[rokkyboy]

Hello,
 
My friend just bought the new XBox and 46inch LED HDTV. He wants to purchase a sound system that can complete the gaming rig. He lives in a room where sound leakage is a big problem so he is looking for headphones, not speakers.
 
He is willing to spend somewhere between 1000~1500. 
 
Can anyone recommend any headphones/amps(if necessary) for XBox?
MIC is not needed since he does not play with others.
I don't even know if it is worth spending that much. Are the sources good enough to spend that much to bring out the best in sound? I personally play Starcraft II with HE5/EF5 combo with Cambridge DACmagic and they are nice, but.. the difference is not like ipod stock earphones with my SE530s or IE8s. I guess it depends on games. He told me he plays Call of Duty, winning eleven, Split Second, Battlefield 2 and some racing games. 
 
I heard there are headphones that can support 5.1 channel surround sound. Would that be the best bet for gaming?
 
Thanks!
 
Rk

 

[clou91]

He won't need anything near $1000 for gaming. An astro mixamp + AD700s will be enough. That'll probably be sub $250. A much more expensive alternative (which won't necessarily be better) would be to buy a 5.1 ch receiver instead of the mixamp.

 

[Mr Joboto]

^ good advice that, it's all you really need

 

[ExpatinJapan]

I have ATH-A900 headphones, victor su-dh1 amp with optical cord. xbox talk headset sits around my neck with game chat and game sound through my a900 headphones.

 

[IDK]

are all 5.1 receivers better sounding than the mixamp?

 

[mcnoiserdc]

Hi!
 
Since he has money, the mixamp to start is a basic, if he wants surround, then he can buy any set of headphones he wants.
Ad700 is known to lack a little bass, so he may go with AD900 which is bit better.
 
HE can also go with full 5.1 ch surround headset, but these lack audio quality. They can get you really immersed in the game, and aware, but as he doesn't seem to be competitive, he rather go the mixamp way.
 
Well I use a mixamp (dolby headphones) + Amp (to drive my headphones properly) + sennheiser hd600. This for gaming may be an overkill, but I also use the amp and hd600 for music, so it is a like a All in One System.
 
Well there are rumours that dolby headphones work better with closed headphones, so he may get a pair of closed headphones too. Open headphones have the advantage of generally sounding better, and lets you hear what is around you. For example I play while my wife watches tv, and open headphones let us talk to each other.

 

[rokkyboy]

Hello,
 
I looked around, and if he is willing to spend more, would he still need a mixamp? why would you use mixamp + amp + phones?
 
He prefers closed headphones and really likes Denons. He just purchased a really expensive TV for himself and would like to purchase an audio system to make him truly happy. My main question is that if Xbox can be a good enough source to spend $1000 for an amp + headphone.
 
What are the advantages and disadvantages of going 5.1? 
 
Thanks,
 
Rk

 

[Mad Max]

I would say a receiver + A900 (not AD900) or DT770.  I don't remember reading about Denons and gaming, but DT770 gets mention for closed-back gaming 'phone.
The receiver doesn't have to be new, right?  Or some amp with really good soundstage instead of the receiver.
ATH-A2000X would make him happiest for sure, and give him the greatest positional precision to boot.

 

[mcnoiserdc]

Mixamp is a dolby headphones processor with mixing capability. you can connect your mp3 player, baby monitor and so on... It has also the ability to let you mix the chat and game sound so you can set the volume you want for both.
Well If He is NOT going to chat while gaming, he can use the AV receiver if he has one. These days many of them have dolby headphones too, so He can enjoy them. The audio technica ath-A900, is reported to be very good for gaming, he can buy the best headphones He wants to do that.
 
I use mixamp plus another amp, because the mixamp is not powerful enough for my hd600 (300 Ohm).
But if he goes with audio technica headphones I think that won't be needed. The beyerdynamic dt770 is also loved.
Xbox is not such a big source. It outputs dolby digital 5.1, which has a 640Kbps of bitrate, divided in 6 channels, so He doesn't need to buy the best headphones in the world for that.
 
HE can also go with full 5.1 ch surround headset, but these lack audio quality. They can get you really immersed in the game, and aware, but as he doesn't seem to be competitive, he rather go the mixamp way.
But if He has that much money he can buy both and try by himself and then return one of them.
 
There is for example the Turtle beach x41, which has dolby headphones surround, and is wireless. I hope you know what is dolby headphones!
Quote:

Hello,
 
I looked around, and if he is willing to spend more, would he still need a mixamp? why would you use mixamp + amp + phones?
 
He prefers closed headphones and really likes Denons. He just purchased a really expensive TV for himself and would like to purchase an audio system to make him truly happy. My main question is that if Xbox can be a good enough source to spend $1000 for an amp + headphone.
 
What are the advantages and disadvantages of going 5.1? 
 
Thanks,
 
Rk

 

 

[clou91]

Wait, is the Xbox being used primarily for gaming or for music listening? If it's just for gaming then you don't need anything too special. My brother uses my dad's Onkyo SR 706 7.1 ch receiver and AD700s to game while I use a tiny portable amp and my HFI 780s to game. Honestly, his setup is slightly better, but it also cost about $600 more.
 
If he also wants to use his xbox as a music source, then he should think about looking into an external DAC with an optical input in addition to an astro mix amp which could be used solely for gaming. Then he could pair either with a nice amp and have a decent music and gaming set up.