[Roger de Ceiba]

I was looking into the fidelio x1 thread here in head-fi and that headset looks impossible to adjust. It is supposed to be comfortable but like you said, it might not fit people with larger than average heads. Philips should remedy this situation.
 

 

[Impulse]

Maybe the reason it's taking longer to reach the US is they're building a longer band or stretch range for us fatheads?

 

[tml09]

I just received the K550 yesterday. I'll do a comparison test w/ the DT770 Pro. First impressions are great. The K550 looks and feels fantastic. They are really a work of art. They're solid, the band is metal, and they're very comfortable. The pads are pleather, but I don't mind them. I've been wearing them for the past 2 hours just fine. 
 
 I've not yet gamed with it yet, but I will when my Mixamp comes. The soundstage is very airy and instrument separation is good. The bass is noticeably weaker than the 770s (heh), but it's present, tight, and high quality. The sound signature is more balanced than the 770s are, without any real emphasis on ... well... anything. The K550 has mids too! The isolation is not as good as the 770s, and getting a seal is a bit of a pain at first, but the drivers can rotate (which helps with getting a 'custom' fit). If you have a small head, I'd be wary of purchasing these. I have a decent sized noggin, and if it were any smaller, I don't think there would be any seal to speak of, which would make the bass sound anemic. Try these out if you can. 
 
The K550 leaks a bit more sound than the 770s as well, since it doesn't death-clamp your head like the 770s do. They just sort of press on to your head gently.
 
Right now I'm running them through my E17 through my computer. I haven't fully burned them it yet, so I'll spend the next few days doing that. We'll see if that changes anything. I'll have more concrete info probably next week or so. My Mixamp and Objective2 should be coming this week as well, so it should be a fun comparison. I'll compare the K550 and DT770, as well as the Objective2 vs E17, and finally the Recon3d vs the new Mixamp.
 
Any game suggestions? I have BF3, Modern Warfare, and Modern Warfare 2 on 360. I'll also compare a few of my favorite FLAC tracks, just for fun.

 

[SoAmusing777]

Quote:

 
No, the PS3 uses USB audio devices for voice chat only. (Exception: Sony's own wireless PS3 headsets. They seem to have set those up so that if the PS3 detects a USB receiver for one of those headsets, it'll mix the game audio, with optional virtual surround of some sort, and then pipe the two mixed channels to the headset. Those headsets are just stereo devices when used with PCs.)
 
This is strictly in regards to voice chat mixing, and for PS3 use, I can just keep the otherwise much more versatile SU-DH1 with its Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS decoding capabilities. (Even AAC, though I've never encountered any bitstreamed AAC source material.)
 
 
RGB = Red, Green, Blue, yes. In fact, VGA is RGB with separate horizontal and vertical sync. (Some RGB-capable systems have a composite sync pin, or in the case of most Sony hardware, put sync on the green signal.)
 
Do note that component video has RGB-colored RCA plugs, but is a color difference format (Luma/Y, Red Difference/Pr/Cr, Blue Difference/Pb/Cb), NOT RGB. That's why you need transcoder boxes like the CSY-2100 to convert RGB to component. (Most modern HDTVs throw fits with 240p RGB signals transcoded to component, though.)
 
And you're right, that's insanely expensive. That's why the discovery of this capture card is such a huge deal for videophile retrogamers.
 
Oh, and a question for Mad Lust Envy: got any plans for a Slyr vs. PC360 comparison?

 
Got it. That's cool that it does DTS. I see. Yeah, oh, I sort of understand that. Actually, that's kinda confusing, but that's because I don't know enough. I don't care though. Right, I can see why it's such a nice card for those.

 

[Evshrug]

tml09,
I wish my Best Buy would let me try the K550 on. But half of the employees don't seem to know they carry AKG headphones. You make 'me sound nice though, and it seems the 270 series headphones are good too (in a different way).
For game suggestions, I recommend the first two Modern Warfares, Dead Space, Bioshock, Halo games, Oblivion (but I get sick of de music), and more, but I'm falling asleep as I type this (wrote quote reply 1st)

Got it. That's cool that it does DTS. I see. Yeah, oh, I sort of understand that. Actually, that's kinda confusing, but that's because I don't know enough. I don't care though. Right, I can see why it's such a nice card for those.

Egads, you're doing it again. Can't tell what the heck you're talking about without referring back to Nameless' posts after every one of your sentences, and even then I get thrown off if your reply to one sentence is longer than one sentence or you mash together a few "yeah, yes, no, i see, oh" in one sentence. Honestly SoAmusing, it would be much kinder if you just typed your replies in bold among the post you are replying to.

 

[lubczyk]

@MLE
 
So your setup is:
 
Console --> Mixamp --> Magni?
 
Does this setup need the Pyst cables?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yes, that setup would be how I do it.

You dont need to spend $20 on PYST cables (which is rca male/male anyway and wont directly connect to the Mixamp). You can use any RCA male to 3.5mm male cable. I use Monoprice ones, or Mediabridge (off Amazon). Very high quality, for a fraction of the price.

PYST cables are just RCA male/male. For a fraction of the price, I rather just get some off Monoprice or Amazon.

 

[lubczyk]

Quote:

Yes, that setup would be how I do it.
You dont need to spend $20 on PYST cables (which is rca male/male anyway and wont directly connect to the Mixamp). You can use any RCA male to 3.5mm male cable. I use Monoprice ones, or Mediabridge (off Amazon). Very high quality, for a fraction of the price.
PYST cables are just RCA male/male. For a fraction of the price, I rather just get some off Monoprice or Amazon.

Ah, Thanks for that info. I wish companies would just include these necessary cables and add like a dollar or two to the cost. Reminds me of my Brother printer which came with everything but that one cable one needed for setup.
 
By the way, isn't the Magni a downgrade to your SA-31 and to your previous Lyr? I haven't seen many people downgrading before; except that one guy who didn't like his HD800 off his iPod.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yes, but it has a volume knob. Something I need. I'm constantly tweaking volume, and the SA-31's digital buttons arent fast enough for my taste. For Mixamp use, definitely want a knob.

Also the signature is more airy, brighter, so it's easier to pick cues fwih so far. Its more ideal for gaming than the SA-31's warm, meaty sound. The Mixamp 2013 is a warm amp. It would definitely pair better with a more neutral amp.

Lol, I preferred the E9 over the Lyr. I dont care for the tube sound. I'm SS all the way.

 

[lubczyk]

Quote:

Yes, but it has a volume knob. Something I need. I'm constantly tweaking volume, and the SA-31's digital buttons arent fast enough for my taste. For Mixamp use, definitely want a knob.
Also the signature is more airy, brighter, so it's easier to pick cues fwih so far. Its more ideal for gaming than the SA-31's warm, meaty sound. The Mixamp 2013 is a warm amp. It would definitely pair better with a more neutral amp.
Lol, I preferred the E9 over the Lyr. I dont care for the tube sound. I'm SS all the way.

Do you feel the Magni has a stronger amp section than the E9 since we're on the subject?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

You're post 10000! Wow.

The Magni is a little stronger at low ohms (1.2watts vs 1 watt at 32ohm), and a quite a bit more at high impedance. Power wasn't really lacking on the E9 other than for 600ohm headphones not getting all they wanted (fwir, lots of headphones tend to take a max of 100mw, while the E9 capped at 80mw, and E9k at 75mw..which is basically identical to the E9 reastically speaking. The Magni caps at 120mw at 600ohm. . The main benefit of the Magni is the lower output impedance for a more universal versatility in terms of what you can hook up to it without altering frequency response.

I find them similar, though the E9 is a little warmer and musical, while the Magni is more neutral and cleaner. The E9 and E9K have their benefits though, such has having a line out, and pre-amp out, as well as low and high gain. The E9 will drive headphones louder due to having a gain of 12 I believe, while the Magni is set at 5.

I dont have the Fiios to compare, but having the E9K recently, I feel the difference is very minute.

Of course, im basing it off memory. Still, I was comparing the E9K to the SA-31 with all the 990s, and felt that the E9K sounded excellent even next to the SA-31.

The short time I spent with the Magni... I actually felt the HE400 sounded noticeably improved on the SA-31 over the Magni. It had a stronger body of bass, and energy. The HE400 sounded fantastic on the Magni, but definitely not on the level of the SA-31. It does sound more technical and less musical. Kind of like my experience with the old K701 vs the Q701.

Again early impressions. Time will tell.

Also, not accounting for the ODAC va Modi which may have skewed the HE400 towards the SA-31 even more.

So far, the Magni is a definite winner. But so is the E9K. My old E9 had its issues next to the E9K, like noisy volume pot.

 

[mrkingdomhearts]

Quote:

Yes, but it has a volume knob. Something I need. I'm constantly tweaking volume, and the SA-31's digital buttons arent fast enough for my taste. For Mixamp use, definitely want a knob.
Also the signature is more airy, brighter, so it's easier to pick cues fwih so far. Its more ideal for gaming than the SA-31's warm, meaty sound. The Mixamp 2013 is a warm amp. It would definitely pair better with a more neutral amp.
Lol, I preferred the E9 over the Lyr. I dont care for the tube sound. I'm SS all the way.

 
Sweet now I know what amp to get for my 558's thanks man.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Well... not sure I would like the 558 on the Magni, personally. I think the HD558 could use some meat and thickness. The Magni won't do that.

That's personal preference. If you love your 558 now, you'll love it with the Magni.

 

[mrkingdomhearts]

Quote:

Well... not sure I would like the 558 on the Magni, personally. I think the HD558 could use some meat and thickness. The Magni won't do that.
That's personal preference. If you love your 558 now, you'll love it with the Magni.

Sorry I was talking about the mixamp 2013.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Ah yeah. Its good. I like the bottom right preset that adds warmth and mids too.



with flash, because I have horrible lighting in the room...



Don't let the image fool you. The SA-31 is 1.5x the width, and about 3x as deep as the Schiit stack. ODAC wedged in between them.