[Caspr]

so i recently got a sennheiser hd485 and while its good for music/movies it lacks in the games department. i've got a x-fi titanium and set it in 5.1 mode under windows but in the x-fi console i set it to headphone like it was described here Guru3D X-Fi CMSS-3D Headphone i tried it with cmss turned off/on crystalizer(dont like that thing at all) bass boost etc etc but it just doesnt sound "right" in my ears. somehow my plantronics dsp500 is way better in the soundstage and audio positioning and simply everything when it comes to games.

i dont need the bass from the hd485 and heard that the AD700/900 doesnt have that much bass much like my plantronics so is it the right choice for me? i watch movies and hear music a lot when im not gaming. mostly trance/house/dnb

i also looked at DT770/880 HFI 580/780 but after reading a lot here(about 3 hours) i still cant really decide which to pick

sorry for the wall of text but i hope you can help me and understand what i mean because english isnt my motherlanguage.


edit:the dsp500 is semi-open if thats important in some way?

 

[1Time]

Welcome.

I don't recall reading many reports of preferring the AD700 to the AD900. Usually it seems the upgrade is considered worth it if it is affordable.

What do you want from your gaming headphones? It seems gamers use a variety of headphones for gaming. If I were playing to win, I would want headphones that helped me win. But if I were more interested in being entertained by the sound of explosions and other sounds of the game, then I might want different headphones.

For trance/house/dnb you may want to consider an Ultrasone like the HFI580.

But it seems like you are wanting headphones that will do everything for you. Which of these is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th most important to you? gaming to win, gaming to enjoy the sound, movies, trance/house/dnb.

 

[nullstring]

AD700 should be perfect for what you want.
Great for music and particularly great for games and movies.

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nullstring /img/forum/go_quote.gif AD700 should be perfect for what you want. Great for music and particularly great for games and movies.

No.

 

[nullstring]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Time /img/forum/go_quote.gif No.

excuse me?

 

[Adreneline]

*cue Lucky / intoart* lol

Everyone needs to stop recommending it for everything, it's not that great for rock/metal at all, and some other genres, imo. Great for classical and jazz. Bass anemic. Please stop saying they aren't bass anemic.

But if he doesn't care about bass, and wants it for games, I think the AD700 is the way to go.

 

[Busta9iron]

Soundstage is well documented on the AD700, which makes it great for games, (position of enemy). AD900 is supposedly better in all regards, than the AD700. Whether it is up to the price difference better than the AD900, is up to debate in some peoples opinions.


As far as it not being good for rock, metal I beg to differ. Again the soundstage is phenomenal, and Tool is sounding very good right now. Bass has weak impact, not bass anemic. I guess our ears are different Adreneline.

 

[fjrabon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adreneline /img/forum/go_quote.gif *cue Lucky / intoart* lol Everyone needs to stop recommending it for everything, it's not that great for rock/metal at all, and some other genres, imo. Great for classical and jazz. Bass anemic. Please stop saying they aren't bass anemic. But if he doesn't care about bass, and wants it for games, I think the AD700 is the way to go.

being "bass anemic" doesn't seem to hurt the rep of grados for rock/metal. AD700 bass isn't drastically different.

 

[Meliboeus]

it is true that the AD900 have little bass weight and impact, but this is how many rock and metal listeners like their music to sound, me included. I agree with those recommending the AT line for metal, in the bass region they are as fast and controlled as the Grados, with just a tad less impact. If you like a bit more bass but still in the "audiophile" sense, there are the DT-990 which are different but equally good for both metal and gaming...

 

[Almoxil]

At the OP: for the genres you listen to, try Ultrasone headphones. I've got the HFI-550 and HFI-780, and both render those genres very well, plus rock and metal (the HFI-550 have less detail). I haven't heard the HFI-580/680, but FWIR they carry the same "house sound".

 

[Caspr]

first thanks for all the replys :=)

as for the bass i heard the closed models of the 700/900 are more bassy and are a bit less good for gaming but better for movies/music because of it?

now a complete other question:if i would watch a movie and turn it to 100% would my sister in the next room hear me with the ad700 or ad900? because then i would buy me the a900.

and why are the a900 so much cheaper than the ad900? a900 ad900 are they not made that good or is it because closed headphones are cheaper than open ones in general?

 

[dweaver]

The AD700 sound terrific for all of the rock that I listen to, most rock including Heavy Metal is about guitars and singing with drumming needing to be tight and accurate, in short exactly what I get out of my AD700. From what I have read the AD900 will add to that because of slightly more forward mids and mid-bass.

For every person who insists that the AD700 is NOT a good choice for these genres or that they are "bass anemic" and that those of us who like their sound are misleading people. Why not stop trying to impose your opinion down everyone ones throat. An OP asked for opinions, so those of us who like the AD700 say so, for those who prefer say a Senn model or a Grado model, or whatever should just say which one you prefer.

 

[dweaver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caspr /img/forum/go_quote.gif first thanks for all the replys :=) as for the bass i heard the closed models of the 700/900 are more bassy and are a bit less good for gaming but better for movies/music because of it? now a complete other question:if i would watch a movie and turn it to 100% would my sister in the next room hear me with the ad700 or ad900? because then i would buy me the a900. and why are the a900 so much cheaper than the ad900? a900 ad900 are they not made that good or is it because closed headphones are cheaper than open ones in general?

The AD lines definitely leak sound so you might want to go closed. From what I hear the A900Ti may be a better option than the A900 as the Ti is supposed to address some recessed midrange issues.

Also Shure is literally on the verge of releasing 3 closed models of headphones. From what I have read the top line model which will have an MSRP of $199 is supposed to be very good. You might want to wait another week or 2 and get those.

 

[nullstring]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caspr /img/forum/go_quote.gif as for the bass i heard the closed models of the 700/900 are more bassy and are a bit less good for gaming but better for movies/music because of it?

Not really. The A700 is just not suppose to be as good as the AD700.. all around. They probably do have more bass, because they are closed, however.
But really, I think there are better choices in the price range if you want closed headphones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caspr /img/forum/go_quote.gif now a complete other question:if i would watch a movie and turn it to 100% would my sister in the next room hear me with the ad700 or ad900? because then i would buy me the a900.

If the doors are closed, your sister shouldn't hear you. (As long as 100% means high volume. You turn it up to 100% and she'll be able to hear you screaming from the pain.)

 

[dweaver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adreneline /img/forum/go_quote.gif *cue Lucky / intoart* lol Everyone needs to stop recommending it for everything, it's not that great for rock/metal at all, and some other genres, imo. Great for classical and jazz. Bass anemic. Please stop saying they aren't bass anemic. But if he doesn't care about bass, and wants it for games, I think the AD700 is the way to go.

If the OP had asked for advice on whether to upgrade from his low end Senn phones to a higher end Senn, Grado, BD, etc, and then a bunch of ATH fans jumped in and told the OP he was all wrong and he needed ATH model X instead, I would agree with your post (and I do know this happens all the time which is why you may be feeling frustrated). But in this case someone was asking specifically about upgrading to AD700/AD900 phones. So I think it would be reasonable to expect users of those phones to respond to his question.