[KhaledM]

 

Very badass looking headphones 

 

 

[Ni6htWalker]

For gaming purposes, you may not even need another amp, unless you're using voice chat, where you may need the extra volume. It's no ideal, but gaming with a Mixamp alone is something I did even when I had big boy amps plenty of times.

and if the headphone doesn't have enough BASS (like the HD598) is not a good idea to use and amp with the mixam?i read somewhere that the Fiio E12 Mont Blanc makes a good combo with the HD598.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Thanks for clarifying, as you say text tone is hard to interpret at the best of time let alone with my issues   Is there any quality issues with using 3.5mm rather than RCA?  Would I benefit from getting a slightly better 3.5mmcable is basically what I'm asking here I think, I had a Fisual S-Flex on my X1's which was nice for the non kink prevention but isn't really an issue on a static setup.
I understand I'd have the MixAmp turned up to max volume and control volume from the amp itself at this point as well. 
 
Anyone have experience with this amp? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Dot-MKII-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00A2QMAI2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1458301480&sr=8-7&keywords=headphone+amp
 
Also MixAmp Pro 2013 is a little hard to find now so I decided to go for the latest TR (whatever that means) one, hopefully just as good.

 
RCA jacks are more robust then a 3.5mm (1/8") jack.
The RCA jacks/plugs use a separate ground connection, where as the 3.5mm stereo jack/plug is a shared ground.
So for serious or processional audio equipment, they would use RCA, over 3.5mm.
 
For for practical purposes, for the stuff we are talking about, does not really matter which one you use.
 
$1.88 is around about as much as I would spend for a 3.5mm to RCA cable.
http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021815&p_id=5596&seq=1&format=2

 

[martin vegas]

I have snagged my AKG545 and my warranties ran out..does anyone know if the K550 mk2 has a better bass than the original K550..don't fancy buying another pair of the 545s!

 

[Imperatore]

RCA jacks are more robust then a 3.5mm (1/8") jack.
The RCA jacks/plugs use a separate ground connection, where as the 3.5mm stereo jack/plug is a shared ground.
So for serious or processional audio equipment, they would use RCA, over 3.5mm.

For for practical purposes, for the stuff we are talking about, does not really matter which one you use.

$1.88 is around about as much as I would spend for a 3.5mm to RCA cable.
http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021815&p_id=5596&seq=1&format=2

Thank you for your input. I spent about $9 but I really liked the aesthetic of the cable. I'm under no illusions a cheap one would suffice.

 

[Evshrug]

guys one question!! what amp to buy Fiio E12 'Mont Blanc or  Schiit Magni for a Mixamp,Ipod with these headphones HD598 & Sennheiser PC360.

If you want to use the amp on the go or in your lap (set up and put away often), then a portable amp (like the FiiO E12) will prove it's merit. You said you wanted to use it with an iPod (portable), and if you use the Mixamp from a couch then you'd probably prefer the portable headphone too.

If you play sitting at a desk... Might as well take advantage of that desk space and get a desktop amp. The E12 is one of the few portables that sounds (and powers) like a decent desktop amp, pretty close to the Magni actually (Magni comes out slightly ahead, but enough to outweigh the portable benefits IMO), but a nice $200 or $300 desktop amp will wipe the floor with the Magni or E12.

Schiit makes good stuff and has excellent marketing, but they are also hugely popular right now despite other amps being quite competitively priced or better sounding (I would say the Magni and Vali are still entry-level amps).

For Desktop use Magni 2 is the best out of those amps.

Between FiiO E12 and Magni 2, yes the Magni 2 sounds better... but also we don't know if he is intending desktop use or not. Just sayin'.

I'm actually going to sell my mmx 300 pretty soon now that my k7xx is coming. Might be a day or two though before I put anything up. Though, it'll probably be priced above A used dt770.

Anyway, the hd598 is usually known as lacking bass because a lot of people don't think it requires as much amplification as it does. It has a huge impedance swing in the bass region, and needs a bit of amping to bring that out.

Huge impedance swing in the bass region? Seems that way with most Sennheiser headphones

@Mad Lust Envy

Although I've only read two of them (TH-600 and this Ether C one), I enjoy your reviews. You have a writing style that's easy to read with good word choice and vocabulary, yet you maintain a relatively even-keel (regardless of your excitement about the Ether C). Despite me always keeping in mind that every review is one person's opinion, I really got a full sense of what the Ether C are all about, short of trying them myself. They sound like an excellent pair of headphones to me, granted I still can't stomach these prices. Thanks for the thorough write-up.

Since you asked, I think I found a few, minor typographical/grammatical errors:

- Under section Midrange: Paragraph 6. "There is very few rough edges" should be "There are..."

- Under section Imaging and Soundstage: Paragraph 5. The word soundstaging is missing the letter d. Then in the second sentence of that same paragraph, you should drop the "a" in the part that reads "and the warmest setups have a more intimate sonic traits."

- Under Sound Signature: Paragraph 2. "Bass can become Bigger, fuller, bigger the warmer you go with the tuning pads." The word bigger is used twice. Maybe it should just read "bigger and fuller, the warmer you go..."  or maybe the changes are that BIG :bigsmile_face: .

- Also for those who like to know, you never explicitly state the Ether C's factory specs nor what you're driving them with (audio chain). Maybe that was on purpose or I missed it. I personally didn't miss it in reading though, if you know what I mean.

And that's all I think I can comment on. Well done!

Good eye for grammar, I often miss those. And I totally agree, Mad does a great job of including objective descriptions alongside subjective fun. Totally loved the review too.

He said he was driving the Ether C using his X7, which is the Creative Sound Blaster X7. That's a DSP/DAC/Amp all-in-one, not to be confused with FiiO's portable music player X7.

 

[Evshrug]

and if the headphone doesn't have enough BASS (like the HD598) is not a good idea to use and amp with the mixam?i read somewhere that the Fiio E12 Mont Blanc makes a good combo with the HD598.

I haven't heard the HD598, but I do appreciate how the moderate bass boost option of the E12 is just enough to counter the roll-off of many headphones.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

@Mad Lust Envy


Although I've only read two of them (TH-600 and this Ether C one), I enjoy your reviews. You have a writing style that's easy to read with good word choice and vocabulary, yet you maintain a relatively even-keel (regardless of your excitement about the Ether C). Despite me always keeping in mind that every review is one person's opinion, I really got a full sense of what the Ether C are all about, short of trying them myself. They sound like an excellent pair of headphones to me, granted I still can't stomach these prices. Thanks for the thorough write-up.

Since you asked, I think I found a few, minor typographical/grammatical errors:

- Under section Midrange: Paragraph 6. "There is very few rough edges" should be "There are..."

- Under section Imaging and Soundstage: Paragraph 5. The word soundstaging is missing the letter d. Then in the second sentence of that same paragraph, you should drop the "a" in the part that reads "and the warmest setups have a more intimate sonic traits."

- Under Sound Signature: Paragraph 2. "Bass can become Bigger, fuller, bigger the warmer you go with the tuning pads." The word bigger is used twice. Maybe it should just read "bigger and fuller, the warmer you go..."  or maybe the changes are that BIG :bigsmile_face: .

- Also for those who like to know, you never explicitly state the Ether C's factory specs nor what you're driving them with (audio chain). Maybe that was on purpose or I missed it. I personally didn't miss it in reading though, if you know what I mean.

And that's all I think I can comment on. Well done!

Thank you so much for the help here! I do tend to miss alot. It's not unusual for me to edit in corrections months after reviews are posted.

I'll add in the edits soon.

As for factory specs, I'm straying away from these things because I always link the product page on the review title. These are things that are easily found if/when people are actually interested in the headphone, and I feel quoting factory specs is just padding reviews.

I do see a reason for it, but I think it's okay to just link the product page with those details. I may still do it if I remember...

As people say "All reviewers are biased, but reviews can be objective." I try to be as objective as possible, but I'm not afraid to tell you guys what I like, especially when I talk to you guys most of the time, and don't keep those things secret. Lol.

In any case, I made it to where I'm only reviewing headphones I think people will like. If I'm sent something I don't believe will suit a good group of people out there, I will decline reviewing them (if a company itself sends me a product). If it's an individual who sent me the headphones for review and I don't like them, I'm likely to publish still if they really want me to. I feel this can keep me on good business terms with companies, as I can at least highlight their good products. Not that I ever get paid by them, but I think bashing their stuff make them adamant about sending me products in the future that may actually be good. So better to talk about good stuff and skip bad stuff than talk about bad stuff and never hear from them again (it has happened in the past).

People can still ask me of headphones I decline to review, and just tell people I didn't like them enough to review. That way I don't waste time reviewing something bad, and wasting everyone's time.

I remember someone telling me that Jude said I have apologetic ears. That means that I can find good aspects with practically any headphone, so even if I'm not into them, I'll talk about all its good aspects to where it sounds like I like them. To be honest, that's pretty true. I honestly don't believe there are 'bad' headphones, at least in head-fi level terms. As long as a headphone isn't absolutely offensive to the ears (like having a massive 5khz spike that is like 10db above everything else), I think at worst, a headphone will fall under average to ok. There have been some true disappointments to my ears (Astro A30), but otherwise, I'm likely to review practically anything I put my mind to, and tell you that it has good traits.

 

[PacoTaco]

Thank you so much for the help here! I do tend to miss alot. It's not unusual for me to edit in corrections months after reviews are posted.

I'll add in the edits soon.

As for factory specs, I'm straying away from these things because I always link the product page on the review title. These are things that are easily found if/when people are actually interested in the headphone, and I feel quoting factory specs is just padding reviews.

I do see a reason for it, but I think it's okay to just link the product page with those details. I may still do it if I remember...

As people say "All reviewers are biased, but reviews can be objective." I try to be as objective as possible, but I'm not afraid to tell you guys what I like, especially when I talk to you guys most of the time, and don't keep those things secret. Lol.

In any case, I made it to where I'm only reviewing headphones I think people will like. If I'm sent something I don't believe will suit a good group of people out there, I will decline reviewing them (if a company itself sends me a product). If it's an individual who sent me the headphones for review and I don't like them, I'm likely to publish still if they really want me to. I feel this can keep me on good business terms with companies, as I can at least highlight their good products. Not that I ever get paid by them, but I think bashing their stuff make them adamant about sending me products in the future that may actually be good. So better to talk about good stuff and skip bad stuff than talk about bad stuff and never hear from them again (it has happened in the past).

People can still ask me of headphones I decline to review, and just tell people I didn't like them enough to review. That way I don't waste time reviewing something bad, and wasting everyone's time.

I remember someone telling me that Jude said I have apologetic ears. That means that I can find good aspects with practically any headphone, so even if I'm not into them, I'll talk about all its good aspects to where it sounds like I like them. To be honest, that's pretty true. I honestly don't believe there are 'bad' headphones, at least in head-fi level terms. As long as a headphone isn't absolutely offensive to the ears (like having a massive 5khz spike that is like 10db above everything else), I think at worst, a headphone will fall under average to ok. There have been some true disappointments to my ears (Astro A30), but otherwise, I'm likely to review practically anything I put my mind to, and tell you that it has good traits.

If you ever get a chance, try out one of the ZMF Headphones. Those seem up your alley, MLE. I liked them more than MrSpeaker's T50 mods.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

If/when the time is right, I'll consider it.


I COMPLETELY forgot I had a 4 year Squaretrade warranty for my TV, which I'm only 2 1/2 years in before the HDMI board went dead.

Filing a claim now, and if they can't find the board (which actually looks pretty likely), I believe they'll pay me back some money to replace it. Thank god. It's something.

Saying it now... warranties sound like rip offs... until you need it. Especially with such a long warranty like 4 years, where anything can go wrong.

 

[jincuteguy]

Anyone bought the new Chord Mojo DAC / Amp? And can compare to the Creative X7? If gaming surround sound aside, would this Chord Mojo sound better than the X7?

 

[Change is Good]

So, what are the expectations around here regarding PS VR? Anyone else curious as to whether it will be a hit or miss? Me, personally, the price is too high to take the plunge right away. But once all the kinks are worked out post-launch, and a price falls to maybe 300, I wouldn't mind trying the VR with my 400i over my ears

Then again, that will about 800 grams of weight on my head between the two... yikes

Edit that: The PS VR is 600+ grams alone, so about 1000 grams total with my 400i... double yikes

 

[Yethal]

Anyone bought the new Chord Mojo DAC / Amp? And can compare to the Creative X7? If gaming surround sound aside, would this Chord Mojo sound better than the X7?

 


Most probably yes, although You have to keep in mind that Mojo is many times as much expensive and offers few of the X7's functionalities.

So, what are the expectations around here regarding PS VR? Anyone else curious as to whether it will be a hit or miss? Me, personally, the price is too high to take the plunge right away. But once all the kinks are worked out post-launch, and a price falls to maybe 300, I wouldn't mind trying the VR with my 400i over my ears

Then again, that will about 800 grams of weight on my head between the two... yikes



Edit that: The PS VR is 600+ grams alone, so about 1000 grams total with my 400i... double yikes

 


Unless the headsets are fully wireless I'm not going to bother with them. Having an HDMI + 2 USB going from the PC/console all the way to my head sounds silly.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

After having experienced VR in 1440p, and it looking pixellated and muddy as hell.... I have zero, ZERO desire to get into VR until they start using 4K screens. 1080p is gonna look god awful.

I'm not even referring to the sheer technicalities of a system, but the simple fact that the resolution is way too low to be so close to your face. It ruins immersion for me when I can see pixels so easily.


Hahaha, Angry Joe gave Division a crap score. All valid opinions that now justifies that poor IGN Review that gave it a 6.7, and everyone went into a hissy fit about.

It is seriously a boring, repetitive chore of a game to play. Destiny was much, MUCH more fun and varied despite how flawed it was.

 

[lenroot77]

So, what are the expectations around here regarding PS VR? Anyone else curious as to whether it will be a hit or miss? Me, personally, the price is too high to take the plunge right away. But once all the kinks are worked out post-launch, and a price falls to maybe 300, I wouldn't mind trying the VR with my 400i over my ears

Then again, that will about 800 grams of weight on my head between the two... yikes

Edit that: The PS VR is 600+ grams alone, so about 1000 grams total with my 400i... double yikes