Upgrade from AD700 + amp.
Dec 17, 2011 at 10:51 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

Mattyhew

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Basically for the last 2 years ive had a pair of AD700s and basically love them and swear by them as the best gaming headphones around, Purely for the soundstage. 
 
But as christmas is coming i fancy treating myself ^^
 
The 3 things i like about the AD700s is the Comfort (bearly know im wearing them/I have bit ears so like that fact they dont sit on them),the large soundstage and the durability. Im aware they have weak bass so for general use i have them EQd as below, seems to give a balanced sound. 
 
 

 
Im using the Titanium HD as a source as i like the CMSS-3D for gaming.
 
Id prefer a headphone with more bass without EQ if possible. I like every genre of music and movies + games. I know im a hard man to please :p
 
So saying i have £500 (I have no real budget, but no interest in wasting money) What good cans are there that suit my needs ?
 
at this level i presume ill need an amp so that too.
 
Basically recommend your headphones/Setups
 
Titanium HD > ???? > ????
 
Cheers :)
 
 
Dec 17, 2011 at 11:22 PM Post #2 of 11
I went from the AD700 to Stax Lambda systems myself, which all but replaced the AD700 since they did everything better, not least of all gaming with CMSS-3D Headphone (as I'd expect of a headphone system several times the price). While they do have more bass without EQ, the way electrostatics like those present their bass is different enough that people can't get used to it. Quoth this Headphiles forum review:
 
Quote:
First thing I have to tell you. If you are, like me, coming from a dynamic background you have to leave your preconceived notion of presentation of bass behind. The stax system does not push air into your ear canal, in fact it presents it just outside your ear giving a slightly brighter presentation, fantastic detail and attack but perhaps not any bass slam.

Now when I say bass slam I mean oomph not bass itself. This is what I mean - you have to re-educate yourself on how bass is really presented to the listener as more of an extension into the mix to give depth where needed or to emphasize a moment. This means you understand bass is there - in shed loads if I may say so, but not in a slam slam manner, but more in a deep cavernous manner designed to broaden what already is a massive sound stage.

 
If you don't think you can adapt to this, you'll be happier with traditional dynamics and orthos that don't require specialized amps just to work. As for which ones I can suggest...not sure there, because cans like the Denon D2000 and D5000 and Sennheiser HD650 might overdo the bass for your tastes for all I know. Even then, I don't know what amps to suggest; the FiiO E9 is a common favorite here that won't break the bank, but for anything more substantial and higher-priced, that's what I don't know.
 
Dec 18, 2011 at 12:16 AM Post #3 of 11


Quote:
Basically for the last 2 years ive had a pair of AD700s and basically love them and swear by them as the best gaming headphones around, Purely for the soundstage. 
But as christmas is coming i fancy treating myself ^^
The 3 things i like about the AD700s is the Comfort (bearly know im wearing them/I have bit ears so like that fact they dont sit on them),the large soundstage and the durability. Im aware they have weak bass so for general use i have them EQd as below, seems to give a balanced sound. 

I'm using the Titanium HD as a source as i like the CMSS-3D for gaming.
Id prefer a headphone with more bass without EQ if possible. I like every genre of music and movies + games. I know im a hard man to please :p
So saying i have £500 (I have no real budget, but no interest in wasting money) What good cans are there that suit my needs ?
at this level i presume ill need an amp so that too.
Basically recommend your headphones/Setups
Titanium HD > ???? > ????
Cheers :)

The T-HD (Titanium HD) does not come with a dedicated headphone amplifier, but Creative Labs rates the headphone jack up to 330-Ohms.
Hopefully someone else on Head-fi will know if 250-Ohm headphones works well with the T-HD.
You can always hook up an external headphone amplifier up to the RCA  jacks (or optical output) of the T-HD,
Not sure if all headphone gaming functions work with those connections.
 
Creative Labs just came out with the Recon3D (SB1350) PCI-Express sound card, comes with a headphone amplifier rated up to 600-Ohms.
Not sure how well the sound quality compares to the T-HD, price is around $100 in the USA.
 
Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250-Ohm (open) headphones, sell for $180 in the USA.
Sennheiser HD-558 50-Ohm (open) headphones, like the ATH-AD700, but with more bass, sell for as low as $125 in the USA.
 
 
 
 
Dec 18, 2011 at 12:30 AM Post #4 of 11
 
Quote:
You can always hook up an external headphone amplifier up to the RCA  jacks (or optical output) of the T-HD,
Not sure if all headphone gaming functions work with those connections.


I can rule out that doubt right now. EAX effects and CMSS-3D Headphone output fine over those RCA jacks, and even over S/PDIF (making dedicated DAC upgrades a possibility without making the X-Fi totally useless).
 
Dec 18, 2011 at 12:33 AM Post #5 of 11
On the oposite end of the scale price wise have you looked at the Fischer FA-003, MP4Nation HM5, and other manufacturer I can't remember the name of. From what I am reading these are an open sounding CLOSED headphone that has a sound like the AD900 with more bass and less grain (which means they would have even less grain than the AD700). Being a closed headphone I do suspect they won't have quite as big a sound stage as the AD700 but they may be close enough to be an alternative.
 
Dec 18, 2011 at 1:41 AM Post #7 of 11


Quote:
I'm actually quite a bass fan really, my portable headphones are the MTPCs. 
I was thinking the HD650 but i what amp would people suggest ?? 
Or the ATH-AD2000 ?


The Audio Technica ATH-AD2000 is only 40-Ohms, so I'm going to guess it will work fine with the T-HD.
The Sennheiser HD650 is 300-Ohms.
You can get a single tube headphone amplifier off eBay, starting at $45, better ones start at $75, they ship from China, takes 10 days.
They can easily power 300-Ohm headphones, as they ship from China, not worth the cost and time shipping back to China for any warranty.
Also you would need a $10 multi-meter (DT830) for fine adjustment to the voltage, to bring out the best on these "Chinese" headphone amps.
 
 
 
Dec 18, 2011 at 2:15 AM Post #8 of 11


Quote:
The Audio Technica ATH-AD2000 is only 40-Ohms, so I'm going to guess it will work fine with the T-HD.
The Sennheiser HD650 is 300-Ohms.
You can get a single tube headphone amplifier off eBay, starting at $45, better ones start at $75, they ship from China, takes 10 days.
They can easily power 300-Ohm headphones, as they ship from China, not worth the cost and time shipping back to China for any warranty.
Also you would need a $10 multi-meter (DT830) for fine adjustment to the voltage, to bring out the best on these "Chinese" headphone amps.
 
 


It was my understanding that the HD650 was very fussy about its amplifer and that you needed a certain one to bring the best out in it so what hoping for a specific because i know nothing about amplifiers SQ wise.
 
 
Dec 18, 2011 at 2:53 AM Post #9 of 11


Quote:
It was my understanding that the HD650 was very fussy about its amplifer and that you needed a certain one to bring the best out in it so what hoping for a specific because i know nothing about amplifiers SQ wise.

I've used the single tube headphone amplifiers with all seven of my headphones, no problems with any of them.
 
Try the website Rockgrotto, lots of experience with these "China" tube amplifiers.
 
 
Dec 18, 2011 at 3:57 AM Post #10 of 11
 
 
 I'd get the AD900 if you want more of the same but better ~ otherwise snap up a AKG Quincy Jones Q701
 and the following Dac/Amp from Amp City in the UK - you're lucky they're a distributor, most people have
 to order from China.
 
 Audio GD NFB-12 ~ 189 quid
 
http://www.ampcity.co.uk/brands/audio-gd/audio-gd-dac-amp-nfb-12.html
 
 
 
Dec 27, 2011 at 8:30 PM Post #11 of 11
Its hard to say what i want. I dont know why, but im debating getting a pair of HD800 and a new amp. 
 
Is there many places in the UK that you can try high end cans ?? 
 
Id say my genre of music lends it more to Rock/Hip-hop. I listen to music more for enjoyment than analytical purposes but do appreciate picking up on micro details and nuances. 
 
Cheers for your help :) 
 
Tempted by the HD650 seem like good all rounders. Not sure why but i was slightly put off by reviews saying they are ok at everything and nothing special. 
 
I think prefer my cans bass heavy, albiet hard to believe considering my current cans are AD700s
 

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