[Evshrug]

Maybe 300mW per channel (L/R)? To put out that much power at 600 Ohms is pretty sexy. Funny all you have to test it with at the moment though are the brave little Koss clip-ons

 

[Evshrug]

Apparently, the HD800 has better depth than the Annies (maybe depth as well). The only think lacking is in height, which is something the Annies also lack (I've noticed this personally). This just makes me want to audition them for gaming even more. I imagine they would be ideal for 7.1. Binaural gaming not so much, depending in the enemies are coming from above. For that you're probably better off with a more uniform representation of sound provided by the significantly more expensive SR-009.

For what it's worth, I just bout a Sony GDM-FW900 CRT off Accurateit.com for 399.99. They actually increased the price once they sold a few units the bastards. Anyway, hopefully it will be worth it. Now I actually have to buy a new desk/stand for this thing. Weighing 42 kg (92.6 lbs) there is no whey it will rest on my feeble desk. 

I was actually thinking of the omnimount echo 50 for ~$110 on amazon.com.

Are you using CMSS-3D, THX, or SBX to test height? Or a binaural sample where someone is specifically recording variable elevation? I forget what you use, but Dolby Headphone or any console surround doesn't create height cues. Many binaural recordings don't have instruments placed above or below the microphone dummy, so... I'm not sayin anything, just sayin!

 

[Hailin]

Quote:

Maybe 300mW per channel (L/R)? To put out that much power at 600 Ohms is pretty sexy. Funny all you have to test it with at the moment though are the brave little Koss clip-ons

Yah it does 1000mw x 2 at 32ohms I am wondering if the designer had Orthos in mind when he put that much power in. Which is ton to throw at the little Koss that could. Really handled it beautifully. I really want to try the tube preamp to my E09 for fun. Tonight thought it will be the Cals which again is quite a bit of power for those headphones. So I will be probably at a volume of 2 again.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Thats a ton of power for 600ohm cans. Looks good. The Compass 2 is 200mw at 600, so youre good to go. Looks like it caters towards voltage, as current is good but not amazing. In contrast, the Compass 2 does around 3watts at 32ohm. Still 1 watt at 32ohm is plenty, except maybe for the harder to drive planar magnetics. The HE400 would be fine off it.

As for the x2, I think its unnecessary as power specs are usually per channel anyways.

 

[Roger de Ceiba]

I haven't really tested, I'm just going based off headphone capabilities. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

X1 vs DT990

Not feeling that spike at 9khz. I was hoping it'd be a smoother alternative to the DT990...



More sub bass which is awesome, and less mid bass bloat, but that treble... looks like a harsh/sibilant prone headphone.

I'm sure I'd like it, but I was hoping for a bit more smoothness in the top end.

 

[Evshrug]

Hopefully it will surprise?

 

[Impulse]

Having seen that, I might end up setting my sights on the HE-400 instead as a future upgrade/addition... Still not a fan of the double entry cable and the connectors they use tho.
 
I'm just surprised that there's like only one poster that found the X1 bright or sibilant in the X1 thread, maybe there's just something off w/that site's measurements? /shrug Doesn't line up w/the way Philips have tuned most of their recent headphones either...

 

[grizly]

Evshrug,
 
First of all, thank you very much for your reply.
 
I just wanted to ask if it's necessary to buy a sound card, even though I just recently built my PC and therefore I have a very strong motherboard (P8Z77-V deluxe). I don't have a sound card separately. Do you think my motherboard alone won't be enough? 
Thanks again...

 

[Impulse]

On-board motherboard audio has improved immensely over the last few years, but it still can't hold a candle to a dedicated solution, particularly if you intend to drive demanding headphones and/or you want some surround sound emulation for gaming with headphones. Depending on the headphones you get and/or whether you care for the latter you could get away with something as simple/cheap as a Xonar DG/DGX ($50-ish) or one of Fiio's less expensive USB DACs... Harder to drive headphones are gonna demand a better amp tho.

 

[Evshrug]

Grizzly,
I just built my computer one year ago, almost to the day! I should make a cake for it, and eat it.

The motherboard should produce decent stereo sound, but you need something else if you want surround during gaming. Well... There is the MyEars software, but you'll drop a few frames per second performance and I have yet to actually hear anyone that's pleased by the experience. Think of a sound card like a graphics card... Sure, you can use the onboard "solution," but a discrete card will perform better. You get a higher signal-to-noise ratio that translates to clearer sound, better amping and (or) better connection options, and dedicated audio processing that includes headphone surround among other features. You CAN find them cheaply priced, still an improvement over motherboard audio.

I'd just like to add that FiiO's DACs are good stereo devices, but they don't add surround for gaming.

 

[Vader2k]

Joy.  It would seem I have channel imbalance on my mixamp, where the whole imaging of the soundscape leans to the left.  It becomes less apparent at around 12 o'clock, though its still there.  I searched back through the thread and found other people who have encountered this too.  Unfortunate that it seems to be somewhat commonplace.
 
Although I know my magni had channel imbalance of its own (as I heard it using my ipod as a source too), I'm worried the replacement, assuming it functions properly, will definitely reveal the mixamp's imbalance and possibly even make it more apparent.  I'm going to contact Astro to see what it would cost to repair, out of curiosity.

 

[grizly]

Thank you Impulse and thank you again Evshrug.
 
Seems like I'm gonna buy a sound card

 

[tmaxx123]

Quote:

Joy.  It would seem I have channel imbalance on my mixamp, where the whole imaging of the soundscape leans to the left.  It becomes less apparent at around 12 o'clock, though its still there.  I searched back through the thread and found other people who have encountered this too.  Unfortunate that it seems to be somewhat commonplace.
 
Although I know my magni had channel imbalance of its own (as I heard it using my ipod as a source too), I'm worried the replacement, assuming it functions properly, will definitely reveal the mixamp's imbalance and possibly even make it more apparent.  I'm going to contact Astro to see what it would cost to repair, out of curiosity.

yes sir, i knew there were others that would run into this. I am on my second 2013 mixamp pro, and this one is better, but not perfect. Try messing around with the main volume knob, I found that if you turn it up past your listening volume and turn it down VERY slowly, the imbalance evens out. Fiddle around with it before contacting astro, as they tend to be a hassle to deal with.

 

[Vader2k]

Thanks tmaxx.  I did already submit a ticket to Astro, though, so we'll see what they say.