[ninjikiran]

Getting in Ultrasone Signature DJ's which are supposed to be in the neighborhood of a significantly beefed up 770pro/80  I am looking forward to testing them with games, <3 closed cans.

 

[Impulse]

I think they will be the same. Its the KSC75 that people keep getting confused. It only shared the driver with one other headphone, IIRC. Sme behind the neck headphone of theirs. The 35s I've seen having the same drivers as the Sporta and Portapro. Its the rear housing on those that alters the sound.

But soon enough I'll be 100% sure, though I may have to take driver variation into account. Still the 35 has some obvious smoothness next to the 75, which has a metallic twinge in the treble.

I think the KSC75 has the same driver as the KSC50/55 too (50's were the clips and 55 the behind the head variant), though they're discontinued...

They actually looked a lot better IMO and the clip was much more securely attached but still flexible, fit was more hit or miss tho and the conventional grill was probably more expensive to stamp than the 75's.

I think they were pretty short lived, when did they stop making the 35's? I remember seeing the 50/55 quite a bit towards 2000 but by the time I went to get my sister some (maybe around 2005) they were already on the 75's.

I need to clean my KSC50 and replace the pads, they've disintegrated...

 

[Makiah S]

Wii U needs optical out, or I need an HDMI spillter with HD video out and HD sound out on seperate channels so I can amp the sound more. Even with thick cans and a thick tube the Wii U out of my Tvs head phone sounds thin
 
But the new 1080p looks awesome! And the enviorments are a little richer. Still I need an optical In dac or amp, since I wonder if the optical out would just out put pure data...
 
still new cans r awesome and new game is awesome, and new tv LOOKS awesome but sounds bad

 

[NinjaSushi2]

Hi all. Been awhile since I've posted here.

 

[oobble]

Does your Creative Recon3D USB allow you to adjust the Xbox chat volume separately from the game volume?
 
 
Quote:

Hey ScottishRump (Pip),
Well, if you were looking for K701 and HD650 morsels, there are plenty in this thread! The first post will be most helpful — it's the guide. Each headphone review has a click to expand section for Mad's full review. If you want more, there has been more morsels of discussion on both if you go backwards from now rather than start at the oldest posts (excluding the guide post, which is very frequently updated).

The short version is, if you want an all-a'rounder headphone that is circumaural with great comfort, the AKG 701 65th Anniversary (fondly called the Annies) get a solid recommendation. It is more expensive than the K702 you mentioned, but this limited edition model has a flat headband offering more comfort for some, and a pleasing balanced tone that is a bare nudge warmer than the typical K702 (but not the aggressive "warmth" you experienced as part of the Grado house sound). Personally, I chose an AKG Q701 at half the cost, Chicolom posted a link to his more in-depth comparison one or two pages back, but the short version is the Q701 is closer to the Annies than another headphone brand, and still sounds great enough to have some great toe-curling audio-nirvana moments.

The HD650 also gets good marks, but it just presents things differently, more laid-back and FWIR stands out for "smooth mids." Also costs more. The HD598 and HD558 are cheaper, but the presentation is different... I suggest you read the first-page guide for impressions on those. The Sennheiser PC360 is basically an HD558 with a built-in mic – up to you if the price difference is worth it over buying a $3 clip-on lapel mic (dunno the price in Euro, but should also be cheap), and I haven't read any impressions on Sennheiser's new gaming headphone lineup but the PC360 comparison ought to orient you to the level of quality you can expect. Another "balanced" signature headphone worth looking into is the BeyerDynamic DT880: very even and "transparent" headphone, maybe less soundstage "width" than the AKG flagships but they are remarked for their comfort and near-monitoring accuracy.

The purchase list you laid out is a very good looking one IMO. I haven't read enough about (or auditioned) the Superlux headphones that look like AKG clones to know what they sound like, but for their asking price I expect you'd be giving up some refinement compared to the real AKG flagships... but those ought to still easily please you compared to the Tritton Ax Pros. Honestly, almost any of the headphones in Mad's guide are better than the Tritton's, read Mad's impression in the guide on those AX Pros. The other thing about your list... You can drive the AKGs loud enough from the Mixamp alone, with the chat dial turned all the way to "game." The K702 (or Q701, or Annies) ought to sound pretty nice without an extra amp, HOWEVER (and this happened to me) over time you'll come to feel like something is being held back, and when you add an amp with lots of current supply and low distortion, the headphones will really show their potential by making each note/sound more distinct and adding more "air" and depth to the soundstage.

Personally, I bought Creative's Recon3D USB sound processor instead of the Mixamp, for half the cost, and I like that it works pretty well with both PC and console (Xbox here, but I may soon get a roommate with a PS3), without hearing the Mixamp personally I theorize the Recon3D USB has lower distortion, background noise, but also lower current, but it worked really nice for me once I added a tube hybrid amp made by Head-Fi'er Zigis. The Mixamp uses Dolby Headphone to process virtual surround (so does Tritton's AX 720 and Turtle Beach's DSS), but the Recon3D USB uses THX TruStudio Pro; THX works well for me, but I suspect it affects ears differently, I have more "morsels" talking about this in the thread linked in my signature. Head-Fi'er Nameless is selling his Recon3D USB for $70 USD, if you don't mind arranging shipping with him. I mentioned Turtle Beach's DSS earlier, that's probably the cheapest (2nd hand) recommended surround processing option for consoles, though we have a guy who likes his DSS2 as well. Last thing on surround processing/amping front, sometimes it's more versatile and forward thinking to find a home theater receiver with a headphone surround mode, for example Mad found a used Marantz receiver with Dolby Headphone that has a superior amp to the Mixamp, more processing options, speaker and input options, all in one convenient package (though large physically). Mad probably could've been "done" with just his Annies and the receiver, but he had to buy his Audio-GD Compass2 Amp/DAC and he is compelled to expand his guide every month... he probably wouldn't have tried the Annies and receiver if he wasn't that way to begin with, Love Ya Mad!

Hope you found this post helpful, and don't mind it being a bit longer than your own post (Mine's longer than yours is, Nyah ). From personal experience I recommend the AKG flagships and a surround processor, and if you want to spread out your cost you could survive waiting a bit to buy a dedicated amp, but eventually you'll want said amp

 

[BlackThought]

Quote:

Mad scored the AD700s as gaming-godly because they emphasize tactical sound frequencies while having thin bass (Mad likes to say No Bass), so you really just concentrate on the details. Also, they have exceptional sound stage. The DT990 is just as detailed and also has a pretty good soundstage, but Mad thought it was also more fun because the bass was fuller, making the sound more exciting (and thus involving, though Mad's word choice is "fun" and "immersive"). The AD700 is great, and certainly a great value much cheaper than DT990s, but the DT990s are also very accurate at imaging and may just be more to your preference. That said, I have an AD700 myself and I'm not really interested in trying a DT990 (tho I really want to hear the DT880), I'm just saying do some more research before discounting something.

You guys are gonna make me pull my chin whiskers out

 
I'll give the DT990s a go then when im able to.

 

[AxelCloris]

Quote:

Head-Fi'er Nameless is selling his Recon3D USB for $70 USD, if you don't mind arranging shipping with him.

 
Not to try and steal any from Nameless, but you can also see it new on Amazon lately for under $70. Right now Nameless has the better price by a good margin, but I got mine new for $65 recently with prime shipping. So as it sits, Nameless has the best price I've seen if you want to jump now. Waiting may have a benefit too.

 

[Evshrug]

Does your Creative Recon3D USB allow you to adjust the Xbox chat volume separately from the game volume?

No, that is it's weakness. Usually games have an options box to allow you to turn down game volume, so you can turn the overall volume up to bring chat volume up, but cut game volume down to set your balance. Halo is the only one that bugs me that way, but even then I usually get by as long as I'm not driving a warthog. On PC, you can easily control chat vs game volume, there is even a switch on the side to change voice input gain, something the Mixamp doesn't do (as well as all the custom EQ and controls). But yeah, short answer, on Xbox, the Recon3D doesn't adjust chat volume separately from game volume.

 

[Evshrug]

Not to try and steal any from Nameless, but you can also see it new on Amazon lately for under $70. Right now Nameless has the better price by a good margin, but I got mine new for $65 recently with prime shipping. So as it sits, Nameless has the best price I've seen if you want to jump now. Waiting may have a benefit too.

Shipped to the UK? Avoiding VAT? Yeah... $5 less is worth waiting for to buy from Amazon US.

Now I want to see on camelcamelcamel.com how long it was selling for $65 and how often it's done that.
Edit:

 

[DefMars]

Looking to upgrade from my half broken Turtle Beach X11's. I've done some searching and i've come up with a few selections. I'd like to hear some opinions and get some more suggestions before I make a decision. I don't really want to spend more than $65, and I like to listen to music while I game.

My Choices

1. SteelSeries Siberia V2
2. GameCon 780
3. JVC HARX700 with Zalman mic
4. Audio-Technica ATH-M30 with Zalman mic

 

[calpis]

Quote:

Looking to upgrade from my half broken Turtle Beach X11's. I've done some searching and i've come up with a few selections. I'd like to hear some opinions and get some more suggestions before I make a decision. I don't really want to spend more than $65, and I like to listen to music while I game.

My Choices

1. SteelSeries Siberia V2
2. GameCon 780
3. JVC HARX700 with Zalman mic
4. Audio-Technica ATH-M30 with Zalman mic

 
Don't eat lunch for 2 days and get the Skullcandy Slyrs.

 

[Evshrug]

^^
Reaching for the SLYR is probably the most beneficial value move, or waiting/finding them on sale. How much did the SLYRs originally sell for, $40? Probably won't go on sale for that cheap anytime soon (I dunno, is Easter usually a big discount day for electronics and headphones?), but they might get close to your budget. Target has them for $75 right now, I think. Includes the stuff needed to connect to an Xbox, I think...
I bought an HA-RX900 (modded with a little pinch of cotton and Dynamat resonance dampening material in the earcups) for a friend as a college grad gift, he was pretty impressed and I thought it was a good value. I'd suggest a lapel mic instead of the Zalman though.

 

[chicolom]

So, here are some impressions from the meet I went to:
 
BTW, disclaimer: everything was tested off my M-stage/ODAC setup, except for the HE-6...
 
 
HD800:  VERY spacious, as you would expect.  Even though I was only running them off the M-stage, they still sounded more open then the Q701s.  The separation was very clear, and it had some of that "floating" instruments which I'm a big fan of.  The soundstage height and depth was also very impressive.  They're also warmer than I was expecting.  Warmer than the Q701s, but not quite as warm as the anniversaries.  Unlike the Anniversaries though, they have more air and treble extension up top. When I A-Bed briefly with the Q701s, the Q701s sounded more chalky and a bit flat and grainy sounding (also shorter soundstage, less depth).  I'm not sure the Q701s do anything better (maybe warmer treble?), and the HD800s are a nice and natural upgrade from them.  Also, the HD800s have the largest and deepest cups out of any headphones I've ever worn.  I was very happy to discover that.  I could DEFINITELY see myself owning and loving these.  Not a ton of bass, so they probably aren't great for electronic, but likely amazing for acoustic.
 
 
T1:  The first thing that surprised me when I put these on was the bass impact.  It hit harder than I was expecting it too - very tight bass but punchy bass.  They also had impressive soundstage depth and great separation. They were also brighter than I was expecting.  Also, these are extremely comfortable.  The cups are unlike the Beyer DT series, they are very deep and spacious inside - with angled drivers.  Awesome velour too.
 
 
D7000:  OMG, the bass is unlike ANYTHING I've ever heard from a headphone.  I did some bass frequency sweeps and I literally said "Oh My God..." outloud when it went down past 25-30hz.  It was rumbling my body in ways it's never been rumbled before.  I was there with a friend and when he listened, he said "Jesus..." when it got down low.   Also, for a closed headphone the soundstage is HUGE.  I started a song thinking "OK, it's closed - so it can't throw the sound out that far" and then it threw it way out farther than I was expecting.  I can see the soundstage doing fine in gaming, as well as a lot of open headphones.  The only thing that worries me is that the bass will be TOO much at times.  Also the initial comfort was very high.  The cups were spacious and my ears didn't touch anything inside.  I think it had J$ pads though.  I don't know how it would feel over extended listening though (velour FTW).
 
 
TH900:  So gorgeous...

.  They sounded similar to the D7000, but I didn't A-B them or anything.  The bass still touched me deep inside. 
 
HE-500:  Reminded me of a warmer HE-400 (a good thing).  Better mids, treble not as hot/emphasized.
 
HE-6:  Intimate and extremely clear/transparent.  I actually thought the setup they were hooked to was playing higher resolution files or something as the voices sounded amazing.  While I wasn't a huge fan of the intimate-ness everything else about them was very impressive.  I was also listened off a higher powered dac/amp to juice the HE-6s properly.  BTW, comfort/fit on both the Hifiman's is pretty good - they can be heavier.
 
 
LCD-3:  The bass quantity was lower then I was expecting, which surprised me.  I had heard that the bass on these was amazing, but nothing stood out to me.  Nothing like on the D7000/TH900 that blew me away.  I think there was something unusual about the bass that seemed different from other headphones I'd heard, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  Overall I was underwhelmed.  Also they're HUGE and the fit is strange.  Look at pictures of them, and they feel on your head how you would expect them to.  The pads are so angled, it feels like they the back of the pads is trying to push the front of the pads forward off your head.  When you wiggle your head the microphonics are noticeable.
 
 
I didn't get to hear the Stax SR303 (are those the same ones you have Nameless?), but I did put them on my head to test out the fit/comfort.  They were pretty flat inside the cups and my ears were smushed against the foam Grado-style, so I don't think I could wear them for long.
 
The HD700 I also didn't hear, but I put them on and they were very comfy.  While the earcups were smaller than the HD800, there was still enough room that my big ears didn't touch anything.
 
 
Just keep in mind that all those impressions are VERY ROUGH, and coming off my humble M-stage/ODAC (there were some monstrous amps there).
 
 
 
Overall, my favorites were the HD800, T1, D7000, and TH900 in no particular order.  I think the Hifimans and LCD-3 are less "obviously" impressive and probalby take more listening time than a rough impression to appreciate their refinement (and probalby nicer amps then the M-stage :\)  I'm also easily impressed by soundstage so the Sennheisers, Beyer, and Denons/Fostex may have had an advantage with me there.
 
I also still thought the anniversaries put up an impressive and respectable fight against the flagships.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

AHA! So the D7000 strikes again!

What did I tell you? That headphone... best bass... evar. And yes, for a very refined can, it can have too much bass at times. More often than not though, its not an issue as its all sub bass, so that big bass doesn't hamper clarity. If you listen carefully, you can hear that the mid bass is actually quite reserved. I miss it, so much. Glad you acknowledged the soundstage. It's VERY impressive for a closed headphone. Closed in that it doesn't leak out, but it sure as hell acts like an open headphone when it comes to external noises.

As for the LCD3, I'm sure it's a lot like the LCD2. The thing is, the bass is actually quite accurate. Like the Annie, it only hits when there is bass, and it hits hard when it's called for. It has amazing texture and rumble, as long as a song truly yearns for it. By comparison, the D7000 emphasizes bass in a tasteful way, but isn't accurate. It's a basshead headphone for those with refined tastes, while the LCDs are for those who like balanced headphones that love when bass reaches deep only when it's asked for in the source.

So jealous you got to hear the TH900 and HD800. I actually kind of want to return the 650s (bought them used anyways), and save up for an HE500. I think I'll stick to the KSC35 for laying down use. I love the HD650s, bit I'm ready to hear stellar planar mids outside of the LCD2. I was originally gonna buy a cable for my LCD2, but then thought that the price of the cable plus the HD650 is like the price of a used HE500...

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

AHA! So the D7000 strikes again!

What did I tell you? That headphone... best bass... evar. And yes, for a very refined can, it can have too much bass at times. More often than not though, its not an issue as its all sub bass, so that big bass doesn't hamper clarity. If you listen carefully, you can hear that the mid bass is actually quite reserved. I miss it, so much. Glad you acknowledged the soundstage. It's VERY impressive for a closed headphone. Closed in that it doesn't leak out, but it sure as hell acts like an open headphone when it comes to external noises.

As for the LCD3, I'm sure it's a lot like the LCD2. The thing is, the bass is actually quite accurate. Like the Annie, it only hits when there is bass, and it hits hard when it's called for. It has amazing texture and rumble, as long as a song truly yearns for it. By comparison, the D7000 emphasizes bass in a tasteful way, but isn't accurate. It's a basshead headphone for those with refined tastes, while the LCDs are for those who like balanced headphones that love when bass reaches deep only when it's asked for in the source.

So jealous you got to hear the TH900 and HD800. I actually kind of want to return the 650s (bought them used anyways), and save up for an HE500. I think I'll stick to the KSC35 for laying down use. I love the HD650s, bit I'm ready to hear stellar planar mids outside of the LCD2. I was originally gonna buy a cable for my LCD2, but then thought that the price of the cable plus the HD650 is like the price of a used HE500...

 
 
Yeah, the D7000 was VERY impressive.  I don't know where it found all that soundstage room inside those closed cups. 

  I would love to hear it for gaming to see what the bass does when something in the environment triggers sub-bass.
 
Have you been looking into Fostex's two spiritual successors?  Maybe you have a THx00 in your future. 

 
 
I'm not sure I could stand the LCD's fit for extended listening.  They felt very weird - like I was trapped inside a leathery cave.  Maybe the vegan pads aren't so bad.
 
Either way, at those prices I'd be wanting addicting soundstage performance, so something like HD800 would probably be more my style.