[DCB305]

 
Quote:

MLE: Thanks for your swift reply, so iam pretty much happy now just choosing between the two you said, will consult my partner hehe.
But whilst iam here can i just ask...

Your K701 thoughts are obviously eye catching with such words as SMACKDOWN & OWNAGE... So what made you recommend the DT990 Pros over the K701 for me?

Lastly, as it's the better choice for me to get the DSS2 not the mixamp, what about the power if i went for the DT770 pro? Should i get the 250 instead of the 80? It's the same price, so is the power there & will there be much difference?
----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
DCB305: Thanks for your input too, my setup is a messy custom thing and not something i can be bothered to go into lol, but i have had a look at the DSS2 you mentioned, i haven't actually come accross that, thinking that the mixamp was the solution... As it's cheaper than the mixamp & just as fitting to me, i think that's what iam going to get instead now... For the soundwhoring, couple EQ bits & as you said it has got the power too, it's all good for me.

So to confirm... I shall be getting the DSS2 & you mentioned it has enough power to blast your PC360's louder than you need, so do you have any idea about the 80 or 250 ohm versions iam looking at?

Thanks again!

 
Well I'm not completely sure on how well it will drive the DT990's, but here are some specs on the two units.
 
 
Astro Mixamp specs:
 
Quote:

We asked Aron Drayer, marketing director at Astro Gaming, what is the highest impedance the Astro MixAmp can provide for using third party headsets and headphones, and he told us:
 
 

"We have no upper impedance issues. Our minimum impedance is 16ohms. MixAmp specs all at 1K: 93 mW into 16 ohms, 56mW into 32 ohms, 40mW into 50 ohms with <.1% THD+N."

 
Turtle Beach DSS2 specs:
 
 
Quote:

Headphone Output: 3.5mm (90mW@16 ohms)

 
 
Based on this information I would assume that if the mixamp can drive them then the DSS2 can too as they both put out a similar load at 16 ohms, but I could not find any information in regards to the DSS2 driving higher impedance headphones. I am sure another forum member in this thread can help you out with that better than I. FWIW the PC360 are 50 ohm and like I said earlier the DSS2 has no problem with them.
 

 

[Snow Blind]

Now how is the DSS2, honestly?  I hear so many say that the original DSS sounds much better and that the MixAmp blows the DSS2 away?  In the market and deciding between the DSS2 and MixAmp.

 

[mindstarr]

Do Denon D7000/D5000/D2000 have Dolby Headphone?

 

[TMRaven]

Dolby headphone is a feature that's on many sound processors, not the headphones themselves.

 

[DCB305]

 
Quote:

Now how is the DSS2, honestly?  I hear so many say that the original DSS sounds much better and that the MixAmp blows the DSS2 away?  In the market and deciding between the DSS2 and MixAmp.

 
Can't comment on the Astro mixamp or the original TB DSS, don't have one and never heard one either, although many seem to really like the Astro mixamp. As for the DSS2 I am definitely satisfied with it. I previously had the Tritton ax720 which is good, but had some noise (a hiss that was audible in quiet scenes). I have since handed that down to my nephew, since I have been able to get the chat ability with the DSS2 through using the Syba audio adapter (This works for PS3, not sure if there is a solution for chatting on Xbox360 unless you use a TB headset, although I think I have read that you can connect a clip on mic straight to the xbox remote).
 
As for the DSS2:

1. There is no audible noise , at least that I can hear.
2. The EQ presets are a pretty nice feature, set to mid boost it definitely makes sound whoring easier for me.
3. The positional audio is good, as far as the surround angles I can't really discern too much of a difference on the different settings, but I use the 3rd setting as standard.
4. As far as power, it's definitely not as powerful as the tritton ax720 decoder, but per the specs is close to what the mixamp outputs. (Mixamp 93mW@ 16ohms; DSS2 90mW @ 16ohms)
5. It allows an auxillary mix in, you can connect an mp3 or whatever and mix it into your gameplay like the Astro.
6. It doesn't have a voice/game volume mixer like the astro, so you have to adjust that through the game settings.
7. It's plastic, so it's definitely not as robust as the Astro.

 
For the price I am definitely satisfied with it's performance. I too was looking into getting the Astro, but I just thought that it was too expensive IMO for what I was needing it for. The reason I went with the DSS2 at the time was 1) the price 2) the EQ (basically put it over the top for me).
 
 

 

[mindstarr]

 
Quote:

Dolby headphone is a feature that's on many sound processors, not the headphones themselves.

 
I see, thanks. I read a Wikipedia entry (link below) and it listed out some headphones like Astro A40,  etc so that's why I was confused:
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Headphone
 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

That's because the A40s are typically sold with the Mixamp, which is the Dolby Headphone device I, and quite a few others here use to add to all our headphones for gaming.

 

[Snow Blind]

Quote:

I have been able to get the chat ability with the DSS2 through using the Syba audio adapter (This works for PS3, not sure if there is a solution for chatting on Xbox360 unless you use a TB headset, although I think I have read that you can connect a clip on mic straight to the xbox remote).

I did see that the DSS2 does not have a dedicated mic input.  So i'm guessing you must use a gaming headset with mic to have chat capability?  I have both a 360 and PS3, will be gaming on both and MUST have chat capability for BF3 MW3 on the 360... PS3 I don't need chat.  What are my options for chat with the DSS2 on 360?  Would a clip on mic and SteelSeries controller adapter work?  
 
Also... cant find those old LabTec mic's everyone used to hack up and stick on their ear cup... any new, better clip on mics?  Been out of the "game" for a little.

 

[DCB305]

 
Quote:

I did see that the DSS2 does not have a dedicated mic input.  So i'm guessing you must use a gaming headset with mic to have chat capability?  I have both a 360 and PS3, will be gaming on both and MUST have chat capability for BF3 MW3 on the 360... PS3 I don't need chat.  What are my options for chat with the DSS2 on 360?  Would a clip on mic and SteelSeries controller adapter work?  
 
Also... cant find those old LabTec mic's everyone used to hack up and stick on their ear cup... any new, better clip on mics?  Been out of the "game" for a little.

 
I only have PS3 and I game using the PC360, but with the setup i have (DSS2 + syba) I can connect pretty much any headphone and mic combination as one would use with the mixamp. ( I have used the zalman mic i had sitting around and it works fine with my setup)
 
In regards to chatting on the xbox IDK if the steelseries controller adapter would work (seems like it would work, but IMO I do not think it is needed, unless you want a switch to turn your mic on and off and for $39.99 not worth it, might as well get the Astro mixamp)  I do not have Xbox 360, but see below quote for a possible solution:
 
Quote:

I also use chat on xbox by just plugging a clip on mono mic directly into the controller and it works fine. In the voice preferences I set chat audio to 10, game audio to 8, and play voice out of both the headset and speakers. In the game, I set usually set master volume to around 50%. This is for those of us that don't have a mixamp but still want to use voice chat.

As far as mic's, I have heard  the Antilon mod mic referenced around here as a good mic or the deal extreme mic.
 

 

[DCB305]

BTW my set up for DH gaming on the PS3, Turtle Beach DSS2 $79.99 and the Syba audio adapter $8.76 :

 

[Naingolann]

Gotta grab that syba thingy asap. I have the DSS, but never thought of buying that. Thanks for the suggestion DCB305!
 

 

[Snow Blind]

Hmm... so this Syba adapter can't be rigged with a wire to the controller in some manner?  There is gotta be some solid way to get a DSS2 to work with chat on a 360!

 

[chicolom]

Turtle Beach should just man up and make a dolby headphone mixer for third party headsets.  They only want to sell stuff that people will use with their headsets. They lose business to Astro because people get referred there as soon as they mention needing chat.  Just add a mic in, a 2.5mm out, and a mixing knob on the next DSS...

 

[DCB305]

Quote:

Hmm... so this Syba adapter can't be rigged with a wire to the controller in some manner?  There is gotta be some solid way to get a DSS2 to work with chat on a 360!

 
Is this not an option for you?
Quote:

I also use chat on xbox by just plugging a clip on mono mic directly into the controller and it works fine. In the voice preferences I set chat audio to 10, game audio to 8, and play voice out of both the headset and speakers. In the game, I set usually set master volume to around 50%. This is for those of us that don't have a mixamp but still want to use voice chat.

 
From what I know there are 2 ways to hook up a mic to the ps3 usb and bluetooth and only 1 way to hook up a mic to the xbox and that is through the controller. If anyone out there knows more about this please chime in. Ok, so from what I understand it is the xbox controller that handles the voice/chat wirelessly with the xbox 360. I'm not sure if you can hook up a usb mic to the xbox (my thinking is no) if so I would assume you can use the syba in the same fashion as I do with the PS3. But if the above post by Calpis works than why not hook up the mic direct to the xbox controller?
 
 
 

 

[DCB305]

Quote:

Turtle Beach should just man up and make a dolby headphone mixer for third party headsets.  They only want to sell stuff that people will use with their headsets. They lose business to Astro because people get referred there as soon as they mention needing chat.  Just add a mic in, a 2.5mm out, and a mixing knob on the next DSS...

Agreed, they would sell a lot more of them I'd imagine if they did it would be just as expensive as the Astro mixamp, but I love competition in the market place should drive prices down and push quality up.
 
Until then I am happy with my setup for just under $90.00.