games loss their cinematic flair when going at 60.

Games like Shadow of the Colossus were targeted at 30fps, per the creator. He could've went 60fps for the hd port, and said something along the lines of it not maintaining his vision for the game. I agree. Some games just look better looking like movies. Like Uncharted. I mean, I prefer 60fps for gameplay purposes, but I like 30fps for cutscenes. Call me old school.

 
You must like the typical Tales approach of 30 FPS in the overworld and cutscenes, 60 FPS during battles, then. (Unless it's Symphonia PS3, ugh...)
 
There is one very important thing that makes low movie framerates more tolerable than low game framerates, though, and that's simple motion blur, best exemplified by taking photos of things at different shutter speeds. The LACK of it in most games is what makes them quite intolerable to look at, though quite unfortunately, motion blur is quite a hardware-intensive effect to enable, especially done right.
 
Well, make that two things: movies STAY at a constant framerate, so it feels consistent. Games frequently don't, unless you're using Vsync and/or have hardware overqualified for the game engine, so to speak. SaLX made a very important point about average/minimum frames being the most important, and I'd extend that into 99th-percentile frame time.
 
High average frame rates don't really mean much if you constantly notice stutters and split-second freezes jarring up your vision into the game world, after all.
 
That said, if stutters and general framerate inconsistency aren't a problem, I'll always go for the higher framerate.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Well, for Tales... I would like 60fps all the time. When it comes to animated things, or 2D things, 60fps+ is preferrable.

Tales of Eternia actually ran at 120fps locked on the PSP for some reason (though of course the screen is locked at 60). That means the battles, overworld (which was 3D), and all towns/dungeons. The game was stellar to look at.

Eternia is one of those RPGs I could play over and over again. Same with Star Ocean 2.

 

[Lukalop]

Does anyone know the best IEM soundstage wise?

 

[Fegefeuer]

Stage Diver 3, IE 800 from my experience

 

[musicreo]

I don't hate change. I hate change that ruins what it's trying to improve.
Precisely my point.

Oh, I'm very senstitive to framerates. Not many people are. I can easily tell the difference between 24/48/60fps.

Some people can't tell a diff between 24 and 60, which is shocking to me.

You enjoy HFR and 3D, good for you. I prefer to keep movies looking like movies, not some behind the scenes or soap opera.

Everyone can see the difference between 24fps and 60fps! 
 
After using motion interpolation on my PC  (SVP) I first was uncertain if it make films look better. But after 2-3 weeks I was completly  convinced. Now that I have used SVP more than one year   24fps films  look like crap to me. HFR and motion interpolation are great. 

 

[martin vegas]

24p is different to like say a 30 frames per second movie..imax is 24p..i think it takes the best frames out of 120 frames per second and puts them into 24 frames but not 100% sure!

 

[nissen1502]

Review the Razer tiamat 7.1 and 2.2 please

 

[SaLX]

  Review the Razer tiamat 7.1 and 2.2 please

Alas, MLE, being a private individual can only review headsets/phones from his own purchases and from loaners kindly sent from posters here, or from actual companies willing to submit them for review (like the recent Alphas review).
 
If anybody from Razer's reading this.... get in touch with the man.
 
*** I wonder what the complete dollar value would be of all the headphones he's reviewed???***

 

[nissen1502]

 
Alas, MLE, being a private individual can only review headsets/phones from his own purchases and from loaners kindly sent from posters here, or from actual companies willing to submit them for review (like the recent Alphas review).
 
If anybody from Razer's reading this.... get in touch with the man.
 
*** I wonder what the complete dollar value would be of all the headphones he's reviewed???***

I got razer tiamat 7.1, would gladly loan it to him if we would split the shipping prices. I just want to see how it compares to the others here

 

[prankies]

 
Alas, MLE, being a private individual can only review headsets/phones from his own purchases and from loaners kindly sent from posters here, or from actual companies willing to submit them for review (like the recent Alphas review).
 
If anybody from Razer's reading this.... get in touch with the man.
 
*** I wonder what the complete dollar value would be of all the headphones he's reviewed???***

Given my personal experience with Razer products (headsets in particular), I very much doubt they are interested in having their cans reviewed by anyone with discerning/critical taste (or anyone that has actually listened to a set of quality headphones).  Having tried the Carcharias and Megalodon, I can say without a doubt that Razer makes the cheapest and most gimmicky overpriced garbage I have had the displeasure of using.  From build quality to sound quality, they are an absolute waste of money.
 
That being said, I guess I have no idea about the Tiamat.  I just wouldn't count on Razer to make anything that comes anywhere close to a worthwhile price/performance recommendation.  Marketing to 17-23 year old gamers is their only strong suit, and even those attempts are quite painful at times.

 

[SaLX]

I'd be interested in seeing MLE review the Tiamat 7.1 at some point; it's meant to be one of the very best of all the multi driver headsets, therefore a comparison would be very interesting. I can't imagine the SQ being stellar but the 3D imaging might be good.

 

[prankies]

I've just heard from a few reviews that the actual driver quality is terrible in the Tiamat (because they had to include so many while still trying to keep a profit margin), so instead of a couple of quality 50mm drivers, you end up with a whole buttload of really crappy 40/30/20 (or whatever) drivers.  So the positional is impressive, but the sound quality is so muddy/imaging so poor that you end up at an overall disadvantage.
 
But I guess for the most part I'm talking out my ass as I haven't heard them.  But I can't imagine dropping $200 on a headset with the lifespan of a Razer product.  I went through 3 replacement sets of Carcharias in a year before they stopped replacing them (their excuse being they were now out of warranty)--then my friend gave me HIS replacement Carcharias (his first set also died in 4 months), which then frayed out on the FIRST DAY of him giving it to me.  I'm a 32 year old dude who takes seriously good care of his stuff, and I didn't get more than 4 months usage out of any set.  This is just more anecdotal BS, I realize, but their build quality is just abysmal.  The idea of handing them $200 for headphones makes me shudder.
 
But yeah, the real 7.1 might be a novelty, so I guess it would be interesting to have them reviewed.  I would just expect Razer to shy away from any truly critical review of their sound.

 

[SaLX]

@prankies: Also I hear the Tiamat's are very very heavy (as you'd expect).
 
Thing is though, a lot of these 'true' 5.1 or 7.1 headsets get very good reviews with exclamations of 'fantastic bass, clear punchy mids and euphoric uplifting highs'...... repeat to fade. I simply cannot believe that in stereo mode (if indeed these 'journalists' actually switch to it) that 6 or 8 little speakers can sound as good as quality 50mm drivers. Plus, as you've pointed out (ouch).. there's so many more components in the mix that can go wrong.
 
I bought a pair of true 5.1 Medusa's absolutely ages ago (stupid me) before getting a quality stereo pair (closed - ATH A700 - not that good, but were far better than the Medusa).
 
@nissen ... what's your thoughts on the Tiamat (and sorry, don't mean to rubbish them by any means)?