[cheuh]

Quote:

I use the Q701's with the O2 amp and I can say that the O2 can get them quite loud although I can max it out without hitting earsplitting levels. 
 
** Note on this though that my sound card is set to 50% output to avoid clipping from the card which I have seen at higher output levels**
 
I have never found the treble to be harsh. I think it does have a very nice balanced sound. Bass is nice even on rap/hip hop and electronic music though as others have said I sometimes wish it could dig a bit deeper in the bass department. Also, I personally feel that the revered sound-stage of the Q701 is somewhat overstated. It is a semi-open can and having heard some other truly open ones I do wish it had a bit more air to it. Well, then the bass takes a hit and it's a trade off. You can't have everything I guess. 

 
Awesome thanks for that info. I just placed an order for a White Q701. Hopefully it will impress me... if I feel DAT sound-stage isn't good enough, I will be returning them lol.

 

[Grymok]

Guess what....!!
 
Finally got my DT 990 Premium 250 ohm
The build quality is nice, the package premium cage is sweet to.
Haven't got much time to listen to them, but first impression ain't that overwhelming as i had hoped for.
There's somewhat the same amount of base as my Panasonic HTF600.
Running them from a crappy sound card pt, maybe that's the reason, but probably gonna pick up a Creative Titanium HD soon.
And doesn't make much of a sound difference if i run it with HDMI from my graphics card to my receiver and to my phones.
Hope the Titanium HD, will change this stage BIG time. And then maybe an dedicated amp.
 
I just hope i get some better sound of those :S.

 

[Vader2k]

So, I ordered a Marantz SR6005 last night.  I'm extremely eager to try the Annies out with Dolby Headphone once it arrives.  Unfortunately it'll be a while as I also recently bought a new TV, stand and AV cabinet.  Before I begin the long task of rearranging and hooking everything up, I want to put my current TV and receiver up on craigslist while they're still connected so people can demo them.  They say patience is a virtue...

 
Anyway, I did tons of comparison research between all the Marantz AVRs that use DH and since this thread has been such a wonderful resource, I thought I'd give something back and share my findings as sort of a quick-ref guide.  Look for that... sometime in the near future.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

Hey everyone, first time poster here. Thanks MadLust for the good read and all of the info, I'm still trying to digest it all...
 
I have some questions about suggested cans, as there's so much conflicting info floating around out there on the interwebz. I'm searching for a new set of cans, headset or headphones are fine. I'm primarily a PC Gamer that is really into RPGs, hack 'n slashers, action/adventure, and some shooters + mmo; that said, I will be listening to music and watching movies with these. My price limit is around 300 +/-50 bucks USD (prefer ordering from Amazon or Newegg though).
 
My current headset is a Plantronics Gamecom 777, and the earpads are wearing out, I'm getting some feedback from the mic and line, plus other myriad of issues, but mostly they just aren't comfortable anymore.
 
I'm wanting something that is #1 - extremely comfortable; #2 - amazing sounding; #3 - light enough to be portable, and #4 - durable. I've had these Plantronics for nearing on 4 years, and they've been great up until recently, but after using an Astro A40 + mixamp on my Xbox/PS3 I see even more what I'm missing in the games and movies I watch on them, with those A40s. If someone could shoot me in the right direction I'd be very grateful.
 
Amazing sounding and portable usually don't go together for gaming headphones.  The best gaming headphones are usually the full-sized open-back circumaural (fit over the ear, not on the ear) heapdhones, and usually people don't like to use those as portables.
 
You might need two headphones to accomplish everything your looking for (full sized open for at-home gaming, smaller cheaper portable headphone for portable use).
 
What are the benefits (soundwise) between a closed and open back headphone? Why should I choose one over the other? I've always had closed, and honestly they are great for gaming and movie watching when the roomie is around, but I have only ever had these style.
 
http://bit.ly/Qc0gc2
http://www.head-fi.org/newsearch/?search=open+vs+closed&resultSortingPreference=relevance&type=all
 
Open headphones usually have a bigger soundstage, less bass, more open sound.  Closed, all the opposite.
 
I'm currently looking at the V-MODA Crossfade M-100, Senn 598, Senn Momentum, and Senn PC 350SE. Has anyone tried all of these, is there one that's better than another? What's the BEST bang for buck in relation to what my 4 needs are listed above?
 
HD598 is on the front page.  The other three are closed and two of them are portable.   Headphones of that combination usually aren't likely to have great soundstages.
I'd re-read the top recommendations on the front page.
 
Also, once I pick some cans, I assume that I'll also need some type of Amp for my desktop. What should I get?
 
If you're one a desktop, your amp should probably be a decent soundcard (Asus, Creative).  If you want to use them for music, you may want a separate amp/dac, but a decent sound card should still do both of those fine.
 
I'm a total n00b when it comes to sound so please go easy on me
 
If I were you, I'd read the front page again.

 

[unclerico]

Can someone please give the definition of "fun" as used in describing headphones and some examples. I'm very green in the terminologies.
Thanks very much in advance

 

[Heretic817]

Quote:

 
Awesome thanks for that info. I just placed an order for a White Q701. Hopefully it will impress me... if I feel DAT sound-stage isn't good enough, I will be returning them lol.

FYI - DO USE AN AMP. I went without one for about a year and it was "fine" in most cases. It was not until I built my O2 that I realized that I was in fact missing out on the full potential of the headphone. The bass in particular was a very big improvement. Before it was a bit light and uncontrolled. I thought that this was due to claims that the Q701 lacked in the bass department when it is now clear that it was power starved. Same goes with the sound card output. I had to have it set to 100% to get acceptable volume and now I know how much it was struggling under those conditions.
 
The Q701 is not the hardest headphone to drive "loud enough" but it's demands are beyond what an un-amped sound card or mp3 player can drive properly. 
 
If you are not going to get an amp then get a different headphone. 

 

[Impulse]

Guess what....!!

Finally got my DT 990 Premium 250 ohm
The build quality is nice, the package premium cage is sweet to.
Haven't got much time to listen to them, but first impression ain't that overwhelming as i had hoped for.
There's somewhat the same amount of base as my Panasonic HTF600.
Running them from a crappy sound card pt, maybe that's the reason, but probably gonna pick up a Creative Titanium HD soon.
And doesn't make much of a sound difference if i run it with HDMI from my graphics card to my receiver and to my phones.
Hope the Titanium HD, will change this stage BIG time. And then maybe an dedicated amp.

I just hope i get some better sound of those :S.

Congrats! Package premium cage? Don't they just come inside a foam/nylon bag/case packed inside a box? My DT 880 weren't even sealed, tho the bag is nice and the "handmade in Germany" slogan slapped around the box does give a warm and fuzzy feeling.

What sound card are you using right now? DH/CMSS-3D will definitely help with sound stage but the Ti HD doesn't have a discrete amp like ASUS cards, might be borderline with a 250 ohm load, dunno. It's still a great card if you got it for close to $100 tho, can always add an amp later.

Can someone please give the definition of "fun" as used in describing headphones and some examples. I'm very green in the terminologies.
Thanks very much in advance

Generally around Head Fi it usually refers to a slight bass and possibly treble boost, more of a V signature, but it's a very vague and subjective term to be honest... It'll mean different things to different people, ultimately it usually refers to a more colored sound rather than a more neutral or analytical one, but a lot of people find the latter to be "fun" for them so YMMV.

In the context of this thread and MLE's rankings in particular it usually just means a warmer signature with more bass presence and impact, something that can immerse you into the game as explosions and that sorta thing carry more weight but can also detract from the sound stage and sound positioning if it's overdone (not so good for competitive play).

 

[cheuh]

Quote:

FYI - DO USE AN AMP. I went without one for about a year and it was "fine" in most cases. It was not until I built my O2 that I realized that I was in fact missing out on the full potential of the headphone. The bass in particular was a very big improvement. Before it was a bit light and uncontrolled. I thought that this was due to claims that the Q701 lacked in the bass department when it is now clear that it was power starved. Same goes with the sound card output. I had to have it set to 100% to get acceptable volume and now I know how much it was struggling under those conditions.
 
The Q701 is not the hardest headphone to drive "loud enough" but it's demands are beyond what an un-amped sound card or mp3 player can drive properly. 
 
If you are not going to get an amp then get a different headphone. 

 
I have an O2... hopefully it will drive the Q701s well. I heard the Matrix M-Stage is a good pairing for these headphones? What kind of performance would I get if I 'upgraded' to the M-stage?

 

[Impulse]

What are the benefits (soundwise) between a closed and open back headphone? Why should I choose one over the other? I've always had closed, and honestly they are great for gaming and movie watching when the roomie is around, but I have only ever had these style.

Chico assessed most of your post but I'll expand on this a little bit anyway, even tho it's been asked many times...

When you're looking at mid-to-high end $300+ headphones, the main advantage of going closed is sound isolation from your environment, period. Some of the better closed headphones at this level aren't even very isolating for obvious reasons... The more sealed the cups are the more resonant bass gets and sound stage suffers, which is particularly bad for competitive gaming.

Open headphones generally present a bigger sound stage and singling out individual sounds is easier, but you'll hear everything and everyone around you plus sound will leak out of them so they'll bother others sitting nearby.

There's closed headphones at different price ranges that don't do too terribly at presenting a larger sound stage (DT 770, Mad Dogs, Creative Aurvana Live / CAL, JVC RX900, etc.) but open headphones in the same price range can still outclass them in that regard, none of those are very portable either except possibly the CAL but I hear they aren't very durable.

Small closed cups and smaller drivers just aren't gonna be great for gaming, can't cheat physics. There's a difference between portable and transportable too IMO, something like Beyers DT series are relatively compact compared to bigger full size headphones and they're built tough as heck.

 

[Heretic817]

I have an O2... hopefully it will drive the Q701s well. I heard the Matrix M-Stage is a good pairing for these headphones? What kind of performance would I get if I 'upgraded' to the M-stage?

The O2 has plenty of power. I dont see a point in getting a different one unless you want to get an amp "you can hear" to "change" the sound. ;p

 

[Heretic817]

I have an O2... hopefully it will drive the Q701s well. I heard the Matrix M-Stage is a good pairing for these headphones? What kind of performance would I get if I 'upgraded' to the M-stage?

The O2 has plenty of power. I dont see a point in getting a different one unless you want to get an amp "you can hear" to "change" the sound. ;p

 

[Naingolann]

I found a very old Sansui AU517 in my closet and was wondering if I could still get something from it. I though about using it with my PC and PS3 and replace the E9...Would this be a good idea? I wonder if my DT990 would sound good off of it?
 
Here's some pictures:
 

 

 
You can also see the manual right here: http://911manuals.com/preview/Sansui/Sansui-AU517-AU717-int-sm.png
 
Also, would it be possible to use with my DSS (3.5 to RCA) and DT990?

 

[Evshrug]

[size=11pt]Previous Audio Technicas have been very easy to drive, and the AD900X are still only 38 ohms (previous were 32 ohm I think), so I highly doubt they're require that much amplifcation.[/size]

[size=11pt]I would probably use 0 dB gain, 12 dB if your feeling brave.[/size]

On a totally OT tangent, I like your font here. Times New Roman, or Cambria? I get sick of Arial all the time, sometimes.

So, I ordered a Marantz SR6005 last night.  I'm extremely eager to try the Annies out with Dolby Headphone once it arrives.  Unfortunately it'll be a while as I also recently bought a new TV, stand and AV cabinet.  Before I begin the long task of rearranging and hooking everything up, I want to put my current TV and receiver up on craigslist while they're still connected so people can demo them.  They say patience is a virtue...

Anyway, I did tons of comparison research between all the Marantz AVRs that use DH and since this thread has been such a wonderful resource, I thought I'd give something back and share my findings as sort of a quick-ref guide.  Look for that... sometime in the near future.

I totally understand about enjoying the thread, and wanting to give back. I recommend putting your quick-reference in your posting signature, so you can easily refer people to it, like I did with my thread. I want to get ack to adding to mine, though I'm kinda bummed because I'd hoped to write about external DACs from personal experience, but I never was able to successfully troubleshoot the ODAC connection before sending it away.


Naingolann,
I hooked up my Recon3D's audio out to my receiver's input with good results, if your receiver has RCA then I don't see how you couldn't have success. And also a higher electric bill

 

[Grymok]

Quote:

Congrats! Package premium cage? Don't they just come inside a foam/nylon bag/case packed inside a box? My DT 880 weren't even sealed, tho the bag is nice and the "handmade in Germany" slogan slapped around the box does give a warm and fuzzy feeling.

What sound card are you using right now? DH/CMSS-3D will definitely help with sound stage but the Ti HD doesn't have a discrete amp like ASUS cards, might be borderline with a 250 ohm load, dunno. It's still a great card if you got it for close to $100 tho, can always add an amp later.
 

 
Yeap can get it for about 100$, actually a little less , it's 2 years old.
It's the standard sound card which comes with my Rampage II Extreme, nothing expensive. It's an x-fi, and got the driver etc installed. But it really just don't get the "WAUW" feeling .
Have looked into getting an O2 amp or Zigis tube amp. The O2 costs 170$ here in europe, and can get the Zigis tube amp for 220$.
So will maybe end up with the titanium HD and the tube amp
Then i hope it will make some NICE sounds in bf3, and my music

 

[unclerico]

Quote:

Generally around Head Fi it usually refers to a slight bass and possibly treble boost, more of a V signature, but it's a very vague and subjective term to be honest... It'll mean different things to different people, ultimately it usually refers to a more colored sound rather than a more neutral or analytical one, but a lot of people find the latter to be "fun" for them so YMMV.

In the context of this thread and MLE's rankings in particular it usually just means a warmer signature with more bass presence and impact, something that can immerse you into the game as explosions and that sorta thing carry more weight but can also detract from the sound stage and sound positioning if it's overdone (not so good for competitive play).

Thanks for your response on what the term "fun" means. I'm trying to find a nice balance of great sounding for music and great for fps gaming. I just bought the Astro A40's/mixamp, Beyerdynamic dt990 pro, and Audio technica ad700's. Hopefully, after putting these sets through the ringer over the weekend, I'll develop a better understanding of headphone terminology and overall sound.