[werdy]

Hey all,

So i have been reading on these boards for a while but I mostly just lurk. I have searched a lot for this question and although there are lots of similar posts relating to amps for the 880's there isn't anything regarding the answer to my question. If there is, I appologise, must be burried deep.


Im getting the beyer dt 880s 05 version 250 ohm, and im using them primarily for competitive gaming, along with a lottt of music listening. Up until now i was just planning on buying the astro mix amp for 120 but Im not sure how that amp would fair with everything else besides gaming. I know a tiny bit about headphones after days of researching and reading on here but i know nothing about amps and dacs and what not.

Are there any amps or set ups that i could buy that would be equal to or better than the quality of the astro mixamp for gaming and also better for every other aspect (listening to music). I figured i could save some money if there was and just go for one set up rather than buying the mixamp now and another amp set up later. But if no other set up will compare in the gaming category i guess ill do that.

Thanks!

 

[eneloquent]

The problem you're facing is fairly common. Here's some reasons why there isn't a good solution;

Gaming devices geared to headphones focus on "Virtual Surround" technology of some flavor or another...

1. Most commonly Dolby Headphone
2. For Creative products CMSS3D
3. Occasionally some vendor proprietary implementation, usually on home theater receivers
4. The hilariously named DTS Surround Sensation Headphone (DTSSSH?)

... and tend to primarily function as

• A DSP
• A DAC
• An amplifier

There's such a divergence because these devices, separately from a proper DAC/Amp combo setup, are trying to do two totally different things;

1. DSP's are deliberately altering the sound of 5+ channels of audio into 2 channels of audio in a meaningful way, and then sending them down the wire
2. DAC/Amps are striving to reproduce 2 channels of audio from source, in as accurate and unadulterated way as possible, while enhancing the signal to adequate strength to push your headphone drivers into action

While it's possible to have a device that was DSP, DAC, AMP, and the DAC or AMP could be fed by another source than the DSP, you're essentially rolling three complex devices into one box. This would be expensive, to achieve any level of quality, and sounds a lot like its becoming a HT receiver.

Also, as you can see by the perpetually repeated advice "get a separate DAC and AMP" there are a lot of disadvantages to an all-in-one, and most people prefer a modular approach - the market for a 3-in-1 is probably very small compared to making a single purpose device. Being able to upgrade pieces independently is good, and better for your sorry wallet (welcome and sorry about your wallet!)

Even the notably expensive Beyerdynamic HBC1 only has S/PDIF in to take 5.1 and virtualize, so while the SQ may be improved, it doesn't offer any better music functionality.

The closest you are going to get, aside from getting a Mixamp, a headphone amplifier, and a DAC for music (or a DAC/Amp that can take analog in, EF2 and Travagan's White come to mind) is one of two things;

• Hook it all through your PC, with a gaming sound card that has optical in, and supports passthrough and virtualization technology. I can't think of any that are well regarded off the top of my head, but I'm sure there's a Creative card that fits the bill. Maybe the new Titanium one.
• Hook it all through a home theater receiver, hopefully one with adequate headphone amping, and good DTSSSH and DH implementation. Ideally it'll have un-amped RCA L/R outs that you could later feed to a higher quality HP amp when you chose to get one.

I hope someone knows of a solution I've completely overlooked, but in contemplating the same issue you've mentioned, the HT receiver or Mixamp wind up as the most practical solutions. Your local CL may feature a gem of a HT receiver (HDMI isn't necessary for what you want, and non-HDMI receivers fly away for < $300.)

 

[werdy]

i was so excited to get such an in depth response this morning when i woke up.. thank you very much.

i guess i should have been a tiny bit more clear, i will be using the mixamp with dt 880 primarily on ps3. used to be a hardcore pc gamer ie quake3/ cs but now its just mw2. so i think ill take your advice as to get a different set up for music listening and everything else besides gaming. now i just have to decide if i want that to be a portable set up or house only set up. dac and amp seperate also; although i was thinking of getting a meier dac/amp combo.

 

[eneloquent]

Some Dac/Amp combos are totally worth it. A combo you can later upgrade the DAC on, or use the DAC on and line out to another amp, offers you the most upgrade options while still being simple and affordable to start with.

You may want to consider a portable type amp to go with the mixamp for your Beyer's, or an amp you can alternate between a DAC and taking input from the mixamp - 250ohm Beyer's won't sound bad straight out of the mixamp, but they won't be living up to their full potential.

This is one of the reasons why the ATH-AD700 is so popular for gaming - the SQ and stage attributes aside, it's only 32ohm and is easy to drive, so most gaming inputs (mixamp, most gaming PC sound cards) will get the most out of the headphones.

Just something else to think about.

 

[werdy]

also very helpful. i would have gone with the 700's but iv been really antsy to get some sort of audiophile grade headphones and although 880's arent the best from what iv read the 700's would fall short when i want to start testing the waters of great sound. maybe ill look for a meier 3move.

 

[Ear Damage]

I'll give you a straight up answer: the MixAmp is decent with high impedance cans.

I used to use my HD650(300Ω) with the Mixamp and while it provided decent audio it was apparent they were starving for power. I switched them out with either the AD700 or the M50 and the audio impact increased dramatically. At 32Ω the MixAmp puts out 70mW.

The MixAmp is very versatile, I just bought the new version for my Xbox and I use my old MixAmp to replace the NuForce Icon amp for my iMac. Having Dolby Headphone at the touch of my finger when I watch Netflix movies on my mac sure beats stereo.

If you're a hardcore gamer you can also shell out $1500+ for the Beyerdynamic Headzone Game system.