[ProtegeManiac]

@ProtegeManiac is this a good DAC to buy as agreed? SMSL-SU-8, Link to Massdrop page.

This is for the He-4XX and other planar headphones that i plan to buy in the future. Just checking if it has the right inputs and ouput ports that you think I need, referring to your design map from before:

Laptop (MSI NAHIMIC VSS On) combo SPDIF/headphone jack used as SPDIF output >3.5mm to optical> DAC >analogue RCA> HPamp >headphone cable> headphone

Yeah but you'll need the SH-8 or any other amp to drive the headphone.

Still...have you tried the the headphones yet, especially the AD900? And just on your laptop? Because really if imaging is what you're going for the K70x doesn't have a large advantage on music. It might be worth investing on additional equipment to make it work at its best for listening when that's the only thing going on, but once you have to process virtual stimuli and reacting accordingly it's not easy to compare how much effective a headphone with an inch wider and deeper soundstage is more so when you have to 1) spend money and therefore 2) possibly just be biased to believe that it was worth it.

HE400 might not even compete with those two for gaming.

 

[ronfifer]

HE-4XX.

I received k702 today and had 30mins to test it before leaving. I plugged it into my laptop's onboard headphone jack and fired up BF1 and it got way too loud at 65% windows volume. Would a dac/amp still bring improvements to the soundstage, separation and detail retrieval? Or the external stack is no longer needed?

I was thinking of SMSL SP200 THX 888 amp and Modi 3 or JDS OL or SMSL Su-8 dacs. It will cost me another ~$420 if i went with the balanced SU-8 DAC. I would also use them for future planar purchases. I dont need them for AD900x. What do you think of the added value as far as the k702 and HE-4XX are concerned?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

HE-4XX.

Measurements suggest they're the same other than a few chassis improvements.

I received k702 today and had 30mins to test it before leaving. I plugged it into my laptop's onboard headphone jack and fired up BF1 and it got way too loud at 65% windows volume. Would a dac/amp still bring improvements to the soundstage, separation and detail retrieval? Or the external stack is no longer needed?

Music, yes, more detail due to lower distortion.

Gaming, not really. 1% THD on music is audibly horrible (other than those who intentionally add 1% of the kind that comes from tubes) if you're sitting there listening, but if you have to focus on doing something like shoot something on screen, hear mouse clicks and key presses, no.

I was thinking of SMSL SP200 THX 888 amp and Modi 3 or JDS OL or SMSL Su-8 dacs. It will cost me another ~$420 if i went with the balanced SU-8 DAC. I would also use them for future planar purchases. I dont need them for AD900x. What do you think of the added value as far as the k702 and HE-4XX are concerned?

Music if you can give up imaging advantages, HE4XX since it's practically flat from 20hz to 1000hz. As for having them both, practically redundant if your goal isn't primarily music. If it was music, then there's the dilemma between imaging and very accurate bass. If they're primarily for gaming and music (a far) second then why go with something that doesn't image as well as the other. Then if you go with a balanced drive amp you can't utilize balanced drive on it (assuming it even has single ended output) for the K702 without extensive modifications thanks to its removable cable being connected only to one earcup, meaning the cable has three conductors all the way to the socket, then one of those splits to provide L- and R-, the latter going across the headband along with the R+ signal.

Still if you're trying to avoid spending on the upstream equipment I really don't understand why you'd go with lower sensitivity headphones that require more power, much less go for planars that will require that much power and you'd go with the option that also requires a new cable that some of those planars might not come with when you buy them.

 

[ronfifer]

Alright. I forgot to add that my K702 only sounded painfully loud above 65% Windows volume when Windows Sonic was turned on while gaming. When Sonic is off, the sound felt recessed, very small soundstage, and the details not pushed out as they were even if i increase the volume to high levels. Does that mean my on-board chip cannot drive them properly and I need an amp? or not?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Alright. I forgot to add that my K702 only sounded painfully loud above 65% Windows volume when Windows Sonic was turned on while gaming. When Sonic is off, the sound felt recessed, very small soundstage, and the details not pushed out as they were even if i increase the volume to high levels. Does that mean my on-board chip cannot drive them properly and I need an amp? or not?

Like I said...the imaging is primarily the processing.

As far as the amp is concerned, you get enough power to get loud, but distortion and noise ratio can be high.

However 1% THD or even higher isn't going to matter as much for mp3 SFX that changes while you're bombarded with a lot of other stimuli as much as when that same 1% distortion and noise is coming through for when you have your feet up, everything is quiet, and music that remains constant and the only changes come from the media getting damaged (that ended after the CD) or the file getting corrupted.

If you will only use it for gaming, then no. If you actually prefer the AD900 over it, but it's for gaming, no, I wouldn't bother buying an amp for the K702.

If you want it for music, sure, get the other stuff to drive it. Just don't expect it to improve gaming unless you can actually hear the inch at best improvement in imaging while you're busy fragging and dodging or getting the flag or whatever.

 

[ronfifer]

I see your point. The hype to get a stack is only driven by the fact that it's black friday week, it is a now or never moment. The savings are real. But i see what you mean about marginal improvements for gaming.