[KrebsCOHO]

I'm looking to buy a new pair of headphones for my set up. At the moment I've got a pair of Siberia V2 (which I've been using because they come with a mic) but I've come to realize I need the mic and sound separated if my gaming experience is going to be well along with recording videos on youtube.
 
At the moment I listen to just about every genre of music, I play BF3, Company of Heroes and World of Tanks. I have an Asus Xonar d2x in my computer and I've got about a £150-£200 budget for a new pair of closed back headphones and about £100 for an external microphone.
 
I've taken a look at a whole lot of different head sets but each seem to falter in their own way. What would you guys recommend? If it wouldn't hurt, what would you recommend for an external microphone?
 
If you'd like to check out my channel you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/KrebsCOHO
 
 

 

[jackwess]

Hello and welcome to headfi
 
How important is positional accuracy for you? or you want to feel like you're in a movie theater? (more bass)
 

 

[KrebsCOHO]

Quote:

Hello and welcome to headfi
 
How important is positional accuracy for you? or you want to feel like you're in a movie theater? (more bass)
 

 
Positional accuracy is quite important as I like to be able to hear where the music is coming from as if it were around me and it's also important in games like BF3 to distinguish which direction the bullets/footsteps are coming. Bass could be important, I just wouldn't want to grab a pair of headphones and love the sound but be dissapointed in the bass.
 
I've taken a look at quite a few closed back headphones but can't decide on one. Some look fragile, some are inconsisent

 

[Allforheather]

Quote:

 
Positional accuracy is quite important as I like to be able to hear where the music is coming from as if it were around me and it's also important in games like BF3 to distinguish which direction the bullets/footsteps are coming. Bass could be important, I just wouldn't want to grab a pair of headphones and love the sound but be dissapointed in the bass.
 
I've taken a look at quite a few closed back headphones but can't decide on one. Some look fragile, some are inconsisent

There is a gaming guide by one of the head-fiers, Mad Lust Envy, he has quite alot of experience in terms of gaming, and had reviewed tons of headphones in that thread. go check it out..
 

 

[KrebsCOHO]

Thanks for the reply, I had a look of that thread. I'd just like to let you guys know I loosened the belt on my budget slightly and went for a DT880 Pro 600 ohms for about £215. Also snatched myself a Blue yeti microphone for about £81. I'm more excited waiting for these to come than Christmas!

 

[Rayzee]

Personally, I would have spent all but £5 on a headphone, then use the £5 to buy a mic. I currently have a £5 mic that's going strong for years and nobody on skype has complained about my mic. For the £290 left over, I would have bought a W1000x. That's just me though.

 

[Laciel]

600 ohms is not easy to drive, and i don't how much ohms your Asus Xonar d2x can push, not sure if you can drive the DT880 with that card

 

[KrebsCOHO]

I'm actually wondering since I have no clue if this would work (the last time I did physics was in school) - but you mention that the d2x may not be able to drive the 600 ohms. I currently have the Logitech z2300 speakers connected to my sound card with my headphones plugged into the jack of the z2300's. Would that be able to power the 600 ohms rather than a dedicated amp?

 

[joelpearce]

Oh, good lord no.
 
The d2x maybe will have a chance at driving those headphones, but there's no chance you're going to get good sound out of a Logitech headphone jack on computer speakers.
 
Down the road, if you really want to pamper your Beyers, find yourself something with tubes.  If you need something on the cheap, track down an O2 and call it a day.

 

[Magick Man]

Yeah, this is going to be... interesting. I see an amp purchase in your future.

 

[KrebsCOHO]

recommendations for an amp?
 
I saw this: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/graham-slee-voyager-portable-headphone-amplifier-prodid-320.html
 
I'm not looking for anything too bulky. I'll see what the headphones are like when they come but if you guys are right I'll probably need to invest in one!

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

That has 10mw into 600ohms... that's quite weak. The Fiio E9 has 80mw into 600ohms, the Matrix M Stage has 100mw into 600ohms... You can go from there. Neither are tubes, which the DT880 supposedly pairs up better with. The Schiit Valhalla supposedly pairs up incredibly well with the 600ohm Beyers.

What do you consider bulky? 600ohm cans aren't meant for small amps.

 

[stv014]

Quote:

DT880 Pro 600 ohms for about £215.

Are you sure it is "Pro" ? That should be 250 Ohms, and also tends to be available at cheaper prices.
 

 

[stv014]

Quote:

600 ohms is not easy to drive, and i don't how much ohms your Asus Xonar d2x can push, not sure if you can drive the DT880 with that card

If the D2X is like other Asus cards that have "line" outputs only, then it is a maximum of about 2 Vrms with ~100 Ohm output impedance. That is slightly less than 5 mW into 600 Ohm, which is not much, although it should be usable at the maximum volume setting and still have low distortion (no clipping, even with complex waveforms). In fact, it cannot go above 10 mW with a load of any impedance. The power might be enough for music with limited dynamic range (pop, rock, etc.), no equalization, and for someone who does not demand high levels of loudness. But if you want to be sure, get a FiiO E9 amplifier, or upgrade the card to a Xonar Essence STX (both have basically the same amplifier).
 

 

[KrebsCOHO]

I was thinking of something small because my current set up is tidy looking and something bulky would make things well... bulky.
 
I'm contemplating selling off the d2x and going for an STX but I'd like to hear more opinions. What would you guys think about it?