Creative MKII - FiiO E5 amp?

[Pineh]

Basically the PC350's vs high-end headphones.

Hey. Long story short, I need cheap quality cans with a microphone.
I'm thinking of just going to go with the Creative MK II headset for 50 bucks.
I'm using an AuzenTech X-Plosion Cinema sound card right now.
Does anybody know if the FiiO E5 portable amp will help sound quality in any way on the MKII?
If you have any suggestions for me that are good for gaming but much more importantly music, please do share. (I've gotten 5H V2's suggested to me, but reportedly not ideal for music)

Thanks a lot for your time.

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

I have a FiiO E5. It works ok, but not worth it IMO unless you want something louder. It will not increase quality, and has a minor hum to it. I don't use it unless I am using open air headphones.

EDIT: Bass boost is nice though... but not worth it IMO.

 

[Pineh]

Alright, thanks. The E5 is out of the equation then. The MKII has some pretty bad reviews and some pretty good reviews. I guess it's just average for a fair price. As for the popular PC350, I can't power em off my sound card and unamped setup, and the HD 555 is open and will leak into my mic/annoy people. MK II looks to be just about the only practical purchase. Anybody care to show me the light?

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

You probably DON'T need an amp for that low end of a set of headphones. Not to say they are bad, they just won't benefit from an amp as much as $$$ headphones. See how the headphones sound first. Did you get them yet BTW? Ebay? What?

 

[Pineh]

I'll probably be getting the MK II's from Canada Computers for 50 bucks this Sunday.
I was looking at the SteelSeries 7H Headset. It already has some pretty great reviews (As good or better as an HD555 but w/ a good mic...say wut?). It's pricey but if it really is that good...I'm considering this. It's not cheaper than $130 anywhere.

 

[n-ster]

I kinda find my E5 real nice... cant hear the hum, lets me control my iTouchs' sound from outside, BassBoost is MUCH NEEDED with my Shure 440 and makes a nice difference, also helps use the line out of my ipod with an LOD

I guess it deends on the person, but I find it was worth it...

spent 70$ on Shure 440, 25$ on amp, and 9$ on LOD Fiio L1


btw, any chance you re in Montreal? I could let you test my setup and choose yourself

 

[Wile E]

I have a FiiO E5. It works ok, but not worth it IMO unless you want something louder. It will not increase quality, and has a minor hum to it. I don't use it unless I am using open air headphones.

EDIT: Bass boost is nice though... but not worth it IMO.

I have one as well, not all that great for desktop use. The bass boost is needed, because the amp naturally reduces bass output. A good desktop unit would be much better for fidelity.

Pro tip- Hum only happens when plugged into USB. No hum running off of battery.

It is absolutely perfect for on the go, however. It's portability is amazing, and it work great with my iPhone's line out. Sounds much better than the iPhone in-built headphone amp.

 

[n-ster]

Oh if its for desktop use, than forget about it lol, no need... Yea the humm when plugged, I hear that too

I don't hear the bass reduction when using the amp, except if you talk about LOD... using the LOD reduces bass I find...

If you are interested in one on the cheap, I might part with mine, I have been thinking of going bigger and better lately xD

 

[streetfighter 2]

This is probably irrelevant but I thought I'd mention the CMoy Pocket Amplifier.

If you're handy with a soldering iron and you have some basic electronics know how you can tune that puppy to your liking pretty easily.

In terms of cans I'm only familiar with the studio variety and the ones I know are around 150 USD.

 

[n-ster]

Ah yea, I forgot to mention that, I did not attempt that though, I think I suck with stuff like this, nice catch

 

[streetfighter 2]

It's not nearly as bad as you might think. I used that site when I built a CMoy Amp for a friend several months ago.

I breadboarded it at first and finally transferred it to a PCB mounted in an Altoids can. I seem to remember it running around $30 because I already had most of the components. (Unfortunately I don't have an oscilloscope so I tuned it with my rather shoddy ears.)

It should be thought of more like buying a Lego kit than a diecast model. You don't have to build it in one night and you're probably going to end up staring at a picture thinking, "why doesn't mine look like that?" A little bit of reading and breadboarding should allow anyone who is willing to commit the time to do it.

 

[Pineh]

Thanks for the large of amount of posts, guys. Unfortunately I live in Toronto, Ontario, but it was nice of you to offer that. Yea, the E5 is easily out of the question as I won't be using my headset with a portable media player. I've read up a bit on the CMoy, but I have no experience with soldering and neither do I own a solder gun or any of the parts. I don't trust myself at all and it would probably run me a good fifty . I think I'll stick to unamped for now, since there probably isn't much justice to be done to a low end 32ohm headset.

 

[xrealm20]

humm... i wouldn't click that link - it contains a 141kb executable file...

 

[Kreij]

n-ster and xrealm20 please delete your posts concerning the utility, they are in reference to a spammer.

 

[Pineh]

Does anybody think the SteelSeries 7H is worth the 130 bucks?

Off Topic: Did I miss some sort of spammer?

 

[n-ster]

Yea you did lol...

Have you checked Head-fi.org? best reference when it comes to these things

 

[Pineh]

Okay, I'm down to two headsets.
The PC350 is currently ordered ($150) and on back-order at NCIX, but I can cancel it at any time.
The other choice is the Siberia V2 ($90). I'm absolutely stuck.

 

[n-ster]

I'm not great in headsets, but I have heard that sometimes it is better to have headphones + zipped Mic

 

[NinkobEi]

I'm not great in headsets, but I have heard that sometimes it is better to have headphones + zipped Mic

yeah this is the way to go. Grab a pair of Audio Technica ATH AD-700 for $90 from amazon, a $10 mic and you'll be better off than PC350s ;D
I should mention that these are light on Bass. Incredibly comfortable. I regularly keep my pair on for 5+ hours and forget about them.

or make your own headset:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/446329/fragtality-s-audio-technica-ad700-boom-mic-mod

 

[Pineh]

I've been suggested the AD700, but firstly I can't find it anywhere in Canada (Other than for to get it shipped for $130 or $170 from two sites that do have them). The problem is that they're open, and I completely prefer closed. There's people I don't want to disturb and noises I want to eliminate in close proximity to my setup. I've also had an open headset leak sound into the microphone, and it was simply unusable. The microphone on the PC350 is also top-notch (however not the selling point). So you reckon that the AD700 sounds better than the PC350? I have an AuzenTech X-Plosion card, and multiple people have said the PC350 sounds beautiful with it, and if that's not enough for me I can mod it too, which improves the bass a lot.
So basically, I'm not really into open headsets, and the AD700 would be a bit of a hassle to get in general - Will it really be worth it in the end?

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

I've been suggested the AD700, but firstly I can't find it anywhere in Canada (Other than for to get it shipped for $130 or $170 from two sites that do have them). The problem is that they're open, and I completely prefer closed. There's people I don't want to disturb and noises I want to eliminate in close proximity to my setup. I've also had an open headset leak sound into the microphone, and it was simply unusable. The microphone on the PC350 is also top-notch (however not the selling point). So you reckon that the AD700 sounds better than the PC350? I have an AuzenTech X-Plosion card, and multiple people have said the PC350 sounds beautiful with it, and if that's not enough for me I can mod it too, which improves the bass a lot.
So basically, I'm not really into open headsets, and the AD700 would be a bit of a hassle to get in general - Will it really be worth it in the end?

In my opinion, open headsets sound much better. I rock a pair of Grado SR-60's cause they sound so good. Closed air just does not have the quality of sound that open does. If you mount a mic however, feedback city!

 

[Pineh]

Yea, I really can't have "feedback city" over there...I do use the microphone pretty often, and I'm never not listening to music, and sometimes I'm in a game while listening to music and with game sound...gets pretty ridiculous for whoever I'm talking to ! Yea, I can understand the open headsets may have a different sound, but I think I'll be alright, since I've had a closed headset before and I liked the sound. The mod for the PC350 calls for a few holes just in the piece inside the cosmetic shell, making them slightly more open (I believe) and the bass much tougher. I'll see if I have to do it, maybe I'll love them right out of the box.

 

[NinkobEi]

I've been suggested the AD700, but firstly I can't find it anywhere in Canada (Other than for to get it shipped for $130 or $170 from two sites that do have them). The problem is that they're open, and I completely prefer closed. There's people I don't want to disturb and noises I want to eliminate in close proximity to my setup. I've also had an open headset leak sound into the microphone, and it was simply unusable. The microphone on the PC350 is also top-notch (however not the selling point). So you reckon that the AD700 sounds better than the PC350? I have an AuzenTech X-Plosion card, and multiple people have said the PC350 sounds beautiful with it, and if that's not enough for me I can mod it too, which improves the bass a lot.
So basically, I'm not really into open headsets, and the AD700 would be a bit of a hassle to get in general - Will it really be worth it in the end?

To prevent mic-bleeding you get a Boom mic.http://www.netdirectbargains.com/items/item.aspx?itemid=6694146
Sound quality-wise open headsets are much better. As for the sound bleeding, yes if they are turned up to 100% there will be issues. but around 50%, which is plenty loud, the overflow is minimal. Again I must say the AD700 isnt heavy on bass, so if thats your thing you may want to reconsider.

I highly recommend that you read this thread a little bit:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/487673/the-best-solution-for-gaming
great reading material and its right up your alley!

 

[Pineh]

Thanks for the link, good read! My old headset also had a fairly high quality boom microphone, but it still picked stuff up from within the cans (I don't listen to music/games too loudly, I have fairly good hearing). I actually want some sound isolation, but more importantly I do like a fair bit of bass (Not a ridiculous amount, we're not talking skullcrap here ). I listen to mainly Rock, Trance and Instrumentals.

 

[NinkobEi]

more reading material. can never be too prepared! lol
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/483802/quest-for-holy-grail-of-gaming-sound

be careful though... budgets have a tendency to swell to much larger than they were intended ;P

http://www.google.com/products/cata...og_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEgQ8wIwAw#