[chicolom]

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I forgot about the K1000. I so wanna try them, but I'd never wear it around people, lol.

That natural crossfeed plus humongous soundstage... so wanna try it.

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Two speakers hovering over your ears is basically what the K1000 is. You can try a ghetto version of this by holding two desktop speakers next to your ears. Itsa very good effect. That natural crossfeed makes listening a lot less fatiguing than when listening to headphones that are playing sounds on just one ear. It hurts, really. That's another reason why Dolby Headphone is so pleasing to me. You get that virtual crossfeed.

 
 
I would just go for the Sony MA900 for that effect.  No need to spend ~$1000 on the K1000, which I have a feeling probably got an instant overhype boost as soon as it became discontinued. 
 
I had the MDR F1 and it had the same natural crossfeed effect.  The MA900 is supposed to be an improvement over the F1.
 
The problem with those types of headphones is that they aren't great for Dolby Headphone and handling HRTFs.  They already have a diffuse sound and sound similar to dolby pro logic in stereo.  Something like the AD700 becomes razor sharp when put into dolby headphone, but the crossfeedy headphones still sound a little fuzzy in imaging.  They sound cool though, sort of holographic, just not super sharp.  I like them for movies.

 

[Impulse]

Huh, I tried the MA900 recently... Didn't really know much about them before trying them, I did like them but wasn't floored. Didn't have anything useful to compare them to either tho. They were certainly comfortable, the very obviously angled drivers and that weird slot they cut into the cups seem odd at first but they're very lightweight. I didn't even realize they had 70mm drivers at the time.

 

[NamelessPFG]

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Got ittt. I thought as much a bit after I asked the question. Yeah, I remember you saying that. What about something non-dedicated?

 
Like I said before, SRD-series transformer boxes come with most of the cheaper Stax setups, and speaker amps (usually in the form of integrated receivers) are everywhere.
 
Kind of bulky and kludgy for just a headphone amplification system, but it works.

 

[tmaxx123]

Watched some of 300 on blu-ray on the mmx 300's off just the mixamp and they sounded great. I have yet to try my sennheiser ie8's on the mixamp. Gotta get around to doing that ASAP.

 

[calpis]

Played some Blops2 with some etymotic er4p's w/ mixamp. Going to give it a shot for a week and use them exclusively. It's been a few months since I actually used them and kinda forgot how much I liked them for certain types of music. 
 
Oh and on the topic of the K1000, someone here should grab the Sony "version" of them.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-PFRV1-Personal-Speaker-Headphones/dp/B0017IJALY
The only place that I saw that had demos of these was at Fry's but they were always either broken or some ****** would have already pushed in the dust cover.

 

[Rexxen]

I tried swapping the pads on the q701/annies. And the annies still sounded noticeably fuller and warmer than the q701 with the q701 pads. I'm not sure who said these were just repackaged q701's but it would be hard mistake one another side by side in any state. Even days apart I could blindly label the q701 and annies regardless of which pads are used imo. They're similar sounding ofc but, at least my pairs, are distinctly different. And for my tastes the annies are a true upgrade to the q701. It's worth noting that I preferred the q701's with the annies memory pads to the stock q701 pads, but I wouldn't pay more than 40 usd for them.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

You should post that comparison on the Annie thread, so people know what's up.

Thanks again for the comparison.

So looks like you Q owners need to start looking for some memory foam AKG pads.

 

[seb UK]

Hey guys, just got a new E09k to go with my DT990 Pro's (250 ohm). They are running off a DSS2. Got a couple of questions about it.
 
I'm trying to work out the difference the amp is making. It is obviously louder, but the DSS2 was already able to get games and movies to a the loudest volume my ears could take. The headroom is now a lot bigger, but I'm not sure I need it.
 
I've tested it on Battlefield 3, Mass Effect 3 and been viewing some movie trailers. Everything sounds essentially the same but with more volume available. For Mass Effect 3, the bass in terms of tightness and kick when you go through the mass relays sounds almost identical to me. 
 
I'm wondering if anyone knows of a relatively 'scientific' sound test I can use to see the difference between the DT990s amped and unamped because just playing games doesn't seem to be highlighting them to me. I'm being a bit picky because the amp was 110 pounds and if there isn't much difference I'll probably send it back.

Thanks!

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Games dont highlight the difference the way music does. Youre already playing in virtual surround which smooths over the sound signature and hides defects.

If you plan on using them for music, they will be worthwhile as long as you have a dac. If you only use It for gaming and dont need the extra volume (like when using an external mic), then you may As well save your money if you dont see yourself needing it for music ever.

 

[seb UK]

BTW I have the E09k on high gain and it is about 11 o'clock volume setting which I read is where the E09 is optimised.

 

[seb UK]

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Games dont highlight the difference the way music does. Youre already playing in virtual surround which smooths over the sound signature and hides defects.

If you plan on using them for music, they will be worthwhile as long as you have a dac.

Cheers - Not planning on using them for music, just movies and games.
 
If I plug the DT990 straight into my macbook is is really obvious it needs the E09k, as the volume it can get to is pretty weak! But I'm not planning on doing that

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

You shouldn't be plugging in the E9K to the Macbook directly. You should be using a DAC, just FYI.

As long as you're happy with how you use it, don't worry about anything else.

Damn, so after all that neglect I've been giving the HE-400, I decided to use them today. You can definitely tell the bass is fuller than the K702 Annies. It makes it hard to give up for music, as I mostly listen to bass heavy genres... ARGH! I thought I'd be willing to part with it, but they keep surprising me. I'm gonna wait until I get the X1 and then decide if I'll give the HE-400 up or not.

 

[Roger de Ceiba]

Quick question, what sound signature would you use to describe the Annie? Bright, warm, etc.
 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

It's warm. Absolutely. It sounds like a much more open HD650, with more energy and sparkle, but noticeably warmer than the Q701 which was already a slightly warm headphone. Not HE-400 warm, but close. If I could say anything, I'd say it's the most neutral/balanced headphone I've owned that favors warmth.

If a song is bassy, the Annie will fill out that bass just fine. The HE-400 will romanticize the bass a little, while the Annie will be more true to it.

The mids are not comparable... at all. The Annie's mids walk all over the HE-400's.

 

[Roger de Ceiba]

So it is decided then, I'm going to buy the Schiit Magni/Modi stack. For the price, it is probably the amp/DAC to get.