[ninjames]

Hey guys, I have a couple good sets of headphones .. I own the V-Moda M80, the Creative Aurvana Live!, the Phiatone 400 I think they are called, and the Triple-Fi earbuds. I love my good headphones. LOVE THEM. And I've started playing my Xbox 360 again, so started looking at Turtle Beach, Astro, etc for Xbox 360 headsets, then I thought ... why not just use my M-80s?
 
Weird thing though, I'm finding it hard to search and find people talking about using normal headphones ... and almost all of them are talking about pairing Sennheisers with some amps and the stuff. I see "mixamp" a lot. What is all this nonsense? I wasn't sure where to ask this stuff, so direct me elsewhere if need be, but ... do I need an amp? I can just plug my headphones into my TV and then I'm good-to-go, yeah? Or is there something else I should be doing?
 
Especially because I also want to use voice chat. I own a wired and wireless official Xbox 360 headset/microphone .. how do I use these on top of that? It has to go on the ear and negates the purpose of using my M-80s. Are there any clip-on mics that work with the 360? Or do these amps people talk about include microphones that work with the 360? I'd like to not spend 270 on this astro headset + mixamp whatever when I have a perfectly good $200 pair of M-80s, especially because I have a list of like 30 other sets of headphones I want to try.
 
In short, I am very, very confused, have some awesome headphones and some normal headsets. What do? 
 
EDIT: If, say, I needed a mixamp or something of that nature - how does it all work? This is what confuses me the most. What connects into what, and can I get a microphone to work with it? In the end, doesn't something need to plug into my Xbox controller? I see people referencing using headphones + mixamp + a zalman clip-on mic, which google brings up this: http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ
 
does that work with the Xbox? Am really confused. Thanks!

 

[ninjames]

I've done a little bit more research, so I want to ask a couple things.
 
1. When I see people talking about using headphones for gaming, I always see the AD700 recommended, among some other Sennheiser brands. Is there a reason for this that is more practical for gaming than, say, my M-80s? I have no qualms with laying down $100 to get a pair of AD700 if they are indeed a nice pair of headphones ... I have the sickness and want to own as many pairs of headphones as possible. But if my M-80s will work fine (or better?), then I can save $100 for the time being.
 
2. Is the difference between using the Mixamp and just plugging my headphones into the TV that big of a difference? Will it be better for me for things like directional hearing, etc? Thanks.
 
EDIT: Sorry for the double post, guys. I thought I was editing the initial for some reason. Thanks for any help.

 

[GigaFi]

People recommend Sennheisers and the AD700 because they are opened back and have great soundstage which really helps when playing games where hearing positional cues (i.e. foosteps) are necessary such as Call of Duty.
 
As far as I know, the Mixamp has some Dolby Surround thing that makes those cues more noticeable although it is completely unnecessary IMO (especially if you're headphones have good imaging to begin with). Plugging it into your TV is fine.
 
As for the mic, you can just use the Xbox one and leave it around your neck, that's what I do.

 

[ninjames]

I was thinking about waiting on the mixamp, plugging in the M-80s to my TV, buying a $10 clip-on mic and a $4 Xbox adapter and just seeing if I was happy with that. Do you have the AD700? Part of me is wanting people to force those down my throat so I can justify spending another $100 on them and not using the mixamp at all. :]

 

[GigaFi]

I was going to go that route too with the clip on mic + adapter but realized using the Xbox one works fine so...$15 saved!
 
I'm using Sennheiser HD 598 + Xbox Mic and it works great. I don't know how well the M80s work for FPSs but it looks like you have everything to try it out so give it a go.
 
Quote:

I was thinking about waiting on the mixamp, plugging in the M-80s to my TV, buying a $10 clip-on mic and a $4 Xbox adapter and just seeing if I was happy with that. Do you have the AD700? Part of me is wanting people to force those down my throat so I can justify spending another $100 on them and not using the mixamp at all. :]

 
 

 

[He11fire217]

I'm a 360-gamer as well and spent a lot of time researching this same subject just a few months ago. I ended up getting the Astro Mixamp and a30 headset, so here is what I can add to the discussion:
 
1. The Astro Mixamp (wired or 5.8, either one) will allow you to plug your M80s (or any mobile-capable headset, IE with 3 rings on the plug instead of 2) directly in and use their built in mic. While the mic on the M80 is designed for phone calls, I've read about at least one person using is satisfactorily with the XBox. 
 
2. The suggestion the other poster made about using regular headphones through your TV or receiver and the regular XBox headset plugged into your controller is a viable option. You have to run the chat audio mixed with the game audio through your headphones as well, which doesn't allow as much control as the MixAmp (one of its main features it that you can balance game/chat audio to your liking), but it will work. 
 
 
 
In hindsight, I talked myself into the a30 headset after buying them and probably shouldn't have. In theory, it's really awesome, with all the removable cables and the style of it, custom tags, etc, etc. They were the best sounding headset that I had heard to that point with music, movies, and games all taken into consideration (when compared to Triton, Turtle Beach, Sharkoon, and Plantronics), but when I compare them to Sony 7506s or my Grados, I realize how bad they sound. They're still more than adequate for games, but I rarely use them for music or movies anymore, so I feel like I overpaid for them. Anyways, I digress; I recommend the MixAmp, open headphones for better positional audio and sense of space, and I would definitely at least TRY the XBox headset around the neck or a mic-mod to see how you like it.

 

[Akin]

How can you expect to hear the chat sound while using the headset around your neck?

 

[GigaFi]

You can set the voice to output through speakers/headphone.

 

[Akin]

Quote:

You can set the voice to output through speakers/headphone.

Thanks, but I guess a modmic would be more... clean?

 

[Ptruslow]

what i normally use when gaming is i attatch the wireless mic to the cable of my m50 LE and set voice to come through "speakers" to go to the headphones. i amp from the audio connections on a rca video cable and use hdmi to go to the tv. the amp i use is a fiio e6 and i adjust the game volume to get the right ratio of game to voice volume, then control the master volume on my amplifier.