[chicolom]

Quote:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/16/tritton-ax-pr-plus-discrete-5-1-gaming-headset/
Sigh, instead of updating the AX720 with better drivers, or design, they decide to update the stupid nonsense known as the Ax Pro.

 
Meh. 
 
At least their Warheads are finally coming out.  Engadget doesn't seem that impressed though:

 

 
"To throw it out there from the start, the Warhead 7.1 sounds very good, but it's no match for what Turtle Beach and Astro Gaming are offering. Compared to the A50 we have on hand, the Warhead lacks the crisp fidelity one might expect in this price range -- and it's especially noticeable during music playback....
 
...There was also a bit more signal noise with the Warhead, but nothing that wasn't drowned out by in-game audio. It's not to say that it sounds terrible in comparison, but as with the fit, the audio quality falls short of the competition.
 
...We'd say in general, the highs on the Warhead seem a bit veiled, but this is apparently Tritton's preferred tuning so that effects like gun shots sound fuller. Overall, we can't help but make the common note that it almost feels as there was a dampener between our ears and the headset, making for muddiness instead of crispness.
 
...Notably, the headphones have a fairly wide soundstage reminiscent of the AX720, so with Dolby Headphone enabled, the directionality offered by the Warhead in games like Modern Warfare 3 is top-notch. Still, every time we moved up to the A50, we felt closer to using a proper speaker system than having headphones on."
 
 
It doesn't bode well for the Warheads when the A50s A40s sound like they have a large soundstage in comparison, but compared to some hi-fi headphones the Astros are really more medium-sized in the soundstage department.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, I checked AVS once all this was talked about. The Warheads look like a flop, sound quality-wise. Too bad.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

Yeah, I checked AVS once all this was talked about. The Warheads look like a flop, sound quality-wise. Too bad.

 
Ya, I hate to say "I told you so" to anyone that expected them to be good - but just look at them.  As soon as they revealed the prototype design, I groaned.  How good can it sound when it looks like a pair of plastic Batman™ toy headphones.  They're not only closed, they have a battery stuffed in the ear cup. 
 

 
 
Dear Gaming Headset Makers,
 
    Not ALL Gamers are Space Cadets, so please worry about your audio before you worry about whether your design is hardcore/elite/pro enough to satisfy even the most hardcore/elite/pro gamers.
 

 

[calpis]

I had the chance to buy those Psykos for $50... I still passed.

 

[genclaymore]

You could had bought them and sold them for more to some one else , not that I would do it.

 

[ruuku]

Boy am I glad I found this site when I did... I have a $50 down payment for a pair of Warheads. The sad part is that Tritton/Madcatz may still make a profit on the features of the product rather than its performance. I think one key feature will be the ability for true untethered wireless chat. A friend was looking at the warhead, but if its that bad in the SQ, then I'll try and steer him to the PX5/XB500. 

 

[calpis]

Quote:

You could had bought them and sold them for more to some one else , not that I would do it.

 
Nah, I knew I could of but it's not worth it for $30 and the guilt I would get from flipping something obviously bad.

 

[ZeneticX]

any comments for the plantronics gamecon 777 ?
 
 
was considering that or the siberia V2 frost

 

[Grymok]

Hello all, i'm new here
Thanks for the REALLY sweet guide Mad Lust Envy!!
 
I have been searching for some nice cans for ALONG time, but can't decide .
I have bought the Panasonic HTF600E-S because of the really nice reviews around the internet! They are really some nice phones, with sweet quality in sound for the price. They are very sweet for music and such, but when it comes to my FPS games(BF3) i can't really get any good surround position in the phones :S.
I got an X-fi sound card(followed with my asus rampage II extreme Motherboard) and then an Denon avr1912 reciever for my speaker setup.
Not sure if it's the cans or my setup there fails, but anyway i'm looking for some new cans
 
I have been looking ALOT on the Beyerdynamic dt770 80 ohm, DT 990(not sure which model :S) and then the Sennheiser HD598.
But really can't decide which one. I'm willing to pay for the quality, but again, not as much as the d7000 .
But not exactly sure if i need another sound card or an Mixamp plus one of the three cans above?..
 
Alittle hand would be appreciated
Have a nice saturday

[size=1.7em]  [/size]

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

So I got my Ultimate Ears 500 yesterday.

They only cost $45, come with the silicone AND a pair of Comply foam tips (though I have a box of comply foam tips I got for the Monster Turbines that did not work well for them.)

The stock tips to gives me that terrible airplane pressure feel, so those tips are absolutely unusable for me.

I put the Comply foam tips on (both the ones that came with it and the ones I already had), and I was surprised that it didn't destroy the SQ like they did with the Turbines (the sound on the Turbines became pure mud and bass when using the foam tips, with absolutely no treble or other details). Dunno what the UE 500 did, but the treble still remained beautifully sparkly, the bass was just a hint deeper, and details were still basically the same.

Love the fact that they have flat cables too.

If I could compare their tonal balance to any full sized headphones, I'd say a cross between the DT880 and DT990 without the full sized soundstage or treble edginess. The bass was emphasized (more than the DT880, but not DT990 strong), the mids were akin to the DT880, and the treble was slightly less than both, meaning their is no jarring edge to them, though they are still sparkly.

For $45, these are just fantastic. They also sound fantastic with the Sony Hybrid tips I also have....



Dunno why the bass is so ridiculous looking on the graphs, but that isn't true to what you'll hear. Also, the treble was airier and sparklier than the Turbines, unlike what the graphs show. The mids are identical to the DT880 on the graph, which is how I remember it.

Unlike every IEM I have owned, the UE500 needs absolutely no equalizing for me. They sound just spot on in stock form (foam tips or Sony hybrids, stock tips sound too damn treble oriented, though I believe it's just personal fitting issues). That's saying something about their sound signature.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Hello all, i'm new here
Thanks for the REALLY sweet guide Mad Lust Envy!!
 
I have been searching for some nice cans for ALONG time, but can't decide .
I have bought the Panasonic HTF600E-S because of the really nice reviews around the internet! They are really some nice phones, with sweet quality in sound for the price. They are very sweet for music and such, but when it comes to my FPS games(BF3) i can't really get any good surround position in the phones :S.
I got an X-fi sound card(followed with my asus rampage II extreme Motherboard) and then an Denon avr1912 reciever for my speaker setup.
Not sure if it's the cans or my setup there fails, but anyway i'm looking for some new cans
 
I have been looking ALOT on the Beyerdynamic dt770 80 ohm, DT 990(not sure which model :S) and then the Sennheiser HD598.
But really can't decide which one. I'm willing to pay for the quality, but again, not as much as the d7000 .
But not exactly sure if i need another sound card or an Mixamp plus one of the three cans above?..
 
Alittle hand would be appreciated
Have a nice saturday

[size=1.7em]  [/size]

Which Creative X-Fi model ? Xtreme Gamer? Titanium (non-HD)? Titanium HD? or other?

 

[ruuku]

Quote:

Hello all, i'm new here
Thanks for the REALLY sweet guide Mad Lust Envy!!
 
I have been searching for some nice cans for ALONG time, but can't decide .
I have bought the Panasonic HTF600E-S because of the really nice reviews around the internet! They are really some nice phones, with sweet quality in sound for the price. They are very sweet for music and such, but when it comes to my FPS games(BF3) i can't really get any good surround position in the phones :S.
I got an X-fi sound card(followed with my asus rampage II extreme Motherboard) and then an Denon avr1912 reciever for my speaker setup.
Not sure if it's the cans or my setup there fails, but anyway i'm looking for some new cans
 
I have been looking ALOT on the Beyerdynamic dt770 80 ohm, DT 990(not sure which model :S) and then the Sennheiser HD598.
But really can't decide which one. I'm willing to pay for the quality, but again, not as much as the d7000 .
But not exactly sure if i need another sound card or an Mixamp plus one of the three cans above?..
 
Alittle hand would be appreciated
Have a nice saturday

[size=1.7em]  [/size]

Another HP you might want to consider is the AKG Q701. I haven't heard the Senns or the 770s, but I have both the DT990Pro and Q701s, and for gaming I hands down suggest the Qs. The soundstage is much, much larger. Coming from the AX720s the bass on either of these isn't overpowering to the point of losing positioning, but the Q's are a bit milder in this sense. 
To me, in FPS, sound stage is the most important quality in a HP, followed closely by positioning, which reflects my prefrence.
Sorry not too informed about soundcards... do you know if your sound card supports DH? If not you might want to consider an upgrade (the asus Xonar comes pretty highly reccomended around here), or picking up an external DH/THX decoder like the Mixamp, DSS, ecetera, as this will certainly help with gaming. 

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

Sorry not too informed about soundcards... do you know if your sound card supports DH? If not you might want to consider an upgrade (the asus Xonar comes pretty highly reccomended around here), or picking up an external DH/THX decoder like the Mixamp, DSS, ecetera, as this will certainly help with gaming. 

 
If he has a proper X-Fi card, he has CMSS-3D Headphone. No need for Dolby Headphone.

 

[ruuku]

Thanks for clearing that up Nameless... is the soundcard HP output on that card enough to power the listed 'phones? Other than the final choice of HP, that would be my other concern.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

Thanks for clearing that up Nameless... is the soundcard HP output on that card enough to power the listed 'phones? Other than the final choice of HP, that would be my other concern.

 
Depends on the card. For instance, the X-Fi Forte and HomeTheater HD claim to have headphone amps while the Titanium HD allegedly doesn't, but I don't notice any dramatic difference between them...not that I've tried any really demanding dynamic headphones out of it, because I don't have any and don't have plans to buy any, either.
 
I don't think they'd sound bad, even unamped; at least you're going to hear something.
 
Note that I don't put too much stock into headphone amplifers integrated into sound cards, since they're all useless to me as a budding Stax/electrostatic enthusiast. Better to match the amp to your headphones of choice anyway, instead of trying to match the headphones to your sound card's amp.