Alghazanth
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2011
- Posts
- 1,516
- Likes
- 31
Hi, I finally registered after using this site for quite some time. It's been a wonderful help thus far, so thank you very much for that Head-Fi. This is going to be long, so thanks in advance.
About 6 months ago I purchased the Denon D-2000s as my first audiophile headphones. I bought for both gaming and music. Up until recently, I held them in the highest regard, giving them a "10/10" for their price and swearing to buy the D7000s someday. I had no complaints using them for music, but gaming left something to be desired. The bass and overall tonal quality was incredible, but I was left wondering why I couldn't hear footsteps like I could with my old Turtle Beach X41s, which, in regards to sound quality only, sounded like ipod earbuds. I soon learned it was because the D2000s were closed headphones and lacked soundstage, so I decided to get my hands on some open headphones to try out for gaming. I ordered the highly recommended Audiotechnica AD700s and put them to the test.
I was extremely disappointed. I felt like I had an even harder time telling where enemies were, and the bass felt totally vacant. Things sounded muddled together and seemed to lack detail. They were not much better in music: I could not find one track in which I preferred the AD700s over the D2000s.I left them aside to return later, and decided to just order the latest Turtle Beach PX5s so I could hear footsteps again. Suddenly, the soundstage I had been hearing so much about was present in an enormous way- I could pinpoint the tiniest sounds even better than with my old X41s, which were my best friend in competitive FPS. However, things got significantly less exciting when I delved into some single player gaming and realized that they lack in every department other than soundstage. The signature is completely flat (I have not fiddled with the alt presets) and the bass is not only barely there, but produces severe crackling with very deep bass, like massive explosions and spaceship landings(Section 8).I decided to try out my AD700s again today, and something very peculiar happened.
I put them through the paces in gaming again, and the experience was far different from before. The soundstage/3d-imaging was very close to that of the PX5s, and the muddled sound signature and lack of detail I had experienced before was gone. The bass of the AD700s was even overpowering at first after spending time with the PX5s. The AD700s sounded very open and wonderful. Naturally, I thought this was just because I was jumping from a gaming headset to audiophile headphones, so I put the AD700s up against the D2000s in the one area the D2000 never failed me: Music. I was extremely surprised by the result: My beloved D2000s sounded too isolated, and the bass felt overpowering. The AD700s, on the other hand, gave my music a totally new feeling: I could really feel the epic soundscapes and atmosphere. The AD700s felt like I was where the music "pictured" me being, while the D2000s made me feel like I was in a garage with some unusually high quality recording equipment. I decided early today to stick with my AD700s, my only complaints being aesthetic(purple and beige with wings.. come on) and the bass being slightly below where I want it. So my little journey here has revealed that, contrary to my belief only days ago, I do in probably prefer open headphones. Unsurprisingly, my upgraditis has already reared its ugly head and I am in the mood for a serious and long-term upgrade. Here's the criteria
Music: I listen to Black Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal... Metal in general. Bands include Opeth, Burzum, Nokturnal Mortum, Dream Theater, Periphery, Windir, Limbonic Art, Katakylsm(old), Kalmah, Enslaved, Drudkh, Agalloch, Emperor, Children of Bodom, Cryptopsy, Diabolical Masquerade, Behemoth, Blut Aud Nord, Dark Tranquility, Carpathian Forest etc. On the one hand, this means amazing soundstage like the AD700 is very important- With atmospheric music like Burzum and Agalloch, I want to feel like I am in these landscapes the music envisions. The D2000s fail at this, I've found out. On the other hand, I need a fast, aggressive sound with good bass- To make less atmospheric and more brutal metal like Cryptopsy, Behemoth, Origin, and Amon Amarth sound awesome. The AD700s are mostly winners here, but the D2000s are still superior due to that bass that really brings the double bass to life. So, incredible soundstage for the atmospheric stuff, strong tight bass and fast sound for the thrashy and brutal stuff.
Gaming: I use headphones for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 gaming. For my PC, I use a X-FI Titanium Fatal1ty Champion sound card+CMSS 3D, and for my consoles I use the Astro Mixamp with Dolby Headphone. I do competitive gaming: CS:S, MW2, Black Ops, Gears of War, Halo, etc. Thus the ability to pinpoint enemy positions, footsteps, reloads, the pulling of a frag pin etc is paramount. For single player gaming (all genres), I still need the awesome soundstage for immersive 3d sound, but I also need high quality audio in general. Thus, Turtle Beach, Astros, Trittons etc won't work for me anymore. They have the "footsteps" advantage, but the overall audio fidelity is lacking for single player gaming.
My budget is not set in stone, but <$500 is preferable. I am currently leaning towards the Senn HD650s. I do not have an amp yet, but I am surely getting one down the line, and the astro mixamp and my sound card both support 300ohm in the meantime. Yes, I know I won't get the full potential without the amp, and I'm not sure how I would combine an amp with the astro mixamp (necessary for consoles), so if you think another low-ohm headphone like my AD700 and D2000 is a better idea please do say so.
Wow.
If you read this far, thanks a ton. So, with all of that out of the way, what is my next logical headphone upgrade?
About 6 months ago I purchased the Denon D-2000s as my first audiophile headphones. I bought for both gaming and music. Up until recently, I held them in the highest regard, giving them a "10/10" for their price and swearing to buy the D7000s someday. I had no complaints using them for music, but gaming left something to be desired. The bass and overall tonal quality was incredible, but I was left wondering why I couldn't hear footsteps like I could with my old Turtle Beach X41s, which, in regards to sound quality only, sounded like ipod earbuds. I soon learned it was because the D2000s were closed headphones and lacked soundstage, so I decided to get my hands on some open headphones to try out for gaming. I ordered the highly recommended Audiotechnica AD700s and put them to the test.
I was extremely disappointed. I felt like I had an even harder time telling where enemies were, and the bass felt totally vacant. Things sounded muddled together and seemed to lack detail. They were not much better in music: I could not find one track in which I preferred the AD700s over the D2000s.I left them aside to return later, and decided to just order the latest Turtle Beach PX5s so I could hear footsteps again. Suddenly, the soundstage I had been hearing so much about was present in an enormous way- I could pinpoint the tiniest sounds even better than with my old X41s, which were my best friend in competitive FPS. However, things got significantly less exciting when I delved into some single player gaming and realized that they lack in every department other than soundstage. The signature is completely flat (I have not fiddled with the alt presets) and the bass is not only barely there, but produces severe crackling with very deep bass, like massive explosions and spaceship landings(Section 8).I decided to try out my AD700s again today, and something very peculiar happened.
I put them through the paces in gaming again, and the experience was far different from before. The soundstage/3d-imaging was very close to that of the PX5s, and the muddled sound signature and lack of detail I had experienced before was gone. The bass of the AD700s was even overpowering at first after spending time with the PX5s. The AD700s sounded very open and wonderful. Naturally, I thought this was just because I was jumping from a gaming headset to audiophile headphones, so I put the AD700s up against the D2000s in the one area the D2000 never failed me: Music. I was extremely surprised by the result: My beloved D2000s sounded too isolated, and the bass felt overpowering. The AD700s, on the other hand, gave my music a totally new feeling: I could really feel the epic soundscapes and atmosphere. The AD700s felt like I was where the music "pictured" me being, while the D2000s made me feel like I was in a garage with some unusually high quality recording equipment. I decided early today to stick with my AD700s, my only complaints being aesthetic(purple and beige with wings.. come on) and the bass being slightly below where I want it. So my little journey here has revealed that, contrary to my belief only days ago, I do in probably prefer open headphones. Unsurprisingly, my upgraditis has already reared its ugly head and I am in the mood for a serious and long-term upgrade. Here's the criteria
Music: I listen to Black Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal... Metal in general. Bands include Opeth, Burzum, Nokturnal Mortum, Dream Theater, Periphery, Windir, Limbonic Art, Katakylsm(old), Kalmah, Enslaved, Drudkh, Agalloch, Emperor, Children of Bodom, Cryptopsy, Diabolical Masquerade, Behemoth, Blut Aud Nord, Dark Tranquility, Carpathian Forest etc. On the one hand, this means amazing soundstage like the AD700 is very important- With atmospheric music like Burzum and Agalloch, I want to feel like I am in these landscapes the music envisions. The D2000s fail at this, I've found out. On the other hand, I need a fast, aggressive sound with good bass- To make less atmospheric and more brutal metal like Cryptopsy, Behemoth, Origin, and Amon Amarth sound awesome. The AD700s are mostly winners here, but the D2000s are still superior due to that bass that really brings the double bass to life. So, incredible soundstage for the atmospheric stuff, strong tight bass and fast sound for the thrashy and brutal stuff.
Gaming: I use headphones for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 gaming. For my PC, I use a X-FI Titanium Fatal1ty Champion sound card+CMSS 3D, and for my consoles I use the Astro Mixamp with Dolby Headphone. I do competitive gaming: CS:S, MW2, Black Ops, Gears of War, Halo, etc. Thus the ability to pinpoint enemy positions, footsteps, reloads, the pulling of a frag pin etc is paramount. For single player gaming (all genres), I still need the awesome soundstage for immersive 3d sound, but I also need high quality audio in general. Thus, Turtle Beach, Astros, Trittons etc won't work for me anymore. They have the "footsteps" advantage, but the overall audio fidelity is lacking for single player gaming.
My budget is not set in stone, but <$500 is preferable. I am currently leaning towards the Senn HD650s. I do not have an amp yet, but I am surely getting one down the line, and the astro mixamp and my sound card both support 300ohm in the meantime. Yes, I know I won't get the full potential without the amp, and I'm not sure how I would combine an amp with the astro mixamp (necessary for consoles), so if you think another low-ohm headphone like my AD700 and D2000 is a better idea please do say so.
Wow.
