[TumbleButt]

If its okay to ask, how does the Alpha Prime fair in gaming? I mean, I've ordered one and I'm curious to know how it would fair compared to the Alpha Dogs. I mean, I've read in another review that compared it to the Alpha Dogs (not in Head-fi, though) that it has a bigger soundstage, but I'd like to hear more about it from others as well... since thats just one review

 

[AxelCloris]

I never upgraded from the Alpha Dogs to the Primes, so I cannot comment on how they are for gaming. I'd speculate that they'd be better for competitive gaming than the AD due to many reports that they're a bit brighter, but that's just an assumption. My only time with the Primes has been in a meet environment on gear I didn't know.
 
So far the Ether are absolutely killer for gaming, if you're looking to really stretch the budget.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Not sure I like the idea of the Alpha Dog becoming brighter when Prime'd. Its already flirting with sizzling brightness.

 

[TumbleButt]

I never upgraded from the Alpha Dogs to the Primes, so I cannot comment on how they are for gaming. I'd speculate that they'd be better for competitive gaming than the AD due to many reports that they're a bit brighter, but that's just an assumption. My only time with the Primes has been in a meet environment on gear I didn't know.


 


So far the Ether are absolutely killer for gaming, if you're looking to really stretch the budget.

 
 

Not sure I like the idea of the Alpha Dog becoming brighter when Prime'd. Its already flirting with sizzling brightness.

 


TBH, I kinda wanted a brighter sounding Alpha Dog. I just hope its not Tesla bright.

Oh yeah, @MadLustEnvy, how would you rate the TH900?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

TH900: 5 stars fun, 3 stars competitive.

Sorry that I wasn't able to review them.

I mentioned a while back I'm going to a 5 star system in the future.

5 - amazing ( ***** = EXCELLENT TO AMAZING)
4 - great ( **** = GREAT as in GREAT)
3 - good ( *** = GOOD to VERY GOOD, nothing more, nothing less)
2- bad ( ** = self explanatory, not good)
1 - horrible ( * = avoid at all costs)

No more picking micro-points. People wanting to know how good a headphone is, they read the review, not obsess the points. I may eventually upgrade all the reviews to reflect this, so be aware.

 

[inseconds99]

TH900: 5 stars fun, 3 stars competitive.

Sorry that I wasn't able to review them.

I mentioned a while back I'm going to a 5 star system in the future.

5 - amazing ( ***** = EXCELLENT TO AMAZING)
4 - great ( **** = GREAT as in GREAT)
3 - good ( *** = GOOD to VERY GOOD, nothing more, nothing less)
2- bad ( ** = self explanatory, not good)
1 - horrible ( * = avoid at all costs)

No more picking micro-points. People wanting to know how good a headphone is, they read the review, not obsess the points. I may eventually upgrade all the reviews to reflect this, so be aware.

Awesome man, sometimes the more simple something it the better. Care to rate the comfort? P.S. So far I am not enjoying the MA900's, they are comfortable, yet annoy my ears because they touch and there is something off about the sound. Its hard to explain because the only open headphone I have in my possession to compare them to right now are my HD800's but the MA900's just sound too relaxed and too rolled off in the treble that they seem to lose detail.

 

[Ripkabird98]

You're not gonna find a headset that has great sound for $150. Manufacturers take $50 headphones, slap a mic on them, then sell them as the "OMG GAMING" brand for $200.

Best bet is to get a nice pair of $100 headphones like the Senn HD558 or Audio Technica 700Xs and then get a $10 Zalman clip-on mic or a $40 ModMic. That $110-$140 you spend will blow the doors off any gaming headset you'll find for $150.

@SonnyA85
You may have a bad one, mine is crystal clear... do you have it positioned properly?

Hmm. Ok. The headphones do need to actually be closed back, not open... any suggestions for what might work whilst still offering surround sound and good music quality?

 

[TumbleButt]

TH900: 5 stars fun, 3 stars competitive.



Sorry that I wasn't able to review them.



I mentioned a while back I'm going to a 5 star system in the future.



5 - amazing ( ***** = EXCELLENT TO AMAZING)

4 - great ( **** = GREAT as in GREAT)

3 - good ( *** = GOOD to VERY GOOD, nothing more, nothing less)

2- bad ( ** = self explanatory, not good)

1 - horrible ( * = avoid at all costs)



No more picking micro-points. People wanting to know how good a headphone is, they read the review, not obsess the points. I may eventually upgrade all the reviews to reflect this, so be aware.

 

I see.


And yeah, I like the new grading system.

 

[Malinkadink]

I think i've decided to get an ear force dss, the first iteration is using actual dolby headphone processing and does 5.1 and upscaling to 7.1. DSS2 is not using dolby headphone processing and its only 4.1 surround with a bunch of weird angle presets which i wont need with an hd558, plus the bassboost on the DSS i can see being more useful. My question is will i be able to use the usb out on the DSS to hookup to my pc and get all the audio that goes through the DSS from the console to the pc? 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Comfort for the TH900 is gonna be subjective big time, since it instantly loses points in my book due to not having cloth pads. That's just personal preference. Asides from that, the TH900 is very comfortable, and I'd rate it 4 stars for pretty much everyone. My other gripe it could stand to have a more secured feeling on the head.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Awesome man, sometimes the more simple something it the better. Care to rate the comfort? P.S. So far I am not enjoying the MA900's, they are comfortable, yet annoy my ears because they touch and there is something off about the sound. Its hard to explain because the only open headphone I have in my possession to compare them to right now are my HD800's but the MA900's just sound too relaxed and too rolled off in the treble that they seem to lose detail.

That's because you're too accustomed to the birghter sound of the HD800. The MA900 IS on the smooth side, so DIRECTLY comparing it against something you've loved for awhile that is quite different will be staggering to anyone. This is why I hate to compare two headphones with different sound balances directly. You have to give the MA900 your undivided attention for a week or two so you can let your ears acclimate to the difference.

One does not simply go from something like a Sennheiser to say....a Grado. You will always lean towards one or the other.

Of course, the humongous gap in price, technical tier level is a whole other factor. You have to manage your expectations. You are going from TOTL to a fairly lower mid tier level headphone.

This is how I can go from a Fostex TH900 to a KSC35 without feeling let down.

 

[Yethal]

  I think i've decided to get an ear force dss, the first iteration is using actual dolby headphone processing and does 5.1 and upscaling to 7.1. DSS2 is not using dolby headphone processing and its only 4.1 surround with a bunch of weird angle presets which i wont need with an hd558, plus the bassboost on the DSS i can see being more useful. My question is will i be able to use the usb out on the DSS to hookup to my pc and get all the audio that goes through the DSS from the console to the pc? 

USB on the DSS is just a passthrough, think of it as an extension cord built into the unit.

 

[Ripkabird98]

Also, Mad Lust Envy, you have any opinions on my predicament?

 

[Evshrug]

Yeah, I singled that one out as a point of interest. The Gold too. The bigger driver variants from certain companies sometimes aren't as good as their cheaper models. The Sennheiser Urbanite is one example where the smaller one is regarded as the best one, despite the over ear being bigger and more expensive.

The gold is alright, especially heard by itself. Side-by-side, the Platinum is better detailed, more refined, and the pads are softer. All three of the current Aurvana fullsize headphones have a fair sense of distance but are still fun, a bit recessed in the treble so no fatigue there. The ANC can be a true relief while riding in a car, I put them on with no music for a few hours just to give my ears a break from the loud drone of the road noise. I don't have an apt-x capable bt source, but even AAC encoded audio streams sound pretty great from AAC iTunes files. I haven't tested how they sound over BT with the Onkyo iOS app that lets you playback FLAC files (meaning I don't know how well it down samples high-Rez files on the fly).

Even with a powerful and slightly bright amp, these headphones sound extra dark and weird once the battery dies and you can't "turn on" the headphone.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I don't think they'll go that high for now, so I expect a Soundblaster Jam first (I want to try this one for personal reasons), and maybe one of the SB Evos later.