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Should I buy an expensive headset?

AsRock

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I don't think quality has gone down over the years. Its just that prices have gone up

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/buyers_guides/17/

Yes, that's for sure. But even some of those high priced speakers are not all that either. Only ones i would really trust if i were to get expensive speakers would have to be Totem.

Although i am not much for these smaller speakers, wish they stop the BS and bring back the good ol 8 woofer and not this small crap that requires more speakers + sub.

As this is not what the OP wanted to talk about this be my last post on this subject.
 
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Thanks for the advice lads! Tiz good to see a good auld battle about speaker quality and the likes :p

Perhaps I will consider the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 headset but that's so expensive! I'd be spending 360 euro on that and then I'd have to buy an external sound card or amp to power them!
I really like the Beyerdynamic 770pro and 990pro specs and also the price tag is much more believable ^^

Would the MMX 300 sound that much better than the 770 and 990???

Don't worry AsRock, I will get an external sound card and have my 5.1 setup in a month or so :p Can't be leaving that laying around :L

While I'm on the subject of external sound cards, would the Asus Xonar U7 do the job?
http://www.dabs.ie/products/asus-xo...eadphone-amplifier-8R5Y.html?q=asus u7&src=16

Would I be able to use them on my PS4 also? and Phone?! Tablet? :p
 
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Not reading through ALL the thread, I spotted a few key things you were talking about you wanted. Sounds like you want a "Open Back" headphone if you want to hear what is going on around you while also listening to music or gaming. Also, open back will allow your ears to breath over a longer duration of time. That is always a big debate, you will always have closed back fanatics that swear their ears don't sweat, but then again, some people also don't get sweaty palms and some do.....

For my headphones I am a sennheiser fan boy, I think they make great products for decent prices. For strictly audiophile grade listening without working in a studio 24-7, I use a set of Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's (they were recommended by another member on your first page as well) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000065BPB/?tag=tec06d-20

And for gaming I use the Sennheiser PC 360 headset (Picked mine up for about $150 off amazon a few months back) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003DA4D2U/?tag=tec06d-20

Don't buy a 5.1 or 7.1 headset, just think of the drivers, you will have a bunch of small speakers in there that get the job done. Might be fun for gaming, but that will be it. (I am sure there will be other comments on this as well, but my rule is THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR DISPLACEMENT, bigger speaker bigger sound)

There are tons of virtual surround software packages out there. I think Razer is giving theirs away for free at the moment. Creative and Asus also offer this with their sound cards and some built in MB sound cards as well.

Naturally none of this matters if you dont have an OP-AMP to drive these. Plugging any high grade headphone into your standard realtek onboard will suck. You need juice at higher impedance to get anything worthwhile in your ears.

I also see your asking about external amps, the Astro is really popular for a good mix of devices, works with game consoles too

http://www.astrogaming.com/mixamp™-pro/3AM99-HBU9X-975.html
 
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Yeah I am leaning towards the open back headsets after reading many reviews with many different headsets, they all say open back cans for gaming for better immersion and sound stage but usually lack in deeper bass. Not a problem for me as I will use them usually only for gaming and some music listening.

I'm currently seriously considering the Sennheiser 363d and the Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro headsets. They both have great reviews and at the moment I can't make up my mind on what to get.
I will look at more reviews to get a better picture of each cans.

On ebay I can get the DT-990 for 150 bucks and the 363d for 200 bucks.
The sennheiser is easier to drive and has a built in mic that's very good.
But the DT-990 doesn't have a mic and harder to drive which would require me to but an external AMP to power them properly which will cost me more in the long run!
 
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Keep in mind, the 363D's are nice. (EDITED OUT) The PC 360's I recommended are the originals that put sennheiser in the gaming spot light.

I had the same debate you did, 363D vs 360, so I ordered BOTH and tried them out :) . Ultimately I chose the 360's as the felt surround was much more comfortable and forming to me than the 363D (could not get it to seal) The 363D has a lower impedance than the 360's so they will require less power push them correctly.

All in what you want and what you want to invest.

EDIT: Actually I ordered the 350SE and the 360's. so my info is slightly skewed. However it gives you the important pieces to look for. In looking at the 363D's, they seem to be a very nice set. But do you really need the pay for the amplifier they come with if you are going to externally amp anyways?

http://en-us.sennheiser.com/gaming-headset-pc-363d
 
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I know what ya mean. I suppose I don't need the 363d as I will get a better AMP than that.

But should I be buying the Asus Xonar U7 sound card or should I be buying a better AMP? I don't want to have to spend another 100+ euro on an AMP!

At the moment though, I am leaning towards the Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro! and they will certainly need a good AMP as they are 250 ohm.
 
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AH yes you did! I did check it out and some how forgot about it..
That thing looks very good and is a decent price too, and I like that it works for consoles so that's certainly a plus!

I will check out some reviews for it and see how it fairs!
Do you know much about the Asus Xonar U7??
 
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Not first hand, but Asus is typically a vendor I trust. I have used the Astro and had no issues with it at all, just ended up not using it as much as I thought I would. I have used many Asus expansion sound cards PCI and PCI-e and they have always been solid.
 
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Yeah I trust Asus too which is why I'm very interested in buying one of their amps. That Astro Pro you linked, does it support 5.1 home theatre setups? I have an analog surround sound system that I would also want to connect to it if possible?

Also it says 32ohm per channel, does that mean it wouldn't be able to power a 250ohm headset?

Frequency range is 20-20,000hz. Does this also mean that if I got a headset with 5-35,000 frequency range, would that mean it wouldn't be able to reach the headsets full potential?
Or am I completely wrong and should shush up?
 
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Yeah I trust Asus too which is why I'm very interested in buying one of their amps. That Astro Pro you linked, does it support 5.1 home theatre setups? I have an analog surround sound system that I would also want to connect to it if possible?

Also it says 32ohm per channel, does that mean it wouldn't be able to power a 250ohm headset?

Frequency range is 20-20,000hz. Does this also mean that if I got a headset with 5-35,000 frequency range, would that mean it wouldn't be able to reach the headsets full potential?
Or am I completely wrong and should shush up?

even ignoring that fact that most recorded music video and games you listen to will not have sounds outside of 20-20000hz, depending on your hearing capacity you will most likely be deaf to things outside 20-20000hz or at the very least you will be very insensitive to them.

Sounds on the extreme high and low ends on the spectrum on the vast majority of audio systems suffer from significant attenuation so after we take into fact the idea that they will likely be reproduced quite quietly add on the fact you will be completely or mostly deaf to them, and you will not miss anything

edit: Cybernook raises a very good point with the idea that most sounds in the high ranges are incredibly annoying anyway to those who can hear them
 
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So, they would go perfectly with the 363D's as those are also 32 ohm headphones (what its really made for). A higher impedance headphone would "work" but not as intended. Frequency on the high range is not really a factor as human hearing is rated at 20 - 20000hz, so the astro is spot on for the majority. Sure, some people have more sensitive hearing, but honestly I enjoy not being able to hear dog whistles ;-) As for the low end, 5 - 20 hz is nonsense for a headphone anyways as you need some pretty massive sub-woofers rated that low to really hear and feel it. Have you ever seen/heard a 5 hz bass line? It's basically a woofer breathing, so without a sealed enclosure and some real displacement, you wont hear it anyways.
 
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Thanks for clearing that up Cheesy. I'll ignore those frequency ranges while I search for an AMP ^^

Yeah I was thinking that, the Sennheiser would be better suited for that amp it seems.
What sort of difference does 250ohm offer compared to 32ohm? is the difference worth bothering with or should I just stick to 32ohm?
 
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Compatibility and power rating/clarity. For gaming and music and such, a lower impedance headphone should be more than fine for you. If you start getting into professional level equipment and sound stage, then you might want a higher impedance headphone so you can run a great deal of power to it without it blowing your ears off so you can focus on every small detail there is to offer.

Basically the matching would be:

low impedance amp - high impedance headphone = low total output and high distortion
high impedance amp - low impedance headphone = blow your ears off volume and potential to damage your ears or headphones
low impedance amp - low impedance headphone = working as intended (keep an eye on sensitivity and thd)
high impedance amp - high impedance headphones = working as intended (keep and eye on sensitivity and thd, sensitivity not as much of a factor in this one)

I would say go 32 as you will be able to use them in more devices without sacrificing as much sound quality when plugging them into a non amplified source (Ipod or cell phone for example).
 
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Thanks for clearing that up Cheesy. I'll ignore those frequency ranges while I search for an AMP ^^

Yeah I was thinking that, the Sennheiser would be better suited for that amp it seems.
What sort of difference does 250ohm offer compared to 32ohm? is the difference worth bothering with or should I just stick to 32ohm?

The range is usually of no significance because they often allow up to +-10db either side of their chosen baseline before they chose to say their product is not reproducing it

The sound can be completely unlistenable and the frequency reproduction specs won't show it
 
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I'm actually starting a course in multimedia application development and I will be dealing with sound creation so perhaps 250ohm would be best suited for this??

I think I've made up my mind! The Beyerdynamic DT-990 pro I think is the winner :p
I will keep checking online for more options but for the price and brilliant reviews I can't help but want these now :p

Lads, what about this external sound card?
http://www.dabs.ie/products/creative-sound-blaster-omni-5-1-soundcard-usb-retail-916J.html
It's able to power up to 600ohm headphones and has a built in mic that could be useful until I buy a proper modmic.

I can also use this with my consoles and use my 5.1 surround sound system too.
Seems good and price is great!
But would the quality be lacking to make proper use of the headphones?
 
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Looks good. We are just birds on your shoulder, it comes down to what will make you happy.
 
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I prefer closed-back for two reasons: Bass Impact/Presence and isolation.
Agree as well. I'm sure there are great open-ear headphones, but I haven't run across one yet and I really want isolation.

I bought a true 5.1 headset from Turtle Beach (through woot.com). They're absolutely terrible. There's no sense of actual surround. Not even close. Let me map out the channels.

Front = Sides, slightly forward
Rear = Sides, slightly back (can't tell difference between rear from front unless you're sitting down testing each speaker)
Center = Basically both fronts at once
Bass = Pop and rattle from two small speakers that quickly suffer from overexcursion (not enough room left over for a good speaker)

I know you've already made up your mind about passing on a 5.1/7.1 headset, but I just want to reaffirm that you've made the right choice.

I've stuck with IEMs in the past since they offer nice isolation, good sound (and bass if you get a good seal), and are rather lightweight. I liked my old Sennheiser CX300s until they died. I moved to a pair of Klipsch Image S2s that were decently good, but.. died, I think? Liking the Image S2 and wanting something more, I tried the Image S4a, but it lacked something I couldn't put my finger on. I eventually lost them somewhere. Ended up buying a relatively cheap bluetooth headset that I'm using now for most everything. The lack in audio quality is worth the portability and not having to untangle cables, although I will be looking at new IEMs because some days, I just need to seal out the world.

The Turtle Beach set is nice since they just tie in to my existing 5.1 setup and I can keep them plugged in at all times. It works decently well as a headset, but doesn't provide anything close the immersive experience I was hoping for. I also have some decently inexpensive Sennheiser HD202 on-ears that provide pretty decent sound on most anything. None of my gear is anywhere near high-end, but for me, nothing has really come close to a $50 pair of IEMs. Woot often has a Klipsch Image S4s in various flavors for around the $35 mark (+$5 shipping). If you're doing anything other than sitting down, it might be worth investing in a nice IEM in addition to your circumaural/supra-aural set.
 
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Quality without a doubt has not gone down. Speaker technology has gone up for sure. I have full sized speakers, book shelf speakers and monitors. They all sound awesome. My smallest speakers paired with a sub sound the best of all of them.

You don't need a sub to thump tons of bass. I like my base blended into my music. Sounds more realistic.

As for headphones Vs headsets. Well they each have their uses. I have a couple pair of audiophile grade cans and a couple pair of gaming headsets. When I'm gaming I actually prefer my Sony Pulse Elite. It works awesome on PC and PS3/PS4. No mic hanging off my shirt or sitting on my desk. Sounds great, works great.

When i listen to music I swap in my Grados or Audeze cans.

I prefer open back cans for the more airy and larger sound stage.
 
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i personally have the DT770/80ohms and tried the DT990/250
and i can say for gaming, both are equally good, it comes down to preference which sound signature you want
 
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For the beyer is good too the fiio e10 not the e10k because cant run heaphones past 150ohm but the fiio e10 olympus can run headphone 16 to 300 ohm so with the beyer you can be ok + if you want a mic you can buy the modmic so in case you in the future change headphone you can replace it and put the mic back on xd.
About the sound card well mmm i dont know if i can trust a sound card that need drivers vs something driverless like my fiio e10 but if you see a good review and comparison about a amp/dac vs that soundblaster is up to you xd.
Speaking of the frequency response i can tell that i have used a lot of normal 32ohm headphone with 20 to 20khz and using a corsair vengeace 1500v2 that is another world listeng when you have a better freuqncy responde like 10 to 30khz and 56ohm even because both my superlux hd668b and the corsair one have 50mm driver and in a way or another the corsair have a little amp dac but without software didnt work so well the superlux with dedicated amp/dac deliver much more in a lot of thing about the sound so human ear can listen only 20 to 20khz but if you listen to source that are 20 to 20khz vs 10 to 30khz you can hear the difference and im not a person affected by the placebo effect so this is what i think.
 
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Thanks for all the extra advice lads and useful information regarding headsets and amps/dacs ^^

I'm very unsure of the sound blaster sound card myself because it's cheap, has multiple inputs and requires software to operate :/

I just don't know what I'm going to do yet.. but I'm checking up loads of headsets and amps and sound cards to broaden my horrizen and hopefully come across a clear winner, but sadly haven't yet found the perfect combo! :p


ummmm.. yee lads will probably kill me for this.. but umm.. I am buying a headset for 90% gaming and some music listening while I sleep :p
but umm.. What about this:
http://gaming.coolermaster.com/en/products/audio/sirus/

or

http://www.roccat.org/Products/Gaming-Sound/ROCCAT-Kave-XTD-5-1-Digital/

They are both classed as gaming headsets but have multiple drivers which I'm interested in. I owned a Sharkoon Xtactic 5.1 surround sound headset with a total of 8 drivers but they were tiny 10mm and I think 20mm drivers and sounded tiny in sound but gave the very best immersion in games which I really enjoyed.
I used my sennheiser headset for music listening so this headset was used a lot until it broke :p


The coolermaster headset has some pretty good reviews and has 3x30mm drivers and 40mm subwoofer driver. Sounds good to me?? Like the sound wouldn't sound so tiny as my sharkoons did!

The Roccat headset has 6 total drivers with 2x40mm drivers and 1x30mm subwoofer driver. Sounds great enough to me and also very good reviews for it. Plus it looks very nice!
I also bought the Roccat Kone XTD mouse last week and it's the best mouse I've ever bought! Which makes me rather trust worthy of this brand and really love the premium look about their XTD range ^^

What are your guys thoughts on this matter???
Since I want a good gaming headset.. should I just look into these ones??

I do how ever intend on buying the Beyerdynamics DT 990 Pros anyway. But would take a month before I get those also.



orrrr should I just buy the sennheiser 363d gaming headset? But I really am unsure about getting another virtual surround headset as I already have 2 of them and they don't give much immersion at all!

Help me lads!!
 
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well i didnt have tried a 7.1 or 5.1 headset with so many drivers but i think that virtual is much better because if the driver i big enough like my corsair 50mm you dont have distortion and so on with 5.1 and 7.1 and gives me a good a immersion.
On the other hand from having punchased my superlux now i wear them all the time when i dont have to play with friends and i needed a mic .
So have billions of drivers when we have only 2 ears xd i joke but you have experience with a headset like this so i dont think that having driver of 30 or 40 mm can give you a better overall experience that a bigger solid driver.
The sennheiser are 150ohm if i recall like the older one and so they need a good powerfull soundcard but are very expensive compared to the dt 990pro+modmic+amp/dac combo.
A good thing would be to try it but i dont know where you could go i live in italy so xd .
The dt990pro +fiio e10 or nuforce udac 2/3 or the audioengine d1.
The fiio e10 olympus on ebay i payed it 50€ with free shipping.
 

Kursah

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Stay away from headsets with multiple drivers...there's no good tuning or solution. If you want multi-speaker surround sound, use speakers setups in a properly sized room. With headphones, rely on good stereo imaging and possibly 5.1/7.1 emulation. You will gain far more immersion from better headphones than you ever will from multi-driver headsets. It's shitty drivers with a crappy design that can't possibly ever be tuned to sound good enough to be justifiable for the expense to even produce, let alone purchase. Steer clear.

Check into the Aune T1 for a good Dac/Amp, you can get a system-level EQ that will work well with it. I have one...I never use it because I run my Auzen Forte > Denon AVR-1613 Receiver > Speakers and Headphones

I prefer X-FI's EQ and I'm gonna use the Auzen till she dies.

The Sennheiser gaming headsets are a solid option, but so is a cheaper pair of headphones + modmic. I use the zip tie + cheap boom mic + 6ft 3.5mm extension cable method honestly. And it works very, very well and was very, very cheap. I think the cable was $5 and the mic was $7, a bag of zip ties, $1.50. Turning your favorite headphones into a gaming headset, priceless.

:toast:
 
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