[jimador48]

I'll keep looking on there site for other headsets.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Out of the best buy headphones:

Sennheiser Momentum.... those just sound soooo damn good. Not sure how they'll do for gaming though.

Pretty sure the Momentum On Ear will be pretty good for fun gaming.

558 is a safe choice for sure, but I have a thing with the 5** line being a bit too safe sounding.

The Monster DNA Pro is one of the best closed headphones I've ever heard, but it's build quality needs work.

 

[Change is Good]

Nah, just saying at some point I need to track down a pair and give them a good demo. I may pick one up from Amazon and a pair of pads if the price ever drops on them.

I promise, the HP200 w/alcantara pads will turn into THE go to all-rounder around here should you do so. All it takes is someone else to hear it and back me up, alah the K612.

Edit: The HP100/150 w/alcantara pads looks to be a sweet fun counterpart to have as well. If I didn't have the SRH1540 w/alpha pads, already, I'd be all over it. Those matte black cups and the SM design makes the HP150 one sexy looking closed headphone, while also being semi-portable.

Edit 2: I wonder what the alpha pads would do the HP100/150. Judging by the magical effect they have on the 1540, I can only imagine. I bet they will also isolate extremely well... better than already so... 

 

 

[imac2much]

Stillhart and Silverwind (and other Omni users), quick question for you all.
I am looking at some open headphones for the future.  Some may not really require any additional amping (X1, HP200 I think), but some seem to require it, or at least sound better with it (K712, HE-400).  I am looking at some amps, but I was curious how I am supposed to connect an additional amp to the Omni.  Do I just connect it through the headphone output as normal, or through a different connector?  And what type of cable should I use?  This may be an obvious question but I've never dealt with external sound cards and amps before
 
I've been looking through different amps, and I'm most intrigued by the Asgard 2.  While it is a bit pricey for me, I like that it has a gain switch so it can power both my low impedance headphones and my high impedance headphones... then again, I could just get a Magni and unplug it whenever I want to use my HP100.  The Vali intrigues me as well as I read tube amps are better with the HE-400 and the extra warmth shouldn't bother my gaming much (I don't play competitive games at all, and instead just want an immersive sound with my single player games).
 
Thanks everyone!

 

[Murder Mike]

  Stillhart and Silverwind (and other Omni users), quick question for you all.
I am looking at some open headphones for the future.  Some may not really require any additional amping (X1, HP200 I think), but some seem to require it, or at least sound better with it (K712, HE-400).  I am looking at some amps, but I was curious how I am supposed to connect an additional amp to the Omni.  Do I just connect it through the headphone output as normal, or through a different connector?  And what type of cable should I use?  This may be an obvious question but I've never dealt with external sound cards and amps before
 
Thanks everyone!

 
Removed the wrong info, see post below from Stillhart. 

 

[Stillhart]

  Stillhart and Silverwind (and other Omni users), quick question for you all.
I am looking at some open headphones for the future.  Some may not really require any additional amping (X1, HP200 I think), but some seem to require it, or at least sound better with it (K712, HE-400).  I am looking at some amps, but I was curious how I am supposed to connect an additional amp to the Omni.  Do I just connect it through the headphone output as normal, or through a different connector?  And what type of cable should I use?  This may be an obvious question but I've never dealt with external sound cards and amps before
 
I've been looking through different amps, and I'm most intrigued by the Asgard 2.  While it is a bit pricey for me, I like that it has a gain switch so it can power both my low impedance headphones and my high impedance headphones... then again, I could just get a Magni and unplug it whenever I want to use my HP100.  The Vali intrigues me as well as I read tube amps are better with the HE-400 and the extra warmth shouldn't bother my gaming much (I don't play competitive games at all, and instead just want an immersive sound with my single player games).
 
Thanks everyone!

 
Something like the AKG will sound fine with just the Omni, but will not sound its best without a better amp.  I can't speak to the HE-400, though I've been told that orthos are extremely power-hungry and will sound bad (compared to the AKG which sounds fine) without good amping.  
 
I wouldn't worry too much about the impedance matching stuff at this lower end of the hi-fi spectrum.  My X1 sounded much better with the M-stage than with just the Omni, and the M-stage doesn't have the "correct" impedance afaik.
 
BTW, to help narrow down your choices, you might want to check which amps pair best with your headphones.  Some headphones pair better with "warmer" amps (like the Q701) and some pair better with neutral or brighter amps etc.  The HP100 is pretty neutral and will sound good with just about anything IMO.  Other cans are more picky.
 

   
You would use the RCA outs on the back to feed it to the RCA input on an amp. If you were going to get a separate DAC and amp or DAC/amp combo, you would use the Optical out and feed that into the DAC instead of using the RCA outs. 

 
Not quite.  The Omni is odd in that if you use the RCA outputs, it assumes you're using speakers instead of headphones.  It actually processes the SBX virtual surround differently if you're using the RCA ports or the headphone ports.  Since you'll be using headphones, you'll want to use the 1/8" headphone jack with a 1/8"->RCA cable into your headphone amp.
 
I had mine setup using the RCA ports at first and when @Evshrug told me about the headphone port I didn't believe him.  But I switched it and the difference was very noticeable.

 

[imac2much]

   
Something like the AKG will sound fine with just the Omni, but will not sound its best without a better amp.  I can't speak to the HE-400, though I've been told that orthos are extremely power-hungry and will sound bad (compared to the AKG which sounds fine) without good amping.  
 
I wouldn't worry too much about the impedance matching stuff at this lower end of the hi-fi spectrum.  My X1 sounded much better with the M-stage than with just the Omni, and the M-stage doesn't have the "correct" impedance afaik.
 
BTW, to help narrow down your choices, you might want to check which amps pair best with your headphones.  Some headphones pair better with "warmer" amps (like the Q701) and some pair better with neutral or brighter amps etc.  The HP100 is pretty neutral and will sound good with just about anything IMO.  Other cans are more picky.
 
 
Not quite.  The Omni is odd in that if you use the RCA outputs, it assumes you're using speakers instead of headphones.  It actually processes the SBX virtual surround differently if you're using the RCA ports or the headphone ports.  Since you'll be using headphones, you'll want to use the 1/8" headphone jack with a 1/8"->RCA cable into your headphone amp.
 
I had mine setup using the RCA ports at first and when @Evshrug told me about the headphone port I didn't believe him.  But I switched it and the difference was very noticeable.

 
Thanks as always!  Would a cable like this work?
http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-3-5mm-Male-2-Male-Adapter/dp/B004YEBK66
 
As for headphone-amp pairing, I have been perusing sites such as head-fi, Headfonia and Inner Fidelity (this hobby has taken over my life the last couple weeks), and it sounds like many more "analytical" headphones like HD650 or HE500 are paired with tube amps for their warmth... I might be way off base but this is what I've seen so far.  Since I've mostly narrowed down my open headphone choices between X1, HP200, K712 and HE-400, I think a good solid state amp would be enough.  I appreciate your advice on disregarding impedance matching at this level though... in that case I might look at the O2 or Magni instead and save some money
 
I initially considered the Fiio E12 but I realized I don't really have any use for portability since I don't plan to listen to open headphones in public (I can use my s4i earbuds or HP100 instead which don't really need an amp).

 

[Stillhart]

   
Thanks as always!  Would a cable like this work?
http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-3-5mm-Male-2-Male-Adapter/dp/B004YEBK66
 
As for headphone-amp pairing, I have been perusing sites such as head-fi, Headfonia and Inner Fidelity (this hobby has taken over my life the last couple weeks), and it sounds like many more "analytical" headphones like HD650 or HE500 are paired with tube amps for their warmth... I might be way off base but this is what I've seen so far.  Since I've mostly narrowed down my open headphone choices between X1, HP200, K712 and HE-400, I think a good solid state amp would be enough.  I appreciate your advice on disregarding impedance matching at this level though... in that case I might look at the O2 or Magni instead and save some money
 
I initially considered the Fiio E12 but I realized I don't really have any use for portability since I don't plan to listen to open headphones in public (I can use my s4i earbuds or HP100 instead which don't really need an amp).

Yes, that's the right idea, but it's way overpriced.  Try this one:  
 
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021815&p_id=5596&seq=1&format=2
 
I only use Monoprice cables since they're stellar quality and dirt cheap.
 
I still recommend matching the amp to the headphone.  For example, the AKG's tend to pair better with the Vali than the Magni.  Pick a headphone first and then pick the amp.

 

[Murder Mike]

 
Not quite.  The Omni is odd in that if you use the RCA outputs, it assumes you're using speakers instead of headphones.  It actually processes the SBX virtual surround differently if you're using the RCA ports or the headphone ports.  Since you'll be using headphones, you'll want to use the 1/8" headphone jack with a 1/8"->RCA cable into your headphone amp.
 
I had mine setup using the RCA ports at first and when @Evshrug told me about the headphone port I didn't believe him.  But I switched it and the difference was very noticeable.

 
Very odd, but good to know, thanks. I edited the previous post to avoid confusion if anyone actual bothers to search this thread. 

 

[jimador48]

Out of the best buy headphones:

Sennheiser Momentum.... those just sound soooo damn good. Not sure how they'll do for gaming though.

Pretty sure the Momentum On Ear will be pretty good for fun gaming.

558 is a safe choice for sure, but I have a thing with the 5** line being a bit too safe sounding.

The Monster DNA Pro is one of the best closed headphones I've ever heard, but it's build quality needs work.

 
Is on ear better then over the ear for gaming or is it just preference. this will be my long term setup.

 

[imac2much]

  Yes, that's the right idea, but it's way overpriced.  Try this one:  
 
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021815&p_id=5596&seq=1&format=2
 
I only use Monoprice cables since they're stellar quality and dirt cheap.
 
I still recommend matching the amp to the headphone.  For example, the AKG's tend to pair better with the Vali than the Magni.  Pick a headphone first and then pick the amp.

Wow thanks, those are much cheaper! 
And monoprice is based in China so I should be able to buy those in China later, instead of stocking up on the Mediabridge ahead of time.  Great find, thanks!
 
You're right, I guess I will hold off on amps for now until I make the plunge on a new pair of headphones.  The Omni has no problem with the HP100.  Surprisingly, I was able to use the HP100 just fine with my iphone 4S even at 50% or so volume.
 
One more Omni question: since this isn't DH, does it matter what audio setting I use within games?  My Windows sound settings detects this as 5.1 surround; some games allow for both 5.1 and 7.1 audio output... which should I choose?  Other games (like Homefront) have no audio option for surround at all, will SBX work for this?

 

[Stillhart]

  Wow thanks, those are much cheaper! 
And monoprice is based in China so I should be able to buy those in China later, instead of stocking up on the Mediabridge ahead of time.  Great find, thanks!
 
You're right, I guess I will hold off on amps for now until I make the plunge on a new pair of headphones.  The Omni has no problem with the HP100.  Surprisingly, I was able to use the HP100 just fine with my iphone 4S even at 50% or so volume.  I keep reading about better closed headphones like the NAD HP50's and the Mad Dogs (or Alpha Dogs) but I guess it's hard for me to imagine closed headphones under $400 sounding much better than this, haha.

 
The HP100 is a good all-arounder as it doesn't do anything badly.  However it's not AMAZING at anything.  Something like the Mad Dog, which I owned briefly, sounds AMAZING for some music (I've yet to hear anything that sounds as good for jazz) and not so good for others.  (Seriously, they sounded really damn good for jazz!)  
 
I think what you'll find is that headphones, like many products, tend to specialize as you go up the price range, before then broadening again at the very top of the line.  That's my theory at least.

 

[LordCheeseballs]

   
This exact question was just asked a page or two back.  You can't use the Modi with the Mixamp (technically you can, but there's no reason to as you'll lose surround).  Your choice is better sounding stereo or surround with a sub-par DAC.  Many people, myself included, think that there's no much point in putting a good DAC on for gaming anyhow since the source material will tend to be not great.  Save your money and just stick with the Magni.
 
As to whether you need that, get the setup without it first.  If you can get the volume levels to where you want without the Magni then you're golden.  If you need more volume, you know what to do.

Oh alright i see now thanks dude! I'll stick with that setup for my ps4, but i am also getting a pc soon so would the schiit stack combo retain surround sound when connected with a cheap asus soundcard with dolby headphone???

 

[Stillhart]

  Oh alright i see now thanks dude! I'll stick with that setup for my ps4, but i am also getting a pc soon so would the schiit stack combo retain surround sound when connected with a cheap asus soundcard with dolby headphone???

 
I'm not sure about the Asus sound card.  It would need to have an optical output and the ability to process the virtual surround first then output it via optical.  
 
I know you can do it with the Sound Blaster Omni (or Z) because that's what I do.  You use the optical out into the Optical Modi (not the USB one).  But I tried that and I couldn't hear any difference in the DAC so I returned the Modi.  Once I upgraded to the Audio-GD, though, there was a noticeable improvement in the DAC.

 

[jimador48]

Im about pull the trigger on these
 
Sennheiser - MOMENTUM Over-the-Ear
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sennheiser-momentum-over-the-ear-headphones-chocolate/6815518.p?id=1218807878691&skuId=6815518
 
Would those be good paired up with the vmoda boom mic?
 
Setup is for my xb1 and ps4 and pc with the xp seven acu.