[RED-404]

So I was thinking of going the line-out rout with a headphone amp.  No more than $150 USD
The sound card is the one thing I skipped on this build currently I'm just using the audio from my Blue Yeti Mic which is not bad at all but it’s a little dark on my SHURE SRH840 headphones.
 
My primary uses of audio on my PC in order.
 
Voice chat = Mumble: This makes my Fiio e10 almost useless due to the non async USB "If I have no other sound playing it cuts off the first part of the first word of every transmission.”
 
Gaming : I miss having the good positional audio I had in the past, [size=10.0pt]Rapture3D [/size]works but the games that can use it are rather limited. Also will this help with BF3 that game has some horrible positional audio is seems  to be a simple L/R panner with depth there is no discernible vertical possitionality. I can't tell if someone is on my floor or one above or below.
 
Music: Aggrotech IDM Metal Classical and anything with a Chello
 
Movies
 
Whatever sound card I use I am going to have to use 4ft to 6ft extension cable to get from my case to my desk  this is part of why I was thinking of going with a desktop amp.
 
Side note: I also have a iBasso D7 I bought it after the E10 Hoping to fix the mumble problem.  Before the D7 had really been reviewed by anybody. I fully regret buying it and I'm not selling it to anyone I don’t want to waste their money.  It did fix the mumble problem but it also has a lot of line noise that I fixed by building a USB isolator but is still has a cracking problem on all 5 of my systems. It's not a defect it’s a design flaw. It makes a great paper weight.
 
Edit added more info.
 
Update: I think Im going to go with a Xonar DSX and JDSLabs CmoyBB but a may switch to a little bit more analytical OP-AMP.

 

[Eric_C]

Happy update! I disabled my onboard sound, deleted the Xonar from Device Manager, rebooted, and the Xonar was detected. Installed the Unified drivers, rebooted again, and I'm now listening to Dolby Headphone from my front panel. I'm a happy camper.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

So I was thinking of going the line-out rout with a headphone amp.  No more than $150 USD
The sound card is the one thing I skipped on this build currently I'm just using the audio from my Blue Yeti Mic which is not bad at all but it’s a little dark on my SHURE SRH840 headphones.
My primary uses of audio on my PC in order.
Voice chat = Mumble: This makes my Fiio e10 almost useless due to the non async USB "If I have no other sound playing it cuts off the first part of the first word of every transmission.”
Gaming : I miss having the good positional audio I had in the past, [size=10.0pt]Rapture3D [/size]works but the games that can use it are rather limited. Also will this help with BF3 that game has some horrible positional audio is seems  to be a simple L/R panner with depth there is no discernible vertical possitionality. I can't tell if someone is on my floor or one above or below.
Music: Aggrotech IDM Metal Classical and anything with a Chello
Movies
Whatever sound card I use I am going to have to use 4ft to 6ft extension cable to get from my case to my desk  this is part of why I was thinking of going with a desktop amp.
Side note: I also have a iBasso D7 I bought it after the E10 Hoping to fix the mumble problem.  Before the D7 had really been reviewed by anybody. I fully regret buying it and I'm not selling it to anyone I don’t want to waste their money.  It did fix the mumble problem but it also has a lot of line noise that I fixed by building a USB isolator but is still has a cracking problem on all 5 of my systems. It's not a defect it’s a design flaw. It makes a great paper weight.
Edit added more info.
Update: I think I'm going to go with a Xonar DSX and JDSLabs CmoyBB but a may switch to a little bit more analytical OP-AMP.

What make and model is your motherboard?
The Xonar DSX comes with DTS, not Dolby.
Are you ok with just using DTS?

 

[RED-404]

Quote:

What make and model is your motherboard?
The Xonar DSX comes with DTS, not Dolby.
Are you ok with just using DTS?

 
FacePalm you Sir are exactly right. I meant to order the DGX and not the DSX… Looks like it shipped…..
So I'm going to be refusing a package on Monday. :-/
 
Note to self: Never order stuff at 5AM….

 

[genclaymore]

Good thing you didn't actually order the DSX, that would been worst. You get the package expecting to see DGX but see DSX instead.

 

[Evshrug]

Happy update! I disabled my onboard sound, deleted the Xonar from Device Manager, rebooted, and the Xonar was detected. Installed the Unified drivers, rebooted again, and I'm now listening to Dolby Headphone from my front panel. I'm a happy camper.

Yay!
*Ode to Joy*

 

[Fegefeuer]

New Soundblasters are reaching Amazon.
 
I'm curious to get one and use it under Windows 8, see how it performs but I am still skeptical about SBX. I believe it could be just a rename of THX TruStudio Pro and if you play under THXTSP you'll notice less sonic degradation than CMSS-3D but worse positioning. 

 

[Roller]

Quote:

New Soundblasters are reaching Amazon.
 
I'm curious to get one and use it under Windows 8, see how it performs but I am still skeptical about SBX. I believe it could be just a rename of THX TruStudio Pro and if you play under THXTSP you'll notice less sonic degradation than CMSS-3D but worse positioning. 

 
I find it to be quite the opposite, the previous software package performs better on both SQ and positional cue accuracy, when compared to THX TruStudio Pro.

 

[SleepyMellow]

Quote:

[size=10pt]If you're looking for headphone advice:[/size]

 

-Buy a Stax Lambda system. You'll generally need $300-400 and a speaker amp for the cheaper sets, but I have yet to find a better headphone for gaming if you're looking for competitive positioning.

 

Where can I find this $300 deal? How do they compare with the [size=small]Koss ESP-950?[/size]

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

Where can I find this $300 deal? How do they compare with the [size=small]Koss ESP-950?[/size]

 
Unfortunately, I don't know of any right off the top of my head. You have to keep checking Head-Fi's B/S/T section, eBay, AudiogoN, etc. and hold out for a deal. (I lucked out and got my SR-Lambda + SRD-7/SB set for $250.) Also note that the more affordable sets come with some sort of SRD-series transformer box, meaning you need a speaker amp (integrated receivers do nicely) to power it.
 
But if you can get 'em that cheaply, you're getting a deal, all right.
 
As for comparisons to the ESP/950, I'm not really in the position to do that since I've never listened to an ESP/950, but the general consensus seems to be that the ESP/950 sounds very much like an electrostatic while sounding very unlike Stax in general. They say it's really fast (even by 'stat standards), midrange-centric while also having great extension, works nicely out of Stax Pro bias amps, but possibly a smaller soundstage than a typical Lambda. I am willing to consider it if I get the chance, but the days of ESP/950s selling for $350 shipped on eBay are long gone. (Not even joking about that...only reason I passed it up was that I didn't have $350 on hand at the time.)
 
Quote:

I'm curious to get one and use it under Windows 8, see how it performs but I am still skeptical about SBX. I believe it could be just a rename of THX TruStudio Pro and if you play under THXTSP you'll notice less sonic degradation than CMSS-3D but worse positioning.

 
And that's what kills it for me. I want positioning so accurate that I can practically shoot the enemy through a wall with pinpoint accuracy just by listening to footstep sounds behind the wall in question.

 

[SleepyMellow]

Quote:

 
Unfortunately, I don't know of any right off the top of my head. You have to keep checking Head-Fi's B/S/T section, eBay, AudiogoN, etc. and hold out for a deal

Thanks for the quick and knowledgeable reply, but unfortunately I never seem to be in the right place at the same time as when the deals appear. lol.
So back to looking for a comfortable set of cans that have AD700 staging but with some ~60Hz bass capabilities for under $200.
I am not interested in a V shaped EQ curve, just a little thump - is that asking too much?

 

[Evshrug]

Thanks for the quick and knowledgeable reply, but unfortunately I never seem to be in the right place at the same time as when the deals appear. lol.
So back to looking for a comfortable set of cans that have AD700 staging but with some ~60Hz bass capabilities for under $200.
I am not interested in a V shaped EQ curve, just a little thump - is that asking too much?

Maybe? I've heard several people recommend a new headphone I've not heard called the Takstar, but I can't personally vouch for it.

Last night I played Oblivion with my Recon3D and AD700, it's amazing how strong the virtual surround works, even better than the Q701. I'm sincerely hoping the Q701's soundstage expands and becomes more accurate with an extra amp, but... If not, then I may just get an E11, use the bass boost, and sell my Q701. I waffle on wether the Q701 was worth it at 2x the price... But it (the Q701) is really an amazing headphone when used for music.

 

[SleepyMellow]

Quote:

Maybe? I've heard several people recommend a new headphone I've not heard called the Takstar, but I can't personally vouch for it.
Last night I played Oblivion with my Recon3D and AD700, it's amazing how strong the virtual surround works, even better than the Q701. I'm sincerely hoping the Q701's soundstage expands and becomes more accurate with an extra amp, but... If not, then I may just get an E11, use the bass boost, and sell my Q701. I waffle on wether the Q701 was worth it at 2x the price... But it is really an amazing headphone when used for music.

Does the e11 give AD700 some bass? 

 

[Evshrug]

Does the e11 give AD700 some bass? 

The FiiO E11 has two bass-boost settings.

Ok, if you'll let me give a personal analysis and opinion based on said analysis, but keep in mind that I don't have the money to test out every hypothesis, and your preference may vary...

The AD700 is godly for competitive gaming. It's easily amped, it's very light weight with a light and IMO comfortable clamping force, has the biggest soundstage and best directional positioning I've heard without adding a powerful desktop amp, very detailed, and I don't find the sound signature fatiguing for long gaming sessions. I don't think spending more money will get you a headphone that will increase your competitive edge in FPS gaming.

All that said, it won't thump thump. The bass is there to hear, as detailed as the rest of the sound frequencies, boosting the bass with another device like the E11 or a computer EQ will make the bass louder and more prominent, but the reason I started looking for another headphone was that the AD700 can't get much... hard to pick the right word... body, authority, or weight. Everyone seems to use different words to describe this, some merely say "doesn't have bass," but that's not an accurate description either.

You can have a loud explosion, but it won't sound like a big explosion, if that makes sense.

It's a minor difference, and I do enjoy my AD700s. They sound lean rather than rich, but they have all the advantages above, and work really well with binaural/surround processed audio. If you have speakers or don't listen to much music, or if they would be your first pair of nice headphones, then I'd give the AD700's a strong recommendation at a bargain price. Otherwise you might want to pair the AD700 with something more "rich" for a more "musical" experience, like the Koss KSC75 clip-ons so you also have something fun to wear when out of the home.

 

[Evshrug]

The Orange Box is definitely a great purchase, both due to getting all Half Life 2 games (including Lost Coast) as well as Portal and Team Fortress 2 (yes, it has become Free 2 Play).


From the bits and pieces floating around, it does seem Half Life 3 will be a reality eventually, (as per Valve time) rather than a Half Life 2 Episode 3.


From the moment high resolution, high AA levels and proper 3D audio is made available, Half life 2 on its stock form is already well beyond what console ports can do, but if you really want your mind blown, check how a game goes from 4 to 22GB and how it both looks and sounds (view on 720p):


 
This Source overhaul can be found here: http://cinematicmod.com/


Keep in mind that system requirements are far higher than what the original games have.


EDIT: The full visual and audio engine update can be used without the new models, that are optional, considering that some people prefer the stock models.

OMG, HOW DID I MISS THIS POST?!
Looks awesome! kinda gets me in the mood for a replay The "Inception" soundtrack inclusion was a nice touch.
I understand how some people feel about the stock models, Bernie (I think, your security guard friend) looks good, but I think the models used for Alyx and her father look like... Well they don't fit the characters IMO, to keep it polite haha. But the environment visuals are stunning! Benefits of a strong fan base