[Yethal]

 

  It requires a suitable PC to operate.

Yep, I didn't say it was perfect.
 
I also wonder whether the fact it only does HDMI 1.3a might cause a problem somewhere...

It shouldn't but HDMI passthrough introduces display lag and most people that come in here need competitive advantage.

 

[John_M]

  HDMI passthrough introduces display lag...

 
Not necessarily - it depends on the device. In general, surely if it is a 'passthrough' of the video, it shouldn't add lag? I currently play on a Realiser and can feel no additional lag at all. Admittedly that is only my subjective 'feel' rather than a proper test, but even if it is adding a couple of milliseconds (and I can't see any reason why it would if it is a pure passthrough) then the sound advantages easily outweigh it. I previously played on a Marantz AVR with Dolby Headphone (using lossless HDMI) and didn't feel any lag on that either.
 
I'm about a 2.5 K/D in CoD (and I know someone who has a 4 K/D using a receiver) so it really can't be adding that much lag.

 

[Yethal]

Not necessarily - it depends on the device. In general, surely if it is a 'passthrough' of the video, it shouldn't add lag? I currently play on a Realiser and can feel no additional lag at all. Admittedly that is only my subjective 'feel' rather than a proper test, but even if it is adding a couple of milliseconds (and I can't see any reason why it would if it is a pure passthrough) then the sound advantages easily outweigh it. I previously played on a Marantz AVR with Dolby Headphone (using lossless HDMI) and didn't feel any lag on that either.
 
I'm about a 2.5 K/D in CoD (and I know someone who has a 4 K/D using a receiver) so it really can't be adding that much lag.

The content of the HDMI stream need to be read by the receiver (the hdmi does not have specific audio or video pins) and, decoded (if the transmitter device is using HDCP).
It may perhaps be only couple of miliseconds but even that amount is detrimental to the player as it decreases controller responsiveness.

 

[Styles]

Also at CES, Turtle Beach has their new "Elite 800X". Seems to be an other step up for the wireless people out there.
 
I think I will end up trying out a X7 sometime.
 
Another idea is that I will just design my custom enclosure, print it out on my 3D printer and and combine the Rolls mixer internals with either a DSS or the Astro internals.
 
Its always gotta be custom!

 

[Stillhart]

  Also at CES, Turtle Beach has their new "Elite 800X". Seems to be an other step up for the wireless people out there.
 
I think I will end up trying out a X7 sometime.
 
Another idea is that I will just design my custom enclosure, print it out on my 3D printer and and combine the Rolls mixer internals with either a DSS or the Astro internals.
 
Its always gotta be custom!

I talked to TB at CES.  No TAC, not even on display, and no ETA.  I can't believe those guys scammed an exclusive deal with MS to do chat over USB and they're squandering it.  That alone makes me actually really dislike TB a lot more than if they'd actually put out a DSS3 or whatever.

 

[inseconds99]

I am going to be purchasing the Sennheiser HD 700 this week, does anyone have any experience with these for gaming? What dac/amp would you recommend for my pc for the HD 700? Also how do the 700's compare to the ma900's in soundstage and bass, reason I ask is because these are the only 2 headphones I wanted because of their supposed comfort levels. There are not much of a difference in price as I can get the 700's $100 more then the ma900.

My goals:
Comfort
Competitive gaming
Bass

Thanks

 

[Stillhart]

I am going to be purchasing the Sennheiser HD 700 this week, does anyone have any experience with these for gaming? What dac/amp would you recommend for my pc for the HD 700? Also how do the 700's compare to the ma900's in soundstage and bass, reason I ask is because these are the only 2 headphones I wanted because of their supposed comfort levels. There are not much of a difference in price as I can get the 700's $100 more then the ma900.

My goals:
Comfort
Competitive gaming
Bass

Thanks

 
The HD700 are pretty good for gaming, if you can deal with the treble spike.  They're super mega comfortable.  
 
If you've read much of the guide, you should know that bass and competitive gaming don't tend to go hand in hand.  Most of the best competitive cans tend to be bass-light.  I'd say the HD700 is right in the middle, an all-arounder.  @Evshrug has gamed with them more than I did.  He can probably elaborate.

 

[inseconds99]

The HD700 are pretty good for gaming, if you can deal with the treble spike.  They're super mega comfortable.  

If you've read much of the guide, you should know that bass and competitive gaming don't tend to go hand in hand.  Most of the best competitive cans tend to be bass-light.  I'd say the HD700 is right in the middle, an all-arounder.  @Evshrug
 has gamed with them more than I did.  He can probably elaborate.

Thank you for the response, yes I have noticed that with bass heavy cans. It doesn't have to be a bass monster but as long it has some bass and isn't like the q701 which is bass light. Also I'm looking to buy this dac/amp http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A2QLPJM/ref=ox_sc_act_image_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2Q0JVLI22BSVA as it is optical and will pass through my sbx surround. Do you think this will power my 700's and is it a good dac/amp? If not could you recommend another?

 

[conquerator2]

I don't think SMSL is the best decision.
Good components? Yep. Price? Sure. Well built and SQ acclaimed? Probably not...
But it's worth a try I guess. Do report back
You would be hard pressed to find a DAC/amp that cheap elsewhere.
Topping is a well acclaimed manufacturer. Muse is not bad. Matrix is good. Gustard is fine. To name a few decent Chinese manufacturers.

 

[inseconds99]

I don't think SMSL is the best decision.
Good components? Yep. Price? Sure. Well built and SQ acclaimed? Probably not...
But it's worth a try I guess. Do report back
You would be hard pressed to find a DAC/amp that cheap elsewhere.
Topping is a well acclaimed manufacturer. Muse is not bad. Matrix is good. Gustard is fine. To name a few decent Chinese manufacturers.

I'm willing to spend more but I watched a review from zeospantera and he said it was amazing. Not sure if he is an employee of smsl but he seems to love this dac/amp.

 

[Styles]

Update real pics of Rolls setup with Astro | Asgrad | HD 650 | XB1
 
_Wired up on desktop_
 

 
 
_Resting mode_
 

 
 
_Monitor out // Gaming mode_
 



 
 
 
_Rack // XB1  |  Cambridge Audio azur 351A hooked up to Audio Engine P4 bamboo speakers_
 

 

[lenroot77]

Update real pics of Rolls setup with Astro | Asgrad | HD 650 | XB1

_Wired up on desktop_





_Resting mode_





_Monitor out // Gaming mode_










_Rack // XB1  |  Cambridge Audio azur 351A hooked up to Audio Engine P4 bamboo speakers_

Very nice "lair" sir!

 

[Evshrug]

Styles,
That is a truely awesome and well-sorted area and setup. It's almost annoying how clean other people's setups look than mine, but really I'm "that kind" of artist whose busy mind is unfortunately reflected in a busy table. Thanks for reminding me that I'd really like to get an articulating arm mount for my display
No meaning to sound creepy, but I'd enjoy watching you stream gameplay while also getting to see you enjoying your custom environment. Stay cool dude!

I am going to be purchasing the Sennheiser HD 700 this week, does anyone have any experience with these for gaming? What dac/amp would you recommend for my pc for the HD 700? Also how do the 700's compare to the ma900's in soundstage and bass, reason I ask is because these are the only 2 headphones I wanted because of their supposed comfort levels. There are not much of a difference in price as I can get the 700's $100 more then the ma900.

My goals:
Comfort
Competitive gaming
Bass

Thanks

I have the HD700 and have heard the MA900, I got a good impression of the MA900's character testing with games/movies/music (tbh I've used the HD700 longer so far but only for gaming, so far!).

The MA900 does have more air to the soundstage (10/10 positional imaging) and has a bit more of an "out of your head" feeling, the Mids were very nice IMO and the sound was not fatiguing which was also combined with lightweight comfort. Pads make contact with your head and touch your ears, but the clamp is light and the headphones so light that you might forget you're wearing them. Bass starts warm, but rolls off extension into subbass and lacks treble sparkle and extension... this has the pros of being pleasant and not fatiguing, but it lacked punch and excitement while streaming Dredd on Netflix and generally for my tastes the MA900 was a bit tame. YMMV, mad thought the bass was great.

The HD700 has a quite full-bodied sound, bass has nice extension and presence but not "OMG" taking over/away from the whole sound. Also has nice mids, treble has an unusual mix of overall not being very bright except for some sounds like cymbals have sparkle, it is exciting but some people find the uneven sparkle spots weird, I don't mind it and feel it was somewhat intentional even if a bit colored. The soundstage and positional imaging capabilities are very good, depth is perceivable, however it has that full-bodied sound instead of that airy-character and imaging is maybe 9/10 for distinct position, some people might find it more "real" and less exaggerated. Weight of the headphone is just shy of double the MA900, but it's still very comfortable and distributes the weight very well so you don't feel a particular sense of pressure, the sculpted earpads fit free of my ears perfectly and the surface texture is one of the least irritating to my skin. Aesthetically gorgeous. Oh, and IMO it would be foolish not to have an amp to bring out the life of the HD700, also the plug is the bigger 1/4" size only and won't fit in portable amps. I use the creative X7 as my DSP/DAC/amp and that combo works admirably (and I play with the EQ), you could also use a home theater receiver, and the HD700 thread has amp suggestions. The HD700 is a big boy headphone, don't let the $100 sale price difference you found confuse you about the quality of the system needed to bring out the potential of the HD700, but when you do the HD700 is on a different level from the MA900.

The HD700's full-bodied sound might be more to your taste, neither have strong bass emphasis but the bass has plenty of quality to appreciate, and the MA900 might be better for hours and hours of gaming. Have you heard the Q701? Those are air-y too, but not bass-shy (just not emphasizing the bass). Either of These don't really have more bass than the Q701, especially once the Q701 pads start to break in from wearing and the oils from your skin, the pair of Q701 I passed along to ZROleaf had great bass presence and we were both impressed with the thunder sound in certain parts of Destiny gameplay (my Q701 were over 2 years old). The MA900 may have a bigger upper-midbass hump emphasis than the stock Q701, but the Q701 and especially K712 had deeper bass extension and had a more exciting sound (sparkly treble helped that too). The HD700 has good extension too, the bass bump isn't really higher but has that thicker body I mentioned.

 

[High Fidelity]

For those of you that run Astro Mixamp + Amp + Headphones with mic, when the mic is not connected do you use the Mixamp alone? Even If I can get satisfying volume with the Mixamp connected to my K7XX sans mic would I get improved sound if I add the Schiit Magni 2 Uber or just louder volume?

 

[inseconds99]

I have the HD700 and have heard the MA900, I got a good impression of the MA900's character testing with games/movies/music (tbh I've used the HD700 longer so far but only for gaming, so far!).

The MA900 does have more air to the soundstage (10/10 positional imaging) and has a bit more of an "out of your head" feeling, the Mids were very nice IMO and the sound was not fatiguing which was also combined with lightweight comfort. Pads make contact with your head and touch your ears, but the clamp is light and the headphones so light that you might forget you're wearing them. Bass starts warm, but rolls off extension into subbass and lacks treble sparkle and extension... this has the pros of being pleasant and not fatiguing, but it lacked punch and excitement while streaming Dredd on Netflix and generally for my tastes the MA900 was a bit tame. YMMV, mad thought the bass was great.

The HD700 has a quite full-bodied sound, bass has nice extension and presence but not "OMG" taking over/away from the whole sound. Also has nice mids, treble has an unusual mix of overall not being very bright except for some sounds like cymbals have sparkle, it is exciting but some people find the uneven sparkle spots weird, I don't mind it and feel it was somewhat intentional even if a bit colored. The soundstage and positional imaging capabilities are very good, depth is perceivable, however it has that full-bodied sound instead of that airy-character and imaging is maybe 9/10 for distinct position, some people might find it more "real" and less exaggerated. Weight of the headphone is just shy of double the MA900, but it's still very comfortable and distributes the weight very well so you don't feel a particular sense of pressure, the sculpted earpads fit free of my ears perfectly and the surface texture is one of the least irritating to my skin. Aesthetically gorgeous. Oh, and IMO it would be foolish not to have an amp to bring out the life of the HD700, also the plug is the bigger 1/4" size only and won't fit in portable amps. I use the creative X7 as my DSP/DAC/amp and that combo works admirably (and I play with the EQ), you could also use a home theater receiver, and the HD700 thread has amp suggestions. The HD700 is a big boy headphone, don't let the $100 sale price difference you found confuse you about the quality of the system needed to bring out the potential of the HD700, but when you do the HD700 is on a different level from the MA900.

The HD700's full-bodied sound might be more to your taste, neither have strong bass emphasis but the bass has plenty of quality to appreciate, and the MA900 might be better for hours and hours of gaming. Have you heard the Q701? Those are air-y too, but not bass-shy (just not emphasizing the bass). Either of These don't really have more bass than the Q701, especially once the Q701 pads start to break in from wearing and the oils from your skin, the pair of Q701 I passed along to ZROleaf had great bass presence and we were both impressed with the thunder sound in certain parts of Destiny gameplay (my Q701 were over 2 years old). The MA900 may have a bigger upper-midbass hump emphasis than the stock Q701, but the Q701 and especially K712 had deeper bass extension and had a more exciting sound (sparkly treble helped that too). The HD700 has good extension too, the bass bump isn't really higher but has that thicker body I mentioned.

Awesome information man, much appreciated. In sticking with the HD 700's. By any chance can you or anyone recommend a good dac/amp. I am on a budget as I am getting there 700's for a very good price. I'm using it for pc gaming and I also enjoy edm, hip hop, metal and pop. Want to keep it under $200 if possible. Would a e10k with its bass boost be good? Modi2/magi2, smsl 793-ii optical, odac/O2?

Also I will need a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter I would assume, anyone have any recommendations?