[carefullistener]

I have a EVGA 780i sli motherboard
- it has onboard Realtek HD audio 7.1 capable
- going up to 24bits 192000hz
- 1 digital out SPDIF on the back of the motherboard
650W sigma shark power supply
 
Currently own:
Sennheiser HD 555 (got them for 80 bucks off amazon 2 years ago)
Logitech Z680 500 watt 5.1 speaker system with analog, digital, coax
 
I upgraded my pc graphics and overclocked the cpu, so now i can run all games at full settings with very high fps. Problem is, i want the best possible sound experience (preferably headphone/headset) and what i have now is just not cutting it for me. I need a good headphone + mic either combined or separate for best possible gaming experience.
 
I went to best buy and got these 3 headsets:
Logitech G930 wireless 7.1
Turtle Beach Ear Force DX11 7.1
Razer Carcharias
 
I opened and tested these 3 out...and needless to say....they all SUCK HORRIBLY!!! Compared to my 2 year old Sennheiser hd 555, sure they have a little more bass....but otherwise the sound quality is just god awful, and worst of all they were all MORE EXPENSIVE than my sennheiser hd 555! This is just absolutely disappointing. I read reviews online and most gamers think that this here is great or amazing or the best sound quality. What a friggin joke, they are so brainwashed by these heartless companies.
 
Anyways....now that i saw whats out there...i need to spend around 300-600 dollars on:
1. Headphones (audiophile quality that is extremely good for gaming as well!)
2. Microphone (best sound quality that is acceptable for games. If possible i would like to save money here to spend more on the headphones)
3. Amp??? I dont know much about them, but most people here say that i need it to get the most out of a true high quality headphone.
 
PLEASE give me some advice and point me in the right direction!
It is black friday 947pm eastern...so my time is running out!!!
 
I have no idea what to get! remember...300-600 dollar budget! And my main focus 75% pc gaming, with 25% music listening.

 

[carefullistener]

reasearch tells me that i need to get perhaps a:
 
sennheiser hd650 + astro mixamp
 
Is there anything better in the sub 600 dollar range for surround sound gaming performance??? I dont know which companies are better than sennheiser, can anyone here suggest?

 

[LimeANite]

Asus Xonar DG (or any Dolby Surround Sound/CMSS 3D capable sound card), and keep the HD555s.  You'll see more improvement with upgrading your source from onboard sound to a dedicated sound card than you will with upgrading your headphones.  Other headphone possibilities include the Fischer FA-011, Beyerdynamic DT770 (if you want more bass), ATH-AD700 (if you're the type who listens to footsteps), maybe the AD-900.  In general, super-high end headphones won't make much of a difference with gaming.
 
To comment on your original idea, the HD650 might be ok for gaming, but the Mixamp wouldn't be able to power them properly and they might even sound worse with that setup.
 
Edit: Oh, and for a mic, I've heard good things about the Zalman clip-on mic.

 

[carefullistener]

thank you so much for the quick reply! 
 
I heard that creative is possibly coming out with a new sound card PCIexpress soon that will have a mixamp already INSIDE of it capable of powering ANY of the high end headphones for all purposes.
 
Do you know what kind this is and when its coming out? Also a link would help
 
Concerning the HD555s...do you think it would be wise for me to perform the modification on them where i take them apart and remove the black strip covering 40% of the outside grill? People say it turns the 555s into 595s, but i am not sure if i should mess with it.
 
Lastly...what is the best sound card to get to make the sennheiser 555s into 5.1 7.1 surround sound gaming headphones?

 

[carefullistener]

amazon suggested the following deal for me right now...
 
 
[size=small]

1. This item: Zalman Zm-Mic1 High Sensitivity Headphone Microphone $9.06
2. Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones $103.99
3. ASUS PCI 5.1 Channel Sound Card XONAR_DG $27.60

[/size]  

[size=small]Price For All Three: [/size][size=small]$140.65[/size] 

 

What do you think of this trio? 

 

Is the audio technica ath-ad700 a large enough step up from my sennheiser hd 555 to warrant the purchase? I do not mind spending an extra 300 dollars to purchase a setup that will last me FAR into the next 2-4 years. 

 

I plan on upgrading or building a new PC in the next 1-2 years definitely, so I do not mind spending a little extra right now on sound setup, and then migrating that sound card, mic, headphones, etc. to the new pc setup.


[size=x-small]Considering I do get that sound card...will I still need an amp and/or DAC to drive the headset? I am still not fully understanding the concepts. I heard that some sound cards come WITH a amp/dac onboard so which ones have such capabilities? If i can get a sound card that is a bit more expensive but then not need an external DAC/amp, then I would like that one 100%[/size]
 

 

[carefullistener]

Audio Technica ATH-AD900 Audiophile Open-Air Dynamic Headphones seem awesome to me.
 
I like the 200ish dollar price tag.
 
Out of those models that you listed what would give me the absolute greatest sound quality and music listening accuracy, assuming I purchase a very good sound card?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

thank you so much for the quick reply! 
I heard that creative is possibly coming out with a new sound card PCIexpress soon that will have a mixamp already INSIDE of it capable of powering ANY of the high end headphones for all purposes.
Do you know what kind this is and when its coming out? Also a link would help
Concerning the HD555s...do you think it would be wise for me to perform the modification on them where i take them apart and remove the black strip covering 40% of the outside grill? People say it turns the 555s into 595s, but i am not sure if i should mess with it.
Lastly...what is the best sound card to get to make the sennheiser 555s into 5.1 7.1 surround sound gaming headphones?

ATH-AD700s great for FPS games, but the light bass is a turn off for music and movies.
 
Creative Labs new sound card, the Recon3D (SB1350) PCI-Express.
Has a headphone amplifier rated up to 600-Ohm
Price is around $100
Listed everywhere as back ordered or temporarily of of stock.
 
Removing the black rubber tape from the HD-555 should improve the bass.
It's fairly easy, several threads on Head-Fi have directions and on websites, might even be videos.
 
The Asus Xonar DG (PCI) $30 comes with a half way decent headphone amplifier rated up to 150-Ohms
and comes with Dolby Headphone, good for games and movies.
 
The Sennheiser HD-555 is 50-Ohms, so does not take much of a sound card to power them.
 
Sennheiser HD-598 (also 50-Ohms) should be a good improvement over the HD-555 for everything.
 
External headphone amplifier/DAC are great for powering headphones, but just using a good sound card simplifies everything.
 
 
 

 

[LimeANite]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by carefullistener /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I heard that creative is possibly coming out with a new sound card PCIexpress soon that will have a mixamp already INSIDE of it capable of powering ANY of the high end headphones for all purposes.
 
Do you know what kind this is and when its coming out? Also a link would help
 
Concerning the HD555s...do you think it would be wise for me to perform the modification on them where i take them apart and remove the black strip covering 40% of the outside grill? People say it turns the 555s into 595s, but i am not sure if i should mess with it.
 
Lastly...what is the best sound card to get to make the sennheiser 555s into 5.1 7.1 surround sound gaming headphones?

I can't remember the name of the new Creative sound card or when it's coming out.  It won't have a Mixamp inside; the Mixamp is a specific device (and not all that great of one for the money) that does Dolby Headphone (virtual surround sound) and has a weak amplifier circuit.  The Creative sound card will use Creative's own virtual surround sound system, CMSS 3D.  The Creative card will have a more powerful amplifier, capable of powering headphones up to 600 ohms, but it's not always as simple as that.  I'm not particularly well-versed in amp technicalities, but there are other factors, such as the sensitivity of the headphones, as well as the output impedance of the amp that have an effect on whether a pair of headphones is powered properly.  Not to mention simple synergy; some things just don't sound very good together.
 
The foam removal mod on the HD555s doesn't do much.  I've done it and noticed a very slight increase in bass quantity (not really quality though), but that could just be the placebo effect.  It wasn't immediately obvious.
 
The best card to get is anything with Dolby Headphone or CMSS 3D listed in the features.
 
 


Quote:

amazon suggested the following deal for me right now...
 
 
[size=small]

1. This item: Zalman Zm-Mic1 High Sensitivity Headphone Microphone $9.06
2. Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones $103.99
3. ASUS PCI 5.1 Channel Sound Card XONAR_DG $27.60

[/size]  

[size=small]Price For All Three: [/size][size=small]$140.65[/size]

 

What do you think of this trio? 

 

Is the audio technica ath-ad700 a large enough step up from my sennheiser hd 555 to warrant the purchase? I do not mind spending an extra 300 dollars to purchase a setup that will last me FAR into the next 2-4 years. 

 

I plan on upgrading or building a new PC in the next 1-2 years definitely, so I do not mind spending a little extra right now on sound setup, and then migrating that sound card, mic, headphones, etc. to the new pc setup.


[size=x-small]Considering I do get that sound card...will I still need an amp and/or DAC to drive the headset? I am still not fully understanding the concepts. I heard that some sound cards come WITH a amp/dac onboard so which ones have such capabilities? If i can get a sound card that is a bit more expensive but then not need an external DAC/amp, then I would like that one 100%[/size]
 

There's nothing wrong with this combo, but the AD700 isn't really a step up from the HD555.  If anything, it could be considered a step down.  It is a frequently recommended gaming headphone, mostly because of its enormous soundstage and weak bass ,which make it very good at positional audio.  If you like to listen for peoples' footsteps and hunt them down via sound, then the AD700s are perfect.  They're not very good for music though because the soundstage is almost too big and they have a major lack of bass.
 
If you were to get the Xonar, you would be set.  The sound card is a DAC (Digital Audio Converter), and it has an amplifier circuit built in, which can drive most headphones up to 150 ohms.  For most of the headphones we've talked about, that would be more than enough (not for the HD650 or the FA-011 though).  So no, you won't need an amp or a DAC.  If you decide to continue with headphones, then you'll eventually want a better DAC and an dedicated amp, but for your purposes now, a sound card like the Xonar DG will be plenty.
 
 


Quote:

Audio Technica ATH-AD900 Audiophile Open-Air Dynamic Headphones seem awesome to me.
 
I like the 200ish dollar price tag.
 
Out of those models that you listed what would give me the absolute greatest sound quality and music listening accuracy, assuming I purchase a very good sound card?

I've heard good things about the AD900, but not having heard them myself, I can't compare them to what you know.  Of the headphones listed, the only ones I own are the HD555 and the FA-011.  I like both; the HD555 is a little more laid-back and comfortable - I prefer it when I'm going to be listening for a long time.  The FA-011 has more bass than the HD555 and everything feels a little more up front.  If I had to pick between the two at this point, I think I'd choose the FA-011s.
 
Apart from that, there have been lots of threads about gaming headphones, so I'd recommend reading those.  This one would be a good place to start: http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envy-aka-shin-czs-guide-to-headphone-gaming-particularly-with-dolby-headphone/2220

 

[carefullistener]

okay so i shall look for a new sound card capable of powering a good number of ohms...
 

[size=1.4em] HT | OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card[/size]

vs
 

[size=1.4em] ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card[/size]

 
Which one is better?
 
Speaking of which...the more ohms the louder the headphone can perform correct? or is there more to it than just loudness of the speakers?
 
 
Here are my options for headphone:
 
 

[size=1.7em] Denon AHD2000 High Performance Over-Ear Headphones $349.95[/size]

 

Audio Technica ATH-AD900 Audiophile Open-Air Dynamic Headphones $200

[size=1.7em] AKG K702 Headphones $251.00[/size]

[size=1.7em] AudioTechnica ATH-A700 Closed-back Dynamic Headphones $135.95[/size]

Fischer Audio FA-011 $118.00

[size=1.7em] Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Open Studio Headphones 250 Ohms $169.99[/size]

 

[size=1.7em] Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones $103.99[/size]

 

[size=1.7em] Audio Technica ATH-A700 Headphones $120.37[/size]

 

[size=1.7em] Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones $103.99[/size]

 

[size=1.7em] AKG K702 Headphones $251.00[/size]

 
i see more that i like...will have to add soon...
 
But which of these regardless of price will be the best option for me considering i will get the 200 dollarish sound card with amp built in....capable of 600 ohms???
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[carefullistener]

"Other headphone possibilities include the Fischer FA-011, Beyerdynamic DT770 (if you want more bass), ATH-AD700 (if you're the type who listens to footsteps), maybe the AD-900."
 
 
Im really liking the ATH-AD700....but what about the AD-900? is it a much better hdphone? Also...whats the best ohm version of the dt770 for gaming? 

 

[carefullistener]

what about 

AKG K702 Headphones?

 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

"Other headphone possibilities include the Fischer FA-011, Beyerdynamic DT770 (if you want more bass), ATH-AD700 (if you're the type who listens to footsteps), maybe the AD-900."
I'm really liking the ATH-AD700....but what about the AD-900? is it a much better headphone? Also...whats the best ohm version of the dt770 for gaming? 

Beyerdynamic 32-Ohm headphones have the least bass.
Beyerdynamic 600-Ohm would have the best sound.
The 250-Ohm version will sound almost as good as the 600-Ohm.
Pro versions have a slightly tightly seal, helps bass.
Premiums are a little more comfortable.
DT770 Pro 80-Ohm have most bass.
DT770 Pro 250-Ohm a little more clarity.

 

[carefullistener]

 

[size=1.4em] ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card[/size]

 
I am ordering this from newegg or amazon soon....
 
it comes with...
 
BUILT-IN HEADPHONE AMPA high-quality TI TPA6120A2 headphone amp supports headphones up to 600 ohms of impedance with lower than 0.001% distortion. This allows users to drive their headphones as intended without additional amplification.
 
This costs 185 on amazon or 195 on newegg. 
 
Will this power a DT990 or DT770 600 ohm to its max capability?
 
By the way...why get a dt770 instead of a dt990? seems the dt990 is better isnt it?
 

 

[GLdgShDjKsHT]

yes its better the dt990 but also requires serious ooomph to power them not a sound card
so as another recommendation you can look at dt770 pro for closed headphones or hd650 for open but not even the latter can be used at their full with a sound card, so may i suggest the HD 598?

 

[B-Dawk20]

The essence stx is probably one of the best choices out there for pc sound cards. You can change the op amps too so you can get some better sound quality. As far as just pure juice is concerned, it'll power almost any headphone efficiently.

As for your headphone choice, what type of music do you listen to and what games are you playing besides BF3? And is this for competitive purposes or just immersion?