[Stillhart]

Hi Everyone! I'm trying to decide between the HD598, AKG 612, and AKGQ701. I've spent hours looking at mixed reviews between all of them. I am having a really really difficult time deciding between the three. I would be using them for heavy gaming, listening to movie soundtracks, Legend of Korra Soundtrack and watching actual movies. I am really torn between the three and would love some responses Planning on using my 2013 astro mix amp pro. What external amp should I get and what cable is necessary to attach with Astro Mixamp? I'm thinking of going with the AKG 612 I've heard it's better than the Q701. Can't stress how much I would appreciate multiple responses.

Thank you guys again this has been a great forum for narrowing my search!
Lastly should I get a portable external amp like FiiOx1 for the astro mix amp?

I have the Q701 and love it. I hear the K612 has a slightly more balanced sound signature, which some people prefer to the Q, despite its being somewhat less refined. Based on your uses, I think a 612 might be better.

Re amps, anything mentioned in the guide will be fine.

 

[Evshrug]

Just wanted to post that I finally have my PS4 and a 2011 Astro Mixamp paired with some Q701s and it is amazing. Thank you to MLE and everyone else that has contributed to this thread. I never realized what I was missing. I don't even have an amp yet but the detail and depth and refined bass is so great. I can only imagine how these will open up once amped further. I'm thinking a Schiit Vali, unless anyone has another suggestion.

Also, add me to the list of people hyped for Destiny. It's basically what got me moving on procuring my setup. I have my Limited Edition copy pre-ordered at Amazon. I'll be starting with the Warlock class. My psn name is DuneDude if anyone wants to play co-op or do some raids eventually.

DuneDude, cooool! And YUP, it's much more immersive now, huh? There are even times when I go to the movie theater now and think "this bass is way too boomy and overblown, and the screen is a bit fuzzy... I'd rather watch this at home."

I'm jelly...

I got the limited edition preordered the second time it went back into stock after the initial stock was sold out. I went I to gamestop asking if they had been restocked and if I could upgrade my preorder, they said it was out everywhere, I showed them on my phone and cancelled that preorder and got on Amazon

Hi Everyone! I'm trying to decide between the HD598, AKG 612, and AKGQ701. I've spent hours looking at mixed reviews between all of them. I am having a really really difficult time deciding between the three. I would be using them for heavy gaming, listening to movie soundtracks, Legend of Korra Soundtrack and watching actual movies. I am really torn between the three and would love some responses Planning on using my 2013 astro mix amp pro. What external amp should I get and what cable is necessary to attach with Astro Mixamp? I'm thinking of going with the AKG 612 I've heard it's better than the Q701. Can't stress how much I would appreciate multiple responses.

Thank you guys again this has been a great forum for narrowing my search!
Lastly should I get a portable external amp like FiiOx1 for the astro mix amp?

The FiiO X1 is more of a music player like an iPod than an external amp. As far as Q701 vs K612, the Q701 is only slightly technically better in detail and soundstage reproduction (soundstage being the more obvious), but some people might better PREFER the same-volume-balance of the K612 throughout the frequency range or PREFER the more sparkly highs and midbass of the Q701. I find the Q701 to be a bit more fun and musical, the K612 has nice mids that keep it fun too but it's more polite on treble and bass so easier to listen to when my ears are tired. Neither have the strongest sensitivity ratings, so you'll need to turn the volume up a bit more than with cheaper headphones (I've also found them less susceptible to some kinds of background noise from audio gear, which is nice). I love my Q701, it's an amazing value and has been compared to many other headphones and been the winner/kept me from buying other headphones, and I recently got to demo the K612 and found it to have much of what I liked about the Q701 at a great price.
I have not heard the HD598, but it's not really in the same class. The Q701 and K612 compare more to the HD650 and HD600 respectively, the Q701 has just come down so much in price that the cost is similar. Read Mad Lust Envy and other's reviews on the HD598 to make your own conclusion.

Some great amp choices are tube hybrids like the Project Starlight by Garage1217, Schiit Audio's Vali, and I recently saw Audio Advisor has a HiFiman EF2A tube amp demo unit on sale for $99. I personally really enjoy the musicality of tube amps, and changing the tonality by trying different tubes for around $20, the old stuff is great for cheap compared to the low-cost new Chinese made stuff. There is good new stock Chinese tubes, but they're more expensive.

 

[Evshrug]

Depends on the budget. If You have the money go for Q701,
then buy one of the amps mentioned in the first post of this thread
and connect it with 3.5mm to rca cable
Get a desktop amp

And what is most important, get hyped for Destiny

I'm afraid I won't be able to play with You guys, even though I work the afternoon shift right now the timezone difference might be too big.

Well, Mad works the night shift and sleeps during the afternoon, so maybe... But I think sometimes he likes playing solo.

Hahahaha I am super hyped for Destiny! Do you really think the Q701 is the best all around? Not really questioning just want to be sure. How is the FiiO E17 or Shiit Magni?. What would I need to plug it into my Astro mix amp? If I wanted to use the one of the headsets with my iPhone/Macbook pro how would I connect from the FiiO E17 or Shiit Magni? Does the headset plug into the mix amp or amp? Thanks again

The E17 is very versatile, but I wouldn't recommend it for Fullsize AKGs, the E17's power current output would limit the AKG's dynamics a bit. I'd still recommend one of the tube hybrids I just mentioned in my last post, but the solid state Magni would be a fine choice too. There are a lot of desktop amp choices, but having one makes a nice difference.

 

[Change is Good]

Ev, I'm double jelly, now...

I was lucky to get a PS4 on launch night at my local walmart. I can only hope I have the same luck with getting a LE copy of Destiny.

 

[G3org3]

Just wanted to post that I finally have my PS4 and a 2011 Astro Mixamp paired with some Q701s and it is amazing. Thank you to MLE and everyone else that has contributed to this thread. I never realized what I was missing. I don't even have an amp yet but the detail and depth and refined bass is so great. I can only imagine how these will open up once amped further. I'm thinking a Schiit Vali, unless anyone has another suggestion.

Also, add me to the list of people hyped for Destiny. It's basically what got me moving on procuring my setup. I have my Limited Edition copy pre-ordered at Amazon. I'll be starting with the Warlock class. My psn name is DuneDude if anyone wants to play co-op or do some raids eventually.

I use the schiit vali with my q701s plus astro mixamp. The vali made a huge difference IMO

 

[Evshrug]

Well you'd be triple-filtered high-end jelly to know that on Monday, Evshrug had a little wine and spent the entire evening perusing K612 eBay ads, apparently finding the magical deal and I have a new pair heading my way, arriving Wednesday just in time for low-fatigue listening. I wish you similar great luck (the wine was a 2006 Meritage)

 

[Change is Good]

Nah...

 

[batmaneatsrats]

Thank you so much I really appreciate it!

 

[batmaneatsrats]

Thank you so so much everyone. I really appreciate the fact you all took time to fully answer my question. I was really worried about which headset to get. I think I"ll either go with the 612 or the Q701. Do I plug the headset into the astro mix amp or the external amp? And does the RCA to 3.5 go from the external to Astro mix amp? I'm looking at these amps Garage1217, Schiit Audio's Vali, and I recently saw Audio Advisor has a HiFiman EF2A. 

 

[Stillhart]

  Thank you so so much everyone. I really appreciate the fact you all took time to fully answer my question. I was really worried about which headset to get. I think I"ll either go with the 612 or the Q701. Do I plug the headset into the astro mix amp or the external amp? And does the RCA to 3.5 go from the external to Astro mix amp? I'm looking at these amps Garage1217, Schiit Audio's Vali, and I recently saw Audio Advisor has a HiFiman EF2A. 

There's a little graphic in the guide that shows how to hook everything up.

 

[Nirraven]

I am searching for an STX upgrade, but i am not sure what i should get...
 
I have a AKG 702 and i love the great soundstage and i also wanna an op amp what gives me a better soundstage and maybe a little bit more punchie bass.
 
I heared the muses 01 or 02 have a good soundstage but what would better for my taste?
 
I also heared good things in the asus essence thread about the LME49990, can anyone describe me the differences between muses01/02 and LME49990?

 

[JayL]

   

 
So you go from the AUX in on the back of the Tx to the USB device you linked? This sounds vaguely familiar but I honestly wasn't paying attention back then.

I haven't tried it personally, as I have the real astro usb cable, BUT, I have been told no other usb adapter/soundcard works, makes no sense and don't know why

 

[Evshrug]

Oh, I'll definitely group up with you guys (I played with Evs a bit). Just expecting a huge gap in terms of general level and loot.

I had a lot of fun laughing and exploring with you, even though I had been playing awhile already. I like loot and I definitely like exploring (No Man's Sky will be a must-play for me), but I also like joshing around with friends. Again, not to make this another Destiny thread, but this live action video has the feels of what I want playing to be like:

[video]http://youtu.be/9ZyQK6kUdWQ[/video]

Also, I got a Blue Microphone Snowball (two actually, one seller is being a flake and I'll be able to dispute it tomorrow) that will hopefully solve all my communication problems, and I found out that you can actually adjust mic gain within the PS4 in the audio devices settings. Me Gusta!

 

[Yethal]

  I haven't tried it personally, as I have the real astro usb cable, BUT, I have been told no other usb adapter/soundcard works, makes no sense and don't know why

The usb soundcards go for 1.99$ and You probably already have 3.5mm cables so no harm in trying

 

[AxelCloris]

I had a lot of fun laughing and exploring with you, even though I had been playing awhile already. I like loot and I definitely like exploring (No Man's Sky will be a must-play for me), but I also like joshing around with friends. Again, not to make this another Destiny thread, but this live action video has the feels of what I want playing to be like:

[video]http://youtu.be/9ZyQK6kUdWQ[/video]

Also, I got a Blue Microphone Snowball (two actually, one seller is being a flake and I'll be able to dispute it tomorrow) that will hopefully solve all my communication problems, and I found out that you can actually adjust mic gain within the PS4 in the audio devices settings. Me Gusta!

I have a chrome Snowball at home waiting to be tested with my PS4. I'm wondering how I can set it up so that the cable across the floor doesn't get in the way. Picked up mine from BuyDig the other day for $30 shipped.

Also, those $0.97 boom mics from RadioShack are hard to track down. I hope that the next one I visit has them in stock. Good thing the stores are all next door to places I need to be anyways.

One of the two will end up getting used with my setup at home. The boom is more convenient but the Blue better sounding.