[autoteleology]

So, thanks to this guide, I've decided that when I get the money for a gaming can, it'll be the HD598. I was willing to go for the AD700's until I read that they were designed for the Jolly Green Giant, and since I have a teeny head, that was just a deal breaker, lol.

And yeah, I sent you an FR, but your friends list is full.

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

So, thanks to this guide, I've decided that when I get the money for a gaming can, it'll be the HD598. I was willing to go for the AD700's until I read that they were designed for the Jolly Green Giant, and since I have a teeny head, that was just a deal breaker, lol.
And yeah, I sent you an FR, but your friends list is full.

That's a great choice!
 
There are some methods of reducing the size leak on the AD700, but when you get the money, you will be much happier with the hd598 anyway.

 

[timbowman1]

I'm reallly confused right now. Reallly confused.
I want to buy my first ever gaming headset for my PC. I usually use stereo or some surround sound speakers that I have (decent).
My budget is around ~140. I would be willing to dish out ~160 IF they are worth it for SURE.
I've done some searching around and I have a couple of headsets in mind. Please give me some advice here, this is my first headphone/headset buy.
 
Creative Aurvana Live
Astros A30
Siberia V2 - (with USB??)
Logitech G930
Logitech F540
Psyko Kripton
Razer Megalodon

Please recommend others if they are better!!

thanks!!!

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

I'm reallly confused right now. Reallly confused.
I want to buy my first ever gaming headset for my PC. I usually use stereo or some surround sound speakers that I have (decent).
My budget is around ~140. I would be willing to dish out ~160 IF they are worth it for SURE.
I've done some searching around and I have a couple of headsets in mind. Please give me some advice here, this is my first headphone/headset buy.
 
Creative Aurvana Live
Astros A30
Siberia V2 - (with USB??)
Logitech G930
Logitech F540
Psyko Kripton
Razer Megalodon

Please recommend others if they are better!!

thanks!!!

Did you even read the original thread?
 
If your budgets $160, reach out and see if you can get either the PC360's or the HD-598's, which ever one you can get for cheaper.
 
If you can get an hd598 for around the same price as the pc360's, get those, and then just buy a cheap clip-on mic from amazon
 

 

[timbowman1]

Quote:

Did you even read the original thread?
 
If your budgets $160, reach out and see if you can get either the PC360's or the HD-598's, which ever one you can get for cheaper.
 
If you can get an hd598 for around the same price as the pc360's, get those, and then just buy a cheap clip-on mic from amazon
 

Okay thanks man! I'm really noob at this stuff. I'm confused as to what Dolby Headphone is. Would that be included with the headphone or would I need to get an amp or something? I know the question probably sounds really stupid..
 
 

 

[Apollo33]

Hi all, first post. Thank you to Mad Lust Envy for all of the reviews and work in this thread! It's definitely appreciated.
 
So, I'm really thinking about getting the Mixamp Pro / PC360 combo. It seems like this is the best you can get if chat is a priority. (I'll be using them with my PS3 for mostly Modern Warfare 3, and I'd like to play team games with a clan.) But I'm also kind of looking for reasons not to spend $350 right now. Here are my questions/concerns.
 
1. Mix Pro is $130 and PC360 is currently $217 on Amazon. Can anyone tell me if the price has dropped a decent amount lower on them recently? I know I've seen the 598s range from $230 down to $175, where they are currently.... Okay I take that back—earlier today they were $175, now they're back to $230! Which reinforces my point of widely varying prices and what I should aim for.
 
2. Will either of them be seeing an upgrade soon? For example, the A40 System 2011 edition was released in January, so could they be releasing a 2012 edition next month with a new Mixamp? (A bass boost would be nice.) And a PC370 (based on the 598?) would mean a good discount on the 360.
 
3. The Mix Pro does drive the PC360s well with chat enabled, unlike the K/Q701, right?
 
4. Are the PC360s just as good as the 595s for music? i.e. they would be a nice upgrade from my HD280s for music? That's one big plus, since I've also been looking at upgrading my music headphones.
 
Thanks if anyone can answer these questions and hopefully they haven't been asked a bunch of times. I really couldn't read through 188 pages.
 
 

 

[Eric_C]

Dolby Headphone is a kind of processing. I understand it to mean "simulating a Dolby surround sound on headphones". It's not possible for it to be in the headphones; it's processing, and strictly speaking, headphones don't process sound. 
(Only a few exceptions may exist, but they would be processors attached to the headphones. Headphones themselves are more like small, passive speakers...)

 

[timbowman1]

Quote:

Dolby Headphone is a kind of processing. I understand it to mean "simulating a Dolby surround sound on headphones". It's not possible for it to be in the headphones; it's processing, and strictly speaking, headphones don't process sound. 
(Only a few exceptions may exist, but they would be processors attached to the headphones. Headphones themselves are more like small, passive speakers...)

Thanks for the nice explanation!

Would it suffice if I bought an Asus Xonar DG along with a pair of PC360s? Anyone have any word on this?
 

 

[Ruahrc]

Finally got around to doing a cable mod on my PC360s.  Now they're even better paired with the mixamp because there isn't a ridiculous 9 foot cord between the two now- just a short 2.5-3ft cable, which is also detachable/interchangeable for a longer cable when I want to (i.e. when using them on my PC).  It was a seriously tricky solder job (for me at least) but I got it done and am happy with the results.  No more tripping hazard yay!
 
BTW I haven't really seen any mention of it here but I did recently have the opportunity to try out the Logitech G930 wireless headset briefly.  My friend bought them as an upgrade to his old headphones and he brought them over for a little to test.  At first I plugged them into my mac which worked without needing drivers, but I could not adjust the sound or test 3D.  In this form, the sound was pretty marginal, as it seemed extremely heavy in the mids.  Like there was a huge peak at 1kHz or something.  Honestly if this test was a true indicator of the headphones' natural response, they seemed pretty tinny and a little disappointing.  However, I am not sure if this test was truly representative because it was hooked into the Mac, with no drivers.  Next we hooked it up to my friend's PC and installed the logitech control software installed and was able to do a little EQ adjustment on them, and they balanced out a lot better.  It could handle good bass without distortion and soundstage was pretty good in a brief test using the opening sequence of Skyrim.  As you pan around while you're riding in the wagon, you can hear the voices from your wagon-mates rotate around you.
 
Features-wise this headset is definitely quite good, with the true all-wireless design and even some programmable buttons on the headset for use in your applications/games.  AFAIK it is only a 2.4GHz transmitter frequency, but the reception never faltered or broke up if I walked anywhere in my apartment (to compare, my Mixamp 5.8+PC360 also works perfectly anywhere in my apt, but the TB PX5's 2.4GHz connection did break up and lose connection in some parts of my apt.)  You can toggle the DH processing via a button/slider on the headset itself so easy to switch between DH and straight stereo for games/music, respectively.  Also, like the PC360, the mic has a handy mute by just lifting it up out of the way, and also has a little red LED on the end of it.  Unfortunately it is only compatible with PCs (Macs too?) since the receiver is USB only.  No separate optical in, maybe if you ran an optical cable from your console into your PC's digital input and then set up the sound output in Windows properly it would work, but there might be decoding issues with that setup too.
 
Comfort-wise they were decent.  Having gotten used to them somewhat, I did prefer my PC360s since they were lighter and I also like the velvet ear pads vs. the faux leather that the G930 has.  But I didn't notice anything particularly unergonomic about the G930.  The earcups are not round/oval, but squarish, and did seem a little smaller than the PC360 so if you have large ears it may be a little awkward or your ear may rub up against the edge of the padding.  I didn't have any trouble with this but YMMV.  This headset is a closed circumaural design and it does isolate exterior sound very well for circumaural headphones.  I was pretty impressed by this.  They feel pretty solid build-wise, at least on par with the PC360s.
 
The only other main criticism I had was that there was clear amp hiss, at least as compared to my PC360+mixamp 5.8 solution.  Like the Turtle Beach PX5 I had tried earlier, you could hear some noise floor when there was no sound playing.  I was not able to do enough testing to see if this impacted quiet passages in games, but I will say subjectively that it was not as severe as the PX5 amp hiss.
 
Anyway it seems like a decent headset if you are a PC-gamer only.  For the price (about the same as a Mixamp 5.8 itself) they seem like a pretty good value, especially if you're looking for a set of totally wire-free headphones.  Their wireless design makes them very convenient to use.  Was surprised they haven't gotten any mention so far in this thread (?) so I thought I'd offer my short experiences.
 
Ruahrc

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

 
1. Mix Pro is $130 and PC360 is currently $217 on Amazon. Can anyone tell me if the price has dropped a decent amount lower on them recently? I know I've seen the 598s range from $230 down to $175, where they are currently.... Okay I take that back—earlier today they were $175, now they're back to $230! Which reinforces my point of widely varying prices and what I should aim for.
 
2. Will either of them be seeing an upgrade soon? For example, the A40 System 2011 edition was released in January, so could they be releasing a 2012 edition next month with a new Mixamp? (A bass boost would be nice.) And a PC370 (based on the 598?) would mean a good discount on the 360.
 
3. The Mix Pro does drive the PC360s well with chat enabled, unlike the K/Q701, right?
 
4. Are the PC360s just as good as the 595s for music? i.e. they would be a nice upgrade from my HD280s for music? That's one big plus, since I've also been looking at upgrading my music headphones.
 
Thanks if anyone can answer these questions and hopefully they haven't been asked a bunch of times. I really couldn't read through 188 pages.
 
 

 
Hey,

1)  Lowest I've seen PC360s drop to is $169 new.  Sometimes used/refurbs pop up on Amazon for a similiar price.  So Aim for ~$170.
 
2)  Probably not.  The A40 "upgrade" was just squishier pads...and it's debatable whether it was even an upgrade, and not a downgrade.  I did hear a rumor that PC360 is coming out with a Console headset, but I dunno....
 
3)  Yes.  I even have the Q701 and the mixamp drives it OK (~40% master volume with game at full balance).
 
4)  Hmm.....HD595s and PC360s are different sounding.  I imagine they would be an improvement over HD280s, but I don't know much about them.  They are super open though and leak like crazy.
 

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

Okay thanks man! I'm really noob at this stuff. I'm confused as to what Dolby Headphone is. Would that be included with the headphone or would I need to get an amp or something? I know the question probably sounds really stupid..
 
 

just buy a used astro mix amp from amazon or ebay, try to find one from a trusted seller.
 
You need it to connect your headphones and get surround sound on console (PS3 or 360), which is the primary use for this thread, but if your a PC gamer, you might want to look into a sound card instead.
 
Dolby headphone is a surround sound decoder unit that allows you to have simulated surround sound for movies and games. 

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

Hi all, first post. Thank you to Mad Lust Envy for all of the reviews and work in this thread! It's definitely appreciated.
 
So, I'm really thinking about getting the Mixamp Pro / PC360 combo. It seems like this is the best you can get if chat is a priority. (I'll be using them with my PS3 for mostly Modern Warfare 3, and I'd like to play team games with a clan.) But I'm also kind of looking for reasons not to spend $350 right now. Here are my questions/concerns.
 
1. Mix Pro is $130 and PC360 is currently $217 on Amazon. Can anyone tell me if the price has dropped a decent amount lower on them recently? I know I've seen the 598s range from $230 down to $175, where they are currently.... Okay I take that back—earlier today they were $175, now they're back to $230! Which reinforces my point of widely varying prices and what I should aim for.
 
2. Will either of them be seeing an upgrade soon? For example, the A40 System 2011 edition was released in January, so could they be releasing a 2012 edition next month with a new Mixamp? (A bass boost would be nice.) And a PC370 (based on the 598?) would mean a good discount on the 360.
 
3. The Mix Pro does drive the PC360s well with chat enabled, unlike the K/Q701, right?
 
4. Are the PC360s just as good as the 595s for music? i.e. they would be a nice upgrade from my HD280s for music? That's one big plus, since I've also been looking at upgrading my music headphones.
 
Thanks if anyone can answer these questions and hopefully they haven't been asked a bunch of times. I really couldn't read through 188 pages.
 
 

hd598 is a clear step up in sound quality, but they are both equally useful for gaming (like sound whoring, hearing footsteps, detail retrieval, etc)
 
If you want a mic attached to your headset and are going to use it for almost nothing but gaming, get the pc360
 
if you want to use it to enjoy music as well and dont mind either not having a mic or buying a clip-on one from amazon, get the hd598
 
id say the hd598 is the better all-purpose option, and the best sounding of the two
 
I found a tritton decoder box for sale on ebay from a big seller http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tritton-Ax-720-Decoder-Box-/320775695172?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item4aafb8ab44#ht_642wt_952
 
It doesnt really say whether it includes cords, but it is said to work properly, so maybe you could inquire whether it comes with the proper cords to run it from the seller and you might have yourself a real bargain right there
 
The tritton mix amp is every bit as good as the astro mixamp, and it actually might power headphones a little better

 

[timbowman1]

Quote:

just buy a used astro mix amp from amazon or ebay, try to find one from a trusted seller.
 
You need it to connect your headphones and get surround sound on console (PS3 or 360), which is the primary use for this thread, but if your a PC gamer, you might want to look into a sound card instead.
 
Dolby headphone is a surround sound decoder unit that allows you to have simulated surround sound for movies and games. 

I am a PC gamer. How would the Asus XONAR DG perform in terms of quality? I'm already hitting my budget with the purchase of the PC360's, I can't afford anything else too expensive.
thanks!!

 

[Vonx]

Having that said, you know, you could just the ax720 combo.
 
its what I use and its more than I even need, sounds great and you can get the whole package brand new for the same price as just a astro mixamp
 
It doesnt sound very good when its not on dolby digital, so it wont be the be all end all do-everything headphone for music and whatnot
 
but if your purpose is mostly gaming, its an amazing place to start, and if you decide you want a better headphone down the road, you know the suggested upline
 
 

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

I am a PC gamer. How would the Asus XONAR DG perform in terms of quality? I'm already hitting my budget with the purchase of the PC360's, I can't afford anything else too expensive.
thanks!!

I don't know hardly anuything about soundcards, since im a console gamer, but from what I understand, those headphones would probably sound pretty damned good on your standard one.
 
I use the Fischer Audio FA-011's for PC gaming when I play stuff like starcraft and League of Legends, and I find that they have just as good if not better positioning and soundstage as my ax720's do on console, and sound better quality as well..
 
I have a very basic sound card that came with my computer, by the way
 
However, I noticed that they dont sound very good through my tritton decoder box on console, which is weird, but I bought them for music enjoyment anyway, and they do wonderfully for that
 
The fact that they do so well for PC gaming was just an added bonus to an already amazing purchase