xSnowmaNx
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2005
- Posts
- 23
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Firstly, let me start off by saying that my decision to buy A500's have been almost a year in the making. I first came here about a year ago inquiring about gaming headphones and learned a lot. And today, here I am with my A500's.
Big kudos out to AudioCubes. I wasn't too sure what to expect in terms of service from them. The general consensus seemed to be good, but there were more than enough 'horror' stories to make me wonder. But AudioCubes did not disappoint. I ordered my headphones from them on July 9th which was a Sunday, and received them this morning at around 10 AM. I was able to track the shipment and all that good stuff. Very pleased with their service. Package was in great condition.
Now, on to the headphones themselves. I didn't really have any first impressions because I had been researching these headphone for so long. I had my first impressions a LONG time ago
. But one thing that really struck me was the quality. The headphones just feel nice. They feel nicer on your head though. Definitely the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn. I really like the cable for these headphones. I like the fabric covering and I wish all cables were like this.
Before we get on to my thoughts on the sound, I have to let you guys know something. These are my first 'audiophile quality' headphones. The only other headphones I've really used were Plantronics Audio 90's because it was a headset. These are inexpensive and catered to the internet communicator and online gamer. It is a decent set, but nothing great. The main problem I had with the headset was that I ended up buying so many because they were just poor in quality. Channels would go out of balance or go out altogether, or perhaps the microphone would end up dying, or the sound would start popping. They also left me a huge appetite for higher quality sound and especially soundstage (paramount in FPS games).
Which leads me back to the A500's. I plugged these babies in, opened up Foobar 2000 and started up some Mozart. I believe the experience went something to the effect of: "Holy S***!
"
The sound I heard from these headphones was like nothing I have ever heard before! With my Plantronics headset, sound was OK at best. You know, I could hear the music, but that was pretty much it. It felt like it was being channeled into my ear. But with the A500's, I feel the music and it sounds very spacious. Things are very crisp and detailed now.
Music is all fine and dandy to me. Don't get me wrong, I love music, but one thing I love more than music is probably a game. A first person shooter game. I loaded up Counter Strike: Source and played around in my own server for a while. At first I was very confused. It didn't sound as glamorous as my music did, and definitely didn't seem worthy of everyone's recommendations here. I was pretty disappointed. I decided maybe things will get better with time. Loaded up Foobar once again, started up the classical, loaded World of Warcraft and played that for a while, then I went back to Counter Strike: Source. WOW what a difference it makes to get used to these headphones. When I first played CS:S with these headphones, I felt very uncomfortable, but on this second run, it only took me a few rounds to really get a feel for these headphones in the game and I was at home in no time. Very easy to pick up on sounds and which direction they are coming from. This is such a huge improvement over my Plantronics headset it's not even funny.
Best investment I've made in a LONG time. I know there are a lot of questions about gaming and what headphones to get for the best sound, especially in relation to performance in first person shooters. I can't be sure about how other 'gaming' headsets perform (such as Icemat Siberias or Sennheiser PC series), but I'll tell you one thing: I would seriously doubt any of those gaming headsets/headphones will match the A500's. If you are in search of some gaming headphones and are also a music junkie, I think the A500's will satisfy your needs very well. If you are able to cough up the extra cash, I hear the A900's are like the A500's and more.
Big kudos out to AudioCubes. I wasn't too sure what to expect in terms of service from them. The general consensus seemed to be good, but there were more than enough 'horror' stories to make me wonder. But AudioCubes did not disappoint. I ordered my headphones from them on July 9th which was a Sunday, and received them this morning at around 10 AM. I was able to track the shipment and all that good stuff. Very pleased with their service. Package was in great condition.
Now, on to the headphones themselves. I didn't really have any first impressions because I had been researching these headphone for so long. I had my first impressions a LONG time ago
Before we get on to my thoughts on the sound, I have to let you guys know something. These are my first 'audiophile quality' headphones. The only other headphones I've really used were Plantronics Audio 90's because it was a headset. These are inexpensive and catered to the internet communicator and online gamer. It is a decent set, but nothing great. The main problem I had with the headset was that I ended up buying so many because they were just poor in quality. Channels would go out of balance or go out altogether, or perhaps the microphone would end up dying, or the sound would start popping. They also left me a huge appetite for higher quality sound and especially soundstage (paramount in FPS games).
Which leads me back to the A500's. I plugged these babies in, opened up Foobar 2000 and started up some Mozart. I believe the experience went something to the effect of: "Holy S***!
The sound I heard from these headphones was like nothing I have ever heard before! With my Plantronics headset, sound was OK at best. You know, I could hear the music, but that was pretty much it. It felt like it was being channeled into my ear. But with the A500's, I feel the music and it sounds very spacious. Things are very crisp and detailed now.
Music is all fine and dandy to me. Don't get me wrong, I love music, but one thing I love more than music is probably a game. A first person shooter game. I loaded up Counter Strike: Source and played around in my own server for a while. At first I was very confused. It didn't sound as glamorous as my music did, and definitely didn't seem worthy of everyone's recommendations here. I was pretty disappointed. I decided maybe things will get better with time. Loaded up Foobar once again, started up the classical, loaded World of Warcraft and played that for a while, then I went back to Counter Strike: Source. WOW what a difference it makes to get used to these headphones. When I first played CS:S with these headphones, I felt very uncomfortable, but on this second run, it only took me a few rounds to really get a feel for these headphones in the game and I was at home in no time. Very easy to pick up on sounds and which direction they are coming from. This is such a huge improvement over my Plantronics headset it's not even funny.
Best investment I've made in a LONG time. I know there are a lot of questions about gaming and what headphones to get for the best sound, especially in relation to performance in first person shooters. I can't be sure about how other 'gaming' headsets perform (such as Icemat Siberias or Sennheiser PC series), but I'll tell you one thing: I would seriously doubt any of those gaming headsets/headphones will match the A500's. If you are in search of some gaming headphones and are also a music junkie, I think the A500's will satisfy your needs very well. If you are able to cough up the extra cash, I hear the A900's are like the A500's and more.
