[Pankie]

I post on overclock.net and was advised to come here for your expertise , I am very new to audio, don't know very much...
 
I'm either buying a pair of Ultrasone Pro 750's or the HFI 780's..  I have an Auzentech Forte 7.1 and I'm wondering if an Amp is neccesary to really get the most out of my headset.. And if so.. Can you make reccomendations? A budget.. I guess under 150? if thats possible..
 
On a side note, I'm listening to a wide variety of music but mostly Trance and Gothic Metal (Nightwish)
 
I'm also gaming quite often... Which headphones are more appropriate or just of better sound quality.
 
I can purchase the pro 750's for 160 USD and the HFI 780's for 180 USD.
 
Any help is greatly appreciated!.

 

[David.M]

you prob don't need it cause Auzentech already has a built in amp inside.  You could get something cheap like a Zero DAC/AMP. That is known to drive low impedance quite well + it has its own volume knob, so no more changing volume from windows volume panel !

 

[Pankie]

Does anyone have experience with this situation?

 

[ThePunisher]

I've had about as much luck here as OCN 

Wish someone would answer our questions.

 

[maverickronin]

No firsthand experience, but from the specs, your Forte should power either of the Ultrasones well enough on its own.
 
For gaming (well FPS games anyway) the Audio Technica AD700s usually recommended for their great soundstaging, which lest you hear people sneaking up behind you.  The Forte should power them nicely as well.  You may not like them as much for music, since the have very little bass.

 

[NapalmK]

Weird it seems we have almost the exact the same music preferences. Anyway, I've owned the 750s and auditioned the 780s and preferred the 750s sound quality by a decent margin. If found the 750 to be essentially an all around more refined version of the 780. The bass on the 750s was of good quality and detailing and imaging were also wonderful. I believe they also had a deal more soundstage than the 780 though it's been awhile since I've heard the 780.
 
As for amping, you should be okay without one for the time being although an amp would help. Your soundcard should be up to the task. They aren't particularly hard to amp. I ran the 750s fine from my netbook though the adapter was a little bothersome. When amped with my Pro 650s (I know not exactly the same thing) the bright highs were toned down, bass was improved, and soundstage was increased by a decent margin.
 
My Pro 650s actually did better than the 750s with gaming for some reason though it wasn't by a lot. They are pretty good gaming cans though I will say there are some better ones out there. I haven't heard the AD700 so I can't give a comparison between the two, sorry.
 
That's really a pretty good deal on the 750s.With trance I don't think there is a better sound sig than Ultrasone. It feels like it was built for it. Nightwish still sounded good with them but they did have a slight recessed midrange problem, though nothing too serious.
 
Sorry it took so long to get a response. The headphones forum may have been a better place to post. I don't really travel to the amps district a lot. If you have any questions whatsoever feel free to ask.