[erivera89]

I think I should definately like the setup because I've been listening to youtube videos with a pair of cheap Demco headpairs here in my school library, and I think they sound pretty good in stereo. So I feel the Mixamp/Fiio e9 -> Beyer Dt990 setup should be expotentially better and in complete ear orgasmic  glory lol Can't wait !!

 

[mcnoiserdc]

I agree with you!!!
 
Quote:

With the Astro Mixamp, I find the DT990 to perform CONSIDERABLY better than the 880 is terms of accurate positioning.
 
I dunno what people are going on about, but the bass on the 990 is anything but sloppy or bloated. It's as refined as I've heard a basshead headphone can get. The 880 has a great sound, but it isn't exactly exciting for gaming. Just balanced.
 
Also for gaming, the peakier treble on the 990 isn't as noticeable or bothersome as it is with stereo sources, so put that issue to rest. Dolby Headphone spreads out that treble quite evenly across the 360 degree soundstage, so it isn't as grating.

If you don't love this setup, you must be special, lol!

 
Quote:

I think I should definately like the setup because I've been listening to youtube videos with a pair of cheap Demco headpairs here in my school library, and I think they sound pretty good in stereo. So I feel the Mixamp/Fiio e9 -> Beyer Dt990 setup should be expotentially better and in complete ear orgasmic  glory lol Can't wait !!

 

[erivera89]

Man that sucks that I could have gotten them for $225 but all well. You win some you lose some. Anyway I'm just a little confuse how I'm gonna have the Mixamp and e9 set up. I mean I know what connectors to use and what inputs, but I don't know how i would best configure the audio. I am assuming that once the e9 is connected to the Mixamp, the e9 takes over the master volume controls. Where should I have the volume dial on the mixamp when connected to any amp?
 
Thanks for all your help,  especially to Mad Lust Envy and mcnoiserdc.I'll make sure to take some picks of my 50' inch panasonic plasma 3d tv with my Beyer headphone setup once I get everything connected. And Mad Lust Envy, you told me that it takes a couple days to get used to Dolby Headphone when playing games. Does the same apply to movies, and how would were compare Dolby Headphone to a traditional 5.1/7.1 home theater system when watching movies? I think I will first test out Kill Bill Vol 1, because that movie has superb dynamics in its soundtrack along with great music. I am especially looking forward to the ending scene because of the amazing song that is played during the credits. 

 

[erivera89]

just found out the headphones are backordered and it can take up to 7 days before they are even shipped, so I'm looking at 10 days tops to get my cans 

 

[erivera89]

Just ordered Kill Bill VOl. 1, Mass Effect 2 and Dead Space 2 for PS3 :0

 

[erivera89]

 
Man that sucks that I could have gotten them for $225 but all well. You win some you lose some. Anyway I'm just a little confuse how I'm gonna have the Mixamp and e9 set up. I mean I know what connectors to use and what inputs, but I don't know how i would best configure the audio. I am assuming that once the e9 is connected to the Mixamp, the e9 takes over the master volume controls. Where should I have the volume dial on the mixamp when connected to any amp?

 

Thanks for all your help,  especially to Mad Lust Envy and mcnoiserdc.I'll make sure to take some picks of my 50' inch panasonic plasma 3d tv with my Beyer headphone setup once I get everything connected. And Mad Lust Envy, you told me that it takes a couple days to get used to Dolby Headphone when playing games. Does the same apply to movies, and how would were compare Dolby Headphone to a traditional 5.1/7.1 home theater system when watching movies? I think I will first test out Kill Bill Vol 1, because that movie has superb dynamics in its soundtrack along with great music. I am especially looking forward to the ending scene because of the amazing song that is played during the credits.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Do you have any headphones with you currently?
 
See if you can interpret this test well...
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMkunPQMhN4
 
It will work as is. Just plug in your headphones.
 
That is a pretty good representation of what to expect with the Mixamp and Dolby Headphone.
 
Oh yeah, you may wanna slow down on multiple posts. XD

 

[erivera89]

Thanks for the reply. What about my last question in regards to the configuring the setting on the mixamp with the fiio e9 connected?

 

[erivera89]

Just received my e9 amp today. I am expecting the mixamp on tuesday and the DT990's sometime next week as well. Man the wait is killing me. 
 
I've forgotten to ask this question before but how does the PS3 perform as a cd player with the mixamp/e9 combo? If I am using the ps3 for music should I get the e7?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Sorry for the late replies.

With the E9 connected, the Mixamp should be nearly or fully maxed out in volume, game/voice should be fully on the game side unless you use a mic, where its up to you wehere you want your mic level to be. You attach a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable from the Mixamp's headphone out to the E9's line in.

Your headphones attach to the E9 (obviously). As for low or high gain on the E9, use whichever one gets you to closest tobeing between 9-12 o clock on the E9 volume knob as that's the sweet spot for it (stated by Fiio themselves).

I hear the PS3 is a great audio player. The E7's usb dac won't work with the PS3.

Buy an RCA female to 3.5mm cable cable. Hook up the PS3's RCA (red/white) audio cables to the RCA to 3.5mm cable and hook that up to the E9's line in. Voila. Yeah, you'll have to unplug the Mixamp from the E9 when you listen to music, but its worth it. Just remember to set you PS3 audio settings to output Dolby Digital to the Mixamp via optical digital, but multi output on (so that the stereo signal still goes to the composite cables of your ps3 which you will use for the RCA outs)

This method is better for music than using the Mixamp because there is nothing between the source and the E9.



Put it on the floor so you can see what I'm talking about. I don't have a female rca to 3.5mm, so instead I bought a female RCA to 1/4" (6.3mm) cable and used and attached a 1/4 to 3.5mm adapter (that bit of gold that is hooked up to the E9).

 

[tlniec]

I can't comment on the PS3 specifically, but I've listened to a few concerts (one on Blu-Ray, one on HD-DVD) using optical-out to my Mixamp, into my E9, into my HD650s.  In my opinion, if you use 2-channel PCM or Dolby Stereo, and keep the Dolby Headphone DSP turned off, this can sound GREAT.  I would expect that playing a CD would be similar -- use optical in, keep DH turned off, and you should be good.  I personally don't have any problem with the DAC functionality in the Mixamp.  (disclaimer, my only other standalone DAC is an E7 - I'm not really into ultra-expensive gear ).
 
-edit- Saw Mad Lust Envy's reply.  I can believe the PS3 could have better DAC functionality than the Mixamp.  This has actually given me an idea to try the analog outs from my HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players directly to the E9, and bypass the Mixamp just as an experiment.  Will be interesting to see how the 2-channel sound compares.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Oh yeah, the Mixamp should include a y splitter cable for the headphones and a mic. If you plan on using a mic, you'll need this connected to the headphone out on the Mixamp. The mic you use has to go here, while the 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable will go to the other input from the y splitter to the E9's line in.

No one said it would be pretty. Lol.

 

[erivera89]

Alright guys I finally got my Beyer 990's 600 Ohms last night along with the e9 amp. I hooked everything up to the mixamp and the ps3, threw in Pink Floyd Dark SIde on the Moon Sacd version, and boy was I in for an experience!! Never before did I think music could sound as great and detailed. Some of the tracks gave me a 3d effect, like there were various "layers" of music just being thrown at you simultaneously. It was an awesome experience, and the fact I had previously met up with Mary Jane didn't hurt this either Then I threw in Heavy Rain, and also was impressed especially with the way the rain sounds. For some games I've noticed that the best way to set up the mixamp was to turn it to about 1 and 2 o'clock and have the e9 at about 9 to 10 o'clock. 
 
I have a question. SInce the the e9 accepts both 3.5 and 6.5 mm inputs, and seeing that the Beyer Dt990's come with a 6.5mm extension, which one should I use to give me the best sound quality? Does the sound quality change between inputs? 
 

 

[erivera89]

So after close to a year that I have had my first audiophile quality headphones (Beyer DT 900) with the Mixamp amp and E9 power amp, I must say that it has grown on me. The couple months to be honest was a little disappointing, because I didn't think Dolby Headphone was working out for me. Part of the reason was because I had to get accustomed to Dolby Headphone and had to break in my headphones. But after about 3-4 months, they have really started to shine and playing games like Metal Gear Solid 4 was just a whole different experience with these headphones. It just allows to be immersed in the game and really feel like you are in the game. Now I cannot live without them when I play video games or movies. I do wish the directional cues were better with movies but all well, it still sounds better than my crappy z5500 speaker set. I wanna thank all my fellow head-fi members especially Mad Lust Envy for helping me out pick the right headphones and components that fit my needs. I was very close to getting the 880's but Mad Lust Envy convinced me to get the 990's instead, and in retrospect I am glad I stuck with that decision. This experience has made me step through into the world of audiophile headphones, and it has become a big hobby of mine. I am already looking at perhaps upgrading to the higher-end headphones, with the Audeze LCD-2s. Don't know if they would work well with Dolby Headphone, but that discussion is for another day If anyone has questions make sure to hit up Mad Lust Envy's gaming headphones thread or messaging him, cause he pretty has tried every single headphone known to man lol.