[Mad Lust Envy]

I don't believe in op amp BS myself. Having heard the stock op amp vs the MOON op amp (which gives a tube like sound) and ACSS... the differences were so slight, it was not worth thinking any more about it.

Chico, you'd want something like the C-2.2 as far as Audio-GD amps go. Its a pure amp with analog inputs, but it also costs more than the NFB5.

 

[crzycuyler]

Quote:

Well geez, the HD700 are supposed to be most of the way to the HD800, open, great soundstage, so even without hearing them, if you can get them at a steal, they'll greatly outperform Astros or the other headphones you originally considered when you first got here

You might be the one to write the gaming review on them. In light of my financial emergency, however, I will say make sure you aren't overreaching your budget. Also, while music audio is increasing with the sky as the limit, gaming audio has in a few cases taken a step back, and consoles are even more limited than computer gaming. But yeah, those HD700 may be your forever cans. The W1000X are very luxurious, but you gotta know what you're getting into with the headband, closed back, and the highly likely obsessive habit of cleaning and polishing them, probably best for music and for someone who is experienced to know what sound signature they are looking for.

Well, I always forget to mention I am looking for immersive gameplay and not competitive. I also listen to plenty of music. I know these headphones are hugely different. I am considering them as stable mates. I heard them both today in a fairly noisy shop. I liked both. The W1000X had fairly exciting bass. I felt happy with the mids and most of the bass on the HD700s, but I am reading many complaints about their upper register. Hmmmm... I want to compare the Q701 to the HD700, as the Q701 has been recommended seriously.

 

[I95North]

Oh well got a new recon usb 3d yesterday but did not have time to try it out until now. I'd have to say it seemed to work out ok for some time but when i pressed scout mode the varying up and down volume " pumping or surging action " started even with this new recon i received. The only game i play  is MW3 xbox360 multiplayer. It seems that scout mode and thx have some sort of volume altering/compression scheme going on within the device when either mode is active??. 
 
 It also seems that when i don't use either mode the varying volume syndrome is reduced but still present ever so slightly. I assume that neither mode is active when neither the THX light or the RECON light is lit up on the device?..
 
 Very strange phenomenon i seem to hear maybe its all in my head but this is my second unit and they both exhibit the same symptoms.. Oh well i will try out battle field 3 and ghost recon future soldier and see how the recon does.. Maybe the recon just does not like MW3 on my xbox360 console?? . 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Nothing likes MW3, including the Mixamp.

 

[Calikeane]

Wow. This thread is impressive.

At first I was a little scared for my recent headphone purchase when I read your recommendations and did not see my cans listed! I looked down to your specific review and saw that, thank god, you gave it a glowing review, like I was under the impression it was capable of. I love my HD598s for music and looks, but I bought them for gaming. I have not gotten my new computer, therefore I haven't tried them yet.

Any particular reason why they don't qualify as a top recommendation? Is it the comfort issue?

 

[Eric_C]

Quote:

Any particular reason why they don't qualify as a top recommendation? Is it the comfort issue?

 
The 598? It is a top recommendation--for competitive. MLE can't place it in "Fun" since it's not very bassy, which naturally precludes it from making the "All-rounder" list too. Comfort didn't seem to factor too heavily into his rating scale; it was just a sidenote about his experience with the fit, but fit is very subjective anyway.

 

[Evshrug]

Oh well got a new recon usb 3d yesterday but did not have time to try it out until now. I'd have to say it seemed to work out ok for some time but when i pressed scout mode the varying up and down volume " pumping or surging action " started even with this new recon i received. The only game i play  is MW3 xbox360 multiplayer. It seems that scout mode and thx have some sort of volume altering/compression scheme going on within the device when either mode is active??. 

 It also seems that when i don't use either mode the varying volume syndrome is reduced but still present ever so slightly. I assume that neither mode is active when neither the THX light or the RECON light is lit up on the device?..

 Very strange phenomenon i seem to hear maybe its all in my head but this is my second unit and they both exhibit the same symptoms.. Oh well i will try out battle field 3 and ghost recon future soldier and see how the recon does.. Maybe the recon just does not like MW3 on my xbox360 console?? . 

Scout mode makes quiet sounds louder and loud sounds quieter. I would definitely say that mode isn't for everyone, but I liked it when I played with the volume low. Most of the time, stick to THX.

You either enable scout mode OR thx. Can't do both simultaneously, activating one switches off the other.

Rear positioning cues aren't going to play as loudly as side or front cues. The rear cues are simulated by (i think) a touch of occlusion, a touch less volume, and a bit of delay on the far ear if the sound isn't exactly rear-center (6 o'clock). You may be one of the unfortunate who can't experience the effects as 3D sound, but I think that case is rare.

I've never played ghost recon since the first one on the original Xbox, but BF3 and MW3 aren't the best examples of Positonal sound. BF3 does have some nice environment-fitting sound effects though, and good quality noises, it's just hard to hear the angle bullets came from.

I'm gonna play with the affects from software tweaks till I get tired now

 

[Evshrug]

The 598? It is a top recommendation--for competitive. MLE can't place it in "Fun" since it's not very bassy, which naturally precludes it from making the "All-rounder" list too. Comfort didn't seem to factor too heavily into his rating scale; it was just a sidenote about his experience with the fit, but fit is very subjective anyway.

Yeah, I think MLE mentions headphones in his guide that are all really good, or will clearly give the overall impression that something is poor if it is poor. I also got the impression that he HD598 was "a" top recommendation, though he has also experienced some that edge out areas of better performance. Keep in mind his favorite headphone (minus the pleather pad discomfort) are considered $1k headphones!

 

[Eric_C]

Ya, agreed. 
 
And ruling out the need for isolation, I think the best picks from this thread for both comfort and sound would be:
AD 700
HD 598
PC 360
Q701
HE-400
 
The AD 700 and HE 400 are outliers on comfort for different reasons (one is loose, one is heavy), but also excel at slightly different things: 700 for competitive, and 400 for fun/overall.
 
Q701 also looks like a strong contender for all-round. Vs the HE-400, it looks like a good pick depending on bass priorities.
 
And 598 vs PC 360 probably comes down mainly to aesthetics and whether you want a mic permanently attached to the headphone...

 

[chicolom]

Regardless of whether you like the HD598's signature or think it is fun/immersive or not, it has one of the top soundstages out there.  I think that's why it's high on the list.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The HD598 has a clearer, detail oriented sound over the PC360 which is more balanced, but not as detailed. I don't find either to have enough bass for me to truly consider them neutral in that aspect.

I didn't reaslly enjoy the PC360 or HD598 for music, while I enjoyed the Q701.

 

[I95North]

Quote:

Nothing likes MW3, including the Mixamp.

Ok i also just found my blops cd i'll  try that out.
Quote:

Scout mode makes quiet sounds louder and loud sounds quieter. I would definitely say that mode isn't for everyone, but I liked it when I played with the volume low. Most of the time, stick to THX.
You either enable scout mode OR thx. Can't do both simultaneously, activating one switches off the other.
Rear positioning cues aren't going to play as loudly as side or front cues. The rear cues are simulated by (i think) a touch of occlusion, a touch less volume, and a bit of delay on the far ear if the sound isn't exactly rear-center (6 o'clock). You may be one of the unfortunate who can't experience the effects as 3D sound, but I think that case is rare.
I've never played ghost recon since the first one on the original Xbox, but BF3 and MW3 aren't the best examples of Positonal sound. BF3 does have some nice environment-fitting sound effects though, and good quality noises, it's just hard to hear the angle bullets came from.
I'm gonna play with the affects from software tweaks till I get tired now

When your done with your tweaks in THX mode let me know how you  have your settings set i'm curious to know what your settings are set to if you don't mind you could pm me to let me know??. I also like the fact that you can save custom tweaking settings exporting and importing them thats a plus for me...

 

[Eric_C]

FWIW, I have been enjoying the HE-400 for the last 1 week for music and "pseudo" Dolby Headphone (because my PC's soundcard doesn't do 5.1, and I haven't been FPS-ing on my Xbox).
It's neutral enough for most music and games until the bass kicks in. Then the headphone kicks you.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

It's neutral enough for most music and games until the bass kicks in. Then the headphone kicks you.

I love this quote. XD

The HE400 is what I consider the most well rounded can I've ever owned. I did call it the PC360 on steroids. However, that bass can and will hit fantastically if something asks for it. It will be nice and balanced 90% of the time, but put something bassy and OMGYES. Not DT990 or Pro 900 bass, but a very satisfying amount the vast majority of the time.

 

[Evshrug]

Ok i also just found my blops cd i'll  try that out.
When your done with your tweaks in THX mode let me know how you  have your settings set i'm curious to know what your settings are set to if you don't mind you could pm me to let me know??. I also like the fact that you can save custom tweaking settings exporting and importing them thats a plus for me...

Aw MAN you guys! Surround effect maxed out is sooooooo much better!
So, I reset the Recon3D to default... I don't know how you said it was 75% of Mixamp, I couldn't really feel an immersive 3D effect very clearly at all. It's like the rear speakers are removed... Almost exactly like what the graphic shows when you have the slider lower. When you turn up the Surround effect, it REALLY makes A Big, NOT KIDDING YOU, difference. Right now I have turned it back to default to retest my findings (and volume was automatically turned down by the way, weird), and so I can have an edit jump point. Tweaking back...

Note: even when switched to PC mode, I had to unplug the optical cable leading to my Xbox to get into the settings software. Dunno if the optical port has to be always unplugged to access settings, but unplugging made it work for me.

Maxed surround: yeah, it's better. Good - Not as good as what I had discovered upon first tweak before resetting to defaults, but I'll get to that once I verify I had it "optimized" as best I can tell.

Crystalizer (compressed audio restoration) doesn't seem to help high-quality audio. I turned it off and soundstage improved (like another step from maxing surround), the Crystalizer seemed to create the harsh trebles I was hearing before while also smoothing out minute cues that expand the soundstage. Seems logical to me. Turning it low seems to help, but I'm liking it best turned off. Maybe this would be good with MP3's (as it's designed for), but in gaming, just uncheck it.

So that's where I started from, basically everything off except Surround, which is maxed. Let's see if anything else is worth it's weight in Gaming...

Hmm, smart volume seems similar to Scout Mode. I think I'd prefer smart volume in the "night" setting over scout mode if running a late night marathon, but generally it crushes the sound field together and I'd pass for max quality. Definitely made menus wonky and background music... wrong.

Dialogue Plus: Actually, I had this on before defaulting and tweaking, as I tend to like a little help making out voices sometimes. Doesn't seem to hurt immersion much, but maybe the audio was slightly better without the effect? Hard to tell really, if you think it's a benefit try it for yourself.

Lastly, bass... Actually, I'm kinda feeling the ambiance created, just by turning... Ooh yeah this is fun Where was I? Did I mention I'm listening while typing? Lol. But yeah, turning the bass setting "on" at the default position adds to the ambiance and SLAMMM! The body from this eez fun ^___^

Ok, so the graphic equalizer settings only seems to apply when in PC mode, at least the last tab "advanced settings" is only for importing or exporting device settings you would use in console mode, and doing the export pretty explicitly lists only the features from tab 1, THX TruStudio Pro mode.

Tested with my Q701 plugged directly into the Recon3D, playing "The Deal" cinematic from Starcraft 2 in full, each time I made a tweak. I listened for rear sounds (the fluid wires snapping off and waving behind you off screen was cool, also violins during title screen seem to come from behind) Starcraft2 is set to Recon3D as output device, speaker setup Surround (not 5.1 or 7.1), reverb is checked (taste thing), sound quality high. Live in-game surround testing will have to wait, too tired now.

My final and recommended settings, today, are with volume 1 notch lower than max (louder than I usually like, but where I expect y'all do ) THX mode on, Surround checked and maxed, Crystalizer off, Bass checked at default values, Smart Volume off, Dialogue Plus on at default (just kinda left it on, maybe it helps to keep balanced with Bass?). The Q701 scaled well with a little EQ, we'll see of I still like the bass on (or at a lower crossover point so only lowest bass is emphasized) once I play an FPS.