[TeeReQs]

   
Thank you - what happens re mic/voice comms when using those options - VModa/Phillips has a single 3.5mm connection, while the GSP300 have separate Mic/Audio jacks - I'm concerned voice chat won't get transmitted using the Schiit and everything I've read regarding voice via the X7 seems complicated and inconclusive?

Voice chat on the X7 for PS4 is really simple as long as you have the bluetooth dongle (Creative BT-W2 or similar). You just plug headphones and mic into the X7 like you would on PC. Xbox One is where the voice chat becomes a bit of a wire mess, but the ability is there. There's some really good reference images on the front page and throughout this thread on how to hook everything up.
 
Here's the post:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-3-18-2016-mrspeakers-ether-c-1-1-added/33825#post_12251459

 

[Yethal]

  I recently got the audeze el-8s open from a friend and the clamp is a bit to much for me, is there another headphone around the $400 mark that you guys could recommend? I was thinking about getting the shure 1840s.

Have them for six months now. You need to ask yourself, what is more important, soundstage or bass. If it's the soundstage then go buy them because its fenomenal. If its bass then maybe look for something else because these cans are rather bass light. You might want to pair them with the SRH1540 pads which add more bass at the cost of mids and soundstage.

 

[xela3]

Have them for six months now. You need to ask yourself, what is more important, soundstage or bass. If it's the soundstage then go buy them because its fenomenal. If its bass then maybe look for something else because these cans are rather bass light. You might want to pair them with the SRH1540 pads which add more bass at the cost of mids and soundstage.

Thanks, I've used the akg k7xx and the had 598 in the past and really liked both. Overall do you think the hd600/650 or shures would be better for the price.

 

[Yethal]

Thanks, I've used the akg k7xx and the had 598 in the past and really liked both. Overall do you think the hd600/650 or shures would be better for the price.

If You liked the 598 then You're gonna love the Shures, very similar sound signature. As for the HD650 it's kinda difficult to compare those two since the Massdrop version (HD6XX) goes for 200$.

 

[xela3]

If You liked the 598 then You're gonna love the Shures, very similar sound signature. As for the HD650 it's kinda difficult to compare those two since the Massdrop version (HD6XX) goes for 200$.

I saw on amazon the hd600 goes for about $200 used while the shures are a bit over $400

 

[Yethal]

I saw on amazon the hd600 goes for about $200 used while the shures are a bit over $400

That settles it as far as the price goes.

 

[xela3]

That settles it as far as the price goes.

Alright thanks for the advice hd600 it is I suppose.

 

[Yethal]

Alright thanks for the advice hd600 it is I suppose.

Don't get me wrong, 1840 are great headphones. I'm really happy with mine and I have no problem recommending them. But we can't skip over the 200+ usd price difference.

 

[BetaWolf]

Not sure where basic stereo and 2.0 tracks came into the conversation, about the X7?

Lets say some source device sends 6-channels (5.1) of encoded (Dolby compressed) digital audio thru an optical cable into the X7.
The X7 then uses it's DDL feature to convert the 6-channels of encoded (compressed) audio into 6-channels of PCM (un-compressed) audio,
Then the X7 takes the 6-channel of PCM digital audio and converts it into 2-channel of SBX Headphone surround sound, which it sends to the headphones (headphones are really a just tiny 2.0 speaker setup).

Modern Blu-ray disks (3D or 2D) will normally send video (and audio) thru HDMI (lots of bandwidth).
HDMI can carry up to 8-channel of 24-bit/192K of PCM audio.

S/PDIF (optical/coaxial) can carry 2-channels of PCM (24-bit/96k or 24bit/192K) of digital audio or up to 6-channel of encoded (compressed) 24-bit/48K of digital audio.

BetaWolf, just did some rereading of some of your earlier posts.
I think your equating fancy marketing terms (Dolby Digital 5.1) to what features are truly included in a product.
Some manufacturer pay a small royalty to Dolby to use one of Dolby's many audio features, but the manufacturer gets to label their product Dolby Digital 5.1.
So both the down-mixing DAC maker and the Creative get to label their products Dolby Digital 5.1, but may not really using the exact same Dolby features (but maybe very related).

I could make a wild guess the down-mixing device is just taking the main 2.0 Front Speaker channels and spicing up the audio with bits from the other four channels (center, sub, right and left rears).
Where as the X7 has all 6-channel fully separated and ready to be converted into SBX headphone surround sound

Just want to say thanks for this detailed, thought out reply. I was confused on so many things. I was hoping I could get something like a discrete DAC and audio processor to encode PCM 7.1 or 5.1 into a headphone surround technology, then send it to an amp via line out. The Wii U has 5.1, but not Dolby. Shame nothing like that exists.

I still may get something like that for PC though. Thanks again.

 

[Yethal]

Just want to say thanks for this detailed, thought out reply. I was confused on so many things. I was hoping I could get something like a discrete DAC and audio processor to encode PCM 7.1 or 5.1 into a headphone surround technology, then send it to an amp via line out. The Wii U has 5.1, but not Dolby. Shame nothing like that exists.

I still may get something like that for PC though. Thanks again.

Smyth Realizer and Tritton Katana operate on raw lpcm stream so should work with Wii U.

 

[BetaWolf]

Okay, two more questions. Is there a good HDTV receiver that is economical that people recommend that performs virtual surround?

And does virtual 7.1 give any better accuracy than virtual 5.1?

 

[Yethal]

Okay, two more questions. Is there a good HDTV receiver that is economical that people recommend that performs virtual surround?

And does virtual 7.1 give any better accuracy than virtual 5.1?

There is an entire thread here somewhere dedicated to Dolby Headphone on Marantz receivers. As for the 5.1 vs 7.1 difference there is none.

 

[Vader2k]

Okay, two more questions. Is there a good HDTV receiver that is economical that people recommend that performs virtual surround?

And does virtual 7.1 give any better accuracy than virtual 5.1?

 
Yeah, I use an older Marantz receiver (SR6005) that outputs Dolby Headphone and it works really well.  As Yethal mentioned, I put together a list of all the models I could find that had DH processing, which you can read here.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Okay, two more questions. Is there a good HDTV receiver that is economical that people recommend that performs virtual surround?

And does virtual 7.1 give any better accuracy than virtual 5.1?

 
Chances are whatever box you use for TV (Comcast, Direct TV, Wave, etc) has the opinion of outputting surround sound.
I doubt your TV provider sends more then 6-channels (5.1) digital audio, no 8-channel (7.1).

 

[themrmikemcd]

I really like the 810c. It was a main contender for me about half a year ago, but I wanted smaller and went with the 830c at the time, but man, the IPS panel on the 830c was so awful and washed out. The video processing and upscaling was perfect though. The 810c would've been perfect if I wanted 55" back then. I didn't have much interest in HDR, and the 810c had a VA panel which was ideal.

In the end, all my plans flew out the window and I ended up with a 55" anyways, and I started getting invested in HDR. So I guess buying the 810c back then probably would've left me sour. But not mad. It's the best bang for buck TV without HDR.

Just as a Tv the 810c is awesome! I cant quite get the contrast and or sharpness just right and i feel like i am more often than not getting fuzz or over saturated little artifacts on solid colors in videogames. Blurays look fantastic and clear, but with gaming I seem to have some kind of grain in solid colored or bright scenes. Might be the games themselves? Hard to explain. Streaming on netflix is hit or miss. But I know that is most likely the streaming or source material. I need to buy a calibration CD.

I dont notice lag at all on this tv in non gaming modes. I hate the colors and display in game mode. Im all about the emersion with gaming and dont care about lag time. I often game in standard or custom mode and try to tweak settings manually.