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We'll find out soon enough, as I have just placed an order for both the Modi and Magni. @_@
Seems to be the good kind of plastic matte finish, like on the PC360. I don't see them having any issues.
If I were you, or anyone else getting the SLYR, I'd get a nice, longish 3.5mm male/male cable, like those on Amazon. The stock one is fairly short (though thick and durable), assuming you're not using the Mixer cable. Those of us with Mixamps have no need for the mixer.
However, I dunno of any cables you can buy with the mic channel built in.
Hey everyone.
I'm back in the world of headphones after selling most of my old stuff. I've been through an AD700, HD598, and HD558, all through a Mixamp. After listening to my crappy Logitech 2.0 speakers for the better part of a year, anything is an upgrade. At first, I tried to resist spending more than I deemed necessary ($100 lol). I bought a few pretty subpar headphones, to which my ears responded negatively. I went through a few PC headsets (Corsair 1500, Logitech G35), and they didn't cut the mustard, so I decided on skipping any 'universal' headsets.Now it's time to find a closed set of cans fit for gaming (pc, 360).
Fast forward a bit:
After some deliberation, I bought a Beyer DT770. It was well reviewed pretty much everywhere (including here), so I bought one. Initial impressions were good. After the AD700 and the HD598, I finally understood what bass was. The treble was a bit harsh, but not mind-melting. The mids were definitely recessed, but I could deal with that. After all, the main attraction is the 'subwoofer' Beyer somehow managed to fit in these things. They are really comfortable, isolate pretty well, and don't leak enormously.
However, for some reason, these cans just don't agree with me. I'm not alone in feeling this way about the 770s. See here for a post I made in the Headphones forum:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/640876/closed-headphone-blues
Even listening to music, I couldn't take more than 20 minutes of using it. It wasn't the treble that was fatiguing. Something about them just required me to remove them to constantly take a break. I loved their directionality and soundstaging, but I just can't wear these for long without discomfort. Don't get me wrong: they are very comfortable (fluffy padding/clamp-wise), it's something about their signature that doesn't work for me. Why they don't work might have to do with the copious amounts of mind shattering bass, though I can't really pinpoint it.
So, I've decided another pair is in order. If anyone wants to take the DT770 off my hands, pm me. As much as I want them to, they don't agree with me
Any help with some recommendations? I really don't care for competitive gaming accuracy. While I will be doing some multiplayer (BF3 mainly), I don't care about bass obscuring footsteps. I want a fun pair of cans I've narrowed my decision down to three: Pro 900, A900x, or the D2000 (if I can find them). I'm also looking for a USB dac/amp to serve for portable use and as a standalone dac, as well as 'home/desktop' amp to power any phones I might get. I'm really eyeing the iBasso D4 and the Objective2 (or a Little Dot amp, still undecided). The Schiit Magni posted above looks kind a cool too.
I could not find a Mixamp for sale on the Astro site. Almost all ebay auctions included the AX0 headset, which I just plain did not want. I had to 'settle' for a usb Recon3d, since that's what I could find. Not a huge deal, but I'm looking for a Dolby Headphone capable device so I can A/B the two, and compare them for myself I can't stand any noise/hiss, so the DSS and the 720 box are probably out of the question. Looks like I'll have to wait it out for a good deal on a Mixamp. I game from my laptop, so I don't have the luxury of buying a PCI sound card
The problem I have with the DT770s is that it seals a bit too well, and gives me that cabin pressure like feel when on an airplane. This is one major reason why I don't personally care for closed headphones, especially ones that seal well.
The SLYR and A50s are both closed, but they don't have the best isolation, so I never get that head pressure like I did with the 770s.
The Pro 900s are a solid alternative to the 770s if you need a closed headphone that seals well and has plenty of fun. I just didn't care for it's treble.
I'm really not experienced with closed headphones/headsets in general as I tend to stay away from them almost as much as pleather padded headphones. The Pro 900 is probably my fave of the bunch though. Not counting the D7000 which IS my absolute fave, but rare now, and uber expensive.
The short time I had with the A900x, I was NOT impressed. Even less so with the K550.
edit: WHERE THE HELL ARE MY 3.5MM TO 1/4' ADAPTERS! UGH! I had 3 of them. One went back with the HE400, and my super old Astro one has terrible crosstalk. All that leaves is my Koss one... WHERE ARE YOU, YOU BLASTED THING? I need it to use my SA-31!
GAMING HEADSETS
While my avid gaming days have long since passed, I still enjoy giving my laptop's video card something to overheat about from time to time. Favoring first-person shooters, imaging is important; but as rusty as I am with games nowadays, it's mostly so that I know precisely from which direction death is raining down on me. (I also use the headsets for telephony and software speech recognition dictation.)
A few gaming headsets I've used that I feel comfortable recommending include:
Skullcandy SLYR
Closed, on-the-ear headset (around $80)
www.skullcandy.com
I almost considered putting the Skullcandy SLYR in the over-ear headphones section. For 80 bucks, it's a good closed headphone, period, and with the added functionality of a built-in stow-away microphone.
As has been covered before on Head-Fi, Skullcandy is getting very serious about sound. They've hired a lot of talent, and built their own labs, and have moved away from OEM to designing and engineering their own stuff. The SLYR is a product of those efforts, and a very good result.
The SLYR comes with a USB gaming sound mixer. To put it in non-gamer speak, this mixer is like a USB DAC (plus USB mic in) that also allows you to adjust audio settings, especially for mixing game audio and voice. It also comes with three different EQ settings. Because the mixer's cables are so long--and because I think the SLYR sounds better with music without the mixer (though the EQ is fun to experiment with while gaming)--I just plug the SLYR directly into my computer, or into one of my good USB DAC/amps, most of the time.
With or without the included mixer, the SLYR is very good for gaming. Its sound signature favors clarity over boom, though it still does a fine job of conveying sounds, impact, and effects of the death and destruction I usually find myself suffering from when I enter the gaming fray.
The thing is, when I'm done gaming--when I've plugged it directly into my computer or one of my good DAC/amps--I regularly forget to change the SLYR out for another headphone when I return to music. I'll say it again: this is actually a good $80 closed headphone. The SLYR's overall clarity is good. Its bass is well balanced, mids could use a bit more refinement and richness, and there's occasionally some mid-treble glare. Still, though, it's musical enough that I'll use it for an all-'round headphone on days I know I'll be Skyping a lot (its built-in stow-away boom microphone comes in handy). 80 bucks--a very good deal.
Agreed, the pressure takes a bit getting used to. But I like the isolation. My house gets pretty loud due to having little ones running around and a puppy. Mmx300's put me in my own little world.
The headset really shines on some music, but is just ok on others. I'll keep updates coming.
Okay a few replies.
I play mostly on the 360.
My Mixamp is old gen, and doesn't do voice chat for the PS3. I really only play first party or exclusives on the PS3.
Black Op's audio isn't nearly as good as CoD4 and MW2 (though I'm speaking in terms of directionality and audio cues....not overall quality, as MW2 has a pretty muddy SQ as a whole). And yes, I run Ninja Pro 99.99% of the time.
I plan on going a little more in depth with the good headphones, including their overall sound signature (warm/smooth, bright/aggressive, etc). This will happen sometime later, and I will let you guys know when it is done.
Like I mentioned before, to anyone wanting to try any pair of headphones for gaming, a good place to start is with headphones that have a good sized soundstage, and a more balanced sound. If the headphones are too colored, it just won't work well with online gaming. This is why I suggest having two pairs of headphones, one for online gaming, one for when you're enjoying a campaign, or just messing about. That is, unless you get something like the DT990 which pulls off both very well (however, remember the sizzling treble that may bother you).
Closed headphones CAN work well. My suspicions on certain headphones I haven't used that would probably be phenomenal for gaming:
D2000 (fun)
D5000 (fun)
Ultrasones with S-Logic on (fun)
K271 MKII (competitive)
Open:
Sony MDR-F1 (competitive)
HD800 (competitive)
K601 (competitive)
Beyer T1 (fun and competitive)
I distinctly remember people saying the HD600 and HD650 didn't have a very large soundstage in DH mode, so it wasn't as impressive. I can't be for certain.
Also have to note, that warm/smooth headphones are usually claustrophobic is DH mode, so they don't work well.
The brighter it is, the bigger the soundstage seems to be able to project further. Just my impressions.