[Evshrug]

Someone pay this man!

Yes, apparently having several hobbies isn't enough, lol. I'm debating working at Panera... Overworked for near-minimum wage, but you get 40 hours a week, social interaction, 1/2 price food, and at least some activity. Blue collar seems all I can get at the moment.

On another note, I'm borrowing a friend's mandolin, see if I can't learn to play a bit

IOOI,
Your username makes me me think of Isos from TRON.
Based of how things are priced relative to eachother in the US, I would say in that price range you have the FiiO E9, E17, and tube amps well-reviewed on Head-Fi yet sold through EBay, like the Little Dot i+ and a desktop tube amp by Fred_Fred_2004. Note that I haven't personally heard any of these, but read quite a bit about them. A more powerful amp ought to make a noticeable difference in the dynamics, sustained bass note authority, "tighten" up the bass, soundstage, "lift the veil," and in general help a headphone sound a tad more refined.

I'm picking a tube hybrid amp for myself, because tube amps add a rich coloration, make the presentation more "liquid," and might roll off the highs just a tad to make them less harsh while no less detailed. The other benefit is how each tube has a unique signature - for 10-20$ each, you can change them like a lightbulb (almost) and experiment with a sound tailored for specific headphones or genres. It's a bit more broad in effect than an equalizer... But equalizers can get you most of the way. I can't yet recommend the amp I bought because it has yet to be finished and delivered, and I think it'll be priced above the range you're looking anyway. With a Solid State amp, you know what you're getting, they're usually pretty transparent so you just hear more what the headphone does by itself.

I would encourage you to look into these models, and pick your favourite

PS Mad, I had hoped to send you the amp before you bought your "end game" tube amp from Audio-GD, but the builder guy only just got all the parts and you ordered your amp pretty quick
Edit: I gave the builder money for his pre-production model a good while back, I just sent him an email that will hopefully light a fire under his seat: have the amp delivered so I can hear it at least 3 days before 30 days are up from the date of payment, or I'm opening a PayPal claim against him. I was being pretty patient, but if he's going to do business, he has to know that people won't wait forever.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

Yes, apparently having several hobbies isn't enough, lol. I'm debating working at Panera... Overworked for near-minimum wage, but you get 40 hours a week, social interaction, 1/2 price food, and at least some activity. Blue collar seems all I can get at the moment.

 
If it makes you feel any better, that's already better than my working situation. 12-16 hours a week, arbitrarily scheduled (though last week was 24 hours), $7.25 per hour, next to no discounts or other real benefits (the most I get is 10% off on store-brand stuff, while the restaurants in the area actually give me 15% off just for working at the nearby store...still not 50% off, though), people always expecting more out of your work, and it's not even a job relevant to my computer skills.
 
At least I get a paycheck every week. That feels great, especially in an economy where a whole lot of people are unemployed still. But that doesn't mean I'm not looking for advancement opportunities...
 
As for something more videogame-related, just be glad we're not really living in Jones in the Fast Lane...a world where typical fast food costs around $80 at the least for a side of fries, and your apartment doesn't even have a refrigerator or other basic amenities from the looks of it, even though you're still paying hundreds of dollars for rent every month. Some of my friends say it's disturbingly realistic in how depressing it is; during one game, one of them even tried to apply for a loan, got turned down because he wasn't making enough, and then he got robbed. This game really hates you, almost as much as a typical Roguelike.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

 I gave the builder money for his pre-production model a good while back, I just sent him an email that will hopefully light a fire under his seat: have the amp delivered so I can hear it at least 3 days before 30 days are up from the date of payment, or I'm opening a PayPal claim against him. I was being pretty patient, but if he's going to do business, he has to know that people won't wait forever.

 
 
That sounds very suspicious.  Seems like a read about some scams before where people would ask for money in advance to build amps.  Unless that guy has lots of positive feedback I would be wary.

 

[Stradbrook]

HI all. First entry into HQ headphones here - I've been running off of a cheap Plantronics headset for years. But first off, a serious thank you to Mad Lust Envy, NamelessPFG and the other frequent posters here. I've spent hours combing through the forums, but it's been really helpful to have concise guides to refer back to. While I'm closer to reaching a decision, I've found myself stalled between a few options and would really appreciate any opinions you might have.
 
Background: The intended use here is about 50/50 gaming (both PC and console) and music (probably a fair amount of Pandora). My musical tastes fluctuate between EDM, hip hop and pop. If it's helpful, I'd be happy to post a few links. As for the gaming, it's predominately single-player RPGs (love the Pascal photo Mad Lust) with a lesser emphasis on FPS. I'd lean towards prioritizing "fun" over "competitiveness." 
 
Headphone Needs: I game in the living room while my wife watches television, so closed headphones with a strong ability to block out background noise is a must. Beyond that, I have a strong preference for circumaural and velour (amusing, given the recent poetry on this topic). Financially, I'd prefer not to top $200 on the headphones. Extra for accessories is fine. 
 
Set Up: Currently minimal. No amp and basic motherboard sound. I'm probably going to pick up a Xonar DG or STX around Christmas and would love to pick up a Mixamp sometime as well. I have no issues picking up an inexpensive amp (E10?) if it would be helpful. This is strictly for at-home use, so there's no need for a mobile set up.
 
The Tossup: Right now, I'm feeling fairly locked between the DT770 and the Brainwavz HM5 - possibly the SRH840. The DT770's seem incredibly comfortable and the bass should probably suit my musical tastes. I suppose my main concern is Mad Lust's comment that "the finer details are pretty much sucked out because of the bass." These will be all-purpose headphones for me, so I don't want to feel like I'm losing mids and highs just to get the extra bass. That said, while the HM5's are appealing from both from a price point and for their "neutrality," they look a bit less comfortable and I've read that they can feel lacking in the bass and may not isolate sound as well. I realize the is ultimately subjective, but I'd really appreciate feedback as how much detail I could expect to miss out on if I chose to go with the more bass-emphasized set. Thanks!
 
tl;dr: Looking for sub $200 cans for a 50/50 gaming/music (EDM and hiphop) split and am torn between the DT770's and the Brainwavz HM5. Questioning if the DT770's bass would keep them from being an all-purpose set. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Does not bitstream need to changed to PCM before something like the E17 can read the signal?

I was under the assumption he was hooking up the Mixamp to his BD player. The Mixamp NEEDS bitstream (assuming the signal is Dolby Digital). Then he'd hook up the E17 to the Mixamp.

If he downmixes to PCM, the Mixamp WON'T get Dolby Headphone. It will just get stereo, and process that, which won't sound good.

I don't know how that's helpful for his need of DTS decoding to Dolby though.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

HI all. First entry into HQ headphones here - I've been running off of a cheap Plantronics headset for years. But first off, a serious thank you to Mad Lust Envy, NamelessPFG and the other frequent posters here. I've spent hours combing through the forums, but it's been really helpful to have concise guides to refer back to. While I'm closer to reaching a decision, I've found myself stalled between a few options and would really appreciate any opinions you might have.

Background: The intended use here is about 50/50 gaming (both PC and console) and music (probably a fair amount of Pandora). My musical tastes fluctuate between EDM, hip hop and pop. If it's helpful, I'd be happy to post a few links. As for the gaming, it's predominately single-player RPGs (love the Pascal photo Mad Lust) with a lesser emphasis on FPS. I'd lean towards prioritizing "fun" over "competitiveness." 

Headphone Needs: I game in the living room while my wife watches television, so closed headphones with a strong ability to block out background noise is a must. Beyond that, I have a strong preference for circumaural and velour (amusing, given the recent poetry on this topic). Financially, I'd prefer not to top $200 on the headphones. Extra for accessories is fine. 

Set Up: Currently minimal. No amp and basic motherboard sound. I'm probably going to pick up a Xonar DG or STX around Christmas and would love to pick up a Mixamp sometime as well. I have no issues picking up an inexpensive amp (E10?) if it would be helpful. This is strictly for at-home use, so there's no need for a mobile set up.

The Tossup: Right now, I'm feeling fairly locked between the DT770 and the Brainwavz HM5. The DT770's seem incredibly comfortable and the bass should probably suit my musical tastes. I suppose my main concern is Mad Lust's comment that "the finer details are pretty much sucked out because of the bass." These will be all-purpose headphones for me, so I don't want to feel like I'm losing mids and highs just to get the extra bass. That said, while the HM5's are appealing from both from a price point and for their "neutrality," they look a bit less comfortable and I've read that they can feel lacking in the bass and may not isolate sound as well. I realize the is ultimately subjective, but I'd really appreciate feedback as how much detail I could expect to miss out on if I chose to go with the more bass-emphasized set. Thanks!

tl;dr: Looking for sub $200 cans for a 50/50 gaming/music (EDM and hiphop) split and am torn between the DT770's and the Brainwavz HM5. Questioning if the DT770's bass would keep them from being an all-purpose set. 

The DT770 Pro 80s are bass and treble centric cans. The mids are what's sucked out. They also are very sloppy without amping. They're easy to drive in that they get loud easily, but an amp is needed to control that bass a bit. I haven't tried them yet, but I'd seriously consider the Brainwavz HM5 and look for the velours (probably have to order them from the Fischer Audio FA-003 (same headphones).

Also, I'd look into the Custom Pro Ones which are the little brother of the DT770s (same size and all, but newer, no real need to amp aside from the Mixamp, and have a tuning systems that lets you tweak the bass... it looks VERY interesting). You'd have to order the 770 velours for it though.

I tend to recommend older headphones, but there is a lot of new stuff that could be awesome for gaming. The HM5 and COP could be ideal.

 

[UpsideDownAce]

Quote:

Also, I'd look into the Custom Pro Ones which are the little brother of the DT770s (same size and all, but newer, no real need to amp aside from the Mixamp, and have a tuning systems that lets you tweak the bass... it looks VERY interesting). You'd have to order the 770 velours for it though.
I tend to recommend older headphones, but there is a lot of new stuff that could be awesome for gaming. The HM5 and COP could be ideal.

 
Speaking of the Custom Pro Ones, I've heard they're going to release a microphone for it as well...very excited for them! The bass control also sounds similar to those new wireless PS3 headsets.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The cool thing is that the bass control seems to be mechanical, and not electronical. So I assume it's like expanding the bass ports to different sizes.

The only thing that turns me off is that almost everyone who has them has stated the DT770s are still better. The DT770 Pros are cheaper, and I'd rather live with a boomier, but more refined headphone.

 

[l00l]

Quote:

I was under the assumption he was hooking up the Mixamp to his BD player. The Mixamp NEEDS bitstream (assuming the signal is Dolby Digital). Then he'd hook up the E17 to the Mixamp.
If he downmixes to PCM, the Mixamp WON'T get Dolby Headphone. It will just get stereo, and process that, which won't sound good.
I don't know how that's helpful for his need of DTS decoding to Dolby though.

I am. I connect the mixamp to the BD player via coax. If I have the player on bistream and it´s a DD 5.1 signal it will give out somehting through the mixamp. If it is a DTS-HD signal it will not and I hear nothing.

 

[afreeman]

I bought the dt 990 pro about a year ago after reading your guide and going through the forums. Loved the HPs and then a week ago no sound in left ear. Checked the cable, the plug etc and found out it was the speaker itself. So now i am in the market for another pair. However this time around i was looking at the Q701. You have praised the akg and at the same time also the 990s. Would you say the AKG would be on par or better then the 990s? 
Thanks. 
 
 
PS really disappointed by the reliability of the Bayer, having my first good headphone die on me after just a year, ;(

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I'd just contact Beyer to get them fixed. The Q701 and 990s are VERY different. All that time being used to the 990s, you may find the Q701 lacking in bass and energy. Quite different. More complimentary than anything.

 

[chicolom]

So now i am in the market for another pair. However this time around i was looking at the Q701. You have praised the akg and at the same time also the 990s. Would you say the AKG would be on par or better then the 990s? 

One isn't better than the other, they're just different signatures...

 

[ronswanson]

Does anyone know if the latest TB DPX21 and DSS2 still produce the same hissing that MLE's review talks about in the OP?  I'm sending my Tritton 720+ back to amazon for a refund because of the annoying buzz, and it might be hard for me to wait until december for amazon to stock the standalone Astro Mixamps again.  So I'm thinking about giving the TB bundle a try.
 
If the 720s were a soft hiss like you get from some open mics, it probably wouldn't have bothered me much, but this was more of a low level harsh buzz.  It's too bad, because they sounded great otherwise.

 

[afreeman]

As i am in pakistan the shipping to and from bayer for getting them fixed would be more then the price of a new pair, so thats out of the question. 
I am aware that the 990 pro are bass heavy and given that i have been using them for a year, i might not get like the Q701 initially. I do have to say though that i felt the 990s to have too much treble for my liking. 
Should i go for the 990 premium instead of the AKGs? or should i try for the HE 400. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

HE400 for sure. Better than anything on my list.