[Rich887]

It will be fun testing them all out can't wait !

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Do you currently own anything? Trying to gauge your kind of preferences, or what you're used to.

 

[Rich887]

I've owned the X1's for about a year now ... I bought them after your review.. Also the Astro mix amp and the O2 Amp..Then I was interested in trying the Annie's because of your review and then I read Change's review of the AKG K7XX and I figured I'd jump in on the MassDrop. Figures though the 1st set that showed up rattled so they're sending me another pair this week and that leads me to tonight reading your excitement for the TH600 over the weekend .

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Lol, if you follow my every whim, you'll end up with a TH900 before you get a chance to enjoy all the other stuff!

 

[Rich887]

Your probably right LOL ...Thankfully I think after tonight's purchase my wife is gonna keep me in check or threaten me with losing some bodily appendage !

 

[oscarc]

Holy crap, he's going a mile a minute, lol. I suggest keeping the K7XX for the richer mids, returning the X1s, since they have a v shape kinda like the TH600, and are noticeably inferior, in particular, the bass.

As far as the X7 goes, I'm gonna be happy with it eventually once I see it as a dac/amp/virtual surrounnd solution. One that doesn't function well for external devices. Once I get past that, I'll be fine just using the X7 alone.

You probably need more time with it to give a better answer/assessment, but after a couple of days do you think it is worth a $400 investment? I am trying to decide if I want to upgrade from my current MixAmp Pro 2013/O2 combo to an all-in-one solution. For the most part, I will be strictly using it for gaming with the XBOX One and watching tv/movies late at night. Maybe the X7 is overkill for how I would be using it, but would be nice to have just one device to connect my X1 or K7XX to. I recently received my tax refund money back and I am itching to buy something. I guess some of us on here have that same problem....

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Routing everything to the X7's SPDIF in would be the absolute best case scenario in terms of less software headaches. If only I had my U3... I'm really irritated that it just disappeared on me. I do have an SPDIF switcher. That way I would just keep everything simple. I'm not liking the USB functionality on the X7. It's slow and sluggish with the control panel as it goes through so many internal steps when unplugging/inserting headphones. It switches from speaker to headphone mode, it breaks my media files to where I have to restart programs, it lags as I make changes (at times not accepting the changhes and defaulting back).

I mean, it is a hassle. Not to mention you're bound by the control panel if you wanna go from sbx surround to the optimal direct mode whenever you're not playing games. Easy step is to stick to software mode and just toggle SBX off, but it's been known that it isn't as clear and technically proficient when not in direct mode. Basically, I see no reason to ever turn off SBX surround, when if you wanna NOT use it, you're better off going through the extra step of going to Direct mode. Should've been a much faster/easier way to go into direct mode. And I'm not even referring to the Android app which doesn't always accept my commands. It'll switch to direct, then jump back to software mode.

So is it worth it? Soundwise? Yes. The dac and amp are very, very good. SBX is awesome. Just don't try to do too many things, because the software is bound to mess something up, or you'll have to do workarounds like removing/inserting headphones to trick the software into switching.

It needs a firmware update, and fast. One thing they absolutely need to add is a way to disable auto switching from headphone to speakers. This is an absolutely essential.

I think I'm pretty tech savvy. The X7 is a piece of tech that requires a TON of patience. Not sure how long my already thin patience will last. Hell, I was watching a show, and the damn thing randomly cut off one of my channels. Had to remove/plug in headphone to fix it.

Basically, any time you have software problems with the X7, detach the headphone, give it a few seconds, then reattach. Probably going to fix the problem.

 

[Yethal]

I couldn't switch between the speaker taps and the line out. Imagine my surprise when I plugged my Magni to see whether I can hear a difference and the sound was coming literally outside my head.
I'll have to get that extension cable from Recon 3d and use that for chat. Much more elegant solution than thr cable mess I have now.

 

[Fegefeuer]

So the Headphone processing to LINE OUT died with the X-Fi series. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I couldn't switch between the speaker taps and the line out. Imagine my surprise when I plugged my Magni to see whether I can hear a difference and the sound was coming literally outside my head.
I'll have to get that extension cable from Recon 3d and use that for chat. Much more elegant solution than thr cable mess I have now.

What do you mean?

Which I could show you guys all the absolute BS that I'm going through. Then you'd understand why I get so pissed off with this thing.

So I rested for a few hours. Went back online... the X7 isn't responding. None of my media players are working. Disconnected, connected the X7, restarted the X7 control panel....nothing. In order to fix this, I will literally have to restart the PC.

This type of thing is absolutely unnacceptable.

Yes, I'm venting.

Good thing I didn't sell my Mixamp. I'm returning this lump of crap.

AT this point, even if it did EVERYTHING I wanted, the fact that the software is so craptastic, and the fact that restarting the PC is the only TEMPORARY solutions to these problems is just... not my idea of a good product.

Yes, there are positive reviews, but I'm here to give you the OTHER side of what to expect with the X7. Frustrations after frustrations with it's flaky software.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Yep, I'm definitely staying away from this device. I'm 100% secure on the PC but consoles still gotta run with the Mixamp unfortunately. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

You know what's funny though? I don't want anything else. I really want it for the stuff it does do well, like the spdif in. All I can do to mitigate the headache inducing software is to not use the software at all on my PC and stick to using the Android app. It'll at least keep the working stuff like SPDIF in just fine for my console use.

The app isn't perfect, but it works a LOT better than the control panel on PC.

I'm guessing MAC users don't have it as bad.

Already found one problem with the app. On my Nexus 6, if i set it to direct mode, if for any reason I o anywhere that isn't the same screen where Direct is toggled, t automatically goes back to switches direct mode off. Meaning, I can't even let my phone shut the screen of f, as it goes back to the lock screen. Meaning I'm stuck with software mode.

Yeah, I seem to find all the problems with this thing. At this point, it's getting hilarious. I'm not even upset anymore, I'm just sad.

 

[pack21]

I don't use control panel on PC, and I don't know if it work well or not.

Because what i like is controlling my X7 with my smartphone, so good when I'm on couch Viewing my movies, listen my Spotify music or playing on PS4 and be able to answer my phone calls.

In don't have the frustration your have.


My opinion is basically if someone don't have a smartphone, don't buy the X7.....For PC usage buy a internal soundcard.

 

[PacoTaco]

What do you mean?

Which I could show you guys all the absolute BS that I'm going through. Then you'd understand why I get so pissed off with this thing.

So I rested for a few hours. Went back online... the X7 isn't responding. None of my media players are working. Disconnected, connected the X7, restarted the X7 control panel....nothing. In order to fix this, I will literally have to restart the PC.

This type of thing is absolutely unnacceptable.

Yes, I'm venting.

Good thing I didn't sell my Mixamp. I'm returning this lump of crap.

AT this point, even if it did EVERYTHING I wanted, the fact that the software is so craptastic, and the fact that restarting the PC is the only TEMPORARY solutions to these problems is just... not my idea of a good product.

Yes, there are positive reviews, but I'm here to give you the OTHER side of what to expect with the X7. Frustrations after frustrations with it's flaky software.

I've had issues with the auto-switch to speakers if a headphone is plugged in thing but this one is new. I've also experienced it auto-muting if you turn it on while speakers are plugged in, but that one seemed more like an "on purpose for safety" kind of thing. Did you try reinstalling the drivers?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I just did. I'm gonna give it a few days of adjusting to it's 'quirks'.

So, I guess for the whole Android app always defaulting back to software mode and kicking off direct mode, I'm starting to understand why. Direct mode is for straight usb signal use and directly contradicts with the use of the app to begin with, since the app is bluetooth based, so going direct (aka turning off all processing except whatever direct mode you're using) would essentially turn off the app use, which is why you're not allowed to use direct mode when using the app...

Basically... if you're using the X7 for PC through USB, don't count on using the cleanest signal (direct mode) if you're using the phone app.

At least that 'issue' makes sense, and isn't an issue. The only way it will become an issue is if you have the app on, even if you're using the PC control panel. I suggest not using the app when doing some PC music listening. Direct mode does sound better, so the headache is worth it.

All the other quirks, that's gonna take time to address.

Note: Using the SPDIF direct DOES NOT TOGGLED OFF EVEN WITH APP USE. So as long as your optical source is set to stereo, you can use direct mode (of course this is a hassle for PS4 use, as you'll most likely always have dolby on, meaning direct mode goes silent). Still, if for some reason you have an spdif source that you are using and is stereo (I'm testing my laptop's optical out atm), spdif mode will work with the phone app without switching off, unlike the other direct mode (usb).

Aren't you guys glad I'm testing out stuff that other people didn't mention?

It's a damn shame there is only one optical input. My spdif switcher is causing pops and crackles, so I have to manually switch from ps4 to pc when using the optical. If only my optical on pc had a 5.1 output, that way I could just play games with sbx without relying on the iffy usb connection.