[calpis]

I can't comment on the Steelseries Universal mixer but I had their first version of it that was xbox only.I originally picked it up to use with my Yamaha receiver to get chat mixing with Silent Cinema. Every controller I plugged it into added an incredible amount of hiss as soon as I plugged it into the USB for power. It was practically unusable and I returned it the next day and went back to just plugging my mic directly into my controller. I never bothered with their Universal Mixer because I've been doubting their quality standard ever since trying their original Mixer.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

On another note... I think the DSS was holding it's own when I was playing with the Q701 plugged directly into it. The built-in amp is not bad for something USB powered... I'm not ready to fully review the DSS tho.
Chico, don't freak out that I got a DSS or DH device, or that I'm slowly copying your past setups

 
Ahh...so you got a DSS to replace the Recon?  I assume you picked up the first version?   It's a steal at $30 used, which is what it sells for regularly on eBay.

 

[Evshrug]

lunemi,
It's ok that you are new to learning about audio, I always encourage people to stretch their "wings" and try to record impressions and feelings. Don't worry or get too caught up by it, but putting your impressions into words will help you define your perception of the headphone, and in the future you'll be able to look back at what you wrote and get a glimmer of what you were thinking at the time. Plus, I'm genuinely curious about the new headphones I read the first 5 pages or so of that linked thread, but I'm still interested in your thoughts. I'm an easy audience, lol.


Calpis,
Did you ever compare the DH and SC side-by-side? When I first used the DSS, I immediately thought "this sounds a lot like SC," and when I hooked up and used my Yamaha receiver at my girlfriends two days later for some more CoD4, it seemed to mostly confirm that feeling (though depth may have been slightly better with the DSS... further testing, and side-by-side testing, will be required before I form a conclusion).


Chicolom,
Yeah, it was cheap, so I basically picked it up for review purposes. So far I think it does a good job portraying front/back separation, but near the 6 O'clock position the reverbs become almost matched and separation between front/back becomes unnatural, basically I can tell if it's behind if there is the right kind of reverb. I do intend to test it more though, nothing's set in stone and I haven't formed any conclusions. I kinda do wish I still had the Recon3D USB for testing alongside, but at the end of the day I have these devices to play games after work, not to test and review.


I just read Mad's most recent reviews and the bits written by Rukuu in the guide. I'm reminded of the good stuff in there (and again, I want to test out the DT880, I think they're simply clear enough and so precise that you can hear the same rear depth-collapse in space I kinda heard in my first test of the DSS... and of course, the DT880 are just very prestigious headphones), but also that my main "contributions" to this thread are mostly just from having a contrary opinion... like that the Recon3D USB should be tested as a viable alternative to the Mixamp, or just being the contrary voice saying "I don't want more bass!" or "Why spend more money?" I've been here a year, but don't really do anything of lasting usefulness maybe I'm just reflecting on my career again, the nice manager that hired me is leaving the company, and my hours have been drastically cut for no reason other than the returned GM doesn't know that I need full-time, I guess.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

@Mad Lust Envy

I would just like to ask for some clarification. Did you perhaps run the AKG K702 Anniversary successfully off of the Marantz SR5002 alone?

K702 Annie, Q701, HD650, LCD2, HE400 all sounded great off the Marantz. I dunno how high quality the internal power supply is, but looking through the grills on top it looks more impressive than my SA-31 and NFB5, though how much of what i saw was headphone circuitry is questionable. I have no doubt the DAC portion is at least audiophile grade, and the headphone amp is considerably 'louder' than both the SA31 and Compass 2 (tested by driving the 3DS which is eeally, really weak). Not sure about it's technical specs though. They tend to have highish output impedances, though coincidetally, the AKG 70x dont really get affected by that, nor do planars, and the HD650 is high impedance, so it's in the clear.

I do think the Compass 2 sounds slightly better for my headphones...like very, very slightly.

 

[BizareLogics]

Sorry to post so much useless stuff...
 
But I've got a budget of $450 for a new headset.
 
I'm looking @ the following to pair with my X41 Decoder / Astro Mixamp Pro 5.8.
 
PC360
 
AKG Q701
 
AKG K701
 
AKG K702 65th Anniverasary ( Is there a difference between the Annies and the normal K702's? )
 
What other headsets / headphones are a good choice.
 
I know there is a whole list on page one but I need other peoples opinions and experiences.. And It's alot of money to invest =] haha
 
Thank you heaps

 

[jonathan1107]

Quote:

Johnathan1107 (Master Chief reference?),
I recommend the Q701 as my favorite headphone I've experienced, and because it generally is well reviewed by others too. I use mine with my Xbox 360 all the time.

Clip-on lapel mic (seems to regularly go in and out of stock, better than Microsoft Chat mic):
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-3-5mm-Hands-Computer-Microphone/dp/B005DJOIHE/ref=zg_bs_11974771_14

Adapter to connect clip-on lapel mic to Xbox 360 controller (I have 2 of these, though the Mixamp and Recon3D USB have their own included adapters):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005543MAG/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I haven't heard the Sennheiser PC360... FWIR it's very balanced and good, sometimes not very engaging. Take away the built-in mic and the PC360 = Sennheiser HD555. The HD558 is a slight uptick in quality, and still cheaper than the PC360. IMO The PC360 still isn't super convenient because you still need some additional adapters if you want to use it with a console (like those included with a Mixamp or Recon3D). The price difference is about $20 new... Not a huge deal but after mic + adapter you still have enough savings for a Steam game or pizza and dessert

Of course... I just noticed there are two refurbs for sale on amazon for just over $100... That is a pretty great deal.

---

Don Tonberry,
I have a DSS now, and i just plug my mic straight into my controller (with an adapter, see above). Usually, I can mix game vs chat audio balance by turning up the volume on my DSS (all sounds louder), and turning down the game volume in the game's settings menu. I use this method all the time in the CoD games and several of my single-player games, though strangely the Halo games don't offer a volume adjustment in their settings menus. I'm not a huge fan of the Xbox's live "ducking" feature that lowers game volume temporarily if someone starts chatting, because I have a buddy who does not shut up when he's drunk and I end up not hearing tactical cues

Plus, some people just have really bad, quiet microphones, and I need to turn up the volume very loud to hear them at all, and I don't want the game to be nearly that loud.

The steelseries mixer is a passive device (no amping), so it just adds impedance to the circuit and thus degrades sound quality the further you get from 100% volume. My chat adapter has a mic-in port AND a chat-out port... I only use the mic port now (and have all chat/voice audio play through "speakers"), but possibru I could hook up a little amp (like my FiiO E5) to the chat-out port and then use a headphone y-splitter cable in the reverse direction to merge game and chat audio back into my one headphone... I could try it, I have all the pieces, but I probably won't bother, haha.

Ok thanks. I checked the links. I didn't know such adapters existed for the Xbox 360. My next question was going to be: Using that adaptor of yours, it wouldn't be surround sound coming into the headset right? One would need a MIX amp hooked up with an optical cable coming out of the xbox 360 to get that right ?
 
Also, yeah from all your recommendations, clearly you guys think its better to use a stand alone quality headphone with a clip-on mic or something of the like, and it makes sense. But yeah, someone recommended the PC360 to me earlier in this thread, and after thinking about it, I went ahead and ordered it. I know I could have gotten a cheaper deal through the HD558, but yeah, I do like the idea of a 2 in 1 (mic + headset).
 
And from what I've read, the surround sound is good, cues are good, soundstage is good, and bass is not boomy like it is in my horrible A50s.
To all who might read this: DO NOT buy the A50s, they just hiss and buzz all the time... and everyone at Astro doesn'T give a flipping **** and their customer support after delivering a broken product into my hands is just terrible. Kind of dissapointing when you think about all the hype they produced with their a40 series...
 
Thanks to all for the tips, really appreciate it

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I didn't like the A50. Disappointing.

I'm getting a package today. Very excite. Can't put up the review until next month though.

 

[Don Tonberry]

Quote:

Don Tonberry,
I have a DSS now, and i just plug my mic straight into my controller (with an adapter, see above). Usually, I can mix game vs chat audio balance by turning up the volume on my DSS (all sounds louder), and turning down the game volume in the game's settings menu. I use this method all the time in the CoD games and several of my single-player games, though strangely the Halo games don't offer a volume adjustment in their settings menus. I'm not a huge fan of the Xbox's live "ducking" feature that lowers game volume temporarily if someone starts chatting, because I have a buddy who does not shut up when he's drunk and I end up not hearing tactical cues

Plus, some people just have really bad, quiet microphones, and I need to turn up the volume very loud to hear them at all, and I don't want the game to be nearly that loud.

The steelseries mixer is a passive device (no amping), so it just adds impedance to the circuit and thus degrades sound quality the further you get from 100% volume. My chat adapter has a mic-in port AND a chat-out port... I only use the mic port now (and have all chat/voice audio play through "speakers"), but possibru I could hook up a little amp (like my FiiO E5) to the chat-out port and then use a headphone y-splitter cable in the reverse direction to merge game and chat audio back into my one headphone... I could try it, I have all the pieces, but I probably won't bother, haha.

I was thinking about getting an adapter like that and a splitter for my headphones as well. So that I could get the voice and game audio together.  I play a lot of Halo so I think I'd have to go this route because of the lack of in game volume settings.  Do you think the voice audio would be loud enough without an amp?

 

[Chubtoad]

I'm still waiting for my Annies to arrive, and waiting for the modmic and asgard 2 to come back into stock so they can ship!
 
 
If I was looking at a portable DAC/Amp setup would the E17 be one of the better/more popular options? it sounds like a kind of all in one portable solution

 

[AaronBroad]

Quote:

Sorry to post so much useless stuff...
 
But I've got a budget of $450 for a new headset.
 
I'm looking @ the following to pair with my X41 Decoder / Astro Mixamp Pro 5.8.
 
PC360
 
AKG Q701
 
AKG K701
 
AKG K702 65th Anniverasary ( Is there a difference between the Annies and the normal K702's? )
 
What other headsets / headphones are a good choice.
 
I know there is a whole list on page one but I need other peoples opinions and experiences.. And It's alot of money to invest =] haha
 
Thank you heaps

I have the K702s and love them. I have owned the K701 and PC 360. The K701 is very similar sounding to K702 - both provide I think the best detail and positioning / soundstage for gaming. The PC 360 is nice, but I returned them after comparing to my K702. If you get a headphone instead of a headset, I recommend looking into modmic. The K701/2 are very comfortable to me, but some have complained that the bumps on the headband hurt. So make sure you have an option to return them if this is the case for you. (The Annies don't have the bumps so that's another option) 
Another option you might look into is Beyerdynamic's MMX 300 headset. I used the MMX 300 for some time and would still be using it but for the closed design (I needed to be able to hear my kids if they woke up after going to bed etc.)

 

[Evshrug]

Ok thanks. I checked the links. I didn't know such adapters existed for the Xbox 360. My next question was going to be: Using that adaptor of yours, it wouldn't be surround sound coming into the headset right? One would need a MIX amp hooked up with an optical cable coming out of the xbox 360 to get that right ?

Also, yeah from all your recommendations, clearly you guys think its better to use a stand alone quality headphone with a clip-on mic or something of the like, and it makes sense. But yeah, someone recommended the PC360 to me earlier in this thread, and after thinking about it, I went ahead and ordered it. I know I could have gotten a cheaper deal through the HD558, but yeah, I do like the idea of a 2 in 1 (mic + headset).

And from what I've read, the surround sound is good, cues are good, soundstage is good, and bass is not boomy like it is in my horrible A50s.
To all who might read this: DO NOT buy the A50s, they just hiss and buzz all the time... and everyone at Astro doesn'T give a flipping **** and their customer support after delivering a broken product into my hands is just terrible. Kind of dissapointing when you think about all the hype they produced with their a40 series...

Thanks to all for the tips, really appreciate it

The adapter above is only for chat audio... Only chat audio goes through an Xbox controller. Like you said, you still need something hooked up to the back of your Xbox to get game audio. I don't know if you live with your family, but a home receiver (especially one with headphone surround, like a Yamaha, Sony, or an older receiver with Dolby Headphone like Harman Kardon, Marantz, or Denon receiver) is the most convenient option because you can hook all your consoles and speakers up to it, but if space is tight or you need something portable, then yeah, you need one of the gaming surround processors I've listed before. Have you gotten your surround working from your Xonar soundcard yet?

I can understand about just sticking to your guns about a form factor. I was going to buy a car about a week ago, but even though the dealer had some great deals on the table for me, I walked away because I wanted a hatchback with a turbo charger. So, I'm trying to hold back till I save up for what I really want

I was thinking about getting an adapter like that and a splitter for my headphones as well. So that I could get the voice and game audio together.  I play a lot of Halo so I think I'd have to go this route because of the lack of in game volume settings.  Do you think the voice audio would be loud enough without an amp?

Usually voice audio IS loud enough, including with random other people online. I just have two buddies on my friend's list that have whisper-quiet mics, and I'm not the world's greatest at hearing what people say either (wait, now just one, the other went to the dark side and bought a Turtle Beach, but at least his mic is loud... VERY loud now). So, I suggest seeing if you can live with the basic setup before you bother amping voice audio. I tried amping my mic-in once, but the mic plug didn't match up with the amp's jack, so the controller wasn't picking up any input sound at all. The voice output should work, but I haven't tried it.

I'm still waiting for my Annies to arrive, and waiting for the modmic and asgard 2 to come back into stock so they can ship!

If I was looking at a portable DAC/Amp setup would the E17 be one of the better/more popular options? it sounds like a kind of all in one portable solution

The E17 is good to use with your computer, but be aware that it doesn't process headphone surround. Mad Lust Envy had an E17 for a while, but while gaming he had the Mixamp plugged into his console and just plugged the E17 into the Mixamp as an amp (the DAC portion couldn't be used in this setup). You could use the E17 to game in stereo, which I did for most of my years, but honestly surround is more fun

 

[Chubtoad]

Well I suppose I don't actually need it because I'll have the astro mixamp for surround while at home, just figured it would be something I could take with me in a non home setup
 
I was thinking of psvita for non home use, but I suppose the mixamp plugs into the vita as well with the 3.5mm adapater so probably wouldn't need it either way haha

 

[Evshrug]

True, it would plug into the PS vita, but how would you power the Mixamp? It's powered by USB, you know (unless the older models with batteries could function this way?)
If you need an amp for the Vita, I'd recommend a FiiO E11 instead. No DAC component (but your Vita is the DAC in that case anyway), but the amp is a smidgen more powerful than the E17 and costs much less.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The Vita doesn't take advantage of Dolby Headphone in any way shape or form, and the Mixamp isn't much of an amp to begin with.

 

[Vader2k]

Quote:

 
I'm unfamiliar with the LVA-7330 mic but is the plug on it a stereo plug (2 lines/3poles) or a mono plug(1 line/2poles)? If it's a stereo plug then you need to add in a mono-to-stereo adapter to your cable chain in order for the xbox controller to be able to pick up your mic. Or you can try and find a mono 2.5mm to 3.5mm extension cable which would do the same thing. Standalone mics will only function on the xbox controller if the plug is mono.

 
Yeah, it's a stereo TRS plug.  I realize the standard xbox headsets are mono all around, but the plug is still a TRS so I thought I could just have mic audio running on both contacts and be ok.  Monoprice does have a 2.5mm mono plug to 3.5mm stereo jack adapter here, http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10429&cs_id=1042909&p_id=7122&seq=1&format=2.  That would do the trick then?  My concern when I Iooked at that before was that with the plug being only TS and not matching the TRS of the Xbox headset, I thought the proper contacts wouldn't be made inside the controller's jack.
 
At the moment, it's kinda a moot point as I ended up buying one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111051473464 on ebay, but if it ends up not working I'll give the 2.5mm mono adapter a shot.
 
Thanks!