[Mad Lust Envy]

In other, somewhat similar news, certain headphones, like the (Sennheiser 595 for example) are rated at 50 ohms. However, at certain frequency ranges, their demand of power jumps up to something over 300ohms! This is why I always say, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN AMP WITH PLENTY OF POWER.

People swear by say a Fiio E11 for 250ohm headphones. The E11's max output is for 300ohm headphones. There are certain headphones like the HD650 which is 300ohms rated, however, with certain ranges of sound, where it suddenly spikes up to over 500ohm, making the E11 'choke' at the sudden jump in power demand. You may not hear it, but the bottleneck is there, in that the impact is significantly lessened to what it should be.

In the case of planar magnetics and rare dynamics like the K702, the impedance curve is VERY linear, meaning there won't be a sudden spike in required voltage, though they do need lots of steady current.

You can always settle for less, but you're doing you and your equipment a disservice by doing so. For gaming overall, using say a K702 with the Mixamp alone is doable, because the virtual surround processing masks imperfections. That and games don't tend to have the best sound quality to begin with. Still, you won't be tapping their potential whatsoever.

 

[Serradoss]

Hey MadLustEnvy,
 
First of all congratulations for your great and especially detailed guide. I'm sure a lot of people thank you for all the effort you put into this. I found this guide because of a Headset Review of the Gaming Youtuber LevelcapGaming. I wanted to ask you whether you have tried the Logitech G930/G35. I own it and I think it is quite good but I want some improvement! I have heard from different sources that it is nearly just as good as the Astro A40s. What do you think?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Thanks. If it's not on my guide, I either have not heard it, or isn't a headphone logical for gaming (i.e. ESW9, PX200-II, ES7, etc).


I haven't heard the Logitech.

 

[calpis]

This post scared me since we don't even have the X1 here yet:
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/29/3929678/philips-exits-the-consumer-electronics-business
 
Let's just hope that Funai continues to advance the Fidelio line.

 

[Fulch36]

Quote:

This post scared me since we don't even have the X1 here yet:
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/29/3929678/philips-exits-the-consumer-electronics-business
 
Let's just hope that Funai continues to advance the Fidelio line.

Read this earlier today, there have been stock shortages in Europe as well and, as you correctly stated, the X1's still aren't available in the US yet but I guess this could be the reason why.
 
I was out when my X1's were delivered but I'll be picking them up tomorrow

 

[calpis]

Looked into what Funai has done and what they have... They have popular walmart brands such as Emerson, Sylvannia, and Symphonic under their belt.
 
My hopes have been dashed

 

[Johnsonr520]

So I got my DSS working in dolby digital with my hd558 today. I have to say I am more impressed than I thought I would be. The positional accuracy while playing Halo 4 was unbelievable. I don't think I've ever had a K'D this high. Ill post more of a review on it later. Maybe Lust would like to borrow the hd558 and add it to the reviews in comparision to the hd598.

 

[Johnsonr520]

Als will the foam mod on the hd558 remove some of the bass?

 

[Serradoss]

I think it's actually quite a "famous" PC gaming headset. Here have a look at it: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Gaming-Headset-Surround/dp/B003VANOFY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359506785&sr=8-1&keywords=Logitech+G930

 

[Impulse]

As part of their purchase from Philips, Funai actually has the rights to continue using the Philips brand for 5 years and even the right to renew the deal... I'm cautiously optimistic they won't throw away everything Philips built up over the last year, they easily have one of the most improved headphone lineups amongst mainstream manufacturers with good retail presence (top to bottom, not just the Fidelio line).

Funai may very well be looking to go upscale, specially if they already own more pedestrian brands. There's various similar news links on the X1 thread, the bit about using Philips branding for five years was in the last one posted. The deal isn't final until much later in the year and I think the X1 has been showing up again (or it's expected to) on EU Amazon sites, so I'm not sure it's at all related. Deals like this take months to finalize. They're getting quite a range of products outside headphones too.

 

[billybobjones]

sorry if this has been asked before, but I need something for competitive PC gaming.
 
For soundcard I am looking at the:
Asus Xonar STX Essence
Asus Xonar Phoebus ROG 
(if someone has a better recommendation feel free)
 
For headphones im looking at:
Sennheiser PC360
AKG Annies (i think id prefer these)
 
I need voice chat. (team games)
 
1. Would those soundcards be enough to power them with voicechat?
2. What would a solution be to power them while on the road with voice chat(lan parties)?
3. Which one is the better choice for my needs/positional cues?
4. Is the headband on the annies leather (the part that would touch your head)?
 
thanks in advance

 

[Impulse]

In other, somewhat similar news, certain headphones, like the (Sennheiser 595 for example) are rated at 50 ohms. However, at certain frequency ranges, their demand of power jumps up to something over 300ohms! This is why I always say, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN AMP WITH PLENTY OF POWER.

Yeah, that's one of the great examples in that article, many headphones behave very differently at certain frequencies and the specs don't reflect that. A low impedance headphone might very well have a much higher impedance at a specific frequency and/or demand more power.

A high output impedance amp would thus handle certain frequencies on that headphone very differently than others, so instead of getting that frequency graph you saw in a review you're getting something else entirely. Looser bass due to distortion, more forward mids, etc depending on what's going on.

Maybe it's pleasing to you, maybe it isn't, but it wasn't how the headphone was tuned to sound (and thus by consequence the music).

 

[BetaWolf]

A general question for every Head-Fi gamer, though mainly Mad Lust Envy: in terms of "Fun", as described in the guide, what's with the focus on bass? Is soundstage factored in? I've been using CMSS-3D for over two years, and find that positional audio does add into the fun factor (i.e. hearing a wolf howling off in the distance, hearing a zombie's footsteps directly behind you, etc.)
 
I'm considering the Sennheiser HD 598 for "Fun" gaming (as described in previous paragraph), and a slightly recessed bass isn't that big of a deal for me.

 

[Evshrug]

sorry if this has been asked before, but I need something for competitive PC gaming.

To be honest, this is asked pretty much every day.

•I recommend you decide on a headphone best suited for your taste based on the guide in this thread (first page, you can expand any review for more info).
•Before deciding on a sound card, decide on a surround tech. I have an overview on my thread.
•If you decide on a Creative sound card, NamelessPFG has a guide on optimal setup and he is our resident PC equipment guru. If you decide on an Asus sound card, Purple Angel has some ideas of which cards offer the best bang-for-buck in that product line.

Most soundcards provide decent amping and may leave you feeling satisfied, but you can always experience a slight upgrade by later buying a nice external headphone amp. If your soundcard fits inside your LAN box computer, then obviously that would suit your LAN needs too.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Bass is important for immersion. A distinct lack of bass, detaches you from the action, IMHO. The 598 didn't immerse me nearly enough, and the mids were far too prominent and distracting for my ears.